Day 1 - LA County Dept. of Health urges masking when indoors
Breakfast at the Coast Cafe…
6/29/21. Tuesday
The WHO says everyone should continue masking, the CDC says if you’re vaccinated you don’t have to mask unless your in a big crowd. LA County…?? Back to masking indoors… New York City..??? If you’re vaccinated, you’re good.
8:00 – 9:30 – Same as yesterday. I’m up at 4:30, then 6:00, then 8:00. If this sounds like a ‘copy-and-paste’, from yesterday, it is. Reservations for breakfast are at 10:30, but I like to take long showers so I make sure I’m out of the bathroom in plenty of time for L. to get ready.
Long shower. Hotel shower gel and lotion. Tank top, sports bra, purple plaid shorts, and my New Balance tennis shoes. Make up. I put my hair in a bun today.
9:30-10:15 - I pack everything then scroll through some of my podcasts, looking only at the headlines. I took a “news sabbatical” while in Tiburon and decided I’d continue the sabbatical in Santa Monica.
10:15 – 11:30 - Mom arrives and we return to the Coast Café for our last breakfast. We’re seated in a somewhat enclosed patio, across the street from the ocean, but it’s still very breezy, with lots of air flow. There’s no roof and some of the walls are missing – I love this restaurant! Sparrows are eating the table scraps if that’s any indication of how ‘open’ this indoor space is. S&M join us.
I have the Belgian Waffle with a Mango and Strawberry Compote with Coconut Cheesecake Cream, a side order of sausage, and coffee. Everyone else has…something??? My breakfast is amazing.
Return to our room, hugs all the way around, and reminders that we’ll be doing this again, in just two weeks, in VEGAS, BABY!!!!
12:00 – 1:30 - L. calls for Valet to bring the car around and we head downstairs. There’s the car, so we throw our bags in and drive away. Bye Shutters. I wipe a tear from my eye. Back to our sh--ty lives and 110-degree heat.
Originally, L. said she wanted to do more Santa Monica shopping after we checked out, but she has since changed her mind – thank God – and we are heading straight home because L. has work at 4:30.
1:30 – 3:00 - Home and the dog is happy to see us!!! I give her the last of the lasagna for a treat. Then, I take her out and water a few of my plants that appear to be in crisis. The rest of the plants held up pretty well while I was gone, even in this unrelenting heat. It is sooo hot today – it’s just miserable. I unpack clothes, food, and toiletries and start a load of laundry. Bring my trash can in. Unload the dishwasher.
I ask L. for 10 minutes of her time, then quickly scroll through the murals I’ve selected for the garage/art studio and ask her to choose which one she likes. She picks an 8’ by 8’ mural called Graffiti Girl. I’ll have it installed professionally, after I treat the floor.
3:00-4:00 – I have leftover salmon and rice from B.’s house and read And You’re Leaving When?
4:00-5:00 – I hang my laundry then take a short nap.
L. leaves for Art Camp.
5:00-7:00 – I read And You’re Leaving When? and eat some mini-chocolate chips.
7:00-7:45 – Take the dog for a walk.
L. returns from Art Camp.
7:45-9:00 – I do a Kathy Smith Ab Workout, followed by an Insanity Max Cardio workout.
9:00-10:00 – Recover. I have champagne and work on blog posts.
10:00-11:00 – L. and I scheduled this time to book the flight to her Dad’s house in South Carolina. We check several flights, dates, options, prices, and finally take care of the chore that’s been plaguing me for weeks. Her flight is booked - it feels great to get this out of the way.
11:00-1:00 – I work on my ‘Ipad re-curating project.’
1:00-1:30 – I pull down my “silver bullet suitcase” and do some light packing for my upcoming San Diego trip.
1:30-2:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 8:00. The electrician is coming at 12:00 to replace the fluorescent lights in the garage.