Out at night.

Tonight, I had the chance, with a group of people from my work, to hear Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei speak.

Here was my internal analysis as I prepared myself to go:

And then, we went. But not before I tried on a dress and two skirts and one top and another outfit and concluded that I am giving away all my non-stretchy clothing. And tried on one pair of shoes and another pair of shoes and swore I would never again wear shoes that don't make my feet feel like they're walking on a field of grass made of clouds and marshmallows.

And then, we went. But not before we talked about work all the way downtown, on the freeway, in a car, and swore we would never do it again, which we will, of course, because that's just how it is. We work at the same place. Workers gotta talk about work.

And then, we were there. So, wearing our lovely clothing on our lovely selves, we elevated to the foyer and then the ballroom and found our friends, and sat down at a table and ate a better-than-passable dinner, and listened to a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate speak about cultural understanding and always siding with the people, and his experience doing the simple job of trying to find out the truth about nuclear weapons programs, and it was totally worth it. Totally. A great evening.

So what, you ask, are the lessons of tonight?

1. Don't be such a whiner.
2. Get rid of all your non-stretchy clothing.
3. Stop wearing hurty shoes.
4. Go to the lecture--you won't be sorry.

The end.