Um... ---> Week in Review, Day 317-324

~ Visited a new Bikram yoga studio. Well, new to me. Friendly people, great class.

(I am posting this about a month after the actual week, so although I'm sure more new exciting things happened, I forget now)

A house! --> Week in Review, Day 260-266

~ rode the 1 California bus

~ started the day with a boxing lesson

~ chose action before thinking, and actually got something done

~ bought my first pair of vintage earrings. From the 80's, I think? Typical me...


That's right - blue rhinestones

~ closed on our first house!!!!!!!

~ got surprised by the moving company. Originally scheduled for about two weeks from now, they called and said, "how about tomorrow?"

~ watched movers pack up all the stuff we've accumulated over eight years in one place

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!"

Piano, vocal chords and New Haven ---> Week in Review

Day 153-159

I went home to suburban New York for a quick weekend. It was great. I forget how beautiful the state it, especially along the Hudson River. And I forget how much I miss that accent.

Mr. Sound and I went to a surprise party for my cousin. It was great to celebrate and to have a large part of the family in one room. Then we spent the rest of the weekend with my mom. She can be difficult, like all parents are at one time or another, but it was a nice visit. Although heartwarming, this family time is nothing new, so here's my recap for the week:

~ visited New Haven, CT, the home of Yale. I pictured more people walking around with sweaters tied around their shoulders reciting Shakespeare. Not so.

~ visited a speech therapist and saw a video of my vocal chords in action. Creepy and fascinating.

~ took my first professional piano lesson

~ had a lot of coffees with a lot of people for work (though that's nothing new, either)

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 116 - Ran my fastest mile

My handy Nike+ Sportband alerted me to the fact that I ran my quickest mile pace yet! 9:25. That is not fast in the realm of running, but fast for me. I kept it up for 3 miles. I wish I could figure out what the secret was, why this day was especially strong. Training for the San Francisco half - I mean, REALLY training - seems doable.

Day 103 - Worked for it

It was a nice luxury to go to happy hour at 4:30 with a couple of friends. It was gorgeous day. We even left the neighborhood. We could have taken a bus, but feeling excited and adventurous, we walked to the bar. Uphill for many blocks. At least there was no guilt over the calories once we got there.

Day 88 - Sick day

It was a busy day, full of catching up with people and researching stuff. But on top of that, I had a headache that wouldn't quit. No motivation to do anything past the bare minimum. Be back tomorrow.

Day 86 - Spring snowboarding

I have certainly snowboarded in the spring before. But this was the first time back after a six-week hiatus for my torn calf muscle. I was nervous. I was overly-sensitive to any strange feeling in my calf, but didn't need to be. Everything was fine, though my leg was overly tired when I was done. It was a gorgeous, warm day so I was so happy to be back on the mountain.

Day 56 - Chose the treadmill

Unless the weather is hurricane-like, I love running outdoors. A treadmill does not allow you to feel the sun, hear the birds, run a little faster, or feel like you got anywhere. It does, however, keep a very steady pace, which is good for someone recovering from an injury that impeded their normal walking. So on a beautiful sunny day, I stayed inside the cave of the gym and walked to nowhere. Great physical boost, but not so much a mental one.

Day 53 - Went to physical therapy

Not knowing the details of your health is more stressful than knowing. I had so many questions about my calf and what I should be doing about it. Turns out I was being a bit too cautious but that's not a bad thing. Now, I do stretches to loosen up the calf muscles and return the range of motion. Maybe another three-four weeks until I'm back to regular motion. I feel so relieved.

Day 43 - Used crutches

As I've said before, I've either been lucky or too inactive to have ever gotten a sports injury before. I have never used crutches before.

Yesterday's walk, although nice, seemed to have not helped my situation. So longer periods of walking will be done with the help of crutches. Luckily, we had a pair left over from Mr. Sound's torn achilles a few years back. (clean tear, done while snowboarding, he still rode down the mountain to the infirmary, had surgery, has been fine since.) He had done a good job of making them less sterile by adding cool stickers - I just embellished the padded parts.


I went to the grocery store with Mr. Sound and our crutches, thinking it would be a fun adventure and a test of my stamina. It was not fun. It ended up being me trailing behind him, asking him to stop and pick up stuff as we walked by it. Not sure how I thought it was going to be any different. The grocery store is now off my to-do list for the next few weeks.

Day 42 - Went for a sloooooooow walk

I walk fast. Maybe I learned it from my parents, maybe I learned it from New York. But I just want to get where I'm going. So having an injury that requires a reduction in walking speed is quite frustrating. Certainly not the end of the world, certainly a lesson in patience.

Moping about the apartment, I picked up the recent US News and World report that in this issue was focusing on health and age. There was a story about seven people over 90 years old that possessed such energy and positivity. That made me feel a bit guilty and very inspired. I then remembered the old women in my neighborhood who goes for a walk every day, even though she moves so slowly. Time for me to get out there.

I walked around the block. Literally, around my one block. I brought music to calm me. It might be my own insecurity but I got weird stares from three different people. Maybe people expected that slow walker to be a homeless person. Or maybe they really were startled to see me laughing to myself, at the comedy of it all. No matter, I hobbled on.

It was nice to get outside. It was nice to take it slow and take an extra beat to look at things. It was just nice.

Day 41 - Got a sports injury

I may have been lucky my whole life, but it may mean I never really exerted myself before. So I am proud to claim a sports injury. Torn calf muscle from a combo of running and snowboarding. It hurts. It's frustrating to walk so slowly. But compared to other, worse things that can happen in life, this isn't so bad. Just have to give it 2-4 weeks for rest and elevation and I'll be back to sports. The Olympics will just have to start without me...

Day 39 - Sick Day II

A migraine sucks all brain power from you. I can't form any kind of thought, nevermind a new one. Hopefully this goes away soon.

Day 27 - Ran twice, or, Fell for reverse psychology

NEVER have I went for a run and then decided an hour later that it wasn't enough and more would be a good idea. That's madness.

I was happy with my 2-mile warm-up. At the gym, I struggled through a very hard leg workout, ending with trainer Antony's advice that a run tomorrow would be a great idea to keep the legs feeling fine. But he then continued:

Antony: Well, actually, the best thing is for you to go run right after you leave here - just a slow, 3-mile run - but I doubt I could get away with suggesting that to you.

Me, in my head: Oh, really? Watch me. I'm going to run the heck out of those three miles.

Me, running 10 minutes later: Wait a minute...damn it!


NUTSHELL: The second run went well. Antony is knowledgeable and clever. I will not die if I push myself. I need someone else to push me. An open mind and/or a big ego is necessary for the push to work.


For any NIKE+ runners - challenge me to a run! Log our times online and keep each other on track for fitness goals. Drop me a line in the comments if interested!

Day 8 - Struggled through a new exercise

I have been working with a personal trainer on and off for over five years now, once a week. Only in the last year have I consistently stuck with it and have seen great results. Antony is not only someone who leads me through exercises, but has been a sherpa of fitness, nutrition and motivation. Working out with a personal trainer is a gift to yourself. One hour a week, or sharing a session with a friend can give you the push to make your health a priority in life. I'm just saying...

So today Antony taught me a new strength exercise and man, it is hard. Because I am out of shape. But give it a try. It's called a suspended holding plank crunch, which is a perfectly accurate name that I think he completely made up.

Lay on the floor on your right side, propping yourself up on your right elbow/forearm. Raise your body off the floor so only your aforementioned arm and the outside of your right foot are on the floor = suspended. Your body should be straight = plank. Lift your left leg up and bring your left knee towards your chest. Bring your left elbow down to meet your knee and hold for three counts = holding & crunch. Return to plank position, then repeat the holding crunch and so on, working up to 10 each side.

Day 7 - Cooked eggplant

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite meals. Inspired by having to try something new everyday, I bought an eggplant in the hopes of trying to cook the parmesan version. But I was soon at odds with myself - go for the new thing of the day, or stick to my resolution to skip cheese for two weeks? (If you saw what I ate over the holidays, you'd know why I have to do this. Out of control). The winner is: stick with the resolution. There are many, many ways to cook eggplant so I went with the classic grilled medallions. For a pretty bland food with no nutritional value, the eggplant was pretty impressive. My only disappointment was that my first time in the kitchen with eggplant did not result in Italian parmesan goodness. Non importa, I have a recipe to look forward to trying later this year...