A Night to Remember - The Science Ball
Well that was a night to remember! I am currently in my pj's. I spent the whole day in pj's and then changed into leggings and nightgown because a friend came over to eat pizza with me and then I put on my pj's again. Living the dream my friends. Living the dream!
I am, how you say, a little delicate today. I am running on about 4 hours of sleep and several liters of water and many many calories of cheese. I am grateful that the Kid has been a champ today and has let me spend most of the day on the sofa. It is hard to believe that ball is over and that makes me a little happy sad. I was very much looking forward to attending this event since I was lucky enough to be invited by the lovely Oliver Lehmann who did an incredible job of organizing it. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to create an event with 2,800 attendees! I'm ambitious but still.. I also have to say that this was the best ball I have ever attended and that is saying a lot because I generally have an awesome time whenever I go out.... except to Billa. Or the gynecologist. Not fun ever.
So here we go! My night at the Science Ball 2016. It all started at three when the lovely make up artist came by and my friend B.B. and I had our hair and make up did. Three and a half hours later we looked like movie stars. Well B.B. did. I just saw pictures of myself from the ball and I am wondering how I ended up looking like I ate myself. Blergh. Back to Bikram tomorrow. Anyway, the Kid behaved amazingly well throughout and I am super proud of him for not playing with the make up brushes or licking the very hot curling iron. The Husband was kind enough to keep an eye on the Kid and when he got kvetchy, he gave the Kid an almost hour long bath to distract him. Poor Kid is so pruny he looks like an octogenarian. I jest. Kind of. Around 7, B.B. called a cab and we made our way out into the foggy night. We had some time to kill before the reception so we stopped at a cute little Italian bar called Hold and when we walked in in all of our glory, the waiter immediately asked "Prosecco?". I am so coming back because this guy knows me. Like he looked into my soul and just knew. After our drinks, B.B. and I caught a tram for a stop and made our way to the Viennese City Hall, or in German, unfortunately called Rathaus.
B.B. was kind enough to invite me to the pre-ball reception and I was all hopped up on hairspray and the possibility of meeting Alexander Van Der Bellen. This guy is pretty amazing and will most likely be the next president of Austria and that is just swell. We walked into the beautiful Neo-Gothic building and walked up dozens of steps and at one point I had to stop and lean against a statue to catch my breath. After checking our coats, we walked up more steps (stupid steps) and walked towards a beautiful room. We spied Eric a.k.a. Nein Quarterly waiting outside and we chatted and then the 3 of us walked inside. We were greeted by Oliver on the step and repeat (you have no idea how freaking incredible it is to write that I was at a step and repeat and not because I jumped a rope on a dare) and the TV cameras turned on and the cameras flashed and no, it was not because yours truly is a big deal but because both B.B. and Eric are kind of big deals and I am Baby from Dirty Dancing and all "I carried a watermelon."
After some pictures, we took some champagne and found a table. We chatted and Eric asked me what to expect at the ball. I said "There are debutantes and cavaliers at the beginning. A couple of speeches and then there is drinking. So much drinking." He then asked "What do you do when someone asks you to dance and you don't want to?" I suggested to just pretend to take pictures or Tweet and then I paused and said "You know what? Nobody has ever asked me to dance." and that was an awkwardly sad moment. A few weeks ago a friend told me about Taxi Tänzers which I wrote about. These are pretty much men you hire to dance with you at a ball. Some balls will hire them so that they get the ladies up and onto the dance floor. I was going to text Oliver if he had hired anyone because I wanted to not get all excited if some random man asked me to dance making me feel that I am not completely over the hill but then I forgot. But nobody asked me to dance so there is that awkward sadness again. #uncomfortable.
At one point, the mayor walked in and the camera crews followed him in a frenzy. He stood behind me and I was like eumahgawd eumahgawd! Then Alexander Van Der Bellen walked in and my friend B.B. who knows him said "I'll get him to do a selfie with you!!" and I fangirl squealed. She approached him and he nodded and I shyly went up and said "Thank you. I wish I could vote for you but I can't because I am Canadian but thank you for letting me take this picture." but I don't think he could hear me over the 3 person band blasting lounge muzak just beside us. B.B. took the picture and I applied some filters to look less bloated and posted it on Facebook and Instagram and this was totally an amazing moment for me. And I just saw on Instagram that he liked the picture (or probably his campaign manager but who cares) and I am excited allover again!!
The always excited Nikolaus Brandstätter was there and he said "I'm looking forward to reading about this in your blog!" and I found that lovely to hear. And he has complimented my blog in the past because B.B. sent him my post from the time I went to the First Lady's book launch and he said he laughed and he laughed and that is a relief because I totally scored free drinks at Do and Co on his dime. Thanks, buddy! You can read about that crazy night here. The reception came to an end and so did the free alcohol and we were ushered into the Festsaal. The Rathaus main hall is absolutely spectacular. It is something out of a fairy tale and I was excited to see some friends as I made my way to the table. I grabbed a seat, ordered some wine and then the ball was a officially ON! And so was I because the next 7 hours went by in a blur. A blur of some faux pas and some dancing and lots and lots of wine. Unfortunately we couldn't see the opening ceremony because everybody was standing in front of us. Two of my friends went upstairs to the balcony above and were able to get a better view. At one point my phone rang and I didn't hear it. It buzzed again and I picked it up and heard one of my friends say "Look up!! UP! LEFT!" and sure enough, two friends waved wildly from above and I laughed and I laughed. Lots of friends dropped by to sit and talk and at one point I made my way to the "VIP" section because why not? Eric was there and we chatted and I told him that my phone was going absolutely mental. Here is the funny thing about social media fame... it is unrelenting. During the reception, a woman approached Eric and said she was a fan of his work. I took a picture and tweeted it and suddenly my phone exploded in notifications because he has 126,000 Twitter followers. It was #surreal. I even saw the name "Christoph Waltz" pop up and I exclaimed "OMG! I THINK CHRISTOPH WALTZ JUST LIKED MY TWEET!" And Eric said "No, somebody commented with 'Insane Christoph Waltz'" and I said "DO THEY THINK YOU ARE CHRISTOPH WALTZ?!?" and he responded with (he is a very patient man) "No, they just sometimes call me Insane Christoph Waltz." and then I was confused.
In the VIP section I also met the lovely Dr. Matti Bunzl who is the director of the Wien Museum. And I got offered a glass of wine by another guest and I felt very very important for a few minutes. #fakeituntilyoumakeit. I then took a walk, tweeted a little bit and met some friends and chatted. More drinks were ordered and then at midnight it was time for the Midnight Quadrille which is a traditional dance at a Viennese Ball. Rows of men and rows of women are instructed to fancy square dance and I headed back to the VIP box for a better view. It was breathtaking to watch and I had all the feels. After the choreographed dance, I went on another walk and bumped into Office Twin. He and a friend of mine tried to convince me to eat bugs and I maturely said "I will cut you if you put those things near me." I continued to drink wine and chat and kept exclaiming "THIS IS THE BEST BALL EVER!!!" Around 2:30 in the morning, a group of us stumbled upon the disco and then my shoes were off and I brought out my Janis Joplin meets a chipmunk moves and I was unstoppable. Oh did I dance and dance. At one point I went to the bar and bought a mojito (I think). I was so excited that I left my drink at the bar and then realized on my way back to the dance floor that I had forgotten to actually take my drink. I ran back and grabbed it and laughed maniacally at the bartender and he didn't even crack a smile. I danced some more and then suddenly, half way through a song, the music stopped and then I realized it was the end of the ball. And it was 4 a.m. SAY WHAT?!? I put my shoes back on, took my coat and said good bye to my friends and jumped into a taxi. I unlocked the door as quietly as I could which means it probably sounded like a T-Rex slamming into a concrete wall and tiptoed (debatable) into the apartment. I walked into the Kid's room to check his breathing (rational mother, I am) and was surprised to see him wide awake. I gave him some milk and then washed my face, pulled off my fake lashes and some real lashes too and then pulled on my pyjamas. I was out like a light and the Kid could probably have ruptured my spleen and I wouldn't have even noticed.
So there you have it. The Vienna Ball of Sciences 2016 was an incredible experience for me. For the most part I behaved. I also stupidly forgot to pick up a ball magazine because I knew there was going to be an article about Autism in Vienna. A friend took a picture of the article for me and I was amazed to see my face in the article. I wish I had picked up the magazine up at the ball at the beginning because I would have randomly held it up, opened at the article and would have just randomly pointed to myself and then pointed to the picture and would have let people praise me. #missedopportunities I want to say a big thank you to Oliver Lehmann for featuring Autism in Vienna in the magazine because this type of exposure is incredibly amazing for awareness in Austria. I also want to thank B.B. for letting me meet Mr. Van Der Bellen and for getting me a seat at her table. I also would like to thank the person who gave me a glass of wine in the VIP section whoever you were. I would like to thank Eric Jarosinski for helping me out with the Twitter. Also a thank you to the Husband for not openly judging me for eating 5 pounds of pizza today and for taking care of the Kid. And most importantly, I would like to thank my two strapless bras for doing the impossible last night and saving me from pulling a Tara Reid. So now it is time to go to bed with visions of waltzes and elegance and pomp and circumstance. Good night! #sciball
So here we go! My night at the Science Ball 2016. It all started at three when the lovely make up artist came by and my friend B.B. and I had our hair and make up did. Three and a half hours later we looked like movie stars. Well B.B. did. I just saw pictures of myself from the ball and I am wondering how I ended up looking like I ate myself. Blergh. Back to Bikram tomorrow. Anyway, the Kid behaved amazingly well throughout and I am super proud of him for not playing with the make up brushes or licking the very hot curling iron. The Husband was kind enough to keep an eye on the Kid and when he got kvetchy, he gave the Kid an almost hour long bath to distract him. Poor Kid is so pruny he looks like an octogenarian. I jest. Kind of. Around 7, B.B. called a cab and we made our way out into the foggy night. We had some time to kill before the reception so we stopped at a cute little Italian bar called Hold and when we walked in in all of our glory, the waiter immediately asked "Prosecco?". I am so coming back because this guy knows me. Like he looked into my soul and just knew. After our drinks, B.B. and I caught a tram for a stop and made our way to the Viennese City Hall, or in German, unfortunately called Rathaus.
B.B. was kind enough to invite me to the pre-ball reception and I was all hopped up on hairspray and the possibility of meeting Alexander Van Der Bellen. This guy is pretty amazing and will most likely be the next president of Austria and that is just swell. We walked into the beautiful Neo-Gothic building and walked up dozens of steps and at one point I had to stop and lean against a statue to catch my breath. After checking our coats, we walked up more steps (stupid steps) and walked towards a beautiful room. We spied Eric a.k.a. Nein Quarterly waiting outside and we chatted and then the 3 of us walked inside. We were greeted by Oliver on the step and repeat (you have no idea how freaking incredible it is to write that I was at a step and repeat and not because I jumped a rope on a dare) and the TV cameras turned on and the cameras flashed and no, it was not because yours truly is a big deal but because both B.B. and Eric are kind of big deals and I am Baby from Dirty Dancing and all "I carried a watermelon."
After some pictures, we took some champagne and found a table. We chatted and Eric asked me what to expect at the ball. I said "There are debutantes and cavaliers at the beginning. A couple of speeches and then there is drinking. So much drinking." He then asked "What do you do when someone asks you to dance and you don't want to?" I suggested to just pretend to take pictures or Tweet and then I paused and said "You know what? Nobody has ever asked me to dance." and that was an awkwardly sad moment. A few weeks ago a friend told me about Taxi Tänzers which I wrote about. These are pretty much men you hire to dance with you at a ball. Some balls will hire them so that they get the ladies up and onto the dance floor. I was going to text Oliver if he had hired anyone because I wanted to not get all excited if some random man asked me to dance making me feel that I am not completely over the hill but then I forgot. But nobody asked me to dance so there is that awkward sadness again. #uncomfortable.
At one point, the mayor walked in and the camera crews followed him in a frenzy. He stood behind me and I was like eumahgawd eumahgawd! Then Alexander Van Der Bellen walked in and my friend B.B. who knows him said "I'll get him to do a selfie with you!!" and I fangirl squealed. She approached him and he nodded and I shyly went up and said "Thank you. I wish I could vote for you but I can't because I am Canadian but thank you for letting me take this picture." but I don't think he could hear me over the 3 person band blasting lounge muzak just beside us. B.B. took the picture and I applied some filters to look less bloated and posted it on Facebook and Instagram and this was totally an amazing moment for me. And I just saw on Instagram that he liked the picture (or probably his campaign manager but who cares) and I am excited allover again!!
In the VIP section I also met the lovely Dr. Matti Bunzl who is the director of the Wien Museum. And I got offered a glass of wine by another guest and I felt very very important for a few minutes. #fakeituntilyoumakeit. I then took a walk, tweeted a little bit and met some friends and chatted. More drinks were ordered and then at midnight it was time for the Midnight Quadrille which is a traditional dance at a Viennese Ball. Rows of men and rows of women are instructed to fancy square dance and I headed back to the VIP box for a better view. It was breathtaking to watch and I had all the feels. After the choreographed dance, I went on another walk and bumped into Office Twin. He and a friend of mine tried to convince me to eat bugs and I maturely said "I will cut you if you put those things near me." I continued to drink wine and chat and kept exclaiming "THIS IS THE BEST BALL EVER!!!" Around 2:30 in the morning, a group of us stumbled upon the disco and then my shoes were off and I brought out my Janis Joplin meets a chipmunk moves and I was unstoppable. Oh did I dance and dance. At one point I went to the bar and bought a mojito (I think). I was so excited that I left my drink at the bar and then realized on my way back to the dance floor that I had forgotten to actually take my drink. I ran back and grabbed it and laughed maniacally at the bartender and he didn't even crack a smile. I danced some more and then suddenly, half way through a song, the music stopped and then I realized it was the end of the ball. And it was 4 a.m. SAY WHAT?!? I put my shoes back on, took my coat and said good bye to my friends and jumped into a taxi. I unlocked the door as quietly as I could which means it probably sounded like a T-Rex slamming into a concrete wall and tiptoed (debatable) into the apartment. I walked into the Kid's room to check his breathing (rational mother, I am) and was surprised to see him wide awake. I gave him some milk and then washed my face, pulled off my fake lashes and some real lashes too and then pulled on my pyjamas. I was out like a light and the Kid could probably have ruptured my spleen and I wouldn't have even noticed.
So there you have it. The Vienna Ball of Sciences 2016 was an incredible experience for me. For the most part I behaved. I also stupidly forgot to pick up a ball magazine because I knew there was going to be an article about Autism in Vienna. A friend took a picture of the article for me and I was amazed to see my face in the article. I wish I had picked up the magazine up at the ball at the beginning because I would have randomly held it up, opened at the article and would have just randomly pointed to myself and then pointed to the picture and would have let people praise me. #missedopportunities I want to say a big thank you to Oliver Lehmann for featuring Autism in Vienna in the magazine because this type of exposure is incredibly amazing for awareness in Austria. I also want to thank B.B. for letting me meet Mr. Van Der Bellen and for getting me a seat at her table. I also would like to thank the person who gave me a glass of wine in the VIP section whoever you were. I would like to thank Eric Jarosinski for helping me out with the Twitter. Also a thank you to the Husband for not openly judging me for eating 5 pounds of pizza today and for taking care of the Kid. And most importantly, I would like to thank my two strapless bras for doing the impossible last night and saving me from pulling a Tara Reid. So now it is time to go to bed with visions of waltzes and elegance and pomp and circumstance. Good night! #sciball
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