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.