So You Think You Can Dance?

Last night my favorite summer show / guilty pleasure came to San Jose for its live performance. Although you may have formed an incorrect preconception that this show is geared totally toward teenaged girls, let me tell you that many of my friends watch and there was quite the diverse audience at the HP Pavilion. If you haven't seen the TV program before, definitely start up with Season 5 next May.

I was able to go last night thanks to Victor's quick maneuvering when tickets went on sale. The show was completely sold out. We went with his girlfriend, Josie, as well as his sister and brother-in-law. The show was longer than I expected and mostly all dance, not too much filler. I would have liked to see some of the dancers perform more, and some less, but at least there were no commercials.

To answer the question posed by the show's title, I don't think I would make any claims to being able to dance right now. While the ankle is on the mend, the hip of the same leg is not happy. Perhaps the hip is correcting for the ankle pain. All I know is that I won't be busting a fancy move any time soon.

Italy

As many of you know, I had a work trip this past week to the Lake Como region of Italy. I arrived last Sunday morning, quite groggy, but elated that I could be a tourist for 2.5 days. Milano and Lake Como are great areas to explore. The colors and pace of life on the lake were so refreshing, and the food is amazing, as is the shopping. Check out all my photos at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Aasmjhw2buXaQ

The work part of the trip started Wednesday. I was there with five co-workers, each of us concentrating on our functional areas of engagement with the supplier. We had long meeting days Wednesday through Friday, and accomplished a lot. The supplier is a wonderful host and we enjoyed great lunches and dinners out all around the area. Nothing like having the locals show you the good restaurants! I'm definitely exhausted (writing this post during my 4-hour layover in Boston) since most of the working nights I didn't get back until 11:30 or so after dinner, then responded to work email until 1am. My ankle problem also continues to persist, with some severe swelling the past couple of days. Probably time to see a doctor. Nonethless, it was a spectacular trip and I'd go back in a heartbeat, for work or pleasure.

Some of my favorite experiences (you'll note food is a key theme!):

- Fresh buffalo mozzarella
- The view of the lake - I would love to have a vacation home here!
- Falling in love with espresso - who knew I could like coffee?
- Three-hour dinners with the Italians, finished with limoncello
- Gelato
- One of the best dinners of my life at Trattoria del Fagio (I think!) on the lake
- Tasting the best pizza ever at a hideaway in Milano
- Seeing the city of Milano from the Duomo
- Learning a few key words in Italian. I may just start answering the phone with "Pronto."

If you have never been to Lake Como, definitely put it on your list of places to see.

Hobbling

I have not been on the go as much as desired this Labor Day weekend. On Friday, while carrying too many things between buildings at work, I managed to trip off a curb and turn my ankle. It was one of those slow motion experiences where you know something bad is happening and there is nothing you can do to stop it. BTW, I was not wearing heels, I just happen to be good at tripping, falling, and running into inanimate objects. Anyhow, the ankle is not broken - no snapping sound occurred and I can bear weight on it. I do, however, have a pretty bad sprain and consequently have to ice, elevate, and wrap it a lot. Such a pain, both literally and because I wanted to be up and about for the weekend. I did ignore the orders of Nurse Nancy (my mother) and stayed on my feet for far too long at the Gilroy outlets on Saturday, and I paid the price with a throbbing, swollen appendage that no longer resembled my foot. You can thank me for not taking a picture to share with you. I'm being a good patient now and the ankle does feel better today. Going down stairs is still quite the chore though.

May I continue to mend so that I can be a proper tourist in Italy next week.