I had planned to report here on a delightful and unusual evening out, attending a gala fundraiser for the Lupus Foundation of Massachusetts with special guest Lily Tomlin. Those who know me will realize that I rarely don a jacket and tie (and even cufflinks!), so this was going to be something special.
...Except that it wasn't - not for us. anyway. The event was being held at the home of a local TV personality in the wilds of South Natick, MA, down a long, narrow, twisting lane. We turned down the lane and soon found ourselves in a stationary line of cars that disappeared around the bend into the distance. The house was nowhere in sight. Other cars pulled up behind us, then others. From talking to passers-by, it became apparent that at our present rate we wouldn't reach the house until well after the main event started, and that if the parking was LIFO we were unlikely to get away before 1am. Clearly someone had goofed. So after waiting patiently for 40 minutes, and making little progress, we turned around, abandoned our Very Expensive VIP Tickets, and headed off to a nice Indian restaurant for a quiet meal.
I'm glad they raised a lot of money for a worthy cause. But I'm pretty pissed off about the rest of it. Except the pudeena lamb. And the Louis Jadot Beaujolais that we had as an aperitif.
[Updated 2004-06-04 20:53:56] I received an immediate email from the VP of the Lupus Foundation apologizing for the situation, explaining how it had arisen, and offering either a full refund or four tickets at another upcoming gala fundraiser. I was impressed by this response. As it happens, the forthcoming fundraiser doesn't fit our schedules, and we've decided not to ask for a refund.
Posted by geoff2 at June 3, 2004 10:54 PMCufflinks, even!!!!! That is a shame, it sounds like extremely bad planning. In a past live, I planned special events and I still cringe when I hear stuff like this.
What were they thinking?
Posted by: Susan in St. Paul at June 4, 2004 12:37 AMIn a past LIFE, I could use the right word too
Posted by: Susan in St. Paul at June 4, 2004 12:39 AMNice waffle-cut gold & onyx cuff-links. D'you know how hard it is to find shirts with convertible non-French cuffs in the USA?
As for the event, I've sent the organizers a copy of my blog entry. We'll see what they say.
Posted by: Geoff at June 4, 2004 12:49 AMI thought for some reason you had a few bespoke shirts. And yes, those cufflinks you got for Christmas a few years ago?
Frustrating. Did they not assume that people would not be carpooling 300 people to a car?
Posted by: Chris A at June 4, 2004 03:31 AMI have never even heard of convertible non-French cuffs and I do tailoring. How do they work?
I always wear french cuffs with my cuff-links, which is rare these days because those shirts usually require ironing as well.
In a remote location you use a very nice shuttle bus for ferrying people from central location. Sheesh!
Convertible cuff: just like a simple one-button cuff, single thickness (i.e. not folded), but with an extra button hole cut next to the button. Common in England; special order in the US.
Posted by: Geoff Arnold at June 4, 2004 01:04 PMOkay, I found a picture but what happens to the button when you wear cuff links? Do you wear the cuff as if it is buttoned but with cufflinks instead or do you wear it like a french cuff, and the button shows?
Also why are they so hard to find? All it seems to mean is adding a machined button hole near the button.
Typically the button is the same colour as the cuff material, and since it's on the inside of the wrist (towards the body) it doesn't show.
Posted by: Geoff at June 4, 2004 09:00 PM