Relaxination

When the Backcountry job started in January it was initially scheduled to last until May 1. That date later became June 1 before mysteriously morphing into October 1. Because of the short initial project duration I didn’t schedule any vacation, and through the first half of the year had managed only two days off – Memorial Day and one day of hiking and heat stroke with Aaron. With burnout building the little men in the brain were screaming for a long weekend, so the July Fourth holiday became a five day affair, with two days of lounging at home, a night at the new LA Ritz Carlton, and then a visit on the Fourth from my enigmatic brother.

While I’m still a fan of sleeping in the Subaru and living the grungy backpacker lifestyle, the passage of time has made a few additional options possible, and a night at the Ritz clearly has its appeal. Audrey and I had a ridiculous dinner of crab and dim sum on the 24th floor overlooking downtown, and the following day I enjoyed my second-ever massage from a masseuse who looked like Britney Spears (circa 2001) and would have made a lesser man cry as she attacked any trace of non-relaxation in my back and shoulders. After the short drive home we hosted my brother, who arrived late in the evening, and the next day turned into a Fourth of July grill-fest and wine-drinking event highlighted by New Zealand’s finest $10 wine and a cornucopia of seared veggies.

While these events may not end up as epic memories in the way that a trip to Antarctica or the Galapagos might, they’re nevertheless one more page in the future autobiography (“Ryan Holliday: A Cautionary Tale”) to be released at some point 40-70 years hence.