150

Whew, I just finished my 150th book for the year, and just in time, since I have to leave the house in 40 minutes. It kind of boggles my mind in retrospect, the amount of reading I've done this year, and I'm glad I made it.

last minute plans

Hooray for last minute plans, without which this weekend would have been rather dull. Last weekend was one of solitary relaxation, but perhaps two weekends of house arrest would have been excessive.
My sister and niece came down for a random pedicure and lunch yesterday. Then for dinner, Boyfriend and I drove up to the city with a coworker and had dinner with my sister and one of her friends. Looks like we'll be playing laser tag and going out for crabs today (a plan that only came into being half an hour ago), and going up to the city to bring presents for my nieces and nephews tomorrow evening. Monday, I'll be meeting a Harvard student whom I had interviewed when she was in high school, and who knows what other plans will come up in the meantime.

scots

Why, yes, I did send an email to a music teacher today, asking for details on bagpipe lessons for Boyfriend and me. What of it?

thanks

Thank you, universe, for sending me a really organized, thorough, smart businessperson to work with, especially since she is probably going to be the only one I work with once I finish transitioning to my new group at work.

lazy days

We didn't make any plans for the holidays this year, because it was hard to plan around work. I have taken full advantage of the empty schedule, and haven't left the house since coming home from work on Thursday. Fortunately, Boyfriend is more restless, so he goes out and brings back food, thus enabling me in my slothfulness.

shampoo

If you wait a little longer than usual between showers, you feel extra clean once you take one.

fringe

Boyfriend revealed his Christmas present plans today, he remembered that I've wanted to go to the Fringe festival in Edinburgh for quite some time, so he's planning a trip for us next summer, and with luck, we can even stop in Iceland on the same trip. Two things I've wanted to do for years.

long life

The battery life on the latest Android phone I got as my holiday present from work is amazing (apparently the version that runs on the other networks isn't so good in this department, so I'm glad I picked this one). I've loved everything about smart phones except the battery life and the keyboards, and both appear to be getting better each year.

wait wait there's more

When I went to our on-campus chiropractor yesterday, they informed me that work has decided to subsidize it more heavily than before, so that no matter what health plan you're on, there will just be a flat $10 co-pay for everyone (which is fantastic for me, since the chiropractor is out of my network and so the partial subsidy meant I was paying $45 co-pay). They definitely take good care of us here.

the best part

I love root beer floats, and the best part is the crust of frozen root beer that forms on the surface of the ice cream.

1200

Another 1200 pages to read in the next ten days, and I'll reach my goal of reading 150 books in 2011. I think it's doable, as long as work stays normal.

it gets better

At least from now on, every day will be longer and it will stay light until later...

even better

The on-campus chiropractor has written me a prescription for massages, which I can use to help spend down my extra flex money. I go in for massage all the time, anyways, so now I get to pay for them out of the extra money I had set aside and would have lost.

contrast

A day or two of Utah winter really makes California "winter" seem like a joke.

silver lining

It's hard to find something happy to say after a funeral, but after some thought, I have managed to find some silver linings among the storm clouds. It was standing room only, with an overflow room, and it was amazing to see how many people showed up, and to see how many people loved and respected my cousin. It was good to spend time with my other cousins. Most people left their spouses and kids at home, so we were really able to go back to old times. And I'm glad I was able to get tickets using miles, since last minute flights are kind of ridiculous.

give it away

I really love the convenience of the Goodwill bins at work at the end of each year, although I really ought to start sorting things further in advance. I scrambled around last night and scrounged up 40 things to donate (following up on 100 and 70 in the previous two years), which I think is respectable, given that: (1) I did it at the last minute, and (2) I've only bought five things since last year's donation. There is something very satisfying about this gradual net decrease in random clothes and shoes.

so asian

While signing up for tickets to CES, Boyfriend noticed that "CEA members" get free admission. He asked me about it, since he (as my +1) would have to pay for his $100 ticket out of pocket (whereas my ticket and the rest of my team's tickets would be reimbursed by the company as business expenses). This led to me doing some digging around on the internet, and I discovered that our company is a CEA member. None of the online processes for registration as a CEA member worked, however, so I actually waited until the CEA office was open today, called them, got the information, and sent it out to the team, so that we can all get our tickets for free. (Note that Boyfriend expended no effort in this process, except to ask the initial question of "who are CEA members?"). So because of my Asian obsession with finding the coupon code, Boyfriend saved $100, and the company is saving maybe $3,000 on our team's tickets. (I wonder why they didn't tell us about this perk, since I'm sure there are hundreds of people going, and if they all knew about the coupon code, then we would save tens of thousands of dollars, which seems like a lot to me, but I guess in the world of corporations, it's not even going to be noticed).

adjusted

I kind of overestimated how much money to put in my flex account this year, so I've started going to our on-campus chiropractor to use up some of the money before it disappears. Ahh...

keep on truckin'

A new friend asked Boyfriend and me to meet up with her for a quick dinner last night near work. In a parking lot. It was awesome -- there were about fourteen food trucks serving all kinds of small bites and street food, and it was fun trying some of the creative offerings (Korean BBQ cheese steak, Korean tacos, Vietnamese beignets with salty bourbon caramel sauce).

music

I have a ton to get done at work today, and then remembered that I got a new CD in the mail yesterday, so I've got some new music to see my through the day. (No, I rarely order CDs anymore, I usually buy albums on Amazon or iTunes, but for a few artists, I still buy the CDs in order to get the album art).

do re mi

We totally went to the Sound of Music Sing-a-long yesterday, and I totally belted out all of the songs and made snarky comments at the screen (which was encouraged). Enough so that after the show, two of the people from the row in front of us said that they totally loved my running commentary. Especially the one about leaving Gretl behind when it was time to cross the Alps on foot. (C'mon, they had seven kids, she wasn't going to be able to walk the whole way herself, so she was total dead weight.)

overdue

Had my first facial in over a year today. I hadn't realized how long it had been, but I'm glad I finally made it back in.

treat

My dog is completely obsessed with the Everlasting Treat Bento Ball I got him over the weekend. It's fun watching him try to get food out of it, which kind of defeats the purpose of giving it to him to keep him entertained while I do something else. Worth it, though, to see him have so much fun.

compliment

Random compliment from my doctor's receptionist at the end of a long day: "You have very nice lips. They look like a heart." Thanks.

pencil me in

My calendar is suddenly looking very full. On top of my normal work/home schedule, plus the end-of-year "let's close every deal in the universe" push from crazy clients, this is what's on my calendar so far:

• Cocktails at a friend's place in the city tomorrow night
• Holiday dinner with my experimental hardware peeps at the aviation museum on Saturday
• Perhaps the Sound of Music sing-a-long with my sister up in the city on Sunday?
• Team offsite for my smaller group in Legal next Thursday
• Legal department holiday lunch at the Mountain Winery next Friday...
• ...followed by dinner with some of Boyfriend's friends at a gastropub in Redwood City
• Dinner with some work friends next Saturday down in San Jose...
• ...followed by going-away Rock Band or karaoke for my coworker who is leaving
• Dinner with a few friends at Plum in Oakland the following Saturday

one last time

A coworker is leaving us after this week. She is the epicenter of office pranks. I can't wait to see her reaction when she finds out that we've got a big one for her.

thirteen

Thirteen more books and I'll hit 150 for the year. I'm so close that my current list of "to read" would put me well over 150. I keep it all in a spreadsheet, and it's oddly satisfying to see the rest of my year's reading plotted out already.

shoes

OK, I ordered more shoes. I'm not really a shoe person. I just love getting packages at work. But I'm returning almost all of them.

amazonian

I finished up my Christmas shopping for my nephew and older niece with an Amazon order today. Then I noticed two items in my shopping cart that I had put buying for a while, a CD and a book, so now there are a couple little presents coming for me, too.

fall

A sudden cold (for California) snap means that we're having fall colors, which is unusual for these parts.

gadgets and gizmos

I get to go to CES for work in January! Looking at the newest gadgets for work? Nerd heaven. Also, Boyfriend gets to come.

pew pew

The original Star Wars trilogy is on TV! It has been years since I've watched them...

giving thanks

This was what we had for dinner, plus four different kinds of dessert. Token turkey, but most of us feasted on prime rib.

I asked my niece and nephew and my cousin's sons what they were thankful for, and they started with "I'm thankful for my family, my home, and my health," and "I'm thankful to be alive," which is pretty good, and then they took a delightful turn for the absurd: "I'm thankful for my hair, or else I would be bald!"

Me, I'm thankful that I'm not in some crowded store fighting the Black Friday crowds while having a panic attack, and (I've been reading some grim stuff) I'm thankful for clean water, heat, and a safe and peaceful life. And also my family and friends, my home, my health, and my hair.

old friend

An old friend from high school is coming in to the office tomorrow. I haven't seen him for at least fifteen years, I think, and we've both moved all over the place and done lots of random things since then, so it will be fun to catch up.

all bark no bite

Peppermint bark ought to be a year-round thing.

office romance

My parents came in for lunch today, and my dad got to meet my coworker's 90-pound, 7 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, Kensei. Kensei was thrilled to meet my dad, so thrilled that he repeatedly humped my dad's leg long enough for us to get it on video. Highlight of my day so far.

cubemate

My cubemate is back, after six months out of the office! Fiver and I were both excited to see her when we got in this morning.

all by myself

Dropped Boyfriend off at the airport this morning, so I get the house (and the couch and the TV and the bed) all to myself for the next few days.

crack is back

I have been an insatiable back cracker since high school, and probably peaked a few years ago, when I was dating a chiropractor, who would crack it fit me every day. For some reason, for most of this year, my back had been "stuck," and I haven't really been able to crack it properly, which was endlessly frustrating and somewhat painful. In the last two weeks, since my last table massage, it has just as mysteriously gotten "un-stuck," and I can get my full crack in, which is deeply satisfying.

omgwtfbbq

Had Korean BBQ with Boyfriend, my sister and some of her friends, and a friend from work last night. Good good and lots of inappropriate conversation, so it was a good night, capped off with ice cream (and a new inspiration from my sister's friend: peppermint ice cream in hot cocoa) and embarrassing Boyfriend by singing songs from musicals in the street (hoping to go to a Sound of Music singalong in a couple weeks).

132

I am a tiny bit ahead of schedule on reading, which is good, since my next book is over 1000 pages.

Totally loved the last book I read, which is funny, because it was a satire about the economy, the press, and politics, which isn't the usual formula for "books Angela would like." So I highly recommend "Boomsday," partly because it is reminiscent of what's going on now (despite having been written in 2006), and partly because it's just a good book.

notable quote

A good manager wants "what's best for you and what's best for the company" and believes that it is his "job to help you guide your career in a way that's best for you," even if it isn't what he would prefer.

christmastime is here

Boyfriend got these for me from Whole Foods! Yum.

and now presenting

I ran a training session today, and it went really well. Well enough that several people came up afterwards and said it was interesting, informative, funny, and succinct (which are not usually adjectives used by non-lawyers for presentations on legal issues). They even suggested that I should give the presentation to all new people starting in business functions. I think it's because I put lots of pictures in, but if that's what it takes to make them like me and pay attention to the presentation, it was worth it.

pink

Earlier this year, I started having a glass of milk of breakfast when I got into work, rather than going down to the cafe and loading up on bacon and eggs. Soon after that, I started putting a pump of chocolate flavoring from the coffee station into my milk. A couple weeks ago, I discovered that we also have strawberry and raspberry syrup, both of which turn the milk pink, and it makes me feel like a kid again (I used to love the strawberry flavor of Nestle Quik) when I have my glass of pink milk in the morning.

plum

Boyfriend and I had a birthday to go to last night in Oakland, and since we were venturing that far, we decided to get dinner beforehand. The first place we were thinking of going had no reservations, so we went to Plum, instead, which ended up being one of the best restaurants we've been to in the Bay Area. Between the two of us, we had seven dishes, and every single one was both interesting and well-executed, and the prices were a bargain. Looks like they change up their menu on an almost daily basis, too, so it would even be a place you could go to frequently without getting menu fatigue. Nothing to be improved upon, except that it would be nice if it were a little closer to home. I love finding a place that totally and unexpectedly exceeds expectations.

count the days

I made a few donations on Tuesday as a kind of pick-me-up, and it made my day better. Today, I got around to checking my paper mail for the first time in a couple of weeks, and CORAL had already sent me a thank you packet, including a calendar with some great underwater shots. I've gotten thank you notes before, but this was even better. Donate, help save coral reefs, and get a calendar to hang up at work.

126

Haven't posted an update on the "read lots of books" project in a while, but I've finished 126 books so far this year, and am working on books #127 and #128, which means I have a very good change of hitting 150 for 2011.

thursdays

From now on, I'll sit with one of my product teams every Thursday. Got the desk set up today, and was highly amused to see the head of the group (a tall German professor type) going around the new office space (which is an open room with concrete floors) in roller skates.

halp

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I really appreciate that we have walk-up Tech Stops at work to immediately fix computer issues on the spot. Yesterday, I walked in, got my laptop battery changed (it suddenly decided to stop accepting charge), got my wireless fixed so that it will always log into the internal network, and got some nifty little cable ties to try to keep all those cords from descending into tangled chaos.

1, 2, 3

Today is the three year anniversary of when Boyfriend and I decided (over Google Talk, no, I'm not joking) that we should start dating. It was kind of a crazy day, because I had just broken up with my previous boyfriend on the phone (he was in Switzerland), and Boyfriend was in New York at the time, but it was one of the best chat conversations in the history of the world. I think I followed it with as much eager anticipation as most sports fans follow a key game when their favorite team is playing. It was awesome, and the past three years have been awesome.

stocked up

Oh yeah, I bought six bottles of my favorite syrup, and two boxes of these addictive chocolates that are only available leading up to Christmas. And more gummy candy.

social

We're suddenly busy (when will we have time to clear out the TiVo?!):

• Sister coming in for lunch tomorrow
• Anniversary dinner on Friday (back to our favorite local place, since the menu has lobster, suckling pig, and truffles right now)
• Halloween party on Saturday
• Birthday drinks for a coworker next Friday, if we can make it up to the city
• Birthday and housewarming for a friend in Oakland next Saturday, and perhaps dinner beforehand with other friends

aftermath

Happy dog, full TiVo, no longer living out of a suitcase that was packed before the weather changed in Europe. Blue skies and sunny days all week. Ahh...

and we're back

Lots of good things about the trip:

• On the flight to Zurich, I got a last minute change from a middle seat to an aisle seat, much to my relief.
• On the way back, I had an aisle seat, and the seat next to me was empty. Even better.
• The near miss of almost having to sit in a middle seat for an thirteen hour flight made it less sad that Boyfriend was flying business class while I was back in economy.
• Ran into coworker in the SFO airport, so he come out to fondue with us the first night.First fondue in Switzerland since I left Switzerland, and Boyfriend said he thinks I make it better.
• Visited one of my favorite bars in Zurich one last time before they close in November.
• We made it to three new countries! I haven't had a three-new-country trip since 2008.
• We didn't get burned in any wildfires in Montenegro, despite seeing them everywhere, even in front of us on the road.
• We got beautiful weather and almost no crowds in Dubrovnik. I've heard you usually get one or the other, so we were really glad to see such a beautiful place without being trampled by a zillion other tourists.
• After eating a lot of kind of blah pasta, I finally ordered a big plate of shellfish, which seemed much too big, but it was delicious and I ate it all. 
• Our GPS, Jason, was hilariously bad, and became the honorary fifth person on our trip.

scrub

Went to the Turkish baths for the first time in almost four years last night. It was just like old times, when we used to go regularly, except maybe it was even better, because I had so much dead skin to slough off, which makes it extra-satisfying (and extra-gross).

soon

Only 45 minutes until I'm officially on vacation for ten days. The last time I took any time off was in March, so I am totally ready to just check out for a while.

see-worthy

Finally went to the eye doctor this week (over six months late), and my prescription is still stable (after 25 years of skyrocketing prescriptions, I seem to have finally hit a five year plateau). I wasn't able to pick out new frames, because I didn't have my contacts in, so Boyfriend and I went back yesterday after work, picked out a dozen or so frames, tried them on, picked the best ones, and ordered new glasses in less than 20 minutes. I love random efficiency, and they should be ready in a couple of weeks. Also, it seems like they've come out with an even thinner type of lens, which is so key when you're as blind as I am.

red streak

I have had the same haircut for ten years now (plus or minus a few inches, and some simple overall highlights once). It has been six months since my last haircut (I always mean to get it done every three or four months, but by the time I look up from whatever I'm doing and think about it, it's invariably five or six months later). I got a red streak put in, thinking it would be kind of fun, and it is, but because I was not so sure about it, I still kept it pretty muted. Maybe next time, I'll do something a little more extreme. The beauty of working in-house is that I could probably shave it off and still be OK.

And the office lights just turned off again...

work stuff

A couple of things about work:

1. There is something oddly satisfying about getting a monstrous 102-page agreement and hacking it to pieces. My goal is to get it under 40 pages. Maybe I was meant to be an editor instead of a lawyer.
2. The office is so quiet and peaceful on weekends. There is something strangely soothing about having my typing be the only noise I can hear.
3. I picked up a new project in my new group at work that continues with the trend of "ideas so crazy that it's hard to believe that we're even trying them." I'm kind of excited to keep exploring these new areas of law, which may even be so new that there are no laws in place yet.

negative

I have no idea why the picture of the (red) lobsters in my earlier post came out in negative, but it's kind of funny, so I'm leaving it that way.

e-library

Kindle books are now available through my library! True, there are only about 2,000 books available, and yes, a large number of them are bodice-rippers or self help books, but there are some books that I'm interested in borrowing, and I'm hoping they will expand their selection as time goes on.

more lobster rolls

Boyfriend and I picked up nine pounds of lobsters yesterday and brought them up to my sister's place for dinner last night.

on the air

Oh, TV shows, how I've missed you, welcome back!

yesterday

I was in an all day session on effective presentations yesterday, and while we were sitting there, we watched people set up a miniature Oktoberfest outside our conference room, complete with live band. It was fun listening to them during the meeting and stepping out to see them during a break.

lap it up

So good to have my dog back at work after almost a week-long hiatus. It's easier for me to get work done with him sitting on my lap, for some reason, and he's always just so fricking excited to come in in the morning that it starts the day off right.

pop

Silly pop music in the car makes the drive to work seem like there's less traffic and more sun.

lobster roll

Lobster rolls are amazing. They are even better when you've been craving them for weeks before having one. And they're free. They go up another notch when they're unexpectedly given out for free from a food truck at work. Final touch that makes them the ultimate pleasure? If you had nothing but salad for lunch, then go to a meditation class where the instructor asks you not to eat during the break, and then you secretly wolf down a lobster roll with a healthy pinch of guilty pleasure.

dyac

It has been a while (too long) since I caught up on reading Damn You Auto Correct. Reading it at my desk and trying not to laugh too loudly makes it even funnier, somehow.

breathe

I'll be doing a refresher of the Art of Living course for the next week after work. I took it three years ago after I first moved to California, when I was feeling rather anxious and unsettled, and it was surprisingly effective. I've been a bit stressed and out of sorts lately, so it will be interesting to see if Round Two helps as much as Round One did. In any case, it's always good to spend some time in (forced) reflection and meet some new people.

13

I went on a bit of a buying fast last year, and decided I wouldn't buy any new clothes or shoes. It started off as perhaps a six month experiment, and lasted for thirteen months. It actually felt pretty good not to shop or buy anything new, and to donate some of my old stuff.

It also felt good to place an order online for two new pairs of shoes yesterday (the Chucks that I wear to work almost every day are about to fall apart). They should come next week. I'm not sure if I'll keep them, but it will be fun to look at them and try them on. If I keep them, it means my fast is broken (after a respectable thirteen months), and if I don't, I guess I'll see how much longer I can go. Either way, I've saved a lot of money, and have made the act of buying things less common and more fun.

honey i'm home

I have never seen my dog as happy and amped up as he was when we got back from LA on Sunday. Absence apparently does make the heart grow fonder (that, or a deep hatred of the dog sitter).

top this

My awesome weekend so far, just the right mix of fun and productivity:

• Restaurant booking for my parents' 70th birthday party
• Fondue eating and movie watching with my sister
• Nap taking
• Doggy laundry laundering
• Swimsuit buying
• Menu scanning and emailing to my parents (for their birthday party)
• Dogsitter instruction printing
• Parking spot reserving for our trip to LA this week
• Grocery shopping 
• Parent calling
• Travel planning and ticket booking (can't wait to meet you, Croatia and Montenegro!)
• Library book returning (but no borrowing, because the library was closed for Labor Day, oops)
• Dog supply shopping
• Toenail polishing (shiny!)

Still to come:

• Dog bathing
• Human laundry laundering
• Packing

...and just as Labor Day weekend ends, we fly to LA for three days of Legal Department bonding, then a couple days of extra hanging out, including checking out a restaurant we've been wanting t go to for a while (The Bazaar).

next

My restless soul is more at peace when I have my next trip planned.

the weird sisters

I have the best big sister in the world, and I remember that even more when the stars align in such a way that it's a weekend night, neither one of us has to work or has other plans, and her husband has taken the older kids camping, so that we can just hang out, eat, talk, and Google inappropriate things to get my dad for his birthday.

back on track

After a slow start to the month, I have made significant progress in the last week, and just finished my 100th book for the year so far, putting me on track to hit 150 for 2011.

sitter

The dog sitter came by to meet Fiver, and he didn't hate her. He even sat on her lap.

up and down

Boyfriend fixed our garage door opener, so we can open and close it using remotes again. Definitely beats getting in and out of the car every time.

care package

I got home and the house was clean (not a surprise, since the cleaning lady came today), and I had received a package in the mail (definitely a surprise, since almost every package I get is something that I ordered, and they are always delivered to my office).

I opened it, and it was from my high school headmaster. I went to a Catholic high school, so my headmaster was a priest. I'm not a religious person, but I have to say that Father McLaughlin was always (and still is) my favorite priest ever. He was an excellent headmaster, and is just a super-nice guy. He enclosed a brief note, saying that he had been going through his files and found an award certificate (enclosed) that hadn't made it to me back in 1995, and also included a couple of notes I had written to him years ago. It was like getting a time capsule I didn't even know had existed. It was surprising and sweet to get a package from him after all these years.

maternal interest

My mom gave me a bunch of savings bonds that she bought for me, one per month, from over fifteen years ago. It's kind of sweet imagining her getting them and setting them aside for me every month, and then going through her files periodically to give me the ones that are mature.

god

Just closed out a deal with a fairly small partner that we called out of the blue, and it's one of the most fun deals I've done, just because the guy is so positive and friendly and giddy (not the reaction that a work call usually elicits), and because he has said several times that he's just amazed that we called him and keep calling him, and that getting a call from us is like getting a call from God. Who knew God was a random lawyer with questions about compliance?

changing gears

I am finally starting to see progress on transitioning some of my old products to their new owners, so that I can focus on my current, official products. The new stuff is exciting, and I get to talk to a completely different group and kind of people than I usually do in the course of my normal work, and it's inspiring to be surrounded by people who are intensely smart and incredibly passionate about this project. Fiver also loves it, because their building doesn't have many (any?) dogs, so everyone is always really friendly and happy when we show up for meetings.

gimme a break

Taking a break from a busy week to go to a movie with a few coworkers. I will admit it here. We are going to see the Glee 3D movie. Hey, we've been busy and stressed, and we;re looking for fun, carefree entertainment.

now serving

This is what I'm having for lunch today:

Pork Belly with Smoked Tomato Jus   

Local Rock Fish with Tomato Fennel Sauce  

Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Insalata Caprese   

Capay Tomato Gazpacho   

vroom

About to go on a ride in the robot car!!

nice people

The receptionist in my building at work adopted a dog recently, and the dog was sick, and died only four days later, after racking up $3,500 in vet bills :( The people at work found out and raised enough money to cover all of his bills within a few days. Doesn't replace the dog, but at least he can think about adopting a new one without having to worry about paying off the bills for the first one.

oh yeah

Oops!! One of my favoritest people in the whole world was in town for two days over my birthday weekend, and I forgot to mention it here!! We were too busy going to dinner, the Cal Academy of Science, shopping, and hanging out for me to update.

important meetings

I really like it when the powers that be decide to name conference rooms according to humorous themes. Just because you're having a business meeting doesn't mean that everything has to be boring. For instance, I've been having meetings in a building that has LOTR-themed rooms, so I might take a conference call in Moria and then talk to an engineer in The Shire. Just found out that some new YouTube conference rooms are meme-themed, so you could book a meeting in More Cowbell, Haters Gonna Hate, or Honeybadger.

truffle

I came into work today and one of my coworkers had snagged a bag if this truffle cheese popcorn from the microkitchen for me before they ran out.

lesson learned?

I've been severely time constrained at work lately, and also running low on patience, and I've had a few calls or meetings that I had to cut off rather abruptly. In a couple of those cases, it actually seemed to make things happen a lot more quickly. Sometimes, forcing a call to end and cutting the conversation short works better than trying to be extra nice and spend extra time on it.

zip

Went ziplining for the first time yesterday, and it was for work! Also got back on a climbing wall for the first time in maybe two years, (my physical therapist had forbidden it until recently, because of my wrist problems).

tgiw

Fun midweek drinks with coworkers to wish one goodbye before she goes to New York for six months. Lots of embarrassing stories came out for public entertainment.

fail safe

If you want to make people laugh, tell them the story about that time you farted really loudly when your boyfriend was on a conference call.

early

My coworker surprised me with early birthday treats: cupcakes, balloons, a princess party hat, and an inflatable whale.

good morning

On the way to work today, I saw a different guy commuting to work on the biggest unicycle I've ever seen. He was going uphill over an overpass, which appeared to be quite difficult. It was fun watching him chugging along with so much determination.

little things

Biggest achievement so far today is that when my neighbor came by and rang the doorbell (people rarely come by and ring the doorbell), I remembered to put on pants before opening the door.

like new

I haven't been this excited about the possibilities at work for a while. It's like falling in love all over again.

in addition

Secretly trying to learn how to ride a bike wasn't the only thing I did today. I also did these things:

1. Finished two books, bringing my total for July to 20 books, and my total for 2011 to 89. I'm hoping to finish another one tomorrow.
2. Made a snack for Boyfriend before I went out to run my errands.
3. Went to Target, picked up a prescription and more Advil, and bought my niece's birthday presents. I never know what to get that girl, but it's a pile of pink, purple, and sequins, so I think she'll like some of it, at least.
4. Went to the library and found a ton of stuff, including some audiobooks for my officemate and a DVD for Boyfriend and me to watch.
5. Picked up supplies at Whole Foods.
6. Made dinner.
7. Cleaned the kitchen.

I feel so virtuous and productive.

achievement unlocked

I think I may have (mostly) learned how to ride a bike again today, for the second time. Yes, it is possible to forget how to ride a bike, and the last time I tried, which was probably about eighteen years ago, it did not go well. Today, I snuck over to the office, made sure no one was around to watch, and then used one of the office bikes to try it out in the deserted parking lot. I did some coasting with my feet a couple of inches off the ground, to learn the balance thing again, and I even did some cautious pedaling. The steering thing proved to be elusive, though. I'll have to go back and work on that one.

Hi, I'm Angela, I'm 32 years old, and I forgot how to ride a bike. But I'm a few steps into the program to fix that, just in time for all the biking I'm going to have to start doing at work, now that I have so many meetings in another building.

coming up

I signed up to take a robot car for a test drive (or more accurately, to have a robot car take me for a test drive) in a couple of weeks!

about last night

Last night, I met up with a friend whom I hadn't seen since 2006, and we went out for Korean BBQ, and spent four hours catching up and reminiscing about our old hijinks in Zurich, Paris, and Rome.

perfect day

It's gorgeous out, a few of us walked across campus to have pork belly for lunch, and on the way back, we stopped to look at the surfing tank that the company rented for a beach party.

founder

Just had my first meeting with one of the founders (and 50 other people) -- does this mean that I've unlocked a new level at work? On a side note, this was the first engineering meeting I've gone to. There were only a couple of other women in the room. Weird.

omen

It's a good sign when the first thing a client does upon meeting you is to give you schwag that's actually in your size.

yes

yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes. mine.

weekend update

Saturday, I stayed in, talked on the phone with friends (and we found out that calls initiated through Google Talk time out after two hours), read, and napped all day until it was time for Boyfriend and me to go watch the last Harry Potter movie. There were no audible children in the audience, and no one sitting in the seats in front of us, which was a minor miracle. I had an Icee and Milk Duds while enjoying my minor miracle.

Today, I drove up to the city, and my sister and I went for a spa day: massage, facial, body scrub, and Japanese baths. We worked up ravenous appetites at the spa, and rewarded ourselves with large bowls of ramen. Now, it's time to finish off a couple of books and desperately hang on to the last few hours of the weekend.

fist pump

Good things come to those who wait (after wanting and chasing after those things with obsessive intensity).

bottles

Boyfriend picked up two surprises for me today: a bottle of Montepulciano wine, which my friends and I often drank in Zurich, and a bottle of elderflower syrup, another beverage that reminds me of my Zurich days.

bagel

I kind of forgot about bagels for a while, until Boyfriend picked some up this morning.

recipe

Take a burger, swap a donut in for the top bun. Eat it for lunch while sitting outside on a sunny Friday.

rock star

Wow, I just submitted a CV for one of my law school classmates -- I know her in passing, but not that well. She made partner at a big firm in six years! In M&A! During some of the crappiest economic downturns ever! I had no idea about any of that. What a rock star. Despite all of that (especially despite the M&A part), she's actually a really nice, cool person.

keep it secret

Sometimes the stuff the engineers at work are working on is so cool that it almost hurts not to be allowed to tell people about it.

oops

That was a bit of a non-blogging time warp. Time for bullet points!

• Google+ launched pretty well, and lots of my friends seem to want to try it.
• We had dinner with a friend on Thursday, and we realized that we hadn't seen him in almost a year (before that, we had seen him once or twice a month). We were so shocked that we immediately made plans to make pizza in two weeks.
• Met up for a drink with my freshman year roommate, whom I hadn't seen for several years (and the last time we saw each other was a coincidental airport meeting).
• Boyfriend and I had dinner with my sister and brother-in-law, and two of their friends. The restaurant was really good, and it was fun to see them.
• BBQ with work friends yesterday, with gorgeous weather and great food.
• My dog has decided that the summer intern is one of his select few trusted people, and begged the intern to let him sit on his lap as soon as the intern showed up this morning. I love when my dog makes friends; he's such a grumpy old man.

hi ho

Back to work tomorrow. The good thing about a long weekend that gives you Monday and Tuesday off is that you can ease back into work with a short work week.

nine

The long weekend has allowed me to step up my game and catch up on my reading -- nine books so far this month, and the month is only five days old. That brings the 2011 tally to 78 so far.

crying game

Boyfriend and I met up with one of my college friends and his wife for dinner last night. I hadn't seen them since 2005, but we spent a few hours reminiscing about the trips we'd taken in the Australian outback and to Egypt, repeatedly laughing until we cried.

luau

Today at work, there was a luau, with Polynesian dancers, an Elvis impersonator, and a BBQ pit in which they roasted eight whole pigs.

Then, my sister, niece, and cousin came in for lunch. After lunch, my officemate and I pranked one of our coworkers.

Perfect Friday.

4 for the 4th

Four day weekend!

Going to hang out with some of Boyfriend's friends tonight. Tomorrow night, dinner in the city with a good friend from college and his wife (whom I haven't seen since 2005, when we went to London and Egypt, then hung out in Switzerland). And all weekend, lots of reading...

win win

My department has this program in which you can post some of your deals (if you're too busy) or pick up someone else's deals (if you're interested in it and have some extra time). It's pretty handy, and I've used it a few times to get coverage for my deals when I'm on vacation, or when I'm swamped. The people who use the system most get prizes. This time around, I got a Riedel decanter and a bunch of wine glasses.

Wait. I get to give someone else my work and I get free stuff? Yes, please.

helping hands

This week, a few more of my coworkers volunteered to pitch in on a little project I've been working on to help out another coworker who is sick.

birfday

Yay, my sister and I are going to the spa in a few weeks for a big spa day to celebrate her birthday (which was in April) and mine (which is in August)! Also, she and my cousin are coming for lunch on Friday.

couch time

Logging some good cuddle time with Fiver while watching more TV on DVD.

improvement

Take a box of mac and cheese, swap creme fraiche in for the milk, then add a spoonful of truffles chopped up with mushrooms.

restocked

I ate a whole bag of these in two days last weekend, so I went back to the store and bought two this time.

itch

One of the perks of dating someone is that you always have someone to scratch sudden itchy spots for you. Ahh...

tgif

Nothing better than a little dose of crazy new guy asking the founders insane questions at the weekly company happy hour.

motivation

A friend from my law firm days is on a creative diet that I think he designed himself. He has to lose 50 pounds in some period of time (I think he has 40 days left to lose the last 20), or else he has to donate $250 to Sarah Palin (whom he despises). He has been tweeting about his progress, so I think the combination of public accountability and his opposition to supporting Palin in any way are as good (and funny) a combination as I've seen for dieting. I hope it works, partly because I would love to see him reach his goal, but also because I do not want to see Sarah Palin getting more money.

bonk

Boyfriend opened the sliding door to the back yard to let his dog out to pee. His dog didn't notice that the screen door was still closed, and tried to charge out. Bonk.

the usual

Nothing exciting to report today, unless you count seeing a guy commuting home from work on a unicycle in 90 degree weather.

ultra marathon

This weekend, I finished five books, in addition to watching hours of TV. Yesss...

But it wasn't all laziness. I also went to the grocery store and the library, got a pedicure, did the dishes, made enough quinoa for the week, did a bit of work, and did two loads of laundry.

seasonal

Summer means cherries and gazpacho!

oh snap

I often forget how much I like ginger snaps.

marathon

TiVo is better than live TV, but an entire season of a show on DVD is better than TiVo. Icing on the cake: the library brings the DVDs to work for me to pick up.

secret meetings

We were having a team meeting today, and one of my coworkers got distracted and started laughing while looking past me. I turned around to look at the white board behind me, and my name was on a list of names, along with the town where I live. Boyfriend's name was listed with mine, and our names were circled. At the top of the list, it said "Potluck." Looks like the social committee was talking about us, and decided that we should host a group event. It was really funny, but maybe you had to be there...

heh

It was only a matter of time (one week, to be precise) until the summer intern left his computer unlocked. He knew he was in a pranking environment and still let down his guard.

lights out

My car had a warning light on for about a week, indicating that I had low tire pressure. Boyfriend measured the pressure, took me to the gas station, and showed me how to fill the tires. Now I can drive with my mind at ease: no stressful warning light (yes, any warning light in my car worries me constantly until I get the thing resolved), and better fuel efficiency.

interview

I really like it when I interview someone and think that they're awesome.

good girl

The dentist told me that I'm doing a good job. Whew.

june

Hello, June, thanks for bringing summer with you. Finally, a week where the forecast is all sunny and in the 70s. California was confused for a while, it seems, but now we're back on track.

sunday funday

Did family stuff in the first half of the day, then met up with friends (including a good friend who was only in town briefly in the middle of a six month stint in Europe) at an unexpectedly good restaurant for dinner.

saturday at home

Successful day of sleeping in, rehashing the Swiss trip over the phone, reading, eating quinoa, and watching clouds from the comfort of my living room. Now we're getting ready to eat mangoes and melon while drinking vintage port and watching terrible but wonderful reality tv.

mint

I have come to realize that I have a borderline unnatural love of mint. Mint lip balm makes my day every morning. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Even better, mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. Mint on salads with quinoa. Mint with ripe strawberries. And we have a huge and ambitious mint plant growing in our back yard, thanks to Boyfriend.

sweet luxury

For years, I bought generic ibuprofen in huge bottles, even though the coating on the pills had a mildly unpleasant smell that eventually made me gag reflexively upon opening the bottle. It was cheaper that way, and had the same active ingredient! Last time, however, I paid for the brand name, sugar-coated Advil, even though it comes in smaller bottles and costs more, but every time I take Advil, I savor the sweet coating. No more smelly generics for me, I've made it to the big time!

moles whacked

Things I did today:

• Ate the chocolate croissant that Boyfriend got for me as he was leaving Switzerland
• Ate some truffled Brie with slices of baguette
• Worked from home and kept on top of everything that came through
• Got a peer bonus for a deal I worked on (and yesterday, too -- two days in a row! Who says that no one likes lawyers?)
• Did the dishes
• Gave my dog a bath, trimmed his nails, brushed his teeth, and cleaned his ears
• Made a batch of quinoa
• Went to the store and got stuff to go with the quinoa, plus a bunch of frozen veggies (in an effort to keep more healthy foods in the house)

mr. brightside

My dog sometimes has to endure a series of horrors all at once: I brush his teeth, trim his nails, clean his ears, and give him a bath, all of which he dislikes (especially the bath part). He endures it with the sad acceptance of a martyr, but is always so fricking excited once it's over and he can have his treat.

first things first

First day back after a long plane flight, and I went to our office PT and to one of my two favorite massage therapists, just to get things back in line. My PT thinks I might be on track to quit PT soon, which is pretty awesome, since I've been going for over a year now.

zrh cont'd

So much good stuff happened while we were in Zurich that it warrants bullet points:

• Sausages just aren't the same in the U.S.
• Also, we went to a restaurant, and they made these röstitätschlis that were ridiculously good (think hash brown dumplings filled with herbed sour cream, giving the effect of deep-fried baked potatoes).
• And in the microkitchens in the office there, they had these snacks that were like banana marshmallows dipped in chocolate.
• The weather was for the most part amazing. The summer that we're supposed to be having in California seems to have gotten lost and gone to Switzerland, instead.
• Caught up with lots of friends (several of whom were generous enough to deal with house guests, so that I didn't have to get a hotel for the eleven nights I was there).
• Went to my favorite bar in the world. Twice.
• Put one of my old friends in touch with one of my new colleagues at work, and I think they're going to be tennis buddies. I love helping people make new friends.
• I mentioned to a Swiss friend that I love the elderflower syrup that is common in Switzerland (add fizzy water to make an amazing soda -- I had already bought two bottles from the store), and he said that he makes his own from scratch, and then he gave me a bottle!
• The place where my friends had their reception was gorgeous. They credited me with finding it, but I had just given them a magazine when they got engaged last year that listed ten great places to have a party in Switzerland. I'm glad they took a look and picked it, because it was amazing.
• I bought about 30 pounds of my favorite gummy candy (from the store that was just under my old apartment). Love that place. Boyfriend bought about 25 pounds. We're set for a little while.
• Also bought some chocolate, including some cool flavors, like Earl Grey and lavender.
• Managed to stay awake the whole (direct) plane flight back, and for the rest of the evening, so that I slept on the correct schedule last night. There is a chance that I might not get jet lag.

Good times, love it every time I'm back.

welcome back

First afternoon back in the Mountain View office, and we've got cupcakes and champagne!

reloaded

Just got home and realized that I carried back over 30 pounds of gummy candy (which I can assure you is the best gummy candy in the world), and I think Boyfriend probably has close to that much, as well. No wonder I'm so tired! More updates after I've recovered.

jamon

Jamon iberico de bellota, available in the grocery store in Zurich.

level up

Promotion! The management-drafted blurb focusses on deal work, but does refer to my "wicked sense of humor," which I never thought of as an asset (perhaps more of a liability) at work. Just goes to show what a great office I have, where obsessive pranking is not career-limiting.

catch

Living in the suburbs for the past three years, I had forgotten the excitement and sheer joy of running and just barely catching a tram, train, or subway just as it starts to pull out of the station.

un-manic monday

My thorniest deal (maybe my thorniest deal ever) is closing, which was kind of like a little surprise party (thrown entirely in my head), and it has been a quiet day so far.

all better

I had a terrible cold (which decided to assert itself most strongly while I was in transit from California to Switzerland), and it finally went away a couple of days later. The best part of getting sick is the part when you get better, and it feels so amazing to actively notice that your head doesn't hurt, you can breathe, and your nose is no longer leaking preposterous quantities of snot.

old habits

I'm in Zurich, and when I got to my friends' apartment, I rediscovered my forgotten love for pear juice.

yes

(Obvious) discovery of the day: carrot cake with cheesecake instead of frosting is delicious.

upside

I suppose the upside to having a terrible cold this weekend was that I got caught up on my sleep and also got some good reading time in.

I also looked over my reading spreadsheet (yes, I am compulsive enough that I'm tracking it on a spreadsheet), and noticed that although it has been a somewhat slow reading month (ten books in the past month, which doesn't keep me on track to hit 150 by the end of the year -- my new, perhaps overly ambitious goal), it has been a good reading month. Usually, only about one out of every six or seven books that I read merits a star in the spreadsheet, but four out of the past ten have gotten stars. If I can't have quantity, at least let there be quality.

pricey

When gas prices go up, I'm glad I drive a Prius, and I laugh at the suckers who drive SUVs.

toot

The only thing that can make a fart funnier is a boyfriend who is horrified by farts.

mpg

I love getting through a tank of gas and getting really good gas mileage. It's like winning a pointless game -- satisfying in a way that's not so relevant to anything else in my life. 400 miles on less than nine gallons of gas? I win!

smells like

New perfume. Smells like orange blossoms, mint tea, and deliciousness.

score

Is there anything more satisfying than hitting the parking lottery? Finding the perfect spot without circling during peak hours is pretty much like winning the jackpot.

s-m-r-t

At lunch yesterday, my cousin (who has a PhD in CS) said something to the effect that he thought I was smart, which, if you know my family, is a pretty big compliment (there are some insanely smart people in the extended family, including this particular cousin's brother, who was already working on his PhD in Neuroscience by the time he was fifteen). I was rather surprised and flattered, given that I haven't done anything that is even close to rivaling what some of my cousins have done. Apparently, however, I can at least give the impression of keeping up. I'm S-M-R-T!!

stalkers

The Biebs and Edward sometimes stalk the conference room right outside my office. That conference room is often used for interviews. I wonder if it distracts the candidates at all...

baby steps

Spent Mother's Day with my family, and happened to see my youngest niece take her first steps. Pretty cool.

guests

It's kind of cute how much my parents are impressed every time they come into Google for lunch. Also, today, I introduced them to quinoa, and they liked it. My dad compared it to caviar and corn, which was odd, but I think he meant it in a good way.

poke

I have been going to physical therapy for over a year, partly for back and leg issues, and partly for problems with my wrists that were so bad that I couldn't even open bottles or lift my carry-on baggage without pain. They have been improving, especially over the last few months, and it appears that most of the improvement has come from a weird thing that the current PT has me do that involves using my thumbs to poke at my elbows to try to shift them back into proper alignment. I feel sort of silly doing it, since I can't tell if I'm doing it right or if it has any effect, but it must be working.

At the wedding, one of my former officemates and I grabbed each others' wrists and picked up the bride and danced around with her for a couple of minutes, like this:

A few months ago, lifting even a suitcase would have been out of the question, so I was pretty amazed that I was not only able to lift (half of) an adult, but also dance, bounce, and twirl around with her without any major issues with my wrists.

jiggedy jig

A few good things about coming home from a trip:

1) A happy, happy dog
2) A TiVo full of shows to watch
3) Electric toothbrush
4) My own bed

keepin' it on

I realized that the first anniversary of this blog has come and gone, and tallying it up, it looks like in the first year, there were 415 separate entries about frabjous things in my life, which I think is pretty frabjous. I'm surprised and pleased that I've continued finding things to post about and actually posting them. Not really a world-changing experiment, but it has definitely made me more aware of things that make my days better.

more chicago

The rest of the time in Chicago went by in a whirlwind of buying decorations, making last minute arrangements, getting hair and nails done, squeezing in meals, rehearsing, and then finally getting our friends married.

Everything was smooth, and I think the bride and groom were tired (as is always the case at weddings) but not too overwhelmed. I managed not to lose the ring, and not to cry too much when making a toast at the reception, so that was a relief :) It was so much fun to see the old crew from Zurich, and we talked and danced and laughed and celebrated. Definitely happy for my friend (although I'm feeling a little bit wistful when I think about how things have changed and how they might change in the future compared to how they were in the past) and looking forward to Round Two in a few weeks in Zurich.

Boyfriend and I went to a reprise dinner at Alinea last night (and met the chef briefly), then flew back out to California early this morning and came straight into work. It was a whirlwind five days, and it was great to be a part of the excitement. 

chicago

I got into Chicago early early early yesterday morning, and have managed to both stay on top of my work and spend some good bridesmaid time with my friend. A bunch of the Zurich crew is flying in for the wedding, so it's going to be a fun weekend.

matriculation

The student I interviewed who got into Harvard decided to go to Harvard! I think she was leaning towards Princeton, and she actually came over to my house on Sunday and we chatted for a couple of hours. I hope she loves it.

90

Number of minutes of massage it takes to turn me into a puddle of blissful jelly on a warm, sunny day, a few hours before heading out to Chicago for two of my best friends' wedding.

easter

I rarely go to brick and mortar stores anymore, so it didn't occur to me that the mall would be closed for Easter. At least they have nice flowers, though.

so far so good

Fell asleep without sleeping pills, slept nine hours, lay in bed for an hour, got up to eat a brownie, got back in bed and read for an hour, took an hour nap, got up to get another brownie, got back into bed to read... So far, the weekend is going very well.

tough

I dropped my phone at work today, and it tumbled and bounced end over end down half a flight of wooden stairs. In the olden days, that would have resulted in the phone disintegrating into about fifteen pieces, or at least sustaining severe and disfiguring damage. This one is apparently quite tough, because it came out with a couple of tiny scuff marks. Whew.

miracle worker

The heating pad that my dog and I both love so much ended up being a miracle cure for Boyfriend's stomachache. He had never heard of using heating pads for stomachaches before, so I felt like a miracle worker, healing the sick with my magical heating pad.

s = p - e

"S = P - E.

In this formulation, 'S' stands for satisfaction, 'P' for perception and 'E' for expectation."

- David H. Maister, "The Psychology of Waiting Lines"

cont'd

Other things that my college roommate and I got up to while she was here:

• Watched Clue
• Went out for tapas (including bacon-wrapped dates)
• Ate a lot of the cheese we bought in the city
• Hung out at my office for a day, where she read and tried out the massage chair while I tried to get work done

She also decided that my kitchen was lacking in a few things, so Boyfriend and I now have a towel rack, a dish rack, a fruit bowl, and (this one is Boyfriend's favorite) a rack to hold all of our cutting boards.

She also pointed out that we have what appears to be a dogwood tree in full bloom in our backyard, which I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I hadn't even noticed, since I never go into the backyard.

roommate

So far, since my college roommate arrived after work on Friday, we've:

• eaten Boyfriend's homemade pizza
• watched The Cutting Edge
• listened and sung along to our old recordings of the Brahms Requiem and Beethoven's 9th (yes, it was nerdy, but fun)
• gone to the library
• gotten pedicures
• bought five kinds of cheese at the best cheese shop in the city, where the cheese girl complimented my pronunciation of Swiss cheese names
• eaten crabs at Crustacean
• had ice cream at Humphry Slocombe (I had Honey Thyme, and Boyfriend had Secret Breakfast, which is bourbon and cornflakes)
• met up for drinks at a bar full of people trying much too hard to be hip
• gone to the grocery store, Target, and the hardware store
• made and eaten fondue with college friends
• laughed at old pictures from fifteen years ago

zap

Kind of a grumpy morning, in part because the first thing I did was go to the allergist to get my shoulder stabbed with a shot of cats and dust, and then to the lab to get my elbow stabbed to draw a vial of blood for normal lab work. Stabby morning = grumpy morning.

To counteract, I hit up my list of go-to causes and decided to send some love to my local library. Then I loaded up some mindless, goofy music onto my playlist (instead of the requiem I've been listening to on repeat for the past week). Good mood will begin... NOW.

raw

Last night's dinner featured the freshest sashimi I've had in a long time. The toro (as expected) was delicious, but the hamachi, kanpachi, and especially the shima aji were exquisite. Yum.

hot date

Boyfriend and I are going out to dinner tonight -- we've been meaning to go here for a long time.

mint

Surprising discovery of the day, in a cafe at work for dinner:

Soft Curd Scrambled Eggs with Havarti Cheese,
and Asparagus Served with Sour Dough Crostini and Chives


There was also chopped fresh mint in there, and although it may sound weird (eggs with mint for dinner?), it provided further evidence in favor of the hypothesis that fresh mint goes with anything. It was so delicious.

now playing

In anticipation of my college roommate's imminent visit (she gets in on Friday), I finally got around to digging out the cassette tape recording of when we sang the Brahms Requiem in Lincoln Center, ran a line out to an MP3 player to encode it as an MP3, and uploaded it to my computer. I wish I had done this years ago, because it is so amazing to listen to it and let the memories come flooding back.

third time

Third time's the charm. I made my third batch of quinoa tonight, and I think I've finally tweaked the proportions and timing to get the perfect texture in my rice cooker.

in the city

It was a weekend of fun in the city -- Boyfriend and I went up yesterday evening for a birthday dinner with my sister, and the restaurant was surprisingly good. My favorite dish of the night was mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches -- they somehow managed to make the ice cream taste exactly like fresh mint, rather than mint flavoring. Yum. It's always good to see my sister, and it's good to hang out without the kids sometimes (I love my nieces and nephew, but a non-kids night now and then feels like old times).

I also gave my nephew his 8th birthday present, a microscope, and I wasn't sure if he was going to like it (I loved my microscope when I was little, but I wasn't sure if he would be quite as much of a dork). I was gratified by his response, which was honest in a way that only children are honest, "Wow, I definitely won't have to return this present!"

We stayed over for the night, and then met up with two of my good college friends for lunch. They got married six months ago, after dating for seven years, and after being best friends for eight years before that, and now they're living happily ever after. It was good to see them, and they even stopped by the house afterwards to see Fiver, who seemed to still remember them from our New York days, when these two friends (and a couple of others) used to come over every Wednesday evening to order dinner and play cards.

wrong

I love when I try to guess how long something will take to finish, and then it turns out to be far easier and faster than anticipated. (Second best is when I guess correctly.)

sleep

Monday night, bad sleep led to sleeping in led to a cranky, unproductive day. Last night, I slept much better, so I'm hoping this means good things. Dog in lap, "concentrate" playlist cued up, so it had better be a productive day.

rental

One of the nice things about renting a house is that it also includes a yard, which in turn includes this tree:

hair

I finally got around to getting a haircut (six months after the last one), and I really ought to get it cut more often, since I can't be bothered to spend time styling and keeping it in shape between cuts. The stylist had some fun ideas for next time, after the two upcoming weddings (I don't want to do something weird and have it be remembered forever in two sets of wedding pictures).

chromercise

It's April Fool's Day, and so one of my product teams made a silly video (there were some other jokes in other products, as well). Turns out that they actually made some of the finger warmers, and my business guy (the same one who helped me get a netbook to play with) saved some for me. They actually fit Fiver, so here he is modeling two of the Chrome finger warmers.

admission

I just found out today that one of the students I interviewed got into Harvard, and I'm so happy for her -- out of all of the candidates I've interviewed in the past three years, she's the one I liked best (and, I admit, the one who reminded me the most of myself). I hope she chooses Harvard, and I hope she loves it.

gloves

Boyfriend got me a pair of boxing gloves (plus a pair of blocking mitts for him) so that I can burn off my extra energy and punch out my frustrations from time to time.

85

Any day can be improved with 85 minutes of massage.

80

This week, we are finally getting a couple of days with temperatures in the 80s.

compliments

Sometimes you have to take compliments wherever you can get them. I had my annual checkup today, and was oddly flattered (and somewhat amused) by the nurse practitioner's enthusiasm over my "great cholesterol," "perfect heart," and "wonderful blood pressure." She even complimented my breathing skills while she listened to my lungs. I should add that to my CV.

Also, (stop reading if you don't like TMI), I'm so glad that the NIH recommends Pap smears once every three years instead of every year.

pants graphs

Spotted on a whiteboard at work yesterday. I feel vindicated in my love of not wearing real pants (any pants that have a zipper or a button count as real pants) except when required by law or office policy.

Note that there is absolutely no intersection between "Times am happiest" and "Times I am wearing pants":

nom

I just saw this picture (originally from here), and think it's probably the most brilliant cupcake ever made:

twice

Boyfriend is not as much of a cuddle junkie as I am, so I'm glad he has indulged me for the past two days, rather than immediately jumping into the day upon waking up.

success

Dinner turned out really well, and there are even leftovers for later this week. Also, I discovered that I like feta cheese if it's made from cow's milk. It's just the goat milk kind that I don't like.

no pants day

Boyfriend and I went to see my sister and her family, and then went out to dinner with two of his friends yesterday, so today was my weekly "stay in the house and wear stretchy pants all day" day. It was something of a rough week last week, so I mostly indulged myself:

1. I slept in as long as I wanted to.
2. Boyfriend picked up an almond croissant and left it by my bed to eat when I woke up (he was already at the gym).
3. I had a video chat to catch up with my friends in Zurich.
4. I called my oldest friend for a quick catch-up, and found out that she is pregnant with her sixth child (our paths have obviously diverged a lot, but we still love to talk when we can, even if it's only a couple of times a year). She's thrilled, so I'm happy for her, but I'm also happy that I'm not her.
5. I made good progress on reading The Happiness Project, the book written by Gretchen Rubin (who has a blog by the same name, which was part of the original inspiration for me to keep this blog, as a reminder to myself of the good things in life). I've flagged a few bits in the book for further follow-up.
6. Partly because of my reading The Happiness Project, and partly because I've noticed how much making donations or reading good books have helped to improve my mood with immediate results, I did some poking around and made some lists of (even more) books I want to read and possible charities I'd like to donate to, so that the next time I want a quick pick-me-up, I'll be prepared, and I won't need to do any research, but can just go to the library or make a donation online, for a no-brainer source of instant gratification.
7. As I started to think about dinner, I mentioned to Boyfriend that I really felt like eating quinoa, and he offered to go to the store to buy some. I looked up a recipe online, and I'm going to be experimenting tonight -- I've never made it before, and Boyfriend has gamely agreed to try it out.

badge

Last week, when I was having a particularly frustrating day at work, I discovered that our internal work directory has a function where anyone can upload a little image and some text, and then direct that it be posted on anyone else's directory entry. It's called a "badge," and I had previously assumed that it was a function that required some kind of admin rights. It gave me a disproportionate amount of joy to create a few badges and put them on a few of my friends' pages. I've already started making plans for more of them. It was the highlight of an otherwise dark day, sad but true, but at least there was a highlight.

athlete

Our last team offsite was mini golf, and today we went bowling. Due to my extraordinary athletic prowess and legendary motor skills, I managed to get the high score at both. Maybe I should consider going into sports instead of law?

marmot

Work has been pretty rough since we got back from vacation. Tons of work, and everything seems to be urgent. A deal that I picked up on Friday got especially crazy, and I worked for most of Saturday and Monday on it, and then fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the deal died Monday night.

What I wanted to share, however, is this wonderful painting, which reminds me of Boyfriend. This is what Boyfriend would look like if he were a marmot, and if he were wearing a golden helmet. It's set as my desktop wallpaper, and I love it.

rainbow

Big old rainbow, horizon-to-horizon, on the drive into work today, which made the 8:30 call more palatable on a Monday morning.

balance

Another thing that is helping ease me back into work is that our bonus checks were deposited right before I got back to the States.

transition

I don't think I've ever had a harder time making the mental transition from vacation back to work. Positive side effects, however, have been that I spent some time researching and donating to charities for disaster relief (I'm recommending the American Red Cross and the International Medical Corps, which both have at least 90% efficiency in use of funds) and also got my vacation pictures sorted and uploaded (they're on Facebook, if you want to take a look).

trip list

Because I wasn't posting while we were in the Philippines, here's a list of things that would have made this blog:

• Business class makes a huge difference when you're taking six flights, two of which are over ten hours long.
• The long-haul flights didn't have to make any refueling stopovers.
• We caught an earlier flight once we got to the Philippines, so that we arrived six hours early to the resort in Dumaguete.
• The outdoor shower in our room in Dumaguete was actually quite nice. I have no idea how they keep an outdoor shower so clean in the tropics.
• The dive shop in Dumaguete was run by Swiss guys, so it was the most organized dive operation I've ever seen. 
• Dumaguete has the most amazing muck diving (diving in small, sandy areas to look for tiny, mindblowing critters that are sometimes the size of a fingernail clipping).
• Despite the fact that I can get seasick in a swimming pool, for some reason (I am guessing magic), I experienced no seasickness the whole trip -- not on dives, not on the week-long liveaboard. Nothing.
• The mangoes. Oh, the mangoes.
• There were small scuba tanks available on the boat, which meant that for the non-strenuous dives, I was able to tool around with a less cumbersome tank on my back.
• I racked up another 25 dives.
• I made it through seven books.

sendai

Found out on Sunday that my high school host family (who live in Sendai, Japan) are all safe after the earthquake and tsunami.

tick tock

Leaving for the airport in ten minutes, and I'm all packed and excited, plus I also managed to book tickets to Chicago and Zurich for April and May. Today is all about travel.

I'm kind of hoping that this won't be updated for the next two weeks, because that will mean that I have no Internet access, and will be having a truly unplugged vacation.

ooo

Leaving the office now, and won't be coming back for two weeks!

smooth

Asian (lack of) leg hair + a good men's razor = very smooth

order

Outwardly, I am a very messy person, but I prefer for my thoughts and work to be very organized. It doesn't always happen if things are too hectic, but when I have time to impose order on my thoughts, work, and schedule, it gives me a feeling of immense satisfaction.

deutsch

I met a new lawyer we hired into our Zurich office, who is doing a couple of weeks in California for orientation. When he found out I lived in Switzerland for four years, he asked if I spoke German, and I said I had forgotten most of it, but then he spoke German for a few minutes, and I understood it all. Turns out that I hadn't forgotten everything, and he has the perfect accent (southern German, which is softer than true high German but more proper than Swiss German) for me to understand.

almost summer

Weather reports say that highs in the Philippines are in the upper 80s. If summer won't come to me, I'll go find summer.

three day weekend

Day 1: Up to the city to see friends and hang out with my sister and her family. Crabs for dinner.

Day 2: Lazy day with naps and books. Downloaded a dozen Kindle books for upcoming trip. Boyfriend coming back from two day trip to Boston.

Day 3: Tomorrow will be my productive day, and I intend to run errands, go to the gym, and start packing for the big trip.

Weekends really ought to be three days long, so that I can do all three things every week: be social, be lazy, and be productive.

countdown

Eight days until we go to the Philippines!

next

Ahh... I just found out today that someone else will probably be able to take over the product that just launched on Wednesday. It has been a long, twisted road since I first started with the team in March of last year, and I think it's at a good transition point, so I'm looking forward to moving on to something different.

work it out

Work has kind of gone crazy, and it has been driving me crazy. One of my products has a big launch tomorrow, and things just weren't pulling together.

Out of sheer frustration, I decided to work on my 2010 taxes. (I know, it's strange, but doing my taxes soothes me.)

I got the taxes done, two months early, which both soothed me and made me feel like I had accomplished something (even though I owe a bunch of money), and then a series of miracles happened, plus a renewed spurt of belief and effort on my end (partly due to the completed taxes), and several deals closed, rather unexpectedly, and we are almost there for launch.

good girl

I've eaten big salads at lunch and dinner all week (starting on Sunday), with lots of things that are supposed to be extra-good for you, like quinoa, barley, blueberries, spinach, almonds, and broccoli. They've actually been pretty tasty, and I feel so virtuous. I draw the line at kale and chard, though.

pick and choose

One of the things that I really appreciate about my job is that I get a lot of variety and autonomy, and my manager also gives me a surprising amount of input into whether I want to work on a particular product or deal, and how I think it should work.

pink tree

This is what the trees are doing. By the time we go on vacation and get back in mid-March, I think winter will be safely in the past. Whew.

february

Ah, February, when the temperatures reach the 70s and the trees burst into bloom?

sunday dinner

I talked myself into going to the gym again, and was pleasantly surprised when I remembered that they've started weekend meals at work again, so I was able to eat a big, healthy, convenient salad after I finished up at the gym.

business class

We have booked everything for our dive trip (which is in three weeks!) to the Philippines, and because Boyfriend doesn't like long flights, we decided to book business class flights the whole way. This is the first time I've paid for business class (as opposed to getting bumped or using miles), and I intend to enjoy every minute of it.

pass

How cool are virtual boarding passes on your mobile phone? One fewer thing to lose when traveling.

blood

I flew to Utah for a quick visit to see my cousin. It's amazing how much blood counts, even though it has been years since we've spent regular time together. I'm really glad I got to see him.

grape

Perfect grapes (the really round, firm, extra sweet, seedless ones) are perfect. My mom packed them in a bag dinner (which was kind of adorable) to take on the plane with me.

facebook

I'm still reveling in the successful Facebook escapade we pulled off on my millipede-phobic coworker today. Our externs lured her to a staged lunch meeting, whereupon we proceeded to bombard her page with millipedes. We completely filled her page with pictures, videos, links, tags, and comments. It was the highlight of my day.

007

Exciting, ridiculous discovery of the day: Sean Connery in Zardoz. Kind of amazing that this exists and I'd never heard about it until now:

amazon

It's so impressive that Amazon still has direct customer support over the phone, and that it's actually good. Kindle issue resolved today in under five minutes.

quinoa?

For once, I tried eating something that's supposed to be super-healthy, and I liked it for more than its nutritional benefits.

gilead

"There are a thousand thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them sufficient." -- Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

personal record

I'm pretty sure that Boyfriend has now broken the record for longest relationship ever. He is now the holder of the championship trophy. Me :P

old job new job

Also, this launched today, which was pretty cool. Working on this particular deal has been an interesting collision of worlds for me. When I left my old job, I didn't think I was ever going to get to work on Holocaust issues again (which was sad, because it was very meaningful work), so coming here and then leading the Legal part of this has been a serendipitous way to stay involved from a different angle.

larp

Funny thought of the day: Imagine LARPing. On a trampoline. With people from work. It's not going to happen (we're not quite that nerdy), but it's pretty hilarious to think about.

philippines

Looks like the trip is going to happen in a month! Two weeks of diving in the Philippines, and we are so close to booking. Just the thing to motivate another session at the gym after work today. I think I can manage a total of a dozen cardio sessions before the trip.

501(c)(3)

Fun procrastination activity of the day: donating to some good causes and filing for matching funds from my company.

no rain

It has been sunny and warm (hitting 70 degrees) for the last couple of weeks. My secret optimist likes to think that this means that winter is over, but even though that's probably not true, at least it's a nice break.

rehash

Did another round of Harvard interviews tonight, but this time, two of my college friends were also there, interviewing students, so we went out for drinks afterwards to rehash the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's kind of like Kids Say the Darndest Things, except for that they're not really kids anymore.

Sample question: Tell me about your high school.
Sample answer: It's on a hill.

start

I usually love being super lazy on the weekend, but I also try to prepare a little bit for dive trips. With a potential trip in March, it's time for me to get my lungs in shape again. I managed to get myself to the gym and on a bike for an hour. (And this was after waking up earlier than usual, going out for breakfast, and dropping my friend off at the airport, and before facing the Sunday afternoon crowd at Whole Foods and doing two loads of laundry).

dinner x 2

Dinner last night with some of Boyfriend's friends (Japanese grill), and dinner tonight with one of my friends from my old New York days (seafood).

gizmo

I am accumulating gadgets at a rather embarrassing rate -- one benefit of working in tech.