Winter Blues Free Zone

Like many people, I sometimes get a little depressed during January and February. The holidays are over, the days are really short, and in many parts of the country it is miserably cold. I manage to avoid the cold by living in San Francisco (it's not much colder here in January than it is in June; sometimes it's even warmer), but the short days and post-holiday, post-birthday letdown can get to me.

So every year I make a point of planning fun events and fully enjoying even the most ordinary moments during the wintertime. To that end, I'm taking a mini-holiday in L.A. at the end of the month and an even longer vacation to Hawaii a week later. Winter is no match for the warm waves off Waikiki Beach, I can guarantee that. I've also rediscovered the joys of the sauna and steam room at the gym. That may seem like a small thing, but treating yourself to a mini-spa day after a morning workout can make your entire day a lot nicer. On the music front, I've started preparing for a show that my voice teacher is producing, and I'm looking for new karaoke songs. I think tonight I'm going to try "Brand New Key" by Melanie because...how could I not?

Here are a few other nuggets of goodness from the first weeks of the new year. Let's allow the good times to continue all winter, shall we?

There is nothing nicer than dining with a charming gentleman on a Friday evening. On the first Friday night of 2013, my friend Chris and I decided to partake of the snacks and cocktails at Sauce in Hayes Valley. Yummy.

My friend Danie celebrated her birthday earlier this month and threw a birthday party as delightful as she is. Christine, Danie and I did take a break from the merriment to pose for this photo, though.

About ten years ago my friend Jenny and I would set San Francisco on fire with our wit, poise and intellect. She was one of my closest friends in the City until she moved to the East Coast for graduate school. So when she was in town for a visit a couple of weeks ago, we decided to recreate those halcyon days of 2003 with a visit to Tony Nik's in North Beach. Of course.

Every few months or so, my friend Christine and I make a lady date to sip champagne or cocktails and talk about work, boys, and any other important life topics. We bellied up to the bar at Bottle Cap (also in North Beach) for our most recent lady date last night and nibbled grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and sweet potato fries while chatting, giggling and being the all around fabulous girls that we are.

Welcome, 2013

I'm not going to insult you, dear readers, by even attempting to apologize for how much I have neglected this little chronicle since summertime. I have come to accept the fact that I'm a fair-weather blogger, and I shouldn't waste your time making excuses. With a new year comes new promise, however, and I was inspired to wander over here and post something today after reading my friend Ann's blog, which is kind of the best thing ever. I can't say when I'll post again, but we won't worry about that right now.

So without further ado, here's a photo summary of the last third of my 2012. I hope last year treated you well, and since the Mayan calendar was wrong (or misinterpreted, I should say), and we're all still here...I wish you all the best for 2013.

September meant another trip to Hawaii because, you know, travelling to Hawaii is what I do. I snapped this shot at Ala Moana Park one evening just as the sun was beginning to set.

In October I went to see Adam Ant, whose music I loved in junior high and high school. Oh, who am I kidding? Songs like "Antmusic", "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming" still hold prominent positions in my iPod. Anyway, Adam put on a great, if fascinating, show. Still working that early 80's sex appeal, he has become the Tom Jones of New Wave.

I am a huge baseball fan, but it had never occurred to me to try to...say...go to a World Series game until this year. It didn't hurt that the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four games to win the Fall Classic.

And speaking of baseball, I managed to develop quite a healthy fan crush on Giants center fielder Angel Pagan this year, even though I know he's happily married (and eleven and a half years younger than me, thank you very much). I'm not trying to date the guy, but I was thrilled to meet him at an autograph event in early November, where I got to talk to him for about fifteen seconds and pose for this photo. It was absolutely worth the hour and a half I spent in line for the opportunity. I'm being serious when I say that.

No, I did not win an Emmy this year, but the Emmy I'm holding is real. My friend Danie won it a few years ago, and she kindly let me pose with it at her Christmas party so I could pretend that I am someone.

The last day of the Mayan calendar just happened to be my birthday, so a bunch of friends and I gathered at my favorite karaoke haunt that night to sing it out for the end of the world. I look like some kind of real singer or something, don't I? 

The end of the world karaoke celebrants were a colorful bunch...

And we enjoyed being in photos.

2012 had to come to an end eventually, and that it did last night. In my usual fashion, I stayed out to celebrate until approximately 12:15 a.m. so that I could ring in the new year and still get home at a decent hour. A few of us posed for this shot in the first minutes of 2013. Let's hope we all stay as happy this year as we look in the photo.