11 days post-op: My scars are gnarly...and 4 more weeks of sling-ing it

i had my first post-op check up yesterday and finally had my dressings removed, and stitches taken out. i have 3 gnarly scars (2 in the front, 1 in the back) plus some crazy-ass purple scribbles from their surgery markings. kinda gross but you kinda wanna see them, right? (viewer discretion advised) and yes, my purple shirt was a coincidence.




good news is that i can shower again! woohoo! bad news is that i still have to wear the terminator sling for another 4 weeks.

oh, and no sun, submerged baths, hot tubs, vitamin e cream, or other scar-reducing treatments for at least two months. boo.

4 days post-op, plus 10 things that are hard / impossible to do with one arm (part 3)

it's been four days since i had surgery to repair a tear in my labrum from a fall back in march. the tear was smaller than anticipated so they didn't have to drill any anchors into my shoulder which hopefully translates to a speedier recovery. i'm resting a lot and doing my post-op exercises each day but still learning to deal with the pain and life with my new big sling that I have to wear 24/7.

and in all morbid recovery blog posts like this, i must show you how i look right now! ok, no parental discretion needed. i just have a massive dressing on my right shoulder which will come off early next week.



and here's a pic of my giant sling. i need to name it something, esp since it will be spending 24/7 with me in the next 4-6 weeks and even comes with its own attached stress ball.


oh, and here's another list of things you can't do with one arm. and this time i'm serious since it's not like i can even cheat and use my bad arm if push comes to shove like last time.

1. wash and dry your hair. seriously.
2. trim a christmas tree. luckily friends are happy to oblige if you bribe them with food and drinks. (see below)
3. tie your hair in a ponytail.
4. open med bottles.
5. open bottles of any kind, for that matter.
6. fluff your pillows or blankets.
7. crack open an egg nicely.
8. use an SLR...did you ever notice that the shutter release button is only made for right handed people?
9. wear anything that doesn't contain lycra or isn't at least one size bigger than you.
10. properly capitalize your blig posts. hell this post took 45 minutes to type so you're going to have to put up with no capitals.

and on a merrier note, meet dougie, my tree for christmas 2008!

Sleepless in Istanbul

The call to Farj (pre-dawn) prayers just finished. Oddly, it's become one of my favourite moments in Istanbul, as I sit here in the dark typing away on my laptop and listening to the serene verses from the Qur'an that I don't understand. I'm sleepless in Istanbul again, and I've come to realize that this whole sleeplessness thing happens to me quite often. Conventional wisdom would attribute it to jetlag, but I think there's something more deeply rooted than that. There's so much clarity in these moments when I'm sitting and organizing my thoughts, either on couch here or on a beach in Malaysia. There's a sense of comfort and serenity that can't be explained. There's a lot I'm battling in my mind these days...surgery, relationships, and to some extent, even the upcoming holidays...it's as though too many things are happening at once, and yet, not happening quite soon enough.

I guess it's these sleepless moments that are the actual "getting away from it all" parts of my getaways, and for that reason, I don't really bemoan the loss of sleep or eventual fatigue that will come tomorrow. We spend so much of our time searching for answers, relief, and confirmation that it's hard to really step away -- so I've learned to treasure moments like this where you basically don't need or want anything. It's like an odd vortex of time / space / reality.

Anyway, at this point, I might be thinking too much about it, which would take away from the whole 'clarity' thing I mentioned earlier. I better get back to being sleepless...

Istanbul insights...

The sounds of call to prayer (Farj, or pre-dawn) are echoing outside. There's a calm yet eerie quality to it, especially since it's still dark outside. I'm in Istanbul, and contrary to the title, this post has nothing to do with any insights I've gathered about Istanbul.

It's 6am in Istanbul and I'm jetlagged. I've just spent the last hour surfing the web, where I came up on a blog written by someone I met recently. Given my line of work, my philosophy on the internet has always been, if it's on there, it's free game. But reading through this particular blog felt strange somehow, like I was intruding on someone's privacy. It made me quickly peruse my own and try to imagine how I'd feel if some near-stranger that had just met me read through it.

I decided that I'd be ok with it...I mean, thoughts are thoughts, and in many senses, blogs are a cathartic way to share your thoughts without having to say them out loud, or to anyone in particular. We're so tied to media and information these days that we don't tell *people* things anymore. It's just easier to blog/tweet/facebook everything. The cool thing is that there's a time-stamped permanent record that allows you to go back and relive the good or the bad. The bad thing is that there's a time-stamped permanent record. Maybe it's our generation's way of coping with the slow disintegration of humanity. Or maybe people are just too lazy to pick up the phone and call, or pick up a pen and write. I guess the jury's still out on that.

As for me, I'm sleepless in Istanbul. Apparently that happens to me quite often.

And as for G: if you ever read this, I'm sorry I read your blog without you knowing. It all makes more sense now.

Turkey on Turkey 2008

And so it begins...another Turkey Day outside the US, and this time I'm headed to, well, Turkey. (the country not the fowl) Regina's already on her gloriously direct flight to Istanbul, and I'll be there in, oh, 20 hours or so. Trip's off to a bumpy start: forcibly checked-in carry-on bag, delayed flight to Frankfurt...all in a day's travel, I suppose. Stay tuned to our adventures in our joint travel blog -- http://reginaviv.blogspot.com/

Görüşmek üzere
(That's "See you later" in Turkish)

:)

Fashion does exist in SF

Old friends, hot fashion, and a sexy new store...makes for a perfect opening party for the fabulous new Gucci digs on Union Square. :)

That was *so* 2006

Wow -- so well put, if I do say so myself. ;) Can't believe that was two years ago. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, I suppose.

No plane tickets this time...well, not that many anyway. Time to stay put and actually begin life anew.

Congrats to Mendel and Derek

Just got home from Mendel and Derek's wedding in Boston. I have to say it was probably one of the most relaxing and fun weddings I've been to in a long time, even though I was in the wedding party and all. M&D have such an awesome ease with each other, and their wedding reflected their personalities, quirkiness, and general desire to just be chill and have fun. It was also great to catch up with some familiar faces that I haven't seen in a while. Going to the wedding also gave me a little boost of reassurance that love and romance is still alive in this world -- all the best to you both for a life filled with joy and much love.

Photos can now be found here.

the hardest part

A blog by nature is self-centered and indulgent. You use a very public forum to rant, rave, or generally moan about what's good, bad and ugly in life, and in turn expect that people will either read or be interested in what you have to say. I have no interest in ranting or raving today, but I will be indulgent...just this one time.

the hardest part

it's not the long dark nights
or sleeping on either side,
or even waking up alone.
it's knowing there are no longer
any sides at all.

it's not the sunday afternoons
or wednesday evenings.
it's that each day
brings you farther away.
farther away from what you remember,
farther away from holding on.

it's not the forgetting or forgiving,
the getting over, or moving on.
it's not what could have been, might have been,
should have been.

the hardest part of breaking up
is realizing you've run out of reasons
for why you should not.
and acknowledging that it just wasn't.

Thinking of the past, looking to the future

WHOA. Rough couple of months there...much more than just planetary misalignment or Mercury retrograde. I venture to say that the worst has passed, but obviously, there's still a lot to process in terms of emotions, damages, baggage and closure. Not sure where the next few months will take me, but I'm grateful for the true friends who have stuck around through my stages of denial, indulgence and hysteria -- you guys are the best. Been listening to a lot of Leona Lewis lately, and I suppose Better in Time is the most appropriate piece for the moment...funny how the person who introduced me to it a couple of months ago ended up contributing to all this drama. 

My favourite line from the song?

"I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to / It'll all get better in time."

Misty and Kerri are awesome...

Saw the Olympic gold medalists at work today at the AVP Tournament in SF. Wow. Those ladies are PHENOMENAL. Hats off to them!

Soundtrack of life: Beautiful Disaster (the other one)

I am really loving Pandora...it helps me find all those *other* songs I should be listening to, and is much more helpful than the recommendations on iTunes. Anyway, I recently discovered this song by Jon Mclaughlin (I know, I've never heard of him either...but he sang that sappy love song in the movie Enhanted). Can definitely relate to many of the lyrics, and I'm pulling out the ones that I'm digging right now...

Beautiful Disaster - Jon Mclaughlin

She loves her mama's lemonade,
Hates the sound that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she'll find someone to need her.
She swears that there's no difference,
Between the lies and compliments.
It's all the same if everybody leaves her.

...

And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
And she just needs someone to take her home.

She's giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant,
Afraid they'll see that she's lost her direction.
She never stays the same for long,
Assuming that she'll get it wrong.
Perfect only in her imperfections.

...

She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.

Cuz she's just the way she is, but no one's told her that's ok.

Why I really really disliked the Bonesetter's Daughter at SF Opera

I really wanted to like it. Love it even. My friend Kat and I went to the final dress rehearsal for the much-anticipated The Bonesetter's Daughter opera which will be having its world premiere this coming Saturday. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect...I knew there were going to be elements of Chinese music incorporated into the piece, as well as of course, Amy Tan's libretto adapted from her best-selling novel.

So, with an open (and somewhat excited) mind, Kat and I settled into the 2 hour, 40 minute performance. All I can say is, OUCH. Without giving too much away, here are all the things that really, really bothered me.

• The music was this droning, dissonant, minor-key-overkill that pretty much continued throughout the entire performance. I'm not asking that it has be super flowery given the subject matter, but there at least needs to be *one* amazing aria for the obviously-super talented performers to show off a bit. There was no real musical climax, and by the second hour in, my head was just hurting from all the disonance and cacaphony. You just felt troubled and unresolved the whole time. Maybe that was the point. *sigh*
  
  
• The libretto. Oh, Amy Tan, I respect you a lot as a writer, but "I will fill your hole...all your holes belong to me?" during a rape scene? That's just distasteful.
  
  
• The Chinese-American cliches. I can't pinpoint any particular example, but the overemphasis on bad grammar and Chinese stereotypes just annoyed me. Combine that in opera form and it just seems comical. For a supposedly very serious and sad story. It. Didn't. Work.
  
  
• What are you trying to be? Avante garde and modern? Traditional east-contemporary west fusion? There wasn't a strong point of view one way or another. And I didn't feel any emotion for, or connections to the characters -- which is really unfortunate!
  

So the saving grace is that the performers were really good, and we saw strong performances by almost everyone in the cast. I hope people who go to the SF Opera for the first time to see this particular opera don't get turned off by it and dismiss the company as a result -- I honestly don't think this is a good reflection of the usual calibre of performances put on by the SF Opera. *sigh*

A new travel "destination"

I've finally diversified! Here's my new blog on all things related to my crazy 3-day weekend trips, 3 Days or Less... located at http://3daysorless.blogspot.com, and here's why I did it.

Enjoy!

Even the escalators are slower here

Trying. To. Slow. Myself. Down.

Vacation time aside, life is just that much slower here in the south. I'm trying hard to adapt...

Everything has bacon in it

I'm in Savannah, Georgia. Let me start of by answering the basics: no,
I'm not visiting any friends here, and no, I am not traveling with
anyone. In continuing my tradition of
random-US-cities-in-3-days-or-less, I ended up in Savannah after
hesitating and missing a deal on New Orleans. (which of course, turned
out to be the smartest idea ever given than Hurricane Gustav is about
to pound in with category 3 or 4 winds)

There's been a lot to see and eat in Savannah, but one thing is clear:
there is bacon in everthing here. For my 7 course tasting meal at
Elizabeth on 37th last night, there was no less than 4 courses
containing bacon -- quite a feat considering two of the seven courses
overall were desserts. Today at brunch, the servers at Clary's were
feasting on a snack from the kitchen: a plate full of bacon. Just
bacon and nothing more.

Can you tell that it's gonna be a gluttonous trip?

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm too old for this!

Just got back from Vegas late last night. Usual whirlwind of eating, drinking, partying, shopping and losing money. I'm so drained! LOL

And yes, Tao was still yummy. I really really love sea bass satay.

Back from "home"?

Just got back from a 9-day road trip up (and back down) the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Wow. I've forgotten how much I love it up there...it reminded me, of well, home. The weather was gorgeous (not a single drop of rain, or much of a cloud the whole time), the food was glorious, and the people were friendly and awesome as always. More details on the trip later, but here's where we visited -- I know you can't see the route on this map, but the link below will take you to the actual driving route that we took.


View Larger Map

Actual driving route

Finally: mochi and chocolate!

Someone has figured it out! Mochi = awesome, and mochi + chocolate = even more awesome-r. LOL. Well, I guess I'd have to actually try them first, but these moonpillows sound pretty delish!

OMG I need this

Purple dots bberry skin. Seems like I may have a penchant for all things purple dots.

The 200th post in a random stream of consciousness

It's the 200th post on my blog. The optimist would say, "Yay! Congrats!", and the pessimist would say, "It's about time!", and finally, the jaded Silicon Valley type would say, "So what? No one really blogs anymore. It's all about twitter and Facebook updates anyway." Anyway, I'm somewhat surprised that I stuck with this blog for this long. Lots has happened as usual, so I figured I'd do a stream-of-consciousness-in-bullet-form update:

- arm/shoulder is better. ER, Docs, and PT therapist can't all quite agree on what's wrong with me, but it's just definitely better

- Went to Albuquerque for a wedding last weekend. Let's just say that ABQ desert is definitely not the same as Las Vegas desert. And yes, I did have the green chile. And tumbleweeds exist.

- I went a whole 6 weeks without getting on a plane! That was pretty painful. And then I realize planes were painful, too. I had a two hour flight from ABQ and it hurt my back. Maybe it's time to admit that I'm getting old. Or that I should never fly domestic.

- Tom Cruise is still crazy.

- Mariah Carey's new album was so-so. But now she's married. WTF?

- Starbucks stopped making almond syrup. So I switched to honey syrup. But apparently that's discountinued, too. Does that mean I have to go back to hazelnut. I guess it doesn't really matter since syrups (and soy milk) are now free with my registered Starbucks card. Woohoo!

- the travel resumes: Sonoma next weekend, then Boston, New York and Chicago

- strawberry season rocks my pastry world!

I guess they don't need my business!

One of my favourite eat-there-when-I-travel restaurants, Tao Las Vegas, was the #1 highest grossing non-chain restaurant in the US last year. Their NYC sister restaurant was #5. Dang! That means we need to find new places to eat.

P.S. In case you're too lazy to click the link, Tao Las Vegas raked in 66 *million* dollars last year by serving 750,000 meals! Insane! They nearly DOUBLED the 2nd place restaurant (Tavern on the Green), who only pulled in a measly 33 million dollars.

I need to start a restaurant.

Olympic Torch in SF -- well, protestors anyway

So we thought the torch was coming our way today but due to protestors, they moved it all the way across the city...but here are some pics of the protests along the original route. (or just check out the slideshow below.)

10 things that are hard / impossible to do with one arm (part 2)

in 2 words or less...

1. bake
2. paint
3. cook
4. photography
5. drive (safely, anyway. or stick.)
6. type (fast)
7. empty trash
8. wear sweaters
9. floss
10. open wine

oh well...a "few" more weeks to go!

10 things that are hard / impossible to do with one arm (part 1)

Last week, I found out that I fractured my shoulder (and possibly more stuff) from a bad fall. I've now been living with using only one arm (my left...and I'm right handed), and here are some observations about things that are hard to do with one arm...

1. control your computer mouse to prevent empty posts from posting. (see previous post)
2. open cans...pop, food, or otherwise.
3. put on the plastic lid on any beverage. the lid tends to "wiggle" before snapping into place which is hard to do if you're not holding down the cup with your other hand.
4. take pants on and off efficiently. i've been wearing skirts since Friday.
5. use chopsticks. (not so much that two hands are required, but using your non-dominant hand is impossible)
6. sign a credit card slip. even if you can scribble with your left hand, those flimsy curly slips requires another hand to hold down.
7. open a door if you're holding anything else in your one remaining hand.
8. wash your hair.
9. drying hair from no. 8.
10. put on lotion on your remaining good arm. so it has to do all the work AND be stuck with dry skin

being gimped sucks.

10 things that are hard / impossible to do with one arm (part 1)

Last day as a "1K"

It's a leap year! And the last day in February...which means 2007 frequent flyer statuses expire today. So sadly, there'll be no more walks down the red carpet (ok, more like a red dish towel, it's so small) for me this year on United flights. 1K was fun, I must say...I did enjoy the double miles and free upgrades. But alas, my pitiful (according to them) showing of 70,000 miles last year did not earn me a spot among the mile-whores-elite...um, I mean super road warrior frequent flyers.

And to commemorate...here's a last-day screenshot :(

And yes...93,704 miles to go until 2009 1K :)

I wonder what they're *really* up to...

Starbucks is closing *all* of their stores for 3 hours on Feb 26 to "retrain their baristas"...is this the return of the manual espresso machines? (The article says no, but please say yes, oh higher powers of espresso...) Or do they have something even crazier up their sleeves!

Things I'm a fan of right now...

...warm weather, sundresses, haupia, crazy-colourful Prada Spring 2008 bags (this pic does not do them justice), lash extensions (thanks, Kristin), Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" episode on Vancouver this week, and having almond soy lattes at Starbucks until I exhaust their supply of almond syrup (it's being discontinued!)

Postcard: Eating my way around Oahu

Just got home from a long weekend in Oahu (island #3 of my list of Hawaiian islands to visit...) and I feel fat. Not a complaining-for-the-sake-of-complaining-cuz-I'm-a-girl kind of fat, but really. We basically spent our entire weekend eating our way around Oahu, and I've got the pictures (and new waistline) to show it.

First it was Alan Wong's, the venerable institution of fine Hawaiian dining. Let's just say that Alan didn't disappoint -- the dinner we had was probably one of the best we've had -- the flavours were clean and simple, and the execution of fusion blending Hawaiian, Asian, and western influences was probably one of the most flawless I've seen in a long time. We started with the opihi (limpet) shooters (yum!), butter poached Kona lobster and a beet and tomato salad. Entrees were a crusted kampachi and a pork duo. The crispy pork in the pork duo was probably one of the most amazing pork dishes I've ever had. Desserts were "the Coconut" (haupia ice cream in a chocolate shell), and a "New Wave banana split" which was mochi wrapped banana ice cream topped with homemade sorbets and ice creams in chocolate, strawberry, and coconut flavours. All this washed down with some amazing Onaka Ranch Kona Cowboy coffee. DELISH!

Another highlight was Ono's Hawaiian Foods. It's a hole in the wall, the lines can be long, the bathroom's permanently broken and the furniture hasn't been replaced in decades, but the food is local, authentic, and yummy. We were a little ambitious and ordered the combination plate (laulau, kalua pork, lomi salmon, poi and haupia), AND the tripe stew and some chicken long rice. So we didn't finish. But hey, did you know that day-old poi *does* taste better?

And then there was Zippy's. Ahhh Zippy's. What can I say? Chili and rice and fried chicken all mixed with mac salad has a new place in my heart now. You can't beat fast, delicious and consistent Hawaiian-American fast food.

As we drove around the island, we also managed to hit up Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (to see what all the hype was about, naturally) where the greasy yet addictive shrimp scampi made the stop worthwhile. The guidebook said that Ted's Bakery at Sunset Beach had some chocolate haupia cream pie that locals loved, but that the guidebook writer thought was only so-so. Let's set the record straight. I side with the locals on Ted's pie.

So between all that eating, I did manage to visit some sights and take in some sun on the beach. The highlight of this trip, by far, though, was definitely the food. (But the Frette linens at the Kahala didn't hurt, either.) Next up...I'm off to Tahoe to catch some snow this weekend!

Reminiscing: 2007 in food

Wow. I ate a lot this year.

(And as proof that karma exists, I also had a lot more stomach "issues" this year as well.)

But even for my standards, this was a memorable year in food. There were lots of the oldies but goodies, hole-in-the-wall type places mixed in with some extraordinary, once (or maybe several) in a lifetime Michelin-starred meals that simply blew my mind, and stomach away. I decided that I really liked the city name collage for my travel post, so let's try one for restaurants! Of course, unlike the travel ones, I can't actually name all of the restaurants I've been to this year, so consider these to be highlights.

Mama's Fish House Blue Elephant Esoffier Comerç 24 Perbacco Pazzia Zazie Can Fabes American Bounty Family Fortune Grand Honour Hot Pot Cafe 100 The Jade The French Laundry Meric
Sala Rim Naam Hog Island Oyster Company Da Kitchen Tofu House
Ke'ei CafeTwo Ladies' Kitchen Shanghai Dumpling House Slanted Door Home St. Andrew's 'Wichcraft Tao Town Hall Gary Danko Spruce Tangerine MarketBar Morimoto Chow

And here are some other food-related tidbits worth mentioning:

Most consumed beverage - (tie) Starbucks iced tall almond soy latte, Coke Zero

Longest meal - 4-hour lunch at the 3-star Can Fabes in Sant Celoni (outside Barcelona). It was a 13-course "menu du surprise", which I think requires no translation.

Cheapest meal - Pho and iced coffee all for $1 at Pho 24 in Hanoi. And it was served in under 5 minutes.

Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - This is usually one of my favourite categories, but alas, I flew pretty crappy airlines this year so even the business class meals couldn't legitimately make this list.

Most random foods to drive long distances to eat - (tie) Loco moco at Cafe 100, and hand-made mochi's from Two Ladies' Kitchen, both in Hilo, Hawaii.

Weirdest foods - Surprisingly, they were both consumed in the same meal during the tasting menu at Meric in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The winners were fried snake salad, and frog-on-a-stick -- not the more palatable frog lollipops that you may see in French restaurants consisting of parts of a frog skewered, I'm talking the whole damn frog, breaded and fried and skewered whole. Lovely.

Most elaborate meal - That would, of course, be the French Laundry.

Best breakfast foods - (tie) I would kill for either pastries from Bouchon in Yountville, or a chocolate pastry puff thing from Pinxto Cafe inside La Boqueria Market in Barcelona.

Best outdoor meal - Picnic lunch up in Tomales Bay with friends and shucking through 100 oysters fresh from Hog Island Oyster Company.

Food worth risking deportation to smuggle into the country - Iberico ham. I should smuggled some back from Spain. Some nights I still dream about it...

And so there it was...2007 was definitely a year to exercise my inner (and outer) foodie. 2008 brings more exciting eating adventures -- there are more 3-star places on my list (Joel Robouchon, Per Se), more ridiculous but must try places (Masa), and the return of some perennial favourites (Matsushita, Spruce)...and the list goes on!

Reminiscing: 2007 in travel

Another year already? Admittedly, I haven't been exactly prolific in my blogging this past year, except for those 7 or 8 weeks in the fall when I wasn't, well, either working or sick, or working while sick. This year was a much less stellar year in terms of miles traveled (only about 70,000, didn't make it to 1K on United -- ack! No more red carpet for me!), but in terms of life experiences and perspective, it's definitely got a one-up on 2006.

Cities visited in 2007 (in no particular order) -- in an homage to the Facebook / TripAdvisor variable-sized text format:

Barcelona Hyde Park Hong Kong Las Vegas Orlando Bangkok Albany New York Frankfurt Hanoi Siem Reap Maui Point Reyes Monterey Napa Detroit Cambria Kailua-Kona Manassas Carmel Hilo Macao Bangkok Chiang Mai Vancouver Yountville Denver San Diego Washington DC
Ann Arbor San Simeon

Some particularly memorable moments:

All beds and no breakfasts - stayed at not one but two B&B's this year, one for night, and another for a week and still managed to not eat a single breakfast. The two places were the Maison Fleurie in Yountville and the Journeys Inn in Hyde Park. Both were excellent and highly recommended. Not so sure about the breakfasts though.

The upgrade of a lifetime - that would be the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok. We booked two regular rooms, and got upgraded to one of the penthouse suites in the hotel (the hotel was sold out), complete with formal dining room, a separate entrance for 'the help', and a jacuzzi on the wraparound balcony / patio with panoramic views of Bangkok. I mean, what else would you have on your patio? My parents are still talking about this one.

The most un-vacation-like vacation - the Pastry Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of America. Lectures at 7am, baking in the bakeshop by 8am. And yet I loved every moment of it.

Most "duh" moment - going to Hawaii (Maui, to be precise) for the first time. Ever. Closely followed by the second time (Big Island). Why didn't anyone tell me about this place?!

Best last minute getaway - Barcelona. Planned only 2 weeks in advance. 4 days of all-out Spanish goodness. Doesn't get better than that.

Biggest luxury - Time. Taking 2 months off this year really helped to put life in perspective. And gives a whole new meaning to work/life balance.

Hardest farewell - You know who you are. It's been one crazy roller coaster ride these last couple of years, but it just wasn't in the cards for us. It's been fun traveling the world with you. Take care of yourself, and goodbye.

And with that, 2008 starts with a bang! First up, Honolulu (island #3 of 5 in my Hawaiian adventures), closely followed by LA, Vancouver, and Vegas. And who knows what other travel adventures await this year!