Week in Review, 310-316

~ Joined a group business coaching

~ Stopped for coffee off the 80 at one of hundreds of convenience shops. Got a cup of coffee, like I have hundreds of times before. Poured creamer from a machine, as is par. But this machine Mooooed like a cow when you were done pouring! I want one for my house.

Light the Night, spiders and streams ------> Week in Review, Day 296-302

~ participated in Light the Night, a walk to raise awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I volunteered for the event last year. This year, I walked, and even had a small speaking part in the ceremony!

~ spent over an hour in a lighting store, enjoying the conversation with the passionate proprietor. (Yes, I did buy something - photos another time)

~ killed five spiders in one day. All different shapes and kinds. Where the hell did we move to? (Disclaimer: 4 of the 5 were outside, hanging on the house. And yes, I do feel bad to an extent)

~ discovered how potent lemon oil is in killing spiders (again, my apologies to the spiders. But you're creepy.)

~ ate a new spin on my favorite Halloween treat - a Happy Apple with colored sprinkles (a Happy Apple is a caramel apple - you must try one!)

~ delivered work to four different client in one day. Huzah!

~ after the fourth hour of a rain storm, discovered we have a stream next to our house! It was dry the next day.

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.

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.

*Sigh* ----> Week in Review, Day 209-215

~ tweeted about the speech while attending a online seminar. Hey, I didn't say my new things were progressive - just new to me. I'm a good listener and don't multitask, so this was big!

~ bought a fiction book on recommendation alone, no idea what the story was about. So far, so good. (The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett)

~ survived our first hellish client.

~ felt left out for not having a baby.

~ splashed water at my friend's dog for 15 minutes, on the dog's request as she tried biting the water.

~ indulged in food and drink over the weekend, and paid for it in yoga on Monday. REALLY bad class.

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.

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 134 - Visited four cafes in one day

Lots of meetings, lots of coffee

Day 133 - Tried speed networking

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 118 - Celebrated

The response we received from our newsletter was overwhelming. Just such nice responses of support and congratulations. We are blessed to have these fabulous people in our lives. My ridiculously sweet friend Diana took me out for a glass of champagne in the early afternoon. I hadn't planned to do anything. Friends remind you that it's important to celebrate these moments and acceptable to toot your own horn sometimes. Take a break from routine and acknowledge these firsts, since they are rare and fleeting. Thank you, Diana, for treating me to more than just some good prosecco!

Day 117 - Introduced ourselves

My company sent out its first email newsletter, officially introducing ourselves to friends and family. After so much work behind the computer, it's an amazing feeling to share it with everyone. It makes this whole thing seem real, finally.

Day 104 - Booked myself solid

I had four meeting back-to-back today. Lots of networking, which means shaking a lot of hands and repeating my business story many times. For someone who usually likes time alone to recharge, this was a challenge. I survived. Actually, it was quite invigorating, as I haven't had a day this busy in a long time. It just won't be repeated often.

Day 91 - Became a concierge

My friend Tina runs a concierge business. Her jobs span from the mundane errands to the exciting wine tour. Out on vacation, she asked if I could fill in on one of her more routine (yes, mundane) jobs. I'm in. It included dry cleaning and waiting around for a food delivery. I found out I have no patience for this kind of thing - hence, why I'm not in her industry. But I'm thankful for the chance to walk an hour in her shoes and glimpse at what she works with every day. Any job you might be interested in? Give it a try for a day, see how it fits, and let me know how it goes.

Day 90 - Became an Angel

A Charlie's Angel. As a laugh for a sick co-worker, the folks at my old company were taping skits of old TV shows. I'm in. I got to be a Charlie's Angel - not sure which one, but one that runs in slow-motion and uses karate.

Day 84 - Socialized my business

Not economically - technologically. Today, I posted my first article on our new company blog. That was then advertised on our new Facebook fan page. And of course, I twittered about it (but that's not a new occurrence) And on LinkedIn, I connected to all the great people I met at last night's networking event. Whew. This stuff takes time. But it's really fun and I feel we are making progress.

And my company? Well, yes, I never did explain that to you. My biz partner and I started our own creative writing and marketing company last year. I've been working from my kitchen table for a few months now. It is a dream come true. With clients, it will be even better. ;-)

And you probably didn't know this, either, but Aidan Rose is not my real name. It's my stage name, from my music days. Those days are not gone, just on hiatus. This blog has allowed me to live on with her, as I build my company under my professional (real) name. For now, I'd like to keep those separate - writing in obscurity is freedom for the timid.

Day 74 - Work firsts

Did I ever mention that I am starting my own company? It's been a few months now and things move slower than you expect. But today we witnessed an upswing.

My business partner and I have started long weekly meetings. We usually would meet at lunch once a week, but it doesn't leave much time for work, especially when your mouth is always full. Today's 3.5 hour meeting was highly productive.

Secondly, we got an inquiry from a complete stranger about our work. So far, only friends have come looking, which is fantastic and we are greatly appreciative. But to hear that someone was highly impressed with your work, someone who has no obligation to do so, it was exciting and motivating. Really makes us think we're doing something right. Huzah!