Wrong party

OK, we messed up. We went to the wrong party.

We heard that tonight's party, hosted by Apple Computer at the Stratosphere was the place to be. The buzz of the day was, "Apple employees can't even get in because it's so much in demand," so we decided to actually show up on time at the Stratosphere Casino, wedding chapel, and roller-coaster ride tonight, only to be greeted by long lines and a packed elevator. But the elevator was a breath of fresh air compared to the very crowded party we were about to encounter.

At first, we thought we were in for a treat. After all, there were three rooms, each with a different theme. One room blared rock 'n' roll and peddled a variety of meats, another offered three women in gold sequins playing the cello and platters of vegetables, and, finally, oldies with desserts. We tried the food but couldn't see what we were eating because of the funky lighting.

After running into and being shoved by people all night, we decided to head outside to the top of the tower to find out about this Big Ride everyone was talking about. That we did, in a Big Way.

Shooting up from zero to 160 mph in five seconds, it cleared our heads of the memory of indigestion and atmosphere, which at times were hard to distinguish from one another. Unfortunately, it lasted only a minute.

The party was a bust, and we went home early to be welcomed by other partygoers with stories about Bill Gates, Peter Brady of Brady Bunch legend, and the Village People.

Besides the Big Shot, the chili cook-off turned out to be the place to be, and we weren't even there. Hope you were.

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