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

Yosemite --> Week in Review, Day 231-237

Mr. Sound and I joined our friends John and Diana for a weekend in Yosemite. It was a two-night backpacking trip with the goal of climbing Half Dome. We succeeded. It was a phenomenal experience.

It was my first time backpack camping, and my first time hiking in Yosemite. Actually, lots of firsts:

* saw a rattlesnake in the wild
* saw a bear in the wild
* pitched a tent in the dark
* hiked in the dark
* deposited "waste" in a hole in the ground
* used a bear canister
* learned how to scare a bear away
* used trekking poles
* ate dehydrated food
* hiked about 18 miles
* thought for a split second that I may die
* saw three waterfalls in one day
* jumped into a cold mountain lake

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.