Spin, speeches and breaking bread -----> Week in Review, Day 202-208

~ went to spin class two days in a row. Ouch.

~ did my first 10-minute presentation at my networking group. I practiced it out loud about 20 times. It went really well (I think).

~ hung out with singing/piano teacher. Been wanting to do that for a long time. We had bread and cheese in her new awesome apartment.

Health and music -------> Week in Review, Day 195-201

~ had a facial. It's true - I have never had one before. I am now a believer - my skin looked so, so much better than it normally does. And it included a foot massage as well as an arm and hand massage. Heavenly. This will be a nice gift to myself every once in a while, a good prize for reaching a goal.

~ tried a skin cleanser juice from the local organic food place. A mix of watermelon, apple and other juices. Not sure how much it did for my skin, but it was delicious.

~ traded coffee for tea. Yes, I got myself off coffee, just to see how it feels to be caffeine-free. It feels great. I really don't even miss the coffee, and that's coming from someone who REALLY loved coffee. Been drinking a ton of herbal tea, which my favorite being the spicy ones. Yum. I have gotten off coffee before and always find my way back, but it was nice to really listen to my body this time and notice the difference.

~ went to the symphony. They were showing the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Psycho," accompanied by the orchestra's strings. To watch all the violins move sharply together during the famous shower scene was amazing. Symphony Hall in downtown SF is gorgeous - round building with all glass windows. It even has a balcony with a prime view of City Hall.


~ went to the Indie Mart street festival, where a bunch of independent designers, artists and other D.I.Y.ers were showcasing their wares. Very talented people. This party also included my very first visit to Thee Parkside, "San Francisco's premier dive venue." Great art and great music? Too much good stuff. So I couldn't resist:

Awesome necklace from Rene Kwong at Bliss Jewelry.

Chappo put on an amazing stage show with their feathers, euphoric drumming, passionate front man, and storytelling. Check them out right now.

Acupuncture, piano and sardines -----> Week in Review, Day 188-194

~ experienced acupuncture for the first time. I've been intrigued by it for a while. It has worked for centuries in the East so I do believe it is a viable means of healing. I found it interesting. One needle hurt slightly but by adding a needle in a corresponding place, the prick from the first completely disappeared. And my throat, my main point of contention recently, did feel better the next day. Hmm, may have to try it a few more times...

~ ate sardines. Yes, voluntarily. Alton Brown suggested they were full of good things so thought I'd give it a go. A fish that is very fishy, though I didn't mind. Better in olive oil than in water.

~ learned the A minor scale on piano, and even read a bit of sheet music while playing.

A banner week, wouldn't you say? ;-)


Overheard on the street:

"Man, I can't wait to take my shirt off. Hey, check out my bullet hole!"

The many sports of Tahoe ---> Week in Review, Day 181-187

Lots of work, blah, blah, blah. All good stuff, but this blog is dedicated to things outside of work. So past a busy work week, I enjoyed four days in Tahoe. It was warm and super-relaxing. We hiked, snowboarded, biked and barbecued.

~ not the first time we've enjoyed snowboarding on July 4th weekend, but it was the first time at Kirkwood. Two weeks ago, there was pretty solid snow all over, but by now, it was in patches. That meant hiking from the chair lift to snow, and the hike was definitely worth it. Not because the snow was so great, but for the adventure. It was my first time hiking for snow.



~ Four of us hiked along the ridge to on of the steepest runs at Kirkwood. Our little crew was not alone - about 10 other people hiking with us. We would board down as far as we could, unstrap, walk 10 feet to the next patch of snow, then repeat. We got pretty far down the mountain that way. We even jumped a river!



~ barbecued three nights in a row. Steak one night, hamburgers and sausages the next, and a combo the last night. Wish we had a grill at our San Francisco apartment. Anyways, Mr. Sound tried out a coal chimney for the first time and it worked amazingly well.

~ one night, our usual grill spot was taken so we created a makeshift one.


~ Mr. Sound and I made up a new game. We found a tennis ball but what can you do with it when you don't have tennis rackets? Introducing frennis or you can call it disc tennis. Tennis played with frisbees, since that's all we had. Man, we're GOOD at it.

~ nighttime activities: great fireworks on the 4th, beers by the firepit, and stargazing. With the naked eye and the help if the StarFinder iPhone App, we identified Mars, Venus and Saturn.

~ such a fun, memorable weekend. It was XXTREME!
Extreme Kayak from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Parting shot...