A Day In The Life – December 2001
This Sunday, the last one of the year, Ian and I are awakened at 7am because our cat Henry jumps up onto the bed and begins to knead the blankets. It was a good thing too, as we had a run scheduled in half an hour, with Jim – runner extraordinaire and our very good friend (it was Jim who introduced Ian and me, so we are indebted to him forever). It is a cold (for Los Angeles, at least in the low 60s) and overcast (it rained a lot yesterday, and threatens to do so today) morning, actually very nice for running once you get going, so Ian and I take the EV down to Santa Monica. We are on time (phew, because Jim is never late)and the three of us begin the “O.J. Run”, an 8 ½ mile loop that goes past where OJ Simpson’s house used to be. The new owners completely tore it down and have built a Spanish style mansion in its place. The three of us run together often, and we always have a lot to chat about, so it is a good time. Jim got me into triathlons, actually, and we have run a couple marathons together, although Jim is twice as fast as me and it is only because he is such a sweet and patient friend that he stays by my side. He and Ian did an the first Eco-Challenge race together and you can see him a couple times on this website’s photo section (one photo has us covered in mud after a “Mud Run”, and the other is with me in my firefighting uniform on the set of “Fire Co.132”).
After our run, Ian and I go to the local Farmer’s Market, which we do every Sunday, as I like to pick up fresh flowers for the house and he likes the vegan apple cakes sold there. We come home and listen to National Public Radio’s show “Weekend Edition” in the kitchen while he makes some egg whites and I put the flowers in vases. Our favorite part of the show is on, where they do word games and give listeners a puzzle to figure out for the next Sunday (which Ian and I never can).
We have committed to cleaning out the worm bin and working in the garden, so at 10am (listening to another NPR show), we are in the garage, separating the worms from the fertilizer (read: excrement…very good for plants) they have produced. This takes an hour, and then we have two fresh compost bins (with worms slightly dazed in their new home) and two full buckets of rich fertilizer. Then I go into backyard to plant the flowers I bought yesterday into the barrels there. I am not an avid gardener by any means, but it was fun to see these weedy bins transform into colorful barrels of… well as I am not an avid gardener, I don’t know the names of any of the flowers I planted, but I do know they are bright and cheerful! Ian thins the fountain grass that leans out onto the sidewalk, and prunes a lot of the bushes in the front. I am hoping the garden will continue to look good for the next couple weeks, as I have “Famous Homes and Hideaways” coming to film the house then. I hate having camera crews scrutinizing our home, but I acquiesced because they promised to focus on its environmental aspects, simple as they may be.
The garden work takes 2 hours, and then Ian and I go to our computers for an hour. I write to my old roommate from high school( from my boarding school, Groton) and read a couple environmental articles on my email. Ian tweaks his new website -Ian’s triathlon coaching will soon be available on the internet, so if you are interested in doing a triathlon in 2002, you can purchase a training program for races of all distances at www.ACMEcoaching.com. He is finalizing the website as we speak, and it is very complicated! All the more reason for me to bow in gratitude to the webmaster for this site, Vietly. She is a dedicated genius, in my opinion!
At 3:30pm, Ian and I drive into Brentwood and he buys me a pair of running tights. I have two pairs that are 6 years old and the elasticity is worn out. It is no fun pulling up your pants as you run (I am slow enough as it is)! Then we go to our favorite restaurant, Souplantation, and eat a lot! I don’t know if you can even call Souplantation a restaurant…it is more like a huge soup & salad bar in a family cafeteria. We like it because not only is the food healthy and it is casual, but folks of all ages are there, from grandparents to newborns. In other words, it is chaotic!
That night, I knit and we watch a video with Henry on Ian’s tummy. I am knitting a hat for Ian’s mom (don’t tell her, though). I also talk to my mom for a long time on the phone so I miss a lot of the movie!
What are your New Year’s resolutions? I used to snort at the concept, but now I like having goals for the coming year. Ian and I sit down and list how we want to improve, and what we want to do, in different areas of our lives: Love, Sports, Work, Money, Health, Family/Friends. I only accomplished one of five of my 2001 resolutions, so they are getting bumped up to 2002, except for the one about doing a marathon…I don’t think my ankle will be healed enough to be able to do one this year, so I will roll that over to 2003.
I wish you all a safe and happy New Year! Thank you for visiting this website and stay tuned for more information, photos and updates in 2002!
