Recent happenings

The sun sets early, it rains fairly often and some Arctic air settled over the city a few weeks ago. All that means we haven't traveled much since getting back from Boston (hence the absence of recent blog posts). But that isn't to say that we have just been twiddling our thumbs. Our recent happenings:

• We bought a guitar! Ben has wanted to take up guitar again, and though he was tempted by an iPad mini, he choose an instrument over a new gadget. 
• We finally cashed in a Groupon for a month of rock climbing. We were pleasantly surprised at our upper-arm strength, thanks to the pull-up bar in our apartment. But while it's fun for a month, we don't think we'll be renewing our membership. There are more exciting activities to pursue (ideally tango and sailing).
• Last weekend we drove down to Carmel with some friends to spend a day at Refuge Carmel, a hydro-thermal spa. The spa is based around the idea of a rejuvenation cycle: 10 minutes in a steam room/sauna; 10-60 second dip in freezing cold water; 10-15 minutes of relaxing; as much time as you want in a hot tub. You're supposed to repeat the cycle 3 to 5 times to "energize and relax your body and mind" and to cleanse your body of toxins. We didn't think too hard about the science behind it and enjoyed the chance to sit out and relax for a day (yes, it was 78 degrees in January).
• We're escaping the city this weekend for a couple of days in the Russian River Valley. We plan to visit wineries on Saturday and enjoy a nice long motorcycle ride on Sunday. Our poor bike hasn't gotten much quality use lately.
• After next weekend, I'll finally get to say I've skied out west! We booked bus tickets for a day of skiing at Kirkwood Resort, near Lake Tahoe. 

- Steph