Tonight's the big black-tie holiday/annual celebration for my current placement agency.

I've worked with this group off and on since 2000. Everything was great until the terrorist attacks in 2001, when everything dried up. A few too many months looking for work and I left to find gigs with someone else. Last year I started working for them again, and I'm now on my fourth gig with them since last fall.

Each year the boss throws a killer party. We had a scheduling conflict last year, so we couldn't make it. We did go in 2000, and it was a hoot. The invitation says "black tie," but who knew it was true.

I'm not going black tie this year, either. It's a self-image thing. I know I clean up pretty well, but I think I'd look better at 2/3 my current size...