Today seemed so beautiful to me. This morning when I went out to get the paper, the air had a softness that you could almost touch, the way it feels just before it rains. That is such a magical time, when you can smell the rain before you can feel it.
For almost the entire day a gentle fall rain fell, the kind that makes you long for a good book and a good companion.
I had to do without the book, but the day was filled with interesting and companionable people. A meeting at Playhouse on the Square brought together the the arts organizations that are collaborating on the upcoming premier of Michael Ching’s Midsummer Night’s Dream–an operapella that will feature DeltaCappella and Riva, two a cappella groups as the voicestra.
After I ran by and voted (and naturally visited with folks working the polls), I met Mary and Bill at the Royal Panda and had a great meal with great conversation.
Mary asked Mr. Wu to surprise her–and he did, with a Lemon Sauced Sea Bass that even surprised the waiter, who told us he had never seen the dish come out of the kitchen ever before.
Bill knew exactly what he wanted– the Hunan Shrimp,
which arrived in a warm coat of spicy Hunan sauce with a bounty of mixed vegetables. It looked delicious.
When Mr. Wu asked if I had a preference tonight, I had to ask for his uber comfort food–his Shrimp in Lobster Sauce that is mild and delicately flavorful. One of the things I like best about it is the way the brown rice tastes when it is moistened with the brothy sauce.
I never did hook up with a good book, but the fortune that Bill found in his cookie tonight almost qualified. Certainly it was a remarkable literary effort for such a small slip of paper.
Mary and I both noticed Bill sort of squinting at the fortune, and I wondered why he was staring at it for so long. Turns out he was reading it and trying to make sense of it.
He handed it to me with his customary “gotcha twinkle” and I began to read out loud, ” We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”
Well, that’s the truth, isn’t it? My favorite turn of phrase in Bill’s fortune missive are the words “brilliantly disguised”, implying that there is some quirky sense of humor at play in the universe trying to confound us. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if that is the case.
I do know of a certainty that many of the worst things that have ever happened to me have turned out to be blessings in disguise.
The Wu Food Project 
It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy evening. The sea bass was wonderful as was the spinach . As we told you last night, we can certainly tell that the Wu Project is working.