I paid $13.50 for a sandwich today. It was a huge mistake. I've come here today to make amends for that mistake. The scene of the crime was the Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica, and I had stopped there on the way to an appointment at a nearby client's office. This prospect excited me, as Bay Cities has arguably the best deli sandwich in Los Angeles, and at reasonable prices. Or so I thought. Once I was able to jockey for a spot in the limited parking lot, I hustled into the shop. Figuring I had just missed the weekday lunch rush, I thought I'd just waltz in and out. But such is not life in sunny Santa Monica; the inside of Bay Cities was like WalMart on Black Friday. Cray-cray. Yes, that's right....
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In less than a week, Jürgen would move out of my apartment. The decision to stick it out in the office for another month seemed a no-brainer. I had developed a routine and was living in a way that I had never lived before, liberated from the anxieties of financial burden and unwanted obligation. The sneaking suspicion that I was making a huge mistake had come and gone. And with it left any doubt that I would re-post my ad for another candidate for sublease. Jürgen agreed to let me show the place on Saturday afternoon. The first thing I did when I arrived was take a shower. It was a particularly warm afternoon, and I still emanated an odorous mixture of alcohol, sweat, and Vera-scent. Having just let my trial...
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Friday's Done-Did List: - wake up in office for 6th time this week - brush teeth - create ad for upcoming month's sublease - work - wait for last coworkers to leave at 5:15pm - spill trash all over carpet while taking out clothes for post-work shower - note that this is 9th time said trash has been knocked over while arranging bags under desk - put trash can back in same spot - remember that this is another Cleaning People Weekend - mumble under breath periodically about how cleaning people better be on schedule; include curse words - tolerate communal bathing at YMCA - enjoy post-workday drink with neighbor James - enjoy second post-workday drink with neighbor James - close out happy hour tab -...
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There exists somewhere a saying about the true curse of a thirst for punishment not being the punishment itself, but the fact that said thirst can never be satisfied until the punishment is ultimate. And at that point, you're dead. Am I making that up? I think I'm making that up. Anyway, you get the point. Dogs will always express loyalty to their owners, people who like to get spanked will always take pleasure in having their underpants slipped down just beneath their buttocks, moths will continue to smash themselves against streetlamps under a waxing crescent moon, etcetera. (I'm winning over readers everywhere with this stuff, I just know it!) But there's a purpose here. And that is this: I'm going to...
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Linda removed herself from the picture this afternoon. We had made plans to see one another two days in advance. But last night, Linda sent me a message saying that she forgot she had planned to go to a birthday party being thrown for her friend's boyfriend. It was an intimate affair and somewhere deep in the San Fernando Valley (a.k.a. B.F.E.), but I was invited to attend with her if I was interested. I was once again miffed by Linda's frenetic mis-scheduling. It came across more as absentmindedness than spontaneity, more as careless impulsiveness than friendly social opportunism. My plans to spend a night on an exclusive date with her were again deferred. So I politely delayed discussing it further until we...
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After a week showering at the local Family YMCA, my free trial membership there came to an end. The time had come for me to find another gym. I had actually grown fond of my routine at the Y. I had learned how to avert my eyes from geriatric ball-sacks and navigate the oblique corridors. The tiny hallway of elliptical machines suited the ephemeral nature of my cardio workouts, and the unassuming climate of the place, from the cordial staff to the low locker room lighting, kept my visits focused and free of the anxiety I had anticipated after my initial day (outlined in the post "Shower Time"). I was actually going to miss showering there. So when it came time to pick another gym, I decided to go with...
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One of my goals in moving in to my office was cutting expenses. In following through with this goal, I've been tracking the progress of my food budget since Day One. So I thought I'd provide a little mid-month report to let everyone know how I'm doing on that front. I aimed to remain disciplined with my meal costs so I could both save money and learn more about just how much my new lifestyle would cost. I'd never tracked my meal expenditures before, but I determined that before moving out of my apartment I must have been spending roughly $175 per week on food--including dining out--which amounted to roughly $700 per month. This includes regular fresh home juicing and a diet consisting largely of organic, gluten-...
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Dude. The cleaners did not arrive today. Again. It's midnight now. On a Monday. I'm going to kill someone.* - TOH *I'm not going to kill...
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Every other weekend, a cleaning crew is scheduled to come in and tidy up the office. Part of my leaving town for the weekend was to avoid them. The embarrassment and possible whistle-blowing of being caught in the act of sleeping behind my desk on a weekend wasn't my idea of a relaxing time. Generally, the cleaners are scheduled to do their work on Friday evening. I’d even seen them on multiple occasions in the past, back when I used to stick around the office after hours, waiting to work my evening job. Killing time at my desk before my 8:00 start time, I would welcome them and let them know it was cool to work around me. They are nice people, working hard to make ends meet and smiling while they do it. But...
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On Saturday morning I left Linda's at a quarter past 9 and dropped by the office to pick up my backpack. The plan was to spend the rest of the weekend in the Angeles National Forest, where I could camp freely anywhere along the East Fork River, escape the possibility of anyone making a weekend stop into the office, and recharge from the past few weeks of chaos. I packed enough provisions to last me until Sunday night and headed off. The beauty of the Angeles National Forest is that it's so close to the city; one can reach its borders in an hour with minimal traffic. Of course, that's a downfall as well, since its proximity attracts throngs of people on the weekends. The road to the trail was so littered with...
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