Company Christmas Parties

Now that the holidays have passed and Yasuhide's adventures here in the U.S. are coming to an end (he leaves early tomorrow), I can finally do a bit of blogging. So I take you back a few weeks to both Rich and my own company Christmas parties. My company party was held at the Tower Club at the top of Thanksgiving Tower in downtown Dallas. The view was nice, it was open bar, the food was good, and the DJ played good music. Pictured above is the view from the party room. Below is me with some coworking gals; Laura (sits in the cube across from me and sadly must endure my annoying habit of talking to myself), Erika, who reminds me of Tawnee (if I close my eyes she sounds and speaks just like Tawnee; miss you Tawn), and Carolyn (the snazziest dresser in the office; don't think she owns a t-shirt or sweats). Also pictured is me with Hannah, a hafu from Highland Park. She looks more Japanese than my mom. Overall, the company party was a good event. Didn't drink too much and embarrass myself in front of my boss. Always a good thing.

Rich's holiday party turns into a restaurant review. His office only has a handful or workers, so the party was an intimate dinner at Sambuca in north Dallas. By the time of my arrival, he and his coworkers were pretty toasty. Nice start. We immediately were seated in a great spot in front of the stage. Sambuca offers really decent music on the weekends. As we took our seats, the lights dimmed so low that I could barely read the menu. After holding a candle up to read, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice choices. I ordered the scallops on risotto. Rich picked the tuna and even asked that it be left pretty raw in the middle. Drinks were consumed and after much waiting and anticipating, the food arrived. In pitch black darkness, we ate. I did photograph my food before it was consumed. Sadly the shots reveal overcooked scallops and a very done tuna. Ugh! No wonder they dim the lights so low. Other than the food, I would recommend Sambuca for drinks, dancing, and listening to some live music. In the end though, Rich's company party was fun. His coworkers were amusing and we all were able to get plenty of booze. Company parties are a nice way to relax and mingle with your coworkers and all on the companies dime. Nice.