The Salad Bar Is My Office

Morning Workout
BIKE...
30 minutes on the trainer
Heart Rate Zone: Was supposed to be Steady State Threshold (Zone 4) but even though my legs were pushing as hard as they possibly could under the circumstances, my heartrate just couldn't creep up any higher than Zone 3. The whole point of the damn ride anyway was really just to tire out my legs for the run and truth be told, I didn't need to get my heartrate up all in a huff to make that happen. Mission accomplished.

...RUN
1 hour 30 minutes
Heart Rate Zone: Aerobic (Zone 1) + Lactate Threshold (Zone 2)

SWIM
In the Ocean
Distance: Somewhere between a quarter mile and a half of a mile

Random Comments: Catherine doesn't have a lot of ocean swimming experience so, with just three weeks before St. Anthony's, we decided to go into the ocean for a short get-to-know-you type swim. The water was supposed to be in the 50s. I wasn't looking forward to that part. I expected it to be quite uncomfortable in an ice bath sort of way. Lo and behold, the water temp must've been in the 60s. It was like a warm carribbean dip. Aside from the muddied up water, and the random trash floating by. Oh, and the aftertaste of things I'd rather not think of. Blech.
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There are a few reasons why I like sitting outside the Coffee Bean and reading the newspaper in the morning. First of all, it is tres peaceful over there in the wee hours. Not a lot of traffic in the morning makes for a calm, relaxing way to ease into the day. Secondly, and oftentimes more importantly, it is a central location in which to witness all the crazies. And there are lots of loonies here in Los Angeles. We are a breeding ground for the loonies. We keep them all in a bin. Get it? A bin....

Here are a few samples of my favorite conversations overheard at the Coffee Bean during the last few weeks...

The Wannabe Model/Actor just doesn't stop talking about himself:
"I have coffee mugs with headshots of me. Want one? I'll send you one. I also have self-portaits painted by me of me."

The Compulsive Gambler doesn't speak much, but when he does, it's brilliant:
"I used to be a big idiot, now I'm just a regular idiot."

When the Fish Tank Sales Guy comes by, you know he's not going to be quiet. You end up saying anything to get him to leave. Otherwise you'll spend the morning listening to such witty banter as this:
"I'm fat to give you a chance with the ladies."
"You want fresh air? Go to Malibu."

The Trust Fund Guy really tries to be funny. Sometimes he actually is:
"After we bomb Iran, we should bomb France, just for the hell of it."

And then there's the Certifiable Guy. He's always talking to his three friends. It's just that nobody else can see them:
"I'm psychopath-IC. There's a difference."
"The space ship came down. I saw inside. It had all sorts of stuff in there I don't understand. I saw a tall warrior looking man with smoke coming out of his head. He looked mean and angry. Man I was scared so I bailed off."
"I'm just here to protect the world, to save the people."
"The salad bar is my office."
"My hands, they are controlled by God."

It's always a good time up there at the Coffee Bean.