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My Travel ABC’s
A – Age you went on your first international trip:
One of those things I wish I could remember. I pulled up this photo that I think was taken in China. It’s a bit blurry [blame the scan], but after closer examination, the calendar on the right is May 1983. I would have been about 1.5 years old. Even then, I was wearing short dresses.
B – Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where:
I will always have a special place in my heart for Asahi Super Dry. It was one of the first beers I ever tried at the ripe age of 20 [Japan's drinking age]. It lacks the flavor of the craft beers that I love these days, but anytime you put one of these in my hand, it’s not just light and refreshing; it brings back memories.
C – Cuisine (favorite):
If you ask Ryan, he would tell you that my palate is very Asian. It’s what I grew up with. It’s what “home” and “comfort food” taste like to me. I don’t have one favorite cuisine, but I lean towards Asian flavors – fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger garlic, black bean sauce, green onion, Sriracha… I also prefer the light [not bland] flavors of rice noodles and raw or steamed fish, not usually at once.
D – Destinations – favorite, least favorite, and why:
I’m going to have to wimp out on this question and say I don’t have one. So many places, so many different reasons for being there.
E – Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”:
I’ve always thought that people are inherently good, but it really gets me each time to see it in action. While traveling in both South Korea and Singapore, people who I only just met offered to show me their home. The kindness of strangers – absolutely amazing.
F – Favorite mode of transportation:
My two feet – walking is a lot more tiring on long trips, but I find myself noticing so much more.
G – Greatest feeling while traveling:
Besides the satisfaction of stuffing your face with delicious food from all over the world, it’s the sense of connection you get when meeting someone new. It’s crazy that you can travel halfway around the world and find so much in common or to learn so much from someone you wouldn’t have encountered had you stayed at home.
H – Hottest place you’ve traveled to:
Surprisingly, Las Vegas. It was a dry heat that made it difficult to keep one’s eyes open! Other places FELT hotter because of the humidity, but if you compared the numbers, Vegas was it.
I – Incredible service you’ve experienced and where:
On a cruise to Mexico. I would love to go on a cruise again!
J – Journey that took the longest:
Driving from San Francisco to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah during Memorial Day Weekend a few years ago. The road we wanted to take was blocked off, so we had to take a very long detour.
K – Keepsakes from your travels:
I don’t really buy souvenirs. Ryan and I started buying magnetic bottle openers – we have two. I’m a National Parks Passport holder, so I collect stamps if I am traveling to one of the national parks.
L – Let-down sight, why and where:
It’s very easy to feel let down if you set yourself up with expectations. I think I was let down by the size of the Statue of Liberty. We took the stairs up to her head, and it was much smaller than I had expected. Of course, I couldn’t even enjoy it because I had gone all the way up and down with a bloody nose.
M – Moment where you fell in love with travel:
Since the beginning. I am still in awe that you can go so many miles on a plane and reach an entirely different place than the one you know.
N – Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in:
Most of the nice hotels I’ve stayed in were when I traveled for work. One such place was the Barton Creek Resort. Since my current job no longer requires travel, I only stay in nice hotels if I happen to make the right bid on them through Priceline or if I have earned enough hotel points.
O – Obsession – what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling and why:
Food = YUM, graffiti = PRETTY.
P – Passport stamps – how many and where from:
Not enough in my current passport. I traveled more in my early years, but that passport has long gone missing.
Q – Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where:
Puzzling World in Wanaka, New Zealand. It’s all optical illusions! It reminded me a bit of The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz.
R – Recommended sight, event, or experience:
I can’t possibly pick, but my recommendation? Just go!
S – Splurge – something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling:
The plane ticket because getting there is important. From there, it’s the experience of being there, going from place to place, eating the food, and meeting the people.
T – Touristy thing you’ve done:
Lots. I even explore my own city as a tourist.
U – Unforgettable travel memory:
Walking across the bridge from Singapore to Malaysia because I missed the bus stop. Oops!
V – Visas – how many and for where:
None in my current passport. In my former one, mostly China and Japan.
W – Wine – best glass of wine while traveling and where:
The first glass of wine after the sister’s stomach issues went away while we were in Spain! It’s always better to enjoy a glass of wine with someone.
X – eXcellent view and from where:
Hard to pick [By now, it sounds like an excuse], but here is a recent one. From atop Half Dome, it feels like you’re on top of the world. I didn’t have a digital camera while studying abroad in Japan, so no Mount Fuji photos!
Y – Years spent traveling:
Nearly 30 – woo!
Z – Zealous sports fans and where:
Japan and South Korea during World Cup 2002. I remember watching the games with friends, and then when I went to South Korea over the summer, I was able to catch a soccer game there. Even though the World Cup was over, the emotions carried over into their other games. AH-MAZING.
——————-
Thanks for the tag, Aaron! It took me a while to complete since it’s the entire alphabet! Here are my tags to continue the project:
Ashley @ The WanderScapes
Donna @ Poo is Watching
Gina @ Gina Marie Rose
Keane @ Keane is Cool
Linda @ Curious Notions
Treavor @ Endeavors
Look forward to reading your answers! If anyone else decides to participate in this meme, please let me know, so I can come over and learn all about your travel experiences.
Related PostsWine and Love #27
Wine and Love is a series brought to you by Walking With Nora. It’s basically a list of what makes us reach for the wine this week and a list of stuff we’re loving.
Wine…
* After recovering from what I thought was a sore throat, I have other symptoms that lead me to believe that my allergies are just really bad. According to the news report I watched last night, there’s a ton of mold in the air. :/
* Money money money. I am paying for a lot of things early in the year – travel, conferences, cleanses. February is a shorter month. Since I’m non-exempt, it means less money this month. *shake fist*
Love…
* A well-behaved and well-exercised dog. I’ll probably dedicate an entire post to this, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. You know that as soon as I talk about all the things we’re doing that are working with Sasha, they won’t work anymore. She’ll retaliate.
* Beach Blanket Babylon tonight. SO EXCITED.
* As of a few days ago, I am a contributor at Art of Backpacking, a website all about sharing the experience of travel. I’ll keep you all posted on when I have something up!
What’s up with you this week?
PS – My change for February 2012 is hydration.
Related PostsJanuary 2012 Reflections
And just like that, the first month of the year is over. These reflection posts are a good exercise for me. They help jog the memory as I seem to forget more and more these days. It’s time to start taking some gingko biloba! Oh, that’s all what I did in the month!
January was…
Starting the year off with a museum hop. It was a quiet start to the year – the calm before the storm, I’m sure.
Exploring several parks around the city and the Bay Area with Sasha. My goal for the month [12 changes in 12 months] was to take her out every day. It has definitely paid off. She doesn’t give me as difficult a time each morning, and she sleeps when we do at night.
Having a blast at one of the Yelp Holiday Hangover parties.
Learning how to use my camera in manual mode with Emily’s photography workshop. I haven’t had a chance to practice more since then, but I would love to squeeze in some practice before I head off to Costa Rica next month.
Sampling foods/drinks at Fancy Food Show and Food Fete this year. We chatted it up with members of the Oregon Cheese Guild and plan on checking out the Oregon Cheese Festival next month!
Chinese New Year was early this year. Lots of family time.
Keeping fit with weekly Zumba classes with the sister. It’s a lot of fun, especially since others aren’t really paying attention to what you’re doing, and you can just roll with it.
Spending so much money on travel this year. I don’t mind it too much, only wish I’d come across a winning lottery ticket. Priorities, people.
Did your January fly by like mine?
Related PostsWhy I failed at blogging two years ago, and what I’m doing about it now
The primary reason I stopped posting on The Strategy Blog two years ago was that the posts that were the most popular were the least fun to write. In all the excitement of launching the Blog in July 2009, I wrote my friend Taylor:
I intend to use the comprehensive financial modeling tutorial as Chris Guillebeau’s idea of “flagship content” and then relate many of the business strategies I discuss back to a module or modification that can be made to the financial model made in the tutorial. For example a discussion of search engine marketing would include a section on how you would create a module for the financial model to model revenue growth if you were only using CPC marketing. My primary goal with TSB in general is to develop a community that will drive name recognition, which may then lead to profitable opportunities.
[. . .]
Considering all of the people searching for financial modeling, I think very few will actually complete a six hour tutorial on completing a linked financial model, those that do probably would not make good customers because they have the patience to look for a free alternative elsewhere or would bargain you to death. Of the majority that skip to the end, I will have several niches (1) those that get it and can make use of it as is, (2) those that need help but are not willing to pay for it, and (3) those that need help and might be willing to pay for it. I think group three is a viable business segment that merits focus.
Given the psychological theory of reciprocity and that they have probably already invested some time in the modeling method I use, they are likely to pay me market value or higher to help me solve their specific problem that they cannot themselves.
I still believe the plan was solid, but I didn’t count on my own wavering interest (well documented Excel posts are time consuming and boring to compose, which leads to a lack of self-motivation), going back to a job in banking (live in Excel all day, why would I voluntarily spend all night too), and the limited overall demand for technical posts (Google Trends). I did attempt non-technical strategy posts, but they were less successful (see 2011 Top Posts as evidence). Regardless, both types of posts led to quite a few interesting public and non-public conversations, however as I was no longer consulting they were of limited benefit. Unintentionally, they also left me feeling embarrassed and demoralized that I hadn’t finished the promised tutorials and lacked the motivation to do so. On a positive note however, I found that while there wasn’t a great quantity of demand for technical financial modeling tutorials, the demand for financial modeling knowledge in developing markets (Southeast Asia and Africa) was acute. [Side note: this only reinforced the strong demand I saw when teaching an M&A course in Malaysia and (unsuccessfully) bidding to teach a credit risk management course in Africa, both prior to the start of this blog.]
What now?As I’m back to posting, does that mean I have overcome the self-imposed demoralizing embarrassment? I mostly have, but you shouldn’t expect any technical financial modeling posts to appear on The Strategy Blog for the foreseeable future. I’m falling back on content I can reliably and consistently create: a reporting of what I genuinely find interesting in business and strategy. It will be closely related to what you see in my Twitter account. I also anticipate largely adopting the Project Argo blogging format:
At some point during our planning discussions for Argo, our project director Joel Sucherman borrowed the metaphor of the three-legged stool to describe the three elements we felt were essential to each site:
Strong original content. One surefire for a site to become a destination is to consistently provide distinctive, informative, enjoyable stuff. We encouraged the Argo editors to put most of their effort into reporting and writing enterprise posts on their beats. I’ve been particularly vocal about the power of the quest narrative as a wellspring for compelling reporting and storytelling, and about the importance of developing deep understanding of a topic to find the most important stories within it.
Community and conversation. In the age of social media, we all know that conversation is a powerful draw for people. Sparking conversation – being the subject of watercooler chatter – has long been seen as a primary goal of journalism. In developing Argo, however, we stressed the role of community and conversation not just as an outcome of the journalism, but as an aspect of it. We encouraged the bloggers to treat comments as content, to turn their sources into commenters, and to take feedback – both praise and criticism – seriously.
Smart curation and aggregation. As everyone becomes more and more flooded with information, people increasingly look to journalists not just as discoverers of new information, but as filters for all the stuff that’s already out there. Every good journalist is an avid consumer of information on her beat; the best digital journalists are just as ardent about sharing the best of what they find. We stressed the value of informative, well-synthesized aggregation to all the Argo bloggers throughout the project.
Each site placed a different emphasis on these three components, but they were all present.
[Note: fascinating detail on the Argo Project can be found here and here]
While I’m largely reporting or curating what can be found elsewhere (and adding a small amount of unique content), in the larger context I’m seeking to tell a story about the world we live in. I’ve often been told that I have a unique or interesting way of looking at the world, weaving disparate events and ideas into a single narrative, and that is what I want is best served in this blog format. The greatest value I can provide to others through this blog is by analysis and brining disparate ideas together, and see where that takes me. To quote Nieman Lab’s David Skok “The aggregators of today will be the original reporters of tomorrow.”
I can honestly say that I don’t know what direction the blog will take, or if the content of my new posts will be worth reading. But that is my drive – only by taking some personal risk will I continue to grow my own knowledge. Without the potential for personal development, there would be no real motivation for me to blog.
Okay… so what about financial modelingI know there is an acute need for a clear, concise, straightforward how-to for financial modeling, and I haven’t given up on one day being that resource. However, I don’t think blog posts are the best format for teaching financial modeling. The modeling posts end up being too long, and the series of posts are incoherent. The benefit, however, is immediate feedback via comments.
In order to meet the demand for casual financial modeling, I have begun drafting a book on the topic. It is more detailed than the blog posts, and I hope to eventually have it peer reviewed. Realistically, I don’t know if I will ever complete the book, but it is a solid start. If anything I did not want my inability to opine about financial modeling to stop me from blogging altogether.
ConclusionTo sum up this overly-long, rambling post:
- Future posts will be shorter;
- Future posts will be more topical, rather than instructional;
- Financial modeling will no longer be covered here, but there may one day be a book.
As always, I do appreciate and value those of you that read The Strategy Blog. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out in comments the comments or email me directly.
Monday Think 1/30/2012: Aggregators as original reporters; Pinterest’s process; BBVA and the unbanked; Startup experiments
Roundup of links to start your Monday morning thinking:
- The aggregators of today will be the original reporters of tomorrow — it’s how disruption happens (Nieman Journalism Lab)
- Pinterest’s awesome signup process (Business Insider)
- BBVA Pursues Profits Among The Unbanked Using Nontraditional Data (Forbes)
- Launch and Experiment, Not a Startup (Vinicius Vacanti)
Wine and Love #26
Wine and Love is a series brought to you by Walking With Nora. It’s basically a list of what makes us reach for the wine this week and a list of stuff we’re loving.
Wine…
* My neighbor’s car was the victim of a hit-and-run this morning. They were parked in that spot in front of our house where people like blocking us in, but they weren’t the ones who blocked our driveway.
Hit-and-runs = NOT COOL. They took down the license plate, so hopefully they catch the guy.
* Someone maliciously knocked over the Vespa while it was sitting outside of the store waiting for our pickup, and now it’s got scratches all along one side. Ugh. I have insurance, but it’s one of those things that was bound to happen while driving in a city.
Love…
* Chinese New Year! It’s been one family dinner after another. So much good food and quality family time! We have more this weekend.
* I’m sore, but for good reason. Free Zumba and Yoga. I’m going with the sister, so definitely happy to be spending more time with her.
What’s up with you this week?
Related PostsAlways a Toyota Girl
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I’ve owned two cars in my life and have really only driven three regularly. Every single one was a Toyota – Corolla, Matrix, and Prius. You can’t really blame me though. It started in the family. Aside from my father’s ’85 Accord, every car since then has been a Toyota – Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and my sister’s Scion TC. My dad is about to buy his next car, and he has his eyes set on a Lexus, another Toyota brand. See, it can’t be helped!
I was recently invited to join Toyota Women Influencer Network [TWIN], and of course, I jumped at the chance. It is an online discussion group focused on vehicle choice, driving, and the Toyota brand. They asked that we share with our readers what our dream Toyota vehicle is.
I’m pretty happy with my current 2nd Generation Prius. If I had to pick a dream vehicle, it’d have to be the Prius V look [like an older Matrix] with the gas mileage of the hybrid plug-in. 87 mpg ftw! With Sasha in tow, I might opt for one of the SUV-types instead. Here’s dreaming that they one day will have amazing gas mileage!
What’s your dream car look like? Has your family influenced your automobile preferences?
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am a member of the Toyota Women’s Influencer Network (TWIN). All opinions are 100% my own.
Related PostsThat Kind of Neighbor
I don’t want to be that kind of neighbor – the one who is a hawk when it comes to the parking in front of her own home. Parking in front of one’s home is a precious commodity on this street. God forbid you’re the one guy walking all the way down the block to his car. Or even two blocks – oh no! Since we have a two-car garage, we park inside, and we don’t have that problem.
Instead, THIS is our problem, usually every week.
It’s usually a different car each time, but this van has been a violator many times. The last two times resulted in a note. The next one will be a phone call to DPT. A ticket for blocking a driveway in this city is $90, plus a potential tow which would cost even more.
I don’t want to be that kind of a neighbor, but I’m sick of it. It seriously ruins my mood when I come home from work and so much of my driveway is blocked. I gave my warnings. It’s $90+ or walking down another block where there is abundant parking.
Related PostsTraveling Boost
There are a lot of people who enjoy traveling, like me. Then again there are many people who do not prefer it, or do not feel like they have enough money to travel as often as they wish that they could. Of course traveling and tourism are things that can affect many economies in the United States. Some cities and areas depend mostly on tourism to make money and when that tourism is not happening, it can hurt.
Luckily for those who depend on tourism to make their means, the President is trying to get people into our country. That’s right, a few days ago President Obama was in Disney World making a speech about promoting travel and tourism. Apparently the United States has the best product to sell. While I agree that we have some pretty fantastic places to visit in this country, I’m not too sure how I feel about Disney World being the “best.”
Anyway, take a look at the speech yourself and see if it makes you want to travel some more or not.
Top Posts & Queries of 2011: Excel, Financial Models, Jet Blue, Synergies, and Corkscrews?
Admittedly, 2011 was a very dead year in terms of new posts, but there was still a fair amount of visitor traffic. The top posts of the year are as follow:
1. Excel Best Practices 2. Financial Modeling: Key Concepts 3. Jet Blue’s Strategy Behind the All You Can Jet Pass 4. Operating Synergy 5. Leveraged Restructuring
The top Google search queries that brought people to the site are:
1. strategy blog 2. excel best practices 3. leveraged restructuring 4. operating synergy 5. financial modeling concepts
Nothing too surprising in the top searches, but the award for the most unusual search query arriving at The Strategy Blog is a tie between:
1. “7-line corkscrew” 2. interview with a professional singer
While it is better known as a bar tool, “corkscrew” is a financial modeling term though one I have not discussed before. A “corkscrew,” in a financial model, is where the opening balance is equal to the previous period’s closing balance. Also, while I do not know, nor have I interviewed any professional singers, I did interview Thom Singer back in 2009 here.
Monday Think 1/23/2012: failed startups; smart genes; greedy Apple EULA; right to be deleted
Roundup of links to start your Monday morning thinking:
Exit Interview: The creators of no-longer-with-us products explain what went wrong (37 Signals)
Role of Genes in Life-Long Intelligence Pinned Down a Bit (Scientific American)
Apple’s mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement (ZD Net, via Clay Shirky)
Online privacy: Do we have a right to be forgotten? (TNW)
8 is my lucky number. Hello Vegas!
On Monday, registration for Bloggers in Sin City opened, and within days, the blog has exploded with attendee bios. What started out as 60 open spots has whittled down to 8. Lucky number 8.
8 Reasons I’m Excited About #BISC
01. It’s nearly all-inclusive! That means my attention will be focused on having fun, rather than figuring out where my next meal would be and whether or not I’ll have someone to dine with. There are several buffets on the agenda – bringing my stretchy pants!
02. Reconnecting with the bloggers I met last year! I’ve already had a mini reunion with Caryn, Terra, and Nic in Chicago and Doniree and Nicole in Portland. It’ll be great seeing everyone else!
03. Reading through profiles/comments and finding kindred spirits in wine, cheese, beer, impromptu dance parties, and most importantly, jumping photos!
04. Meeting fellow foodie, Linda, and ordering everything off the menu at Lotus of Siam. All #BiSC-uits welcome!
05. Crossing off a Cirque show in Vegas from my list. I’ve seen two in San Francisco already, and it will be my first one in Vegas!
06. This is a chance to step out of my comfort zone [currently Ryan's La-Z-Boy recliner under a blanket]. As much as I hate to admit, uncomfortable situations that one conquers can be invigorating.
07. What excites me most is the potential new friends that I’ll have all over the country and beyond that once I connect with, I can visit and hang out with. Guess I just invited myself – oops!
08. Experiencing Vegas VIP-style. What happens in Vegas ends up documented!
PS – Paper’d, a crazy cool iPhone/iPod Touch app that’ll beautify your phone and inspire you, is sponsoring this event by covering the registration for one lucky attendee. For a chance to win, you have to register! There are eight spots left. Go get ‘em!
Related PostsManual Mode
Photography on manual mode has been on the back of my mind. I’ve attended photography sessions at various conferences in the past, but it didn’t really click until this past Saturday.
I attended Fun 101, an introductory photography workshop with Emily of Gem Photo [on the left below]. She went over the basic concepts of photography, not unlike the information from previous sessions I attended, but I think what really drove it home was having the chance to practice and ask questions as the photos were being taken.
I don’t have a DSLR any longer, but the mirrorless camera I bought has similar functions. It’s a bit easier to learn since the end result shows up on the screen right away, but it really helped having Emily’s expertise and the permission to pick her brain.
Our model for the day was Lisa of With Style and Grace. She was a great sport. Having so many cameras pointed at you can be nerve wrecking.
The rest of the photos from the day are: here. Hope that this means better photos from me! The session made me really excited about potentially going down the road of the DSLR at a later date.
Related PostsBirchbox vs. MyGlam – Jan 2012
I received my January Birchbox and MyGlam subscriptions today. Thought I would take a picture comparing the goodies in both.
Contents: Algenist – Firming & Lifting Cream, FIX Malibu – Immaculate Complexion Smoothing Serum, Juicy Couture – Signature Fragrance, Zoya – Nail Polish in Kendal
Contents: Sheer Cover – Duo Concealer, Wen – Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner, Freeman – Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Masque, theBalm Cosmetics – Shady Lady
I think the winner of the January 2012 comparison is MyGlam because they’re products I’m more likely to use. I’m excited about the cucumber facial peel-off mask, which as far as I can tell is the product’s full size. At $10/month, which would you prefer?
For my Canadian readers, Jolene informs me that these are similar Canadian counterparts: Luxe Box, Top Box, and Glymm!
Related PostsWine and Love #25
Wine and Love is a series brought to you by Walking With Nora. It’s basically a list of what makes us reach for the wine this week and a list of stuff we’re loving.
Wine…
* Sasha is being a royal pain in the butt. She gives me a hard time as I am leaving the house in the morning. She was fine for quite awhile, and then suddenly I can’t leave without her tracking my every move and putting up a fight. I don’t know when the turning point was. I can only guess that she is too energetic and hasn’t been stimulated enough. It gets so bad that she won’t even obey commands for treats. She’s got a one-track mind, to get between me and the door or to come along for the ride.
* Similar to how in order to get a job, you need certain experience, but to get the experience, you need the job first, there’s an event coming up where you can get a press pass if you have a certain number of pageviews. You can take photos at the event if you have a press pass. However, for all those up and coming blogs that don’t have enough page views, you can’t take photos, and you can’t get a press pass. You can’t even take photos to attract more people to your site. Oh, the irony.
Love…
* Finally picked out a helmet, which means I’ll be riding around on the Vespa soon! It’s a full-face, as recommended by most of my motorcycle-riding friends. Even though I am only on a scooter going 35mph, that’s still going to be a huge impact if I go flying off the scooter.
* BJ’s Pizookie
* Went to a whiskey and chocolate tasting last night hosted by Pacari Chocolate. As it turns out, even a non-whiskey aficionado such as myself can tolerate whiskey if it is paired up with chocolate. If you’re in the San Francisco area and would like to attend a chocolate/whiskey tasting on Monday, January 16th, check this out!
What’s up with you this week?
Related PostsWine and Love #24
Wine and Love is a series brought to you by Walking With Nora. It’s basically a list of what makes us reach for the wine this week and a list of stuff we’re loving.
Wine…
* I might be sick. I feel a little sinus pressure, and my throat is sore in the morning. My body is fighting something. It hasn’t succumbed to whatever it may be, thankfully.
* Going to the gym. I bought a deal [one month membership + a massage] that expires tomorrow, so we have to go to the gym. I’m not a fan of the machines, so I’m hoping for either interesting classes or sauna/steam room/spa that isn’t too crowded.
Love…
* Crab cakes! I’ve been encouraging Ryan to blog more, so check out Urban Piscivore [soon to be Seafoodie]. These are the crab cakes and paprika aioli from Crabsgiving.
* Portland house is no longer an issue nagging me. The property manager is doing his job!
* Planning our trip to Costa Rica. I, more or less, have our itinerary figured out, as well as our accommodations. It’s crazy how much there is to do in a country that is the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. I’ve made some reservations, but I also want to keep some free time in case we find other things that we want to do.
* 12 Changes in 12 Months – January will be dedicated to Sasha. I will take her for a 20-30 minute morning walk every day. I started slacking off at the end of December. This is part of the goal of sleeping early to wake up early in order to take her out.
* I am starting up a new 101 in 1001 list. I hope to have my list updated by this weekend.
Related PostsFirst Day of the Year 2012
Happy new year! Hope the first few days of 2012 have been treating you well. My mood’s been in the dumps over the last week, but I’ve finally resurfaced. Ryan and Sasha have helped keep my mind above ground. How can I not smile when I’ve got this face looking back at me?
As members of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, we don’t visit them nearly enough. I decided to start the new year with a museum hop, hitting up both the de Young and Legion of Honor museums in one day. While I invited friends to join us [to take advantage of our guest passes], it ended up being a New Year’s Day date instead. Guess it’s hard to get up and out after a night of partying!
At the de Young, we checked out the Masters of Venice exhibit, featuring Venetian painters such as Titian, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto, and Mantegna. No photography was allowed, so you’ll have to check the museum website for the artwork.
There’s also an exhibit of Anatolian Kilim, which are flat tapestry-woven carpets or rugs.
After checking out the artwork, we headed up to the observation tower for views of the city. It was still early and uncrowded – a great photo op which will be featured in tomorrow’s Wordless Wednesday.
When our stomachs cried out for food, we grabbed a shrimp po boy and ginger ale from Sam’s Chowdermobile and sat down to enjoy the botanical garden. When did the food trucks start hanging out by the museums?!
After lunch, we headed over to the Legion of Honor. We caught The Mourners on their last day at the museum. Absolutely fascinating. However, again, no photos allowed. What I did take photos of – a Sutro Baths color lithograph poster mounted to linen circa 1896 as part of the Artistic San Francisco exhibit and Bernini’s Medusa, which will be on display until the middle of February.
I didn’t take photos of the exterior, but I love the Legion of Honor and its surrounding areas. It was a clear day with perfect views of the sailboats right outside the Bay.
After the museum hop, it was back to being responsible dog owners, so we took Sasha out for some hiking in Glen Canyon Park. It’s a great escape within the city limits.
Not too shabby for the first day of the year, right?
PS – Ryan posted our crab cake recipe – check it out!
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A Goal to Travel More
Ringing in the New Year just would not be the same for me without me making a huge list of goals and resolutions. Sadly, most of these ideas that I have for my new year to make it better and more fun typically fall to the wayside as work and life get in the way. I am convinced, though, that this year will be different. In fact, I made a goal that this year would be different. So I can’t very well just go breaking that goal.
My main goal for this year is to travel more. Sure, I travel a good bit already, but it is usually to the same destinations over and over. This year I want adventure. I want to do things that I have never done before, see things that I have never seen before, and I want to eat delicious foods that I would have never considered trying before. Now some people might think that this will be a fairly easy New Year’s resolution to keep, but I have tried it in the past. I would always find myself going right back to my traveling comfort zone. This year I am setting up my travels in advance so I don’t have time to back out and go to the same destinations.
I already have a room booked in a hotel in Costa Rica. I plan on eating nothing but the local food and going zip lining. One, I’m picky and terrified of new foods. Two, I’m so scared of heights I don’t know what to do with myself. But I am going to eat the cuisine and zip line across the sky, oh yes!
For my second and third trips I am still in the planning phases. They will be equally as exciting as Costa Rica, but I just haven’t chosen.
Do you have any great places where you travel to that can get me out of my traveling comfort zone?
