becoming regular

I have been in Los Angeles for a year. The move here kick-started adult life for me. It made me a contributing member of society, and with that came a lot of responsibilities: bills, taxes, becoming a more educated voter, rent, getting things like the cable/Internet set up, taking care of my health and especially my teeth since I don't currently have dental insurance, worrying about things like insurance and what type of plan to get, and more. Dealing with these types of things really gets you in a sort of routine. I pay each bill at the same time every month, I have started cooking the same meals over and over again, I grocery shop every Sunday, and I do laundry every two weeks. There is something comforting about this responsibility routine. I think what I like about it is it gives me a sense of accomplishment to which I must reward. This is a tribute to all the things I do to reward myself for being an adult at which I have become "a regular":

GYM: This does not sound like a reward type of experience. I guess most people would think of it more as rewarding experience, but I actually like going to the gym. Zach and I go to the same gym 4 days a week in the mornings. I like spending that time together and making fun of people doing weird things on machines, but I also like the feeling it gives me to push myself on each machine. I also specifically like the gym we go to. It is possibly the lamest/smallest/nothing to it LA Fitness in LA, but it feels comfortable to me. We are friendly with the trainers there, and I like seeing some of the same people there everyday. We get tips from trainers who know we are "regulars". We have been going there for enough time now that I actually see results in other people's bodies, and I tell them. Is that weird? Also, the occasional BJ Novak (Ryan from The Office) sighting is enough to keep me going there for a long time to come.

CHINABOY EXPRESS: There is no other place I would rather be on a Thursday night than at Zach and I's favorite hot-spot, Chinaboy Express. If for some reason we are not able to go on a Thursday night, we will actually have a make-up night although Zach is much more serious about making sure he gets his than I am about getting my weekly fix. The ladies there know us. And by that I mean they know what we order, and my order is the most complicated, specific thing ever....we are talking half orange chicken but not a full half portion because I won't eat it all, half spicy chicken and veggies, two scoops of fried rice, and only the broccoli from the beef and broccoli. In fact, the last time we were there, I started to tell one lady what I wanted and the other pushed her aside and told her she knew and would take care of it. We can walk there from my apartment. This place is so obscure that I couldn't even find a picture of it online. While it is a place we really look forward to visiting every week, I wouldn't expect to go if you come to visit town on a Thursday night. I decided it is not a place I like to see through other people's eyes if you know what I mean.

BLOCKBUSTER: I visit blockbuster regularly no matter where I live in the world. There are three Blockbuster stores in the U.S. where I have at some point been "a regular". The one here is my favorite store. The regular staff consists of a sweet-but-talks-way-too-much-when-you-just-want-your-effing-movie-gay-guy, a smooth-talking-hits-on-me-every-time-Zach-is-not-there-even-though-he-knows-we-are-dating-Irainian-guy, and a very unpleasant-almost-angry-for-no-reason-seeming-Hispanic-girl with penciled-in eyebrows. I have an unreasonable sensitivity to judgement from Blockbuster employees so I feel it is important to establish good relationships with them. And by good relationships, I mean make sure they know you have good taste in movies before you start renting fluff. I have noticed that when I am new somewhere, my renting habits tend to be more quality. It is not until I feel like I have established a good sense of superiority with these people when it comes to movies that I will go for the occasional Nanny Diaries type titles, quickly followed by or possibly along with some Sundance-selected documentary. The Blockbuster in Gainesville was actually much more overall judgemental seeming than the one I go to here, surprisingly.

ACTIVIA: Of course this is probably too much information, but aside from becoming a regular at the above places, I have also become regular in the don't-you-wish-you-had-stopped-reading sense of the word. Activia is this yogurt that is designed to assist your digestive system. I fell victim to a promotion when a lady at the grocery store handed my two yogurts as a free sample last week. I was not even having particular digestive problems. I tried them, and they tasted so good, I decided to take the "two-week challenge" advertised on the back. I am eating one little 4oz tub everyday for two weeks, and I was promised results or my money back. I will just say I will not be needing my money back from the activa people.