Friday joy at The Viceroy

One of the simple joys in life is meeting your best friend for an after-work drink on a Friday night. An icy cold beer, bar stools, dim lights and neon signs decorating the walls... yes, I am a fan of dive bars. Toss some writing on the walls and ceilings and I'm in love.

Yesterday, however, was pure LA sunshine with temperatures warm enough to kick spring fever into overdrive, so a confining dive just would not do. No, on a day like that the white leather chairs, cabanas and cocktails of The Viceroy were calling out to me and Teen long before we'd even left work. How could we possibly say no?

Laughing with Teen and sipping my refreshing $15 mojito, I felt my shoulders unclench and my breathing slow down. I love those moments where it suddenly hits me how lucky I am to be exactly where I am. Sometimes they're too few and far between all of the other moments where I'm wishing this or that was different somehow.

Who new that an overpriced cocktail and a trendy setting could bring one a slight moment of inner peace? I'll chock it up to what I know to be true: life is funny.