the Party

Hi,
last night the NAC (Newtown Athletic Center) where I teach swimming, held a blow out bash. They have recently expanded the building, adding 12,000 sq/ft to the exercise room and a million dollars worth of new equipment. To show it all off they planned a huge party and we were encouraged to invite guests. They set up the main gym with decorations, a dance floor, food stations, bars with wine & beer, an 18 piece dance band on a stage with a light show..... and it was all for FREE! It was like a wedding without a bride or groom.

I invited a load of my dance friends. I figured a free dinner with drinks and a live band can't be a bad night out for a bunch of dance-rats. We had a ball. Once we figured out how to avoid the line up for food (you had to approach it commando style: jump in grab a plate and what you want and then run for the hills) and found a quieter table up on the running track, above the fray, we settled into our own zone and danced away. I never knew that running tracks also make the best dance floors. Just slick enough to slide your feet on but cushioned and very responsive to dancing on. It was also a great place to watch the crowd from without having to deal with them.... and being 'above the music' meant it wasn't ear piercingly loud and obnoxious. Balcony seats rock.

I took everyone on a tour of the facility. It's quite impressive with a separate childrens' center so can drop your kids off. A full salon for hair, nails, massage, tanning, facials, the works. The Techno Gym where you can be set up on a personal training schedual and a memory chip card automatically sets the machines up for your personal work out. Spin room, Pilates, Zumba studio, Yoga den, the pool, chiropractic office, a 'Refresh' clinic for Botox treatments (really!), a café, ritzy locker rooms and of course the new workout arena. I may even have talked a few of my friends into joining. They were impressed.

The party was still in full swing when we left after 11pm. Who knows how long they boogied for with the booze still flowing. I had an excellent time and I hope my friends did too. This is the way to throw a party, especially when someone else is picking up the tab. I guess I'm not getting a raise this year, they blew the budget on this extravaganza. Thanks for the memories.

xox
m