You know what? I just realized what we're missing:
Party Activities.
So, let's go ahead and work on that list.
For one thing there's going to be the lunch and dinner. Ben will leave most of the planning and management for that to Sasame and Noike, though Ben would like for the dinner to be a classic Texas-style barbeque with a little bit of everything for everyone. (Any vegetarians going to the party? I know that there's some great places to source vegetarian food in San Antonio.)
Movie Time
I'm thinking that along with the dinner, they should have a movie or two - seperate screenings at the same time. On one screen, I say we should definitely do Labyrinth. For the other, I would like to nominate an old favorite that falls into the Horror/Comedy genre, The Lost Boys.
Honestly, I love The Lost Boys as much as Labyrinth. What's great about that movie is that it manages to perfectly balance horror with comedy - edge of your seat screams and thrills with laugh out loud moments that somehow do not feel at all out of place. A real cult classic.
The pool, of course, will be open. I imagine that Ami will be spending a lot of time both in and out of it, and will likely earn the title, "Official Mermaid of the 2016 Halloween Party". Much to her chagrin.
Games - we should have a number of games. Not only of the backyard variety, but with the tables outside, we can also have a number of other games. Jenga can be one. We can also have a few classics that will bear up well outdoors, like Trouble and Connect Four. Both are easy and fun to play, and I imagine that the younger ones that have never seen it before will adore Trouble's trademark Popomatic Bubble(tm).
And for people like Ami and Teletha, a nice chess set will be available. (Fun idea. So as not to miss out on party time activities, those two circulate and check back on the table to make the next move, then go out and circulate again.)
For outdoor games, we can have volleyball, badminton (really, they can be played using the same net) and bocce ball. Though I imagine volleyball is going to be more popular with the more physical members of our group.
Oh, and we can probably have a fun little 'kendo match' with Tenchi and Shiro.
And then, of course, there will be the onsen, though that's probably going to be more of an after-party thing. Shiro and Momoko being the only 'legally allowed' couple, they will probably be the only ones to take advantage of the mixed gender section.
This will probably be where Usagi and Sasami hatch their plan to make sure Ben has as much company as possible.
Any other ideas?
Party Activities.
So, let's go ahead and work on that list.
For one thing there's going to be the lunch and dinner. Ben will leave most of the planning and management for that to Sasame and Noike, though Ben would like for the dinner to be a classic Texas-style barbeque with a little bit of everything for everyone. (Any vegetarians going to the party? I know that there's some great places to source vegetarian food in San Antonio.)
Movie Time
I'm thinking that along with the dinner, they should have a movie or two - seperate screenings at the same time. On one screen, I say we should definitely do Labyrinth. For the other, I would like to nominate an old favorite that falls into the Horror/Comedy genre, The Lost Boys.
Honestly, I love The Lost Boys as much as Labyrinth. What's great about that movie is that it manages to perfectly balance horror with comedy - edge of your seat screams and thrills with laugh out loud moments that somehow do not feel at all out of place. A real cult classic.
The pool, of course, will be open. I imagine that Ami will be spending a lot of time both in and out of it, and will likely earn the title, "Official Mermaid of the 2016 Halloween Party". Much to her chagrin.
Games - we should have a number of games. Not only of the backyard variety, but with the tables outside, we can also have a number of other games. Jenga can be one. We can also have a few classics that will bear up well outdoors, like Trouble and Connect Four. Both are easy and fun to play, and I imagine that the younger ones that have never seen it before will adore Trouble's trademark Popomatic Bubble(tm).
And for people like Ami and Teletha, a nice chess set will be available. (Fun idea. So as not to miss out on party time activities, those two circulate and check back on the table to make the next move, then go out and circulate again.)
For outdoor games, we can have volleyball, badminton (really, they can be played using the same net) and bocce ball. Though I imagine volleyball is going to be more popular with the more physical members of our group.
Oh, and we can probably have a fun little 'kendo match' with Tenchi and Shiro.
And then, of course, there will be the onsen, though that's probably going to be more of an after-party thing. Shiro and Momoko being the only 'legally allowed' couple, they will probably be the only ones to take advantage of the mixed gender section.
This will probably be where Usagi and Sasami hatch their plan to make sure Ben has as much company as possible.
Any other ideas?