Time's Up!

I was co-hosting a party the other night that got a little out of hand. Actually it wasn't my party at all but somehow I ended up having about 40 people in and out of my apartment and more in my garden. People just love me I guess. Anyway, it was past two in the morning, the agreed-upon end time by the actual hosts of the party, and it was time to kick out the art-damaged hipsters.

Coincidentally, that's when all the tea light candles I set out earlier started going out. It kept getting quieter as they went out one after another, and people began leaving (though eventually we had to kick about 20 people to the curb). But that gave me a good tip to pass on:

Time your tea candles' burn length a day or so before your party so you know how long they burn. (I had ones from Ikea that lasted about four and a half hours.) If you light them in time to burn out when you want the party to end, you'll give people a subtle hint to go the hell home rather than some of the other methods like hiding the vodka. Those other methods, naturally, are discussed in full in Party Like a Rock Star. Wouldn't you like to pick up a copy?