I Paid For This?

Darin and I got up at 5am this morning. I didn't sleep well last night; not surprising, I never do before a flight. We got up and I had some cake for breakfast (Lil and Darin kept quoting some routine by Bill Cosby as to why the chocolate cake is the best food), and then Lil drove us to the airport, which is about a million miles away and in a different state anyhow. Dan told us to make our next reservations for Dayton or Columbus, which are about as close to Cincinnati as Cincy's own airport and are easier to get to besides.

We got on the plane and flew to Dallas, where we had to wait an extra 40 minutes to board the damn plane because the previous occupants (read: we would have gotten on the plane if it hadn't been for those darn kids!) had trashed the place.

We flew to LA and I dropped Darin off at the house. I headed over to Santa Monica to meet Tiffany for a shiatsu massage. Well, actually by the time I got there, she'd had hers and I was about to get mine. She'd had such a fantastic time on her previous visits that I wanted to try it out.

I went to the shiatsu place and got into the small clothes and lay down and Robert, the surfer-boy-masseur started work.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

He concentrated only on my solar plexus. He must have ground his thumbs through my sides about a million times. The object of this, if I understand it, is to get me to cry. It worked. Big time. If Tiffany hadn't told me she'd gotten a lot out of the crying, I might have held out longer, but I started crying as soon as I could. The masseur kept saying, That's right, let it out, let it out, let the pain out. I'm like, if I could let it out I would, and I'm paying for this?

I've always thought the object of massage was to relax; the object of this massage was not to hit back.

I waddled back to Tiffany's and we had coffee with Bailey's and pumpkin-cranberry muffins from Mani's as we talked. And talked. And talked. Not always about the pain, strangely enough. (My first words: "You went back?") We talked about the future and how we need women mentors and what her plans are for the future -- she's found a really great guy, I am so excited for her. It looks like everything is coming together for her professionally as well, though she'll most likely have to leave LA. Waaaah.

I came home (over the Sepulveda Pass -- always a joy) and found that Darin was totally passed out. Not that I mind.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Ow. Ow. Ow.