Day 148 - Got published on McSweeney's

I am thrilled! My Open Letter made it into McSweeneys.net. If you are not familiar with this sarcastic literary magazine, please acquaint yourself. At the very least, read my post.

Day 147 - Visited an ENT

Ear, nose and throat doctor. My voice teacher recommended a visit, since I've been having trouble hitting the higher notes.

This very nice doctor snaked a long, thin camera up my nose and down my throat to peek at my vocal chords. Oddest feeling. Crying is a natural reaction, it turns out.

It also turns out I have a deviated septum (nothing to worry about) and nodules on my vocal chords (worrisome). The next step is to visit a speech therapist and rest my voice as much as possible. This will be a major test in patience.

I am bummed. I was just making great progress with my voice lessons and about to start practicing with a band. And I'm sad I've damaged myself this much. At least it is diagnosed so I can move forward in a healthy way. And I will take this break as an opportunity to finally learn piano.

Day 143 - Had gelato in the park

My friend Jim from college was in town for work. This is not new - he comes about once a year for a conference. We met up at Vesuvio, which is also not new, since it's favorite bar in SF. So although it was the highlight of my weekend, it was not new.

Mr. Sound and I hung around North Beach after Jim departed on conference duties. We had the most delicious pizza at Tony's Pizza and if that was not enough, walked across the street for gelato. I tried a dark chocolate crunch and seriously, it was one of the best I've ever had. I'm not a huge frozen dessert fan, but this was spectacular. We sat down in Washington Square Park, enjoying it and the sunshine.

Day 142 - Had a Saturday business meeting

You meet when the clients ask. By the end, we found ourselves involved in a photo shoot in Union Square without our shoes. That's a story for another day...

Day 139 - Launched our company

It was our official launch party for our new little company. Thirty of our closest friends and family stopped by. It was a proud night.

Day 136 - Hiked Ring Mountain

In Marin. Gorgeous views. We even saw a baby deer up close.

Day 134 - Visited four cafes in one day

Lots of meetings, lots of coffee

Day 133 - Tried speed networking

Day 131 - Had a bourbon cocktail

Four coworkers from my previous job met up to catch up. We tried Rickhouse in the Financial District, not far from Union Square. It was very dark in the back corner where we found seats but overall, the atmosphere was great. Brick walls, dark wood, bartenders in suspenders, a huge liquor selection. The cocktails are amazing. I had a (OK, two) Kentucky Buck, which is bourbon with strawberry, ginger and lime. Delicious. And everyone else's cocktails were outstanding as well. I'm curious about the punch bowls, though I doubt I'd be as adventurous as the two guys I saw sharing one. That's a recipe for a hangover.

Aside - that networking group I mentioned last week? I'm happy to report that we're in! Let the rumpus begin!

Day 130 - Visited Blizzard Beach

When I last visited Disney back in 1988, there were no water parks. Now there are two. We went to Blizzard Beach, a park with the theme of ski lodge. So Mr. Sound and I felt right at home.

We set up camp at Tyke's Peak, full of cute child water slides, fountains, and sand. Mr. Sound took his nerves of steel over to Summit Plummet, the slide that drops you straight down and leaves you with your shorts up around your neck. That was the first time he has ever done one of those slides! The whole family drifted around Cross Country Creek. All in all, I'm a huge fan of the waterpark, even if Cartman is not.


Mr. Sound and I had to return back to reality, so we left as the rest of the family stayed for the rest of the week. It was hard to leave, but I'm so grateful for even that short time we had together.

There's no place like home. I was so happy to step into the cab at the airport, ready to drag my tired self into bed. My cab driver was blaring house music. It was after midnight. I was tempted to find a different cab. In his defense, if there ever is a time to listen to house music, it is at that time of night. Oh, the city...

Day 129 - Romped around the Magic Kingdom

So this is not my first time to Disney World in Florida. I first went with my brother when I was pretty young (5, maybe?) and then again when I was 14. But never have I been to Disney as an adult, accompanied by kids. Mr. Sound had never been at all.

The girl-child, as an old, wise woman of five years, has seen this all before. She and her dad planned out exactly what rides they were going to at what times. And how many times we were going on each. Her younger brother, at age 2.5, still does not get the whole concept of the park. Sure, there were fun rides and funny-looking people, but he did not know he was in the happiest place on earth.

It was obvious no child in the park that day knew they were in the vortex of happiness. If they did, they would not all be having a meltdown at one time or another. It is a lot of stimulation for a child, on top of the normal ups and downs in the day of a child. Every parent there that day should be granted sainthood.

It was a jam-packed day, from gates opening to the last fireworks. It was a hot day, but we all survived. It was an unforgettable day in our family history.

Day 128 - Vacationed with the family

My brother, sister-in-law and two adorable kids headed to Disney World today, and Mr. Sound and I met them there. This is the first vacation we have all taken together past out-of-town weddings and such.

Today was half travel day, half settle in day. It included Joe's Crab Shack, Cold Stone ice cream, a bit of grocery shopping, and time in the pool. The two kids love the water. It's fun to see how their little personalities have grown!

Tomorrow, on to Disney!

Day 127 - Shared a run

Mr. Sound hates running. I love running. It's hard for us to run together because not only are we paced differently, but the aforementioned conflicting feelings of running annoy the other person. But today we ran six miles together - yes, together the entire way. We chatted the whole time, and actually had a good time. I doubt this will repeat itself often but gave us both a better opinion of sharing a run.

Day 126 - Applied to a business group

My little business is growing up so quick. We have been networking like crazy. We finally decided to join a real, official networking group. They meet weekly and trade referrals. They are super-nice, super-talented people. We applied and are keeping our fingers crossed...

Day 125 - Patted myself on the back

I usually don't celebrate mini accomplishments. I usually think that whatever I did was what I was supposed to do. Take applying to that band, for instance. If I want to further my music, I needed to do something like this. I needed to throw up a MySpace page and share my singing. But it wasn't until I told my voice teacher that I realized how huge that really was for me.

She knows I'm a perfectionist, so it was a big deal to share some songs that were not perfect. She knows a goal of mine this year is to write some songs, so it was a big deal that I threw together lyrics and a tune. She was jumping up and down for me. I was a bit embarrassed by the kudos at first, then realized that it really was a gigantic step for me. How nice to have people around to point this stuff out to you. Just like my friend Diana last week, taking me out to celebrate my company.

I have not heard back from that band, and know I never will. But it does not matter, because I made a huge first leap and even in rejection, boosted my confidence. So thank you, Karen Reifer, for being such an encouraging leader in my musical journey.

Day 124 - Tried urban camping

We toasted marshmallows over our gas stove. They came out fantastic. We even crushed Golden Grahams over them as a pseudo s'mores. Too bad we had eaten all the chocolate earlier.

Day 123 - Broke my style rules

I believe that if you are not working out or doing yard work, sweatpants do not have a place in public. Jeans are pretty dang comfortable so use them as an alternative to sweatpants.

There are few other things I believe: leggings are NOT pants, and a dress should NOT be worn over pants.

I wear sweatpants/yoga pants in the house and since I work from home, that's a lot. Today I was wearing my black straight-leg ones with a long red tank dress over it. It actually looked cute and I was comfy.

To beat tiredness, I decided to head to the local library for a change of scenery while I worked. Nothing else in my closet sounded remotely good to wear so I *gasp!* wore out what I had on. So that's (A) sweatpants plus (B) a dress over pants. I felt a bit awkward but got over it quickly. Half the people in the library were wearing sweatpants, and due to sitting, no one could see me anyways. So my perspective is changed a bit, but the important message about clothing still is: don't be lazy.

Day 122 - Supported the Escape

Today was the Escape from Alcatraz triathalon. A 1.5 mile swim, an 18-mile bike trek, and an 8-mile run. The water is freezing and the roads are hilly. These people are amazing.

We were able to see the bike and running parts. The elite athletes make it look easy. But it's the every day people, like you and me, that are truly inspiring. People of all sizes and shapes, finishing in the top of their group, or at the very bottom, but finishing all the same. Disabled athletes, older athletes, survivors and first-timers. We stood as long as we could, cheering for everyone.

If you every have the opportunity to watch a race, be sure to cheer the athletes on - it makes a huge difference when you're the one struggling on the course.

Day 121 - Parked in a Park

There's a few weeks of depression once the snowboarding season ends. What do we do with our time on the weekends? What could be as fun? Of course, there are a huge amount of things to do in San Francisco - it's just the change that's shocking.

As I mentioned, the weather has been spectacular, almost like a real summer. So Mr. Sound packed us a picnic lunch and we sat for many hours in the park by Fort Mason. Big groups were having full-blown parties, small groups were enjoying beers, individuals were reading. It was fun, relaxing, and reminded us what a beautiful city this is. I was enjoying myself so much, I forgot to take pictures.

Happy May!