i remember when you were yea high

So, this is how I'm describing the feeling of coming back to Google after a year: you know how you'll have a little cousin that you only see once in a while, and every time you see said cousin, it appears to have doubled in size?

That's how it feels. I had read about Google's rapid expansion; heck, I had observed it in the three months I spent here last summer, when plants on my floor were removed to make way for more cubes. But there's nothing like being here and just boggling at the sheer number of people that have come on since last year. I mean, I really think there are twice as many cafes...and yet Charlie's seems just as crowded. I resolved that this year, dammit, I'm going to get there for breakfast. I love those smoothies...but more than the smoothies, I love zucchini bread.

It was cool to see some familiar faces, both at intern orientation and just wandering around. I'm definitely not the only intern back for more.

it's finally over!

I'm so glad I finished my last final. This circuit class has been hanging over my head for far too long. It wasn't an easy final, but I'm just trying not to dwell on it. Now I start at Google on Tuesday and I'm really anticipating it. I can't wait to find out what my project will be, meet my host, and see what's going on inside the company. I wonder how much it will feel the same. I know they're just now releasing some of the stuff I went to tech talks on last year (e.g. Picasa Web Albums...finally, I can talk about that!), so I'm really eager to see what's being cooked up now. I started reading the Google Wikipedia entry this morning to see what was going on there that I hadn't seen on Slashdot. The answer? Not much. Slashdot's Google coverage is pretty exhaustive.

I was just thinking back to my first day last year and how much I envied the people who were going to be surprised by their projects. I thought that was so glamorous, to have a confidential project. Well, this year it's my turn.

So I'm leaving San Diego tomorrow morning, will spend the weekend with my parents and sisters in LA, and then take a plane up to San Jose on Monday. Luckily, I'm living with my boyfriend, so I won't have too much moving in to do. I sent some clothes up there with a mutual friend last weekend, so I've been living on a weird skeleton crew of clothes (mostly Google shirts) all week.

One thing I won't miss about living here is that the coyotes in the canyon have been driving me pretty crazy lately. They sound like little girls screaming at a slumber party, and it really freaks me out. Well, and also I've been living on mainly trail mix, gummy bear vitamins, and Trader Joe's enchiladas for the last several weeks. Don't tell my mom.

hello world

Well, I should be working on my final paper for algebra and/or studying for my finals, so this seems like an optimal time to start my summer blog. I've really enjoyed reading the updates from other GInterns and am stoked to join the fray. I'd use my regular blog, but it's pretty quotidian & trivial and so I'm starting this one to keep things more pertinent to those curious about life as a returning Google intern.

I love this idea because I know my sister's nerdy high school friends were always curious about what I was doing last summer (apparently a lot of high school nerds dream of being Google interns when they grow up...I guess I did too), but I didn't want to go on too much about "Ow, GCC was sucking today" or "Wow, look how weirdly that compiler feature ended up working" on my regular blog, since I figured people who were reading it for the most part weren't all that interested. I was too busy complaining about my allergy to Palo Alto, anyway.

Anyway, I'll be starting on June 20th; unlike many other interns, I'm in California already (at UCSD) so I've allocated only a few days to move.
I'm looking forward to:

finding out what my project is
meeting my host
eating meals that don't come out of a foil packet (while I love Trader Joe's Indian Fare, I don't think it was meant to be one's entire sustenance)
Grandma Dave's granola - if it's still in the minikitchen of the first floor of 43 that's nearest to No Name. Oh god, I don't even know if No Name got a name. I feel so out of the loop.
dual monitors
meeting all the other interns (many of whom I already feel like I know)
seeing my friends at Stanford and elsewhere in the Bay, and especially my boyfriend
no homework

Unlike everyone else in the world, I come from a place with better weather than Palo Alto/Mountain View (anyone who disagrees with me has obviously not spent enough time in La Jolla), so I'm not really looking forward to the relative heat and high pollen counts...

In any case, as I become escapist and weird as finals get closer, this blog may get updated more. I kind of hope I spend my time studying, but I've learned not to count on that kind of useful behavior from me.