10/18 - All I wanted to do was run. That was my goal...just to get in a run. Of course there were other obligations, other plans for the day, but this is sort of all I wanted.
Of course, I had an early day scheduled at Job #2, and I couldn't get my ass out of bed early enough. Maybe afterwards. Strangely, despite the economy and the recession that we clearly aren't in (please note the dripping with sarcasm inflection in that phrase), it was busy. So busy in fact that I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast and only had time for a quick bite for lunch. I have to admit though that despite the busy-ness, I am enjoying it. I'm doing some really cool shit that is getting the company some local and not quite so local recognition.
I finished up by 5:00. The commute is about 40 minutes. Dinner reservations were for 7:30. I almost didn't run, but am so glad I did. I clocked in my fastest pace and a distance of almost six miles. I immediately jumped into the shower, got dressed, hopped in the car, and arrived at Fat Fish just before 7:30, and now I could enjoy my evening with the run out of the way.
This year it was small. This year I wanted nothing, no celebration, no presents, no nothing. But Razor Burn, Unicorn, Sunshine and Barbie wouldn't let it go, and so it was a compromise. It would be small, with only the friends that they also knew or at least knew how to get a hold of. Well with one exception--JewMex. I had invited him last minute.
And honestly, I had the best time I'd had in a long time. It was intimate, but not boring. Actually I think we were the loud, boisterous table whose guests for some reason kept switching seats. It seemed everyone wanted face time with everyone else which is a sure sign of a group that meshes well (despite the varying levels of familiarity with one another, in particular JewMex who initially knew no one but me). As cheesy as it sounds, there was something about that night and that group that was total fucking magic. Funny when you throw the F bomb out there, anything becomes far less cheesy.
10/19 - Sunday didn't suck either. JewMex and I did Runyon Canyon again, then grabbed lunch at M Cafe. He then threw out the suggestion of going to a Koreatown spa. After the hike, he felt like a mineral bath and a wet sauna. I was game.
It was dark by the time we left, but oh my God it was so nice after the hike. Since he had no plans, he suggested dinner--the Greek restaurant at the Grove, followed by Quarantine. Turns out we both like horror/suspense. Turns out we both disliked Quarantine.
10/20 - Trainer. I've been running a lot and training hard, and some people have noticed that I've leaned out a bit. So I fucked it up by ordering a Papa John's thin crust pepperoni and jalapeno pizza with extra cheese at 10 pm. OK, OK I lied. I ordered two. But it's so much cheaper if you order two!
10/21 - Sunshine and Razor Burn wanted to go see W. with me. So after work, we all met up, and guess what they wanted for dinner? Yep, pizza. This time at CPK. Mmmm buffalo chicken pizza, why art thou so yummers? Fucking pizza again. Fucking lack of self-control...again. And to top it all off, W. sucked Oliver Stone's hairy ass!
10/22 - In the five or so years of our acquaintance, Fishering and I have never had a change for some one-on-one face time. Not that we haven't tried. One time we'd tried only to choose a restaurant where two other friends had also chosen to brunch and then decide to join in.
But this Wednesday, Fishering took me to an uninterrupted dinner at Ocean Avenue Seafood. Mmmm oysters on the half shell.
10/23 - I had the rare Thursday off. So I decided to start with a run, except when I went outside, it was snowing. Technically it was ashing, from the nearby fire that had left a thin layer of soot all over my car. No way was I going to inhale that crap for an hour.
So I dicked around until my training session which was followed immediately by a Runyon Canyon hike with JewMex followed by yet another lunch at M Cafe.
I had some time to kill and did my own version of an economic stimulus package by visiting Bloomie's. I picked a great day. First, by donating $10 to a charity organization, I got a ticket that gave me 15% off all purchases that day. Second, there were a lot of cool ass G Star crap. Third, they were serving up free martinis and wine. Fourth, there was a live DJ. Fifth, there was a big old drag queen at the front who was to host the fifth awesome thing...the live men's underwear fashion show.
Thursday was capped off by an evening at O-Bar, kind of a small joint birthday thing for me and Mercury. Although I ran into an Austrian volleyball friend whose birthday was also on the 24th. Obviously, there is a whole lot of fucking going on in February regardless of which part of the world you're from.
10/24 - So by Friday I was all over the birthday thing. I had barely gone on any runs, and my diet had gone to shit, and with Halloween coming up, I was feeling like a fattie. So what do my sisters have planned for the actual birthday day?
I arrived at Vanessa's house. We were told to meet at 6 pm. Me, Virna, Vanessa and the other birthday boy (10/24 also) my brother-in-law Chris (what did I say about fucking in February?). I assumed we were going to some cool new restaurant, but when I got there there were three California Pizza Kitchen boxes. Pizza? Again! I'm going to Halloween festivities dressed as a Muslim woman.
We inhaled the pizza in order to leave the apartment by 6:30 and drove down to Long Beach to see...David Sedaris. It was fantastic. He's clever and funny and insightful. He read several essays including his recent New Yorker piece where he likens undecided voters to airline passengers who are offered a choice of entrees--chicken or a plate of human shit...with bits of broken glass, and the undecided voter pauses, then asks "How is the chicken cooked?" It was great. We ended the evening back at my sister's apartment where she surprised us with my favorite dessert which also happens to be my brother-in-law's favorite pie--strawberry rhubard pie from Sweet Lady Jane.
Yup, I'm going out to buy my burkha today.
How about a Lawrence of Arabia costume instead? This way you don't have to keep your face veiled and you can still eat and drink during the party(ies).
:)
Posted by: outofctrl | October 25, 2008 at 03:12 PM