“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 831 (Friday) – friday night gala

Going out on a Friday night always makes the weekend feel longer.  Attending a Friday night gala for Merrimack Repertory Theater on the cusp of a long weekend felt like the best possible way to shake off the dust of the workweek and kickstart the leisure time.

Vintage bits!

It was a chance to dress up a bit and be out with colleagues as part of the Bank’s event sponsorship. After logging off from work, a couple vintage pieces were dusted off and taken out to play. Winston was fed and I dashed upstairs to dress. 

Thank goodness for fashion cycles and packrat tendencies. Tonight’s outfit began with high-waisted black pants from the last time waistbands were really high (up over the ribs) from the late 70s or early 80s with a cream and tan bed jacket over a cream camisole and finished off with my favorite giant fancy necklace I made from vintage brooches, and the new blue shoes. 

Shortly before 6:00 I was headed out for the night. And what a nice night it was. There were cocktails and socializing on a terrace on a sunny evening with cooling breezes. There were colleagues I hadn't seen for two or three years do to office moves and then the pandemic. 

Stage set for Woody Sez.

We moved indoors for dinner featuring fish, fowl, and beef and an array of potatoes and vegetables. After dinner, an accordionist led us to the theater for performances from the current production Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie, and an earlier production of Back Together Again: The Music of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. 

After the live auction it was back to the terrace for dessert and the settling up of auction items. There was strawberry shortcake layer cake and ice cream with hot fudge. On the way out, we were given packaged chocolate treats from Sweet Lydia's, a local handcrafted chocolate shop. 

The whole night was well-paced, well organized and most pleasant. And it felt wonderfully pre-pandemic normal.