A Sad Day at Runyon Canyon
As part of my whole cleansing thing, I am making sure I am working out a lot more. I am actually an avid exerciser but for some reason over the last year I have slacked off and just gotten out of the habit, working out only sporadically at best. So since I started cleansing I realized I should really be going for overall health and have gone back to running in Runyon Canyon 4 times a week or more. Joe and I also looked at a new gym that opened up just down the hill from us. I used to be a member of Crunch but I let that membership lapse last year during my year of indolence. I think we will probably join Wednesday after Joe talks to his doctor about his hip.
Anyway, for anyone who doesn’t live in LA, Runyon Canyon is a really cool area of hiking trails. They have an easy path, an intermediate path and a killer path that you can hike up or down. I usually run down the intermediate path then hike up wither the hard path or the intermediate path depending on ow I feel. So the other day Hollywood Dave and I are running in Runyon together (we work out probably 2 to 3 times a week together) and we are heading out of the park and there is a big crowd gather on the trail. We go check it out and there is a doberman lying on the ground and they are giving him cpr and he has clearly just collapsed and had a heart attack or stroke or something but that dog is definitely dead. It was so sad to see the owners calling the vet to see what they can do as they continued to give the dog cpr. The onlookers could all see that the dog was not coming back and to feel the desperation of these people who loved their dog so much was heartbreaking. Then to know that they would have to carry this lifeless body out of the canyon, well that will get to you.
When I got back home I told Joe I didn’t think we should be taking Amber on any hikes cause she is a billion and really feeling her age and clearly this other dog in the park was quite old and I didn’t want to be in the same position of standing over my dead dog in Runyon Canyon. Of course we never take Amber anyway cause she is so old and she can hardly walk but that was hardly the point. It was just that seeing that dog lying there made me realize Amber doesn’t have too long and that is just really sad even if it is the circle of life and all that BS since that doesn’t mean anything when it is personal to you.
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Yesterday Joe and I were looking at open houses. I know the last time we did that we ended up moving so i think Joe was a little nervous about it since I have this very perapatetic tendency to move like every year or two. But I am staying put in this new house so he really had nothing to fear. I jsut really wanted to see the inside of this house for sale down the street from us cause I like to keep an eye on property values and it is always nice to get decorating hints from other houses. And, of course, when you see a house that has been kept up you get to imagine how you would renovate it whic is always fun. And then, of course, when you see a place that is decorated in the worst possible taste you get to feel good about your own house and the occasional feeling of superiority in that regard is probably not a bad thing since it might stop me from moving anyway 
So we look in this house down the street from us and I am surprised at how cut it is inside. I am not looking to move, of course, but it does have amazing views of LA and a ucte little living rooma nd dining area with three bedrooms downstairs and a really nice and spacious master upstairs. The kitchen is small but niceley redone and over all it is just really adorable. And then it dawns on me, the place would be perfect for my ex husband, Ben. He is over in Los Feliz right now which is 15 to 20 minutes away and 20 minutes from the kids’ school. I am only 10 minutes from school and the house is literally 3 minutes from me so that would be a pretty ideal situation. Plus the house is nicer than what he is in now since he always says he is planning to renovate the house he is in and this house is already redone.
I called him last night to tell him about the house. He is in Montana right now with the kids and so he can’t come look at it. But I gave him the website to look at and he seemd really interested. That would be awesome if he moved down the street. So great for the kids and so convenient for the adults
Speaking of Montana, Leo is in heaven. He spent the week with his Godfather, Joe, up there and apparently they spent the whole time catching critters. I can’t remember the whole list but I think there were a couple of box turtles, some lizards and snakes in the mix. I think he is planning to bring a couple of them back but, luckily for me, he is going to keep them at his dad’s house. Leo is one of those kids who likes the idea of pet ownership much better than that actualy practical application so we always end up doing all the feeding and pet care. He was so excited, though, to tell me about his adventures. He is really having a great time.
The kids are not back till the 15th and it is the point in their summer vacation where it becomes really hard for me cause I haven’t seen them in so long. We have been chatting on the phone but that is hardly the same thing as cuddling with your children, absorbing how much you love these people. I really miss them and am so excited for when they get back. As soon as they come back we are going to first take them to California Adventure for a day then we are going to Laguna Beach for the week as our vacation. Maud and Leo don’t get to go to Aruba this year as they are really getting to old to take out of school so I am giving everyone a beach vacation in advance. Everytime I talk to the kids on the phone I tel them about Laguna and they are like, “Mom you already told us!”. They are exasperated but they just don’t realize how much I am looking forward to a whole week with them, no distractions, no work, just ocean time with my kids.
And, because of the cleanse, maybe I will even feel good about how I look in my bikini
life is so precious! embrace it while you can…