Indulgences

Sometimes I like to pamper myself. Well, not really. Last night I cross-trained with Adam doing 5 circuits of 150 steps and a bunch of ballistic exercises mixed with pushups. It totally destroyed my lower body, so much so that I was barely able to complete this morning’s scheduled 6-mile run. So once I made it back home standing I decided that I’d treat myself to an hour-long massage at this little place in North Hollywood I like, followed by lunch at Osteria Firenze.

The massage was well-deserved I thought, but I didn’t leave feeling as fit and fresh as I would have hoped. It was a Swedish massage, because Thai massages leave my feeling way too sore the next day, and I have to run three miles tomorrow. Even though the 60-minute Swedish should have been a tamer massage, my quadriceps, calves, and lower back are tight as hell as I sit here typing this. The masseuse spent so much time trying to work knots out of my shoulders that they too are now sore. Tomorrow’s run should be even less fun than today’s was.

Lunch, on the other hand, was delicious. The restaurant’s $10-and-under lunch specials make for one of the best lunch deals in the city. I started with a grilled steak salad that was topped with olives, arugula balsamic and feta (I think? it might have been goat cheese). Then I had a bowl of fettucini with tomato and goat cheese (or feta, I could be mis-remembering the two dishes) and black pepper. To drink I had the jalapeno martini and the red bell pepper martini. The bartender was very cool, we talked briefly about how to make some of the drinks on the restaurant’s bar menu (specifically the strawberry/balsamic martini) and the resultant tastes of the jalapeno and red pepper martinis. The rest of the time I was nursing tight muscles and reading the news on my phone. I’m so antisocial.

Tonight I’m judging another round of the Battle of the Bands competition on the west side of Los Angeles. Hopefully the musical acts will be more entertaining than last week. And by that I mean hopefully I’ll get to see four or five good bands instead of one good band, one schtick band, and two horrible bands. Alas, since I just found out a few minutes ago that I’ll be judging, I’m going to have to cut this short. Sorry guys!

Mick Harvey – I Don’t Want You On My Mind