“I’m too busy!” “Life is hectic!” “There’s so much going on!” “I’m working too hard!” Bitches, please. If I — a man possessing almost no energy whatsoever — can successfully hold down a regular job plus two extracurricular jobs, a blog, a social life, a personal life, and a somewhat-rigorous four-day-a-week exercise regimen…you don’t get to complain about there not being enough hours in a day to get your shit done. In spite of all the little things I have to do, I can still wake up and run ten miles on my day off, get some important work done for one of my top secret side-jobs, play a video game or two and drive up to NoHo for an hour-long Swedish Massage before heading out for Dinner Club Meeting #2. Don’t whine.
In the last week I’ve been staying up past my regular bedtime to watch episodes of THE WIRE (it deserves all caps in the same way LOST did). I’m almost through season two and I have to admit it’s as fantastic as everyone claimed it was before I started watching. The ensemble cast is brilliant, the writing is outstanding and the character development is better than any other scripted drama I’ve seen. Better than LOST, even. LOST got to employ flashbacks to bring you up to speed with characters. THE WIRE unfolds slowly and organically. It’s so fucking subtle you can watch a character (and there are MANY) for multiple episodes who has never quite introduced to you directly and yet you feel like you know them well. It’s amazing.
So yeah, I went on a 10-mile run this morning (I’ve upped my average daily run from 3-5 miles to 5-7 over the course of the last month or two), and though I started well I definitely fell off pace during the last mile and a half. Of course, when you’re driving up and down Sunset Boulevard sometimes you don’t realize the hills you’re traveling over. For example, having already run 8+ miles, the incline that starts at Silver Lake Boulevard and goes until Rosemont (near the 711) is pretty grueling when you’re beginning to tire. I had hoped to complete the 10 miles in 90 minutes (that seemed like a solid pace) but I finished in 101 minutes. My legs were pretty sore afterwards so I took a long shower and then drove up to NoHo to visit one of the two massage parlors I’ve been to in my life. The girl spent ample time on my calves and my right shoulder, and I’m in a lot of pain right now. I guess that’s a good thing?
I’ve been trying to listen to the right music to keep me moving at a good pace when I run. Today it was Superdag’s “Head Tip In Every Key” followed by the Teenbeaters’ 2001 demos (Oh, you haven’t heard those? How unfortunate.) and then Autolux’s “Future Perfect”. If anyone has some good suggestions for running music I’m all ears.
In two hours Dinner Club is meeting for the second time. I’ll write more about it tomorrow. Ah, tomorrow…a morning run, a business meeting, a lunch date and softball. I love it. Life is good.
John Coltrane – You Don’t Know What Love Is
Sonny Rollins – Plain Jane
Hank Mobley – Stretchin’ Out
June 22nd, 2011
Mastodon is great to push you through the grueling parts. But I’m pretty sure it’d wear you out over ten miles. The main character in the book I’m reading runs to sufi chants. That also sounds bad, but on the other end of the spectrum. What do I know, though, I stick to five Ks.
June 23rd, 2011
The Wire is amazing. I’m jealous that you get to watch it for the first time. Season 3 is the best.