Photo: Steve Nadeau

Sometimes in this black and blue life all anyone needs is a little piece of happiness. And I found a little piece–in fact, many small pieces in the form of tasty raw fish–at sushi happy hour this week with Kailey and our friends Steve and Missy. Kailey and I walked into the Blue Light of the neighborhood sushi bar on Alphabet Street and found our friends lounging On The Couch. Old Prince songs played and oddly enough, our waitress’s hairstyle was the spitting asymetrical image of the little man’s in his Purple Rain days. I Adore Prince, too, but not to that degree. Princette definitely had one-upped me, although she forgot her Raspberry Beret. (Whatever, “Darling Nikki”). It was the perfect scene, at just the right time, filled with so many of my favorite things–The Beautiful Ones, Starfish and Coffee, and a Lovesexy vibe. It’s uncanny when that happens–you tend to sit up and notice. It’s A-u-t-o-matic.

After sushi and cocktails, we left the Little Red Corvette behind and walked over to Steve and Missy’s loft, Strollin’ all the way Uptown. Their building was undergoing major external renovation and soon the windows would be covered for months on end by ribs of scaffolding covered with plastic sheeting–a situation that Steve dubbed the “condo condom.” (All you need is a Dirty Mind, sometimes). We stood on his balcony and took one last look at the Erotic City scene all around us, as the construction crew would be slipping on the condo condom tomorrow. “Safe condo sucks,” Steve groaned, as he imagined his sun blocked out for months on end. It was causing Controversy. He wouldn’t be able to Play In The Sunshine for awhile.

Missy turned in early while the rest of us ended up in the rooftop hot tub with a Shockadelica view of Denver’s illuminated skyline. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, Under The Cherry Moon. A light spring rain began in the deep purple night, but no one cared because we were already Soft And Wet. I looked at Kailey and Steve lit up by the green glow of the tub lights shining through the chemical bath. Although we all looked a little green and sickly, everyone was smiling and Delirious, living the Pop Life. Maybe it was because the condo condom was going on and we knew we’d be in the middle of a construction zone next time. Or maybe it was just because we could Gett Off with our little piece of happiness in the Purple Rain. Life Can Be So Nice…