My Favorite Things at the City Arts Fest Opening Night Party

A thinly veiled spin-off of Illuminating Things

1. Handing my debit card to the door man (when he asked to see my ID), and looking at him like he was crazy when he didn't take it.

2. Artist Don Fels' round, red spectacles.

3. The crowd's intimidation by (and yet, enjoyment of) those ENORMOUS appetizers.

4. Seeing artists Klara Glosova and Scott Hotchkiss show up just in time to leave with leftover cake to take home to their kids.

5. The crazy cake!

Yep. That's a cake. Photo by Nate Watters.

6. Beholding my lanky arm spreading across an entire wall when my photobooth picture was projected for everyone to see.

7. Running into a former creative writing student (and hearing she's still pursuing a writer career!).

8. Having to be told the bar was closed. Ahem.

9. The music, a la Gabriel Mintz and Sam Anderson and ambient sounds by DJ Riz. (Although, I must admit I shouted through most of it in conversation.)

10. Seeing some of my favorite creative people who make this a really enjoyable arts community to write about.

11. Seeing some of my favorite creative people (many of whom I have yet to meet) displayed on the wall in a beautiful, creative fashion as part of Chase Jarvis' Seattle 100 Project (you can see it, too!)

12. Discovering delicious chocolate in the gift bags (which I had helped deliver in a very sweaty rush earlier that day) on the ride home.