Two days

It's been a nice, quiet, and reasonably productive few days. I've gotten lots of work done and finally feel caught up on rest. Although, don't get me wrong, I am still looking forward to vacation with Mom next month. But...enough about that. That's not what you came here for. Here's what you came here for:

-Trader Joe's chocolate. Deeee-licious. Now, part of that may be because I've not had any chocolate, salt, cheese or anything else remotely satisfying or enjoyable to eat in 2+ weeks. But let me tell you, even with my return to chocolate, this stuff was good.

-New scone recipes. (1) Strawberry Rosemary and (2) Blueberry with Lemon icing. I've done some good research and these look most promising. I will make them next week and let you know how they turn out.

See, I told you most things on this blog would revolve around food. :)

Three little words...

People have lots of opinions on these words. But I believe that you should tell your friends, family and loved ones that you love them. Often. We never know when we won't get a chance to say what we wished we would have. So I took the opportunity to let some of the amazing people in my life know how much I love them.

The Sounds of Science

Today's new thing was a huge winner: the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences museum in Golden Gate Park. What an awesome spot. Rainforest, living roof, eastern and western Pacific ecosystems, penguins...the list goes on. The exhibits are thoughtful, with attention to every detail. LCD screens illuminated next to tanks allow you to read about the animals, without bright lights that obscure and distress the animals. My favorite animal was the waxy monkey frog. Very cute.

Morning Run with Hilary and Not Sucking at Dice!

What a week! Busy busy and somehow I managed to find time to a) not kill anyone in a fit of sugar and fat-free aggression and b) squeeze some really fun things in. Here's what's new:

-Seeing Fiddler on the Roof with Harvey Fierstein. Apologies to David, Suzan and Dan for my poor selection of, what shall henceforth be known as, the John Wilkes Boothe seats. Last row...all the way in the corner at the back... The people on stage were so tiny--it was like watching a diorama. But after intermission we snuck down to some better seats and enjoyed the second half of the show watching life-sized people

-Not getting my a** handed to me in dice! Now usually I come in last. Dead last. My pitiful dice skills are no match for the talents of the Lafayette crowd. But last night...last night I came in third!! I was this close to winning $9! What a thrill

-Cupcakes from scratch. Not bad. If you don't mind little chunks of butter in your frosting. And let's face it, who does?

-Saturday morning run and Farmer's Market outing with Hilary. All I have to say is, I believe this could be the beginning of a beautiful new tradition. Great run, great post-run snacks (waffles, roast chicken, homemade breads, veggies) and a fantastic friend. Bliss.

Well, that's all for today. Later today I've got some tennis planned. That should be a hot mess. Ciao!

New Route to Work

and I didn't get lost! Sweeeeeet.

Smoothie with flax oil

Meh. Not the greatest. But it's supposed to help flush out toxins and cellulite so I can put up with it. I wonder if a little chocolate syrup would make it taste better?

Back to the blogosphere

Hello again! It's been a while since I've blogged...it's true. It's been a busy (but good) two weeks with lots of late nights working. But never fear dear readers (all 5 of you), I'm back and I've got some good stuff to report on. Check out THIS newness:
-After a bunch of almost-there batches, I think I've perfected my wheat bread recipe. Sweeeeet.
-Weird (but delicious) egg-shrimp pancake in Japantown
-Cross-country skiing (15K thankyouverymuch). This new activity also involved a major yard sale which, unfortunately, was not captured on video.
-Snowshoeing 8 miles
-Sandwiches in a hut overlooking Devil's Peak
-Getting trounced in Scrabble (ok, this is a joke...and decidedly NOT a new experience for me. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever won a game of scrabble. Doh)
-The Fat Flush diet. Goodbye chocolate, olive oil and cheese. Hello whey protein, cilantro and psyllium husks. Disclaimer: If I am cranky, moody, or otherwise unbearable to be around over the next 2 weeks, it's because I am eating really REALLY healthy food.

Tomorrow I'll resume blogging regularly. Try to contain your excitement. :)

New Travel Adventure/Goal

This one's a big one, folks. This is something I've been stewing over for a while. I've been contemplating where to go for my next big trip. It has, after all, been 18 months since my last big adventure in Nepal and I'm getting antsy to take another adventure trip. But where?

Then it came to me. Like a strong, clear beam of light. In a moment that was very quiet, very still, and very, very certain I knew.

Mt. Kilimanjaro.

It's been a dream for so long. But I never felt ready. Physically, mentally, financially. Until now. Next year is the year. I have, after all, climbed at and to that elevation (4600 meters) before. And survived....loved it, even.

And if I'm very very lucky, my special wonderful amazing adventure travel girlfriends will join me (you know who you are).

So...let the planning, research, and training begin. I cannot even sit still I'm so excited.

Weekend

I'm just back from an ever-so-relaxing and fun weekend with 2 lovely friends, Emily and Hilary. We had a fantastic girls ski weekend in Tahoe. The weekend was filled with fresh air, fresh powder, and a few new things, including:

-Sharing a hot tub with 6 Norwegian men
-Paying the Highway 80 dude $30 to put on our chains instead of spending 1 hour in the snow doing it ourselves (even though we TOTALLY could have)
-Summit lift at Sugarbowl
-Gondola ride to lodge
-Emily's breadcrumb chicken....nom nom
-Sipping microbrew beer in an outdoor heated tent...in January...at 9,000 feet

It's going to be a nice, busy week, and then I'm off to Tahoe again for more fun in the snow (cross-country skiing! snowshoeing! hot chocolate!) this weekend. Seriously, how lucky am I??