DC is very, very conservative

The best Foreign Service intern we ever worked with was at Main State in DC. She was brilliant, and responsible, and wrote really well...and I couldn't believe how many people could not see those qualities because they were looking at her tattoos.

Grr Argh.

Ah. I'm not so much a tattoo pimp as I am just a PIMP. I got it now.

I'ma have to buy me a new hat and a velvet coat, then.

We can probably help with the shopping, Nicole.

Don't forget the gold tooth though.

Much as I adore the aquarium, I'm almost certainly passing; it's going to be a long two weeks leading up to it, and Monterey is a very long drive back and forth. Plus, all the walking around, add together, end result is almost certainly a massive MS exacerbation. So I'll probably pass.

If it looks physically happier by then, I can always come along and just pay full whack at the door.

Aha!

I emailed Lilibeth about the open bar:

Hi Lilibeth!

We have a combined $1500 minimum to meet for Prom food and bar. The consensus I've been given is that we do an open bar.

How would that work? Right now, we're looking at about $800 or so in food, $700 toward drink, and possibly more. Would we prepay that, or would your bartender keep the tab on it, and we would make up any difference?

And she wrote back:

Let's do a prepay at least the minimum of $1,000, then have the bartender keep the tab after that. We are going to have a credit card on file anyway. What ya think?

Does this work? It would simply be a matter of refunding the difference, if I'm reading this right.

I'm okay with that, but it looks like a prepay, not an open bar.

yes, but it's prepay for the event, not for us, the attendees (still an open bar for attendees). Someone's gotta pay for the booze in the end, and it ain't gonna be the hotel.

OK. Someone please explain the difference between a prepay and an open?

Because I'm missing something. We have a minimum we need to meet. We have X number of people who are planning on drinking. How can the bar be "open" unless it's prepaid? What's the difference between the two and why is one better?

There's something in the mechanics of this bit that I'm not getting.

I'm okay with that, but it looks like a prepay, not an open bar.

Yeah, I'm confused. And open bar should be a flat rate for a set time, not a prepay deal.

How can the bar be "open" unless it's prepaid?

It can't. I think you're OK with your understanding. The open bar status only affects the end user, the attendee, the party guest.