An Evening at the University Club

Some of Fly Girl's very good friends (husband, wife, baby) had an open house/holiday party yesterday evening at the University Club in St. Paul. I guess they usually have this party in their home, but he plays piano and wanted to play something he had composed at this party. Hence the University Club.

University Club. Sounds fancy, don't it? It is.

So, he's actually a frickin' maestro. He wrote this concerto three weeks ago. And he's going to submit it to be considered for playing at the Inaugural Ball in January. The Inaugural Ball. (One of his other hobbies is politics and he was way into the Bush campaign here, earning himself an invite to the Ball. He's been nice to me, so I forgive him for that.) In addition to this concerto, he's got a song he composed when he was ten years old, and a lullaby he wrote the day his daughter was born.

Part of the event included recording these pieces he played. Lucky me was the designated sound tech. FG probably would have been roped into it, but yet another thing this guy is working on is starting his own consulting business and she's involved in that, so she had to help work the room. Me, I'm good with button pushing. So Sunday morning we were setting up the recording equipment and practicing.

Sunday evening was the soiree. FG looked gorgeous, as usual. She cleans up good. I told her I've never seen anyone go between pinch-your-cheeks-cute and fuck-me-hot so quickly and so easily as she does.

So, we're in this gorgeous room and all these people were decked out in holiday finery. The fireplace (and the radiators) are roaring. This guy gets up and is talking about how he was inspired to write this piece and what this day means to him and about his wife and his daughter.

And then I'm sitting next to the piano (with the headphones on), listening to him play these gorgeous songs that he wrote, and I look out in the crowd and FG is standing there looking so beautiful and smiling at me. And wouldn't you freakin' know it, I get all verklempt.

Because, you know, life is good. I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now. Things are far from perfect, but they're better than they've been in a long time. Certainly a far cry from this time last year, which was easily my lowest point in a long time.

Life is real good.