Hip, hip, HOORAY! Hip, hip, HOORAY! Catherine Bigelow, the Chron society columnist, is back from vacation, and here with a special report on Wednesday night's SF Ballet Opening Gala!

Number of people pictured: 24.

Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 3 (the Shultzes and Jerry Yang, though we did also recognize Angelique Griepp's Oscar de la Renta dress from SFMike's blog).

Minority count: 3 (12.5%).

Getty v. Traina: Too bad Gavin's in Davos this week -- the score is 0-1, with Dede Wilsey stalwartly holding down the fort for team Traina.

Number of different names used for the color red by the florist: 6 (red, crimson, sangre, maroon, cerise, and Cartier-red).

Age of the silver goblets used for decoration: 100 years old, purchased in Madrid. Other decor included: metal lanterns, mahogany thrones, iron candelabras, metalwork screens, wrought-iron chandeliers, crimson velvet drapes.

Cameo appearances by Supervisor Chris Daly: 1. Leah Garchik reports seeing him at the City Hall reception in a tweed jacket and gray shirt (no tie), bemusedly coming out of a committee meeting and watching the scene. He described his meeting as "business casual."

Charlotte Maillard Shultz count: 3.