11 days ago I turned 35 years old. I think the physical decline started around 26 which I’m sure was expedited by the uh…partying, alcohol, girls, working long and late hours, carbon monoxide from the dyno rooms, etc. Exercise was non existent and still really isn’t present in my life. I think I should start soon or else my health will take a shit. These days, if I strain myself physically it takes days for me to recover. If I party too hard it takes days to recover. If I work on a car too late into the night and stretch muscles I no longer stretch regularly it takes days to recover. Damn, I used to bounce back overnight. Talking to the older guys at Cosworth, they all say “You ain’t felt nothing yet.” I’ve already started to regulate my diet which has helped a lot. I eat less fried foods, watch the fat intake, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Just by improving my diet I’ve already lost 5 pounds. Exercise is next and then quitting smoking. For you younger guys take care of yourselves and prolong your youth.
Reality aside, I had a nice bday. I took the day off from work and my girlfriend took me to lunch at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. I had the best $18 Pastrami sandwich ever. Screw your New York delis: believe it or not the Ritz will fuck up your favorite deli’s Pastrami (I’m absolutely serious). Afterwards we went to Santa Monica beach and it was the perfect day with a nice breeze and clear skies. That was pretty chill. In the evening we went to have Taiwanese dumplings with my mom and we talked and had cake. It was a nice day.
The following Saturday, my friends took me to the Lucky Strikes bowling alley in Torrance and we rented 2 lanes for 2 hours with unlimited beer, appetizers, and bowling. Fuck we had a lot of beer and tequila. Well, not much tequila compared to my previous years, but enough to get me pretty faded. Troy, Asami, Dave, Kaori, Carolyn, Yaya, Nick, Mike, Mitsuko, Daigo, and Andy all made it out and it was a good time. It was way more chill than my birthday parties of the past, but I enjoyed it just as much. 250 people showed up to my 28th bday party in little Tokyo at a bar we rented out and EVERYBODY went home trashed if they made it home at all. Those days were fun, but I don’t think I can hang like that anymore. Anyhow, the one thing I look forward to in the second half of my life is wisdom. Whatever happens, I’ll be smarter and more experienced than I used to be. I hope it all carries over into my car, engine, and tuning work. I’ve only been doing it for 18 years now! I guess you can say I’m a lifer.
This little ass 7″ cake was pretty tasty.