Day 4 - LA County Dept. of Health urges masking when indoors

L. and I went to the Chopin concert tonight…

Openaire Restaurant…we were seated outside the greenhouse

7/2/21. Friday

8:00 – L. leaves for Art Camp.

10:30 – 11:00 - Up and I go downstairs to say good morning to the animal. She’s awake – probably because L. already took her out - and waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, wagging her tail. She jumps on the couch and rolls over on her back and I rub her tummy three times. Because we have an established routine, the dog grabs her toy and we go outside, even though L. probably took her out. She does her business while I water my potted jasmine plants.  Return inside and it’s pieces of cheese for her; coffee for me. I report to my office.

10:30 – 12:30 – I work on my “Ipad re-curating project” for the next two hours. For this part of the re-curating project, I pull up Money Diaries from May and skim the content as it has been my practice to note an interesting media source that a Money Diarist recommends.  It’s easy to skim each diary, although time consuming, because the books, films, TV shows, podcasts, etc. are italicized.

I take a moment to check College No. 2 – have any students emailed me about the upcoming summer class? No.

12:30 – 1:00 – I add a few more items to my suitcase in preparation for my San Diego trip and note additional items that must be packed on the day we leave on my list in my Ipad.

1:00-2:00 – I eat my leftover sole from Terrazza, but it did not hold up well so I give most of it to the dog. I read a Money Diary while I eat.

2:00-3:00 –Water my plants. It is so hot today – just miserable.

3:00-4:30 – Shower. Lotion. Vintage sleeveless top and black leggings. Full make-up. I listen to a few podcasts that I saved several months ago regarding the Tulsa massacre, “Black Wall Street”, and Juneteenth. I also listen to an episode about reparations from Today Explained.

5:00-6:00 –I do a 20-minute Insanity Cardio Ab workout and recover, then work on some blog posts.

6:00 –7:15 – L. returns from work, jumps into a new outfit, and we head to Openaire, a restaurant on Wilshire Blvd.  Traffic is heavy. We’re running a tad late, so L. takes Normandie Blvd and I’m actually pretty terrified.  It’s obvious we’re in the slums and I’m not armed. Also, we’re two chicks in a car with a cracked engine mount that L. hasn’t repaired yet. I know L. carries weapons so I ask how  many she has on her person and she tells me 1) OC spray; 2) a box cutter; and 3) and a small knife.

We arrive in one piece. The Openaire is a rooftop restaurant at The Line Hotel.  Parking is entirely valet and crammed with cars – at the same time, a huge big rig is unloading food in the same space. We can barely move and it is so anxiety-provoking. I should add that I absolutely hate Wilshire Blvd. – it’s way too crowded and hard to navigate. I also hate downtown LA and Wilshire Blvd. might as well be downtown LA, although we’re actually in Korea Town.  I don’t want to come here again.

7:15-8:30 – There’s a slight delay and then L. and I are seated on the roof.  I mask in restaurants until I’m seated, but nobody else is masking, including the wait staff. I’m stressed out so I order a Brut Rosé which turns out to be one of the best glasses of “champagne” [we can’t really call it champagne because it’s NOT from Champagne, France] I’ve had in a long time. L. and I get two orders of the Squash Blossom appetizers.  I order the English Pea Latkes [they’re just okay] and L. gets the Young Beet Salad, which is much better than my entrée.  The Squash Blossoms are quite good! I order another glass of the same champagne and have sufficiently calmed down enough.

8:30 – 9:00 - As a surprise, L. booked tickets to a live Chopin concert at an old, restored church a mile down the street.  The concert starts at 9:00 so we better ‘motor’ if we want to be there on time. We leave.

Driving.

Parking is somewhat difficult, but at least there’s a designated parking lot.  As always, we have to pay.

9:00-10:00 – Inside and the church. is. beautiful. The concert organizers are implementing Covid-19 protocol! and I’m so pleased.  You cannot enter this venue without a mask and they don’t give a shit if you’re vaccinated.  No mask, no shoes, no service. At the dais is a huge grand piano surrounded by 200  flameless candles – the lights are very dim, but the stained glass windows are somehow illuminated and depict these interesting pastoral scenes. We all sit on pews, but social distancing is enforced – the organizers did NOT pack ‘em in. Did I mention that the church is absolutely beautiful?  I can’t figure out which religion I’m sitting in…

The pianist is a woman, wearing a black mask, and a long flowing gown.  I have not been to a live concert like this since the pandemic and the music is exquisite. I love it. The concert ends after one hour, but this is a perfect time.  It’s getting late and we still have to drive home.  I’m sure L. is exhausted but she never mentions it.

10:00-11:00 – Driving.  I introduce L. to The Turning, a podcast/expose about former nuns who left the convent as a result of the abuse they encountered.

11:00 – 12:00 – Home and I work on some blog posts.

12:30 – 1:30 – I do a 1-hour Insanity Max Interval Training.

1:30-2:00 – Recover with my glass of champagne and continue packing for my San Diego trip.

2:00-2:45 – Shower and I wash my hair. I listen to the most recent episode of The Turning.

2:45-3:45 – I braid my hair and listen to two past episodes from By the Book: 1) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; and 2) The Economides: America’s Cheapest Family.

3:45-4:15 – Nighttime routine. Bed