Not quite sure how it all happened ------> Week in Review, Day 282-288

~ rode my bike to an appointment, through the streets of San Francisco. At one point around Fisherman's Wharf, I was stuck between a duck boat and the F-line above-ground train. Eek!

~ put Nevada license plates on my car. It's official.

~ sold my old car, a 1996 Honda Civic. It was the very first car I bought out of college, one that has taken me across the country, one that has taken such good care of me. It's funny to have such strong feeling for an inanimate object. Yes, I did cry a little bit, out of emotion for all the good memories and the mourning for the end of an era.


~ used Skype for a long business phone call

~ witnessed the beginning of Fleet Week


~ witnessed two cows humping (at a very different time and place than the witnessing in the photo above)

~ hiked part of the Mount Rose Summit trail



~ watched a hang glider take off from the side of a steep cliff. It involved about three long strides down the cliff, then jumping with his hopes into the wind. The courage and the faith was breathtaking.




~ ate a Qdoba, a chain similar to my favorite Chipotle. Unlike Chipotle, they have delicious nachos with meat. Yum.

~ took a business call in the car. Yes, while driving. I usually cannot do two things at once.

~ realized how important it was to solicit feedback about your business. You need objective third parties to tell you the good and the bad, so you can get even better.

Hardly Strictly Average --> Week in Review, Day 274-281

~ met with a team of creatives and started to plan ways we can conquer the world (or at least, the business world of SF) Inspiring and motivating.

~ met the two new babies of two friends, a 5-month-old boy and six-month-old girl. They are both so adorable and good-natured - we hope they grow up and marry each other!

~ Checked out the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. Watched all of Bonnie Prince Billy and checked out pieces of Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, and Jackie Green.

~ bought a vintage lamp at the Alameda Antique Fair. From the 1950's. It's all bubble-wrapped up so will have to photograph it another time.

~ tried African food - pan-fried talapia in coconut sauce with rice and plantains. Yum-o.

~ tried goat meat, in a gorgeous Mexican-style sauce. Really tender, pretty delicious.

~ had a conversation about James Bond through the years with another girl! So fun. (we voted Daniel Craig as the man, the reasons probably being very obvious)

SF-Packed + Celebrity Sighting ---> Week in Review, Day 253-259

~ missed a client meeting because I completely forgot about it. Never happened before.

~ set up Quickbooks for the business

~ had an amazing veggie sandwich at Mission Creek Cafe

~ took the 33 Stanyan bus

~ celebrated a friend who is now a full-on American citizen!

~ took a tour of an amazing San Francisco home with the architect

~ had coffee with celebrities. Well, I was in the same coffee shop where they happened to be hanging out. Robin Williams and Craig Ferguson.

~ name-dropped on my blog

~ went to Cafe Royale and enjoyed some gypsy music accompanied by belly dancers

~ and I even knew one of the belly dancers!

~ went to the Page Bar, on Page at Divisadero

~ went to a picnic in Golden Gate Park

~ drank a cold beer in a hot shower. At 9 AM on Monday. That seems like the start to a banner week.

Books & BBQ --------> Week in Review, Day 245-252

~ visited Christopher's Bookstore in Potrero Hill

~ picked up a book of Bukowski poetry and Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

~ bought some furniture for our first house! Our first washer and dryer, a couch set, some patio furniture.

~ attended the Reno BBQ Festival and tried four different kinds of ribs

~ heard Asia perform live

~ tried fried pickles - yum

~ am now the proud owner of a Subaru!

Food and more food --> Week in Review, Day 238-244

~ ate at Goat Hill Pizza, after years of hearing great reviews

~ went Off the Grid, the meeting of the mobile food vendors in SF. Such good food, some long lines. Check it out.

~ ate takoyaki, Japanese street food. Octopus balls. No, not those kind of balls. Just round cakes.

~ arrived (very late) at the Chili Bowl Cook Off and Skateboard Contest at Potrero Del Sol Park

~ bought a couple of piano books to step up my lessons

~ decided to take off a month from piano lessons, just to try something new

Tyler Florence and a house (not together) -> Week in Review, Day 224-230

~ joined the planning committee for the Leukemia & Lymphona Society's Light the Night event

~ stalled in my car. My reliable 1996 Honda that has barely given me a problem in its 14 years of service.

~ got an oil change at Oil Can Henry's but still have annoying "check engine" light staring at me.

~ flew to Reno. It was 25 minutes.

~ had dinner with Tyler Florence. OK, really, we had dinner in his new restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, and our table happened to be near the kitchen. So it was almost like eating with him the whole night.

~ talked to Tyler Florence. OK, really, he said goodbye to us as we were leaving.

~ went house shopping with a real estate agent. Exciting!

~ put a bid on a house - and got accepted!!!!!!!

Food and meetings -----> Week in Review, Day 217-223

~ ordered coffee with my sandwich at lunch. Immediately turned 85 years old.

~ took a two-hour lunch, just to read The Pillars of the Earth. You must read it.

~ cancelled events off my calendar, and resolved to stop saying yes to everyone.

~ became a mentor in my networking group.

~ had a 3 1/2 hour meeting and loved every minute of it.

~ stopped into the Fruit Bowl, a cute grocery stand on Waterloo Road outside of Stockton. The fruit was straight off the trees. Best. Nectarine. Ever. Also tried dried vegetables - tasty.

~ played a song on piano by sight. I'm learning to read music - very slowly.

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.

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...

Santa Monica & Pride ---> Week in Review, Day 174-180

Not too many small things, since I was pretty busy with work. But a few BIG things!

~ spent 24 hours in Santa Monica. It was a great birthday treat to sit on the beach in the warmth...



~ ... and visit a landmark. Johnny Utah would be proud.


~ had a drink with a celebrity. Well, NEXT to a celebrity. Well, KIND OF a celebrity. Tabatha Coffey from Bravo's Shear Genius and Tabath's Salon Takeover. I think she's sassy, love her hair, and she is quite wee in person. No, I did not ask her for a picture.

~ Mr. Sound set up a fabulous birthday dinner at BOA Steakhouse. Aw, yum. We started with goat cheese baklava, which combines two of my favorite things. Enjoyed a petite fliet mignon with seasonal mushrooms, and finished with cookies and ice cream. Throughout, artisan cocktails and wine. The best part was the company. :-)

~ we've lived in the Bay Are for about a decade and never attended the Pride Parade. Until this year. It was twice as long as the St. Patrick's Parade, since it included a ton of politicians and causes. Then there were the wild things!




~ my favorite part of the parade was the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers. Holy, this group is amazing and their bad-ass outfits are only a clue of how bad-ass they really are. Check them out online or at many events around Orgeon, their home state.

Tiki, the Mission and roller derby -----> Week in Review, Day 167-173

~ visited the Tonga Room, legendary tiki bar in San Francisco and rumored to be closing soon. There is a thunderstorm every 20 minutes or so over the pool in the middle of the room, and the Mai Tais are ridiculously good.

~ tried almond butter (with roasted flaxseeds for crunch). High in protein - and in calories, so careful!

~ cooked talapia and made our own rice pilaf

~ enjoyed Sunday brunch at Dolores Park Cafe on a gorgeous sunny morning

~ got dessert after Sunday brunch at the famous Bi-Rite ice cream shop. Brought home two flavors to share with Mr. Sound - salted carmel and malted vanilla with toffee and nuts. Oh, yum.

~ saw roller derby in person - the SF ShEvil Dead vs the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Bombshells. Those girls are badass.

and they haul ass.

Food, games, and more food -----> Week in Review, Day 160-166

~ ate salmon that was swimming in Alaska 24 hours earlier. Sad, but delicious.

~ saw the sun set from the Berklee Hills

~ went to a class at Women's Audio Mission, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts. Learned a ton about pursuing a career as an independent artist - scary and inspiring all at once. Glad I finally got to see the place and its awesome studio.

~ played Crispy Wickets, a game that involves throwing a frisbee through two narrowly-placed poles and thwarting the other team from getting points. My frisbee skills are poor at best, and the requirement of a beer in hand at all times does not help.

~ fell in love with peanut butter-bacon cookies, compliments of my talented friend Gwoeyn

~ visited Amore's Pizza and Pasta Kitchen in Tracy, which is newly-managed by my friend Sonia. She is doing an amazing job there and the food is great. Go visit!

~ rooted for the US but felt English while watching the World Cup, due to Walkers Crisps and their unusual flavors: English Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding, Smoky Bacon, Roast Chicken, Worcester Sauce.

~ forgot the password to my phone. The password I use about 10 times a day. How does that happen?

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 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 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 120 - Lunched with a special guest

The weather in San Francisco is not like L.A. or San Diego. Our summers are cold and foggy. The best time of year is now, and again in September. The days have been warm and sunny, making it hard to concentrate on anything.

Mr. Sound decided to work from home today. We sat silently on our respective computers for many hours, doing work. But by 1:00, we were hungry for food and a bit of sunshine. We had a great lunch on an outdoor patio, feeling lucky to have this time together.


UPDATE: I mentioned I was applying to a band. I sent some lyrics and tunage to them on Wednesday and today, got rejected. I am disappointed. Something in their post resonated with me, and I put up a bit of a fight to have them hear me live before making a final decision. We'll see.

Day 101 - Celebrated six years

A rainy, dreary day. Lots of indoor activity, culminating in a mid-afternoon bout with insanity. That much indoors is too much. The cure? Get dressed up and go to a fancy dinner.

Mr. Sound and I don't usually do this. We are a sneakers and burritos kind of couple. But to celebrate six years of marriage, well, why not? Not our actual anniversary day, but close enough. He looked ever-so-handsome in his dress clothes. We tried Epic Roasthouse, with a great view of the weather around the Bay Bridge. The food was amazing and we went all out - oysters, steak, cocktails, wine, dessert and coffee. Those long, leisurely dinners are rare and so memorable. We even took a little stroll afterwards in the mist.

Thank you, my love, for putting up with my quirks for 6 years, and for the generous, lovely individual that you are.

Day 97 - Tried new food

Well, these places were new to me. Nothing but good reviews for Nick's Crispy Tacos on Broadway at Polk. Of the carnitas and pescado tacos, neither were crispy but both were delicious. And the place was bizarre. Order at the counter by the door, and get assigned a plastic number in a silver stand. Turn around to sit and you're greeted by chandeliers, plush booths and deep red walls. A taco place? No, more like a nightclub. Which it actually is after 10 PM. Way to use the space.

For dessert, I stopped at Cultive Frozen Yogurt, one of the new places that allow you to serve yourself. Ten yogurt flavors, twenty dry toppings, all kinds of fruit, and even dessert sauces, it's hard to control yourself. Mine was classic chocolate/vanilla swirl with colored sprinkles and walnuts. Topped with two cherries. Yum.

I attempted a hat trick, intending to also dip into the new American Cupcake on Union Street, but I just missed the closing time. Another day...

Nick's Crispy Tacos
1500 Broadway, shared with Rouge

Cultive Frozen Yogurt
1998 Union Street

Day 80 - Fell in love with challah french toast

Really, the only way to have french toast. My friend Kaye hosted brunch for a few of us and this was the best part. With berries and yogurt, or just with maple syrup. Mmm, mmm. In a match against IHOP pancakes, well, I'm just not sure...