Weekend Round-Up: Work and Play

This was a particularly packed and strange weekend. First off, a birthday celebration with darling Margaret after work! A huge group of friends and coworkers hit the town, first for wine and fancy pizza at Local and then to a dive bar called Beale Street Grill where we listened to bad karaoke and had too much fun.

At 10:30, Rob and I walked back home to prepare for some exciting last-minute guests. Rob’s best-friend, Rich, his wife Molly (with #2 on the way) and two year old Richard! We stayed up past midnight catching up and building pillow forts with the kiddo. Up early the next morning thanks to the restless little one. I made egg tacos and coffee. Richard was enchanted by Rob’s remote-controlled helicopter.

At 9:30, out friends hit the road to continue their road-trip and I left for a healthcare conference. A co-worker picked me up in the rain and we drove over to Berkeley feeling tired and unmotivated. But at the event, the speakers were great and the connections even better. We left feeling really rewarded for all our hard work these past few months…and exhausted!

Quiet night at home with Rob once I ditched the corporate gear. We caught up on 30 Rock and Lost, just relaxed and drank tea.

Gorgeous day the next morning – Rob and I cleaned house for a bit and then hopped on the bike – the first time since we moved thanks to all the illness and rainy weather in January. First stop, brunch at The Plant on pier 3. Eggs benedict, brioche french toast and Blue Bottle coffee. Then, a walk up pier 7 for a view of the city and boats on the bay.

From there, we rode the tandem down past Fisherman’s Wharf to Aquatic Park and then to North Beach for a visit to Citizen Chain. Next stop, Chinatown – where I was pretty sure there was a flower and plant sale for Lunar New Year. Boy was I right! Thousands of people out on the streets buying moon cakes, firecrackers, chrysanthemums, bamboo, orchids, pomelo, ginseng, plum trees, cherry blossom branches and citrus trees.

Rob and I walked the whole festival and bought a few stems of “auspicious gladiolus” wrapped up in Chinese newspaper. I held the flowers with one hand and the handlebars with the other on the bike home.

The afternoon was spent organizing stacks of books, painting chairs and walking to the store for groceries. You can see more photos from the weekend here. I have a very, very busy week ahead. Wish me luck!