Friday, July 30, 2010

breather

I'm going to give myself a night off to eat leftovers and Cheetos while watching bad TV and reading children's books. I've got a solid week of work behind me and a solid weekend of unpacking ahead of me, so tonight is a night for just me.

these little piggies

I decided to get a pedicure to reward myself for a week (and upcoming weekend) of hard work.

win

I was in a meeting a little while ago, and had a sudden epiphany: it's Friday! I couldn't completely stifle my excited reaction. My job is great, but that doesn't diminish my love of weekends.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

hatched

It was indeed a productive day. I even correctly estimated the amount of time it would take to get the work done, which somehow makes it even more satisfying.

counting chickens

This is going to be such a productive day.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

a thousand words

I love looking through pictures of me and my friends, especially if those pictures were taken during trips to random places like Yap or San Sebastian.

scot

A morning conference call is so much more enjoyable if one of the people has a Scottish accent.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

let it slide

I've finally come to terms with the idea that I can't keep my Google Reader unread count at 0 -- there's just too much Internet and too little time. I managed up until February, when I went on a two week trip, and haven't been able to keep up since then. For a long time, it was over 1000, but now it's under 300, and I've decided that if that's one of my worries, then my worries aren't so bad.

working like a dog

Work has gotten really busy, but my dog (and his "coworkers") always provide fun company and distraction during the day (during one meeting, my dog lost interest in the discussion, and started wildly chasing his tail, much to the astonishment of the other meeting attendees).

Here are a bunch of them scrambling for treats from our biggest resident dog lover.


And here is my dog with my boyfriend's dog, sitting on the couch in my office, waiting for something interesting to happen. They gave up after a while -- apparently, dogs don't like watching humans drafting contracts.

Monday, July 26, 2010

comparing notes

I hang out with a lot of lawyers, but almost all of them are coworkers. I rarely spend time with groups of lawyers who are at other companies or law firms. I did that yesterday for the first time in a long time, and listening to the amount of discontent (or at least the desire to appear discontent) expressed by this group of law firm lawyers was both depressing and uplifting. Depressing because I know some of these people, they were my law school classmates, and it's sad to see them feeling trapped and dissatisfied with how things have turned out so far, and uplifting because it really is good to keep a sense of perspective and to see the life I've avoided living.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

unpackrat

I spent about four or five hours unpacking and arranging some more of my stuff this afternoon. I really avoid packing and unpacking as much as possible, but I have to admit that the fifteen boxes I got through made a big difference, and the place is starting to look more like home.

We went to go see Inception again, and had lots of new theories and levels of theories. I wish this movie were based on a book so that I could read it and have something more concrete to base my theories on, especially if it followed the general rule that the book is always better and more complex.

Friday, July 23, 2010

groove

It's weird, but sometimes, I like when I have a ton of work to do, and I get in a groove with it, and just cross item after item off of my To Do list. You'd think that I'd rather just not have anything to do at all, and while I admit that downtime and slow periods are great, there really is something satisfying about having of ton of things to do and then actually doing them.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

seven years

I've been a lawyer for seven years now, which I find somewhat unbelievable. I feel lucky that I had a short and liveable time at the firm, and I've had two jobs that both qualify in my mind as once in a lifetime opportunities for a young lawyer. Lawyers tend easily towards bitterness, it's in our personalities, but so far, I have no regrets.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

again again

Today is the second time in less than a week that I've put on my jeans and found money in the pocket. Perfect timing to sign up for a chair massage at the end of the day...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

mgmt

I have a really good manager, which makes a huge difference when things get tough. If a call goes really badly, I know that I can tell him all about it, he's got my back, and he will laugh even harder than I do at some of the ludicrousness that happened. 

watched

My conference call had some spectators.

morning

Mango guava peach smoothies and poached eggs over steak in the cafe, sour gummy bears and aloe drinks in the microkitchen, and a happy, lazy Bernese mountain dog (not pictured) in the lobby. I will assume that these are good omens.

Monday, July 19, 2010

cooking for fun

I have never been the kind of person who could be depended on to cook dinner and put it on the table every day, as evidenced by the large number of dinners-for-one that consisted of gummy candy or stale cookies, but I do like to cook as a hobby, rather than as a necessity. There is something simultaneously exciting, soothing, and satisfying about finding a new recipe, deciding on small improvements, looking for the ingredients, and trying to make the final product resemble the intended dish, although never within the estimated amount of time. Even better if I'm cooking for the next day, so that there's no pressure to finish in order to eat. Instead, I can graze on other things picked up while at the store, like olives stuffed with garlic, a runny cheese, and slices of a sourdough baguette.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

easily pleased

It's so easy to make his day.

inception

I love doing something that I think will be OK, and then have it turn out to be unpredictably fantastic. It's not really something you can plan, which makes it even more special when it does happen.

I am usually satisfied that I got my money's worth if I walk out of a movie theater having been entertained by a movie that turned out to be moderately smart, decent to look at, and not terribly inane. I am occasionally pleased if a movie exceeds that standard and is either smarter, prettier to look at, or more clever.

It is very rare, only once every few years, that I walk out of a theater thinking that perhaps I ought to have paid more, and that perhaps I ought to go see it again, because I probably missed a lot the first time around, because it was all so smart, beautiful, and clever, that I couldn't soak all of it in at once. Last night was one of those nights, and I won't say anything else about Inception, because part of the experience is watching it without having any idea what's going on, but it was smart and beautiful and clever, and we walked out of it and talked about it for at least an hour afterwards. The special effects, chases, and fight scenes were well done, but instead of being the main players in the movie (as is the case with so many movies now), they were just supporting members to the brains of the movie -- the ideas, the plot, the characters. It was just amazing.

I'm not a big movie person, but it's movies like this one that make me think, "Oh, I can see why some people love movies so much, it's because of movies like this." Completely entertaining without being dumbed down, with lots of things to think about afterwards, so that it keeps you entertained for a long time after the movie is over.

Friday, July 16, 2010

haha

Hit up an Indian buffet and a comedy club with some girls from work, and the joke that stuck with me is, "Do you think female suicide bombers get the same job benefits as their male counterparts? Because honestly, who wants to do a good job and then get rewarded with 72 male virgins? 'Does this feel good? No? How about this?' Better make it 72 experienced men for the female suicide bombers."

rewind

I've been on a mission to read as much as possible, and a few things have really helped that mission along: Kindle, vacations, summer hiatus for TV shows, and the mobile library van. Also, once I got in the habit of reading more, and started meeting and exceeding my goals, it became hard to stop. I have to admit that I slowed down for a while, though, when my reading choices started getting really heavy. I was reading a lot of long, dark books about the Holocaust and serial killers and civil war, and they were well-written and thoroughly researched, but sometimes, it's hard to push yourself through several 500-page books about how terrible people are and how much evil can happen to good people. I'm glad I read them, and I know I'll be going back to those kinds of books in the fall, perhaps, but for now, while it's summer and everything is made of sunshine and breezes, I'm going through a decided backlash, and my last few books were written for children. I love kiddie lit -- everything makes sense, things never get too complicated, and everything always turns out OK in the end. (And also, the books are so quick and easy that my tally is going up really quickly. It's not cheating, as long as the books are over 150 pages. That's my rule, and I'll stand behind it).

Thursday, July 15, 2010

crack ho

So many crackable parts!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

office

This is what work looks like today.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

noms

Lunch looks good today.

Monday, July 12, 2010

cyrus

I made a reservation to go back to one of my favorite restaurants in a few weeks. My boyfriend and I went with a close friend while he was in town last September, and now we're going back with that same friend and his newly minted fiancée, who is also super-special to me. Birthday weekend, friends in town, and excellent food -- it's going to be great. 

Sunday, July 11, 2010

integration

Kindle for Android! Now I can read even for a few minutes when waiting in line somewhere without my Kindle.

sushi surprise

A small sampling of the huge dinner my sister and brother-in-law had last night. Hand rolls, soup, recipes from Nobu and Momofuko, pie from Tartine...


Saturday, July 10, 2010

laugh it off

Sometimes when I do something especially boneheaded, often as a result of my contrary and speak-first-think-later nature, the best thing is to talk to a friend who can laugh about it with me. Some of my funniest memories come from my own acts of unthinking stupidity.

Friday, July 9, 2010

direct

There is finally a direct flight between San Francisco and Zurich, and this is what it looks like.

tgif

When I was a few years younger, I would maximize the benefit of traveling by trying to leave on a Friday afternoon and get back on a Sunday evening (or even a Monday morning), sometimes several times a month, and regardless of how many time zones I was skipping. I have no idea how I did that. I got in this afternoon, and am so glad I have a weekend to recover.

home

I made it home and found out that my boyfriend and dog made it before me, so I had a welcome committee, and my boyfriend had put fresh sheets on the bed and dinner on the table. I didn't get business class on the flight home, but at least I got it once I got back :)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

booty

Some of the loot I'm bringing home.

brb



I have less than a day left here, and it's always hard to say goodbye to friends and past lives, but it's good to know that I'll definitely be coming back for a wedding in the spring. I usually leave a place not really knowing when I'll be back next, and somehow, knowing makes the parting more sweet than bitter.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

heavy

I bought 12.5 kilos (over 27 pounds) of gummy candy at my favorite shop in Zurich. The shop owner is one of my favorite people in Zurich -- always friendly, always nice, always willing to put up with my fragmented German.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

next to godliness

It's so good to have a serious shower after getting back from a little road trip.

Monday, July 5, 2010

bonus round

Four day weekend, even though the 4th of July fell on a Sunday this year! We went to an amazing thermal bath resort for two days, did lots of relaxing and soaking and hanging out, and my friends got engaged while we were there, and it was just a really sweet and happy time to play third wheel.

scenic route

We took a wrong turn on the way home, and it was so beautiful that we had to get out and enjoy the scenery for a few minutes.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

observation deck

I love seeing good things happen to good people.

a room with a view

This is the awesome view from the balcony of the hotel room where I'm staying tonight. My friends and I decided to escape into the mountains to go to the thermal baths.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

explosions in the sky

Saw fireworks two nights in a row -- last night from above, in the mountains, and tonight from below, by the river.

Friday, July 2, 2010

timing is everything

How perfect that I am in Zurich while all of the following are happening:

(1) A four-day weekend for 4th of July (I'm a US employee, so I get US holidays while I'm traveling)
(2) Beautiful summer weather (less common in Zurich than in Mountain View)
(3) A dear friend's birthday
(4) Zuerifaescht, a huge city-wide party that only happens once every three years
(5) The summer party for the Zurich office (jamon iberico and champagne are my favorites, but there are also bouncy houses and goofy sunglasses)

barfussbar

For my first night back in Zurich, we went to my favorite bar, which is a women's swimming pool during the day, is set in the middle of the river, and has amazing views and a lovely breeze. Lots of old friends showed up, and we started making plans for the rest of my stay.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

like butter

It's gratifying to come back to Zurich and see that everything still runs and works the same way -- smooth, like butter. It's the Swiss way. Nothing has changed, I still know my way around, a lot of my friends are still here, and it's going to be a good week.