In addition to equity researcher, online instructor, and importer, I can now add pace leader and street team promoter to my list of current jobs. From the end of June to the end of October, I will regularly lead runs for people training for the October Nike Marathon. I suppose this will help me stick to my own training program, as I've committed myself to keeping a 10-minute mile pace for the entire season, which means leading others for 22 miles at that pace. Eeks. Come to think of it, what was I thinking?

To kick off my training, I've been fattening up thanks to the culinary arts of the Brit and my desire to sleep on the couch rather than hit the gym. Ah. There's always tomorrow, right?

It's much different to visit Las Vegas in a work context as opposed to a fun context. Greanted, all of my trips to Las Vegas during the past 5 years have been work-related, as I was attending one trade show or another, but I always managed to make it more about having fun and less about work. Fancy dinners, trips to the outlets, illicit rendezvous with a friend who was supposed to be an enemy. I've had many good times in that town.

Now that I'm covering casinos (and am on a strict travel budget), the town is less interesting to me. I know. It should be more interesting. I should be fascinated by how people choose where they squander their money. I should care about how Mandalay bay's EBITDA compares against New York New York's. And I do, sort of. But I also don't. Not really.

I'm too busy being swept off my feet.

Driving to Point Reyes just to have a prosciutto sandwich picnic lunch on a cliff, buying oysters, running errands, folding laundry, seeing a mom cow nurse her newborn calf, washing cars, eating fluffy scrambled eggs with a hint of dill, pondering why United calls its top-tier fliers 1Ks, though one must actually fly 100K miles to achieve such status, enjoying ghetto cheap Chinese food, discussing whether a company should trade at 20 times 2008 earnings... all great experiences on their own, made even better when shared with a certain green-eyed Brit.

The tides have changed. For a period of time, I felt as though life was working against me. My job situation was uncertain, and I made the best of it. I took charge of my dating situation and was going out night after night, seeking to find the elusive date who would potentially have the power to cause my heart to flutter. I maintained a positive outlook, largely thanks to the miles I was logging alone, pushing myself to run faster and further, and also those logged with old and new friends, as we pondered whether we could change the cards that life had dealt. I was determined to swap mine out and upgrade. Behold, miracles can happen.

Well, not the sort of miracle that makes me less seasick. On Monday, I went on an impromptu sailing expedition, with the warnings that I'm not much of a swimmer, and I easily get motion sickness. I was told that the boat would be small. We would be actively working to sail, so there wasn't time for my body to adjust such that it would realize the out-of-sync state that causes motion sickness. And this all worked splendidly well for maybe half an hour. I felt masterful moving about the boat and helping it to go forward. Until the winds picked up, and the waves grew more violent. I stared at the Campanile, a comforting sight, and the Transamerican building, where I spend the majority of my waking hours. It may have helped. Well, I was telling myself it was helping.

I'm so glad I gave it a go, even though I dry-heaved a couple of times in the presence of someone I was seeking to impress. Apparently, my lack of sea legs didn't tarnish the impression I was making. A positive attitude, a sense of humor, and great abs can go a long way for a girl, just as the ability to prepare a delicious meal, having a brilliant mind, and sporting the most adorable dimples can shoot a boy to first class status. Swoon.

To top it off, I found out today that I have a unique job opportunity. The timing could be better, but as I wrestle with the decision and talk it over with trusted mentors, I feel incredibly fortunate. I have the opportunity to work normal hours while making what could be a huge difference in society through for-profit and not-for-profit investments.

The turbulant seas are finally calming.