Surprise 50th

When planning a milestone birthday for that someone special in your life, why not forgo the old, stuffy, tried and true usual venues and/or the new "trendy" venues where one upmanship and innane gimmicks can easily cause you to lose sight of the essential reasons for the celebration. Go for a surprise party complete with a marching band, balloons and all the trimmings. Granted, this may sound too simple but consider the FUN quotient as you and your guests get to dress up and become the members of the band. Aside from the satisfaction you will derive from seeing Birthday Boy's genuine surprise, you get to fulfill your dream of becoming a performer! There is no intimacy in a restaurant party where you are pretty well stuck between and opposite the same small group all evening, and how many trips can you take to the restroom without people catching on to the fact that in your opinion the conversation has either dried up like a raisin in the sun with no chance of revival or your hearing loss has kicked in? Far better to surprise Birthday Boy at work when he least expects a throng of his nearest and dearest to cross the threshold of his store marching to their own beat bearing great bunches of helium balloons, the de rigeur gourmet food platters, a touch of bubbly and caring little for any innocent customers who get in the way. Happy 50th Mr. R.