I've been putting on all these alumni events here at Columbia that I started to feel slighted that I wasn't going to anything for my own university. Sure it's in California, but if they have a market outside of LA, then surely it's NYC. I realized that, as far as they knew, I still lived in the Mardi Gras dorm-extension that is Isla Vista. So I got in touch with the alumni contacts, and within a month or two I had an invitation to a New York area reception for UCSB alumni. AWESOME.
Ronnie and I showed up last night (some of us dressed more appropriately than the other coughmecough) to the Sony Club in Midtown East. Up to the Sky Lobby to check in and get name badges, and then further up to the penthouse. Even the coat check made me think "Wow UCSB, I didn't know you had it in ya!"
What a classy affair it was. Drinks and passed appetizers, Ronnie and I must have gone through a bottle or two of white wine on our own, hanging out in the marble foyer and enjoying the scenic view, even if lowlaying clouds obscured some buildings and bridges over the East River.
We took to the reception area, a mahogany and thick leather-padding-walled room with lightly-draped high-top tables adorned with a burnt-pink peony arrangement in pumpkins and a small raised stage at one end, this side with windowed walls sweeping over the west side of Manhattan, nearby the Plaza Hotel and Columbus Circle. Here, Ronnie and I stationed ourselves, to judge and be judged, cliquey as we were in college.
But then a magical thing happened! A sweet-looking girl I had accidentally kept making eye contact with approached us with another boy and they introduced themselves. And friendships were born! The girl was an alumna and her boyfriend was from California and had plenty of Santa Barbara experiences to be "one" with us. They were both so friendly and personable and great! We spent the rest of the night talking and laughing hysterically and trying to relive UCSB as much as possible. It was this new girl who informed us that Michael Douglas was wandering around.
Wait- wha? I knew that Michael Douglas was an alum, but you never believe half of those people would care enough to spit on this place if it were on fire now that they're all so rich and famous. No to mention, we all spent so much time in a hangover-induced glaze on the beach and showing our Gaucho pride by listening to Jack Johnson (another alum) that you throw in a real celebrity and it's like WHOA! So we tried to be the supercool table (which wasn't hard, because we obviously were) to attract Michael, but he was the Belle of the Ball and always had a circle of excited peasants about his age around him and feeding off his celebrity. I had to straggle around his circle to refill my white wine, actually, and pretty sure I brushed his shoulder on the way over. So you know, we're pretty close now.
The presentation was cute, and nostalgic, and included some alum now on Good Morning America (?) and Chancellor Yang! (who spoke at graduation and is adorable) and then Michael went up to speak as well.
He was even closer than he appeared. And to listen to Gordon Gekko's smoky voice talk about Santa Barbara and the university was kinda cool.
When the presentation was up, we all closed out the bar and then said goodnight, and we even got candles and Gaucho scarves on the way out, it was so fun! It was more than I had dreamed from them. After leaving, Ronnie somehow convinced me to get food and then go up to his office just down a few blocks on Madison Ave so he could finish up work. Somehow I entertained myself while he finished some PowerPoint, and then he brought out a case of bubbles from his desk and we had a photoshoot
We are both super excited about the new friends we made tonight, and it felt like a nice night to be UCSB alumni. I just love where I went to school, I'm glad we have so many reasons to be proud to be Gauchos.
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