We ate at the "News Room" on Robertson - a very cute little place that serves healthy food - which means there wasn't anything on the menu that excited me at all. I had scrambled eggs. They made a point of saying in the menu that they were cooked with no butter or oil. I was afraid I might get a "naughty girl" look if I asked them to go ahead and throw some butter in the pan - I mean, I would be deliberately missing the point entirely, so I had them throw some cheese in there instead. Not bad. Just eggs. For $9.50. (And thanks ladies for treating me!)
It was fun to talk about how everyone was doing and what was new. Meryl has a big personality and she is always entertaining to be around - great laugh. Jennifer is very insightful. And she seems to have a pulse on everything that is going on. Both are really smart. But it was interesting to be on the outside of it. At times, I felt mildly out of place - that sort of third wheel feeling you sometimes get when you feel like you're only peripherally "in the game". As though we were all talking about a movie that I hadn't seen yet. I found that feeling fascinating because I was only so recently in the thick of it. And then, both Meryl and Jennifer spoke of the vacation time they were taking before the year end and it was so weird because while they were telling me how many weeks they were taking at the holidays, combining paid company holidays with earned vacation time, I, for a nano-second felt a tinge of jealousy and thought: "man, why wasn't I that strategic in requesting my time off?" And then, a nano-second later, I remembered: "oh yeah. I have time off in permanence." Still very weird. I don't know what it's like at other companies, but we really were a family. And this whole layoff thing feels like I'm a victim of divorce.
What else? Our waitress was adorable but she was an actress, poor thing. Seeing her reminded me how glad I am to be out of my twenties. Extremely out of my twenties. But when she asked us if we were all headed off to work, I didn't answer. I worried that if I answered, my face might cry again.
Wow. Am I whining? I shouldn't be. It's not like I am holding a tattered old coat around my shoulders, looking longingly into restaurant windows. (Well I might have looked longingly into the window of "The Ivy Restaurant" across the street from the "News Room" - but only because they offered savory fare cooked in butter.) We are doing fine, thanks to Prince Bob and a lot of business he has generated through his work in a commercials and real estate. And God has timed those checks to the day that we need them - unbelievable. We're fine. But still. Indeed.
But still --- it was wonderful to see these women again. And I know that I will see them again. And I am so glad for that. They are, after all, part of my family.
I drove back to the 405 via Sunset Boulevard - through Beverly Hills - passing grand and beautiful old homes, The Beverly Hills Hotel, both east and west Bel Air gates, UCLA, and uncountable, gorgeous, lush landscapes of rich green lawn, manicured hedges and shrubs, splashes of color from flower beds, cascading bougainvillea, and endless mature trees of every kind and color - reaching across the boulevard so that you can drive under a canopy - I love that!! And it reminded me of visiting Great Grandma in Sacramento when I was a little girl. Back then, it looked a lot what I was seeing on this drive - only the houses were smaller. At night, from my Grandmother's street, you could see the lit dome of the Capitol building and it was beautiful. I felt like all was right with the world back then. Driving the boulevard, it felt like that again.
Perhaps it is. I love my friends. Nice visit. And fewer calories!
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A delightful blog and so insightful, Val. thanks
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