Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Hello all. I'm back. I've been MIA as I try to heal up my perpetually sore hands. I've got a backlog o' tidbits to catch up on, and I'll do so as my hands permit. Anyway, on with the show.
So, one of the benefits of being unemp...er, "employment challenged" right now is that it has afforded me the opportunity to get my ass in shape. I've done the gym thing before, and may still again, but for now, I've taken to hitting the streets with my size 13's. I strap on the headphones, blare my militant hip-hop records or warning label rock and roll on the I-Pod that Bubba can't stand, and do my thing. I can't emphasize enough how good it is to do folks. I'm under the Mendoza line (that's 200 for those uninitiated to the obscure baseball reference) for the first time in 10 years. Plus, the more I do it, the more I WANT to do it. Anyway, that's my PSA for this morning.
Walking the streets of West Hollywood has shown me a few things. First and foremost, it is a deceptively small town. By that I mean, I've been able to up the ante to about 4.5 miles (2.25 miles each way), and I've discovered that the vast majority of my life was already contained within a 2 1/2 mile radius, JUST LIKE NEW YORK. I try to switch up my route to keep it interesting, and no matter which way I go, I end up within my life radius. If I go North, I could be in the heart of tourist Hollywood (Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater, Walk of Fame). If I go south, I'm at the Bev Center Mall. If I go west, I get to the border of Beverly Hills. If I go east, I get to the "wrong side of the tracks" of Hollywood, so I don't go east. Bottom line, the town FEELS bigger than it is, because that mile you usually drive in 10 minutes, is actually just a mile.
More specifically, one really gets command of one's neighborhood when you walk it every day. For instance, I've discovered there are ELEVEN, count 'em, ELEVEN Russian groceries/deli's just within the first 10 minutes of my walk. They all sell the same things, at the same prices. I know because I can always score a good deal for Orville. If one place has cherry tomatoes on sale, they ALL do. And they all sell the same bizarre chocolates, and they all sell the same media that are Scrabble players dream words (lots of Z's, Q's, K's in the words).
I've also discovered that there is a remarkably high amount of community service going on. Every day, I see a different platoon of young folks sporting the county vest, picking up trash. It's why I don't drive at night, for clearly the drunk drivers are rampant.
Also near us is the bizarro counterpoint to the Chinese theater. The Pussycat theater that I walk by apparently has legendary status. I know this because outside, the biggest "stars" are cemented in the sidewalk. Only, it's not the hands and feat of Bogart, Eastwood, and Monroe, but of Holmes, Chambers, and Jeremy. Thank God it's just the hands and feet they've imprinted.
Lastly, there seems to be a remarkable number of people "taking meetings" every morning. I swear, I walk by these restaurants and it's uncanny. You can just tell. Everyone there is pitching a script, or trying to be seen. As many BAD movies as there are that are released, God only knows what kind of tripe is being REJECTED. But, that's Hollywood I guess.