Xmas at Home

You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to going back to Los Angeles for Christmas. Even if It's above 50 degrees and raining, I'll still be a happy camper!

It would have been cool to experience my first White Christmas, but I'll save it for another year. :)

DTW > LAX on Thursday 12/20/07. Arrive ~ 7:30pm, weather permitting.

Random Food Combination

I just had 'Golden Brown Sugar' Quaker Oatmeal with Organic Vanilla Soy Milk. It says to use water... but I thought I would be different.

It was a phenomenal decision. Super scrumptious. :)

It's nice not to travel for a change

I really need this weekend for recovery. I feel like I've been traveling so much lately. I'm usually in an airport, car or train station on the weekend it seems.

Yesterday was the Ann Arbor version of Google's Holiday party. I had a blast. It was nice to be in a small venue at St. John's Inn and know almost everyone. Part of me wanted to be in Mountain View, but I'm going to be in Ann Arbor and live it up, dammit! It was fairly depressing because everyone brought their significant others, but I still have fun with the singles.

It was nice to hang out with Ray, Heather and Ariel -- who came in this week from Mountain View for the Holiday Party as well. I have pictures that I'll upload later.

I booked a room with John as a crash pad so we didn't have to drive home after the party. It was one of the nicest hotel rooms I've stayed in in a long time. :)

After we woke up, I thought about buying Spice Girls tickets, but I'm still unsure if I want to go in Detroit, Chicago or DC. I'm leaning toward DC.

After we got back, John and I stopped by Ann Arbor's world-renowned Deli, Zingerman's. It was amazing. Read my review on Yelp!

Possible Missed Connection on Craigslist

I always love reading "missed connections" on Craigslist. I've always wanted to be one. Lol. It's like getting to read someones mind.

Anywho, I was just passing through the Chicago version of the site because I was there this past weekend. The "missed connection" below sounds like it could be me, because, I was in fact standing on the left side of the stage by myself standing next to two guys for a little while at Roscoe's. Although, I think I'd be an egomaniac if I responded...

Saturday night. guy at roscoes dancefloor - m4m - 25

---

Reply to: pers-496597447@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-12-02, 5:08PM CST


You were standing at the roscoes dance floor on the left side of the stage on the ledge standing area. You were alone and looking very hot.

I was with my friend and we were standing next to you. I was hoping you'd come talk to me but you left suddenly.

Hope you read this.

• Location: Lakeview
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 496597447

Personal Goals

I feel like 2007 was a year of a single goal of mine: Weight Loss. I've achieved that, but now I want to become well-rounded again. I feel like I've lost interest in my passions and don't have hobbies. I used to be on top of my game in entertainment, hollywood, politics, technology, etc. Now I feel like I don't keep track of any of them.

In the next couple of weeks, I will be setting my personal OKRs for 2008. An OKR is an Objective and Key Result. Basically, it's setting a benchmark and later evaluating how you held up against those benchmarks. It's often times used in the workplace, but can be used in life as well. People also refer to these personal goals as New Years Resolutions.

The key to these goals are making them metrics based. For example, a sample OKR could be:

Running and completing two 5K races.

What makes this an OKR is that (1) It has an action [running in a 5K] and (2) has a metric associated with it [2].

Then in 2009, you build upon your 2008 OKRs. So I could for example run a half marathon in 2009 to stretch my 2008 goal, etc.

What's important to remember is that you often times set goals that you can't necessarily achieve but can get darn near close. That way you stretch yourself.

Some of my personal OKRs will be silly but some will be super serious. I think i'll be adding to the 'list' frequently until 2008... but my mind has been running on overload with goals I want to achieve.

More Travel Ahead.

I've been using my time in Ann Arbor as an opportunity to take loads of mini trips. It's no secret I love to travel, talk with locals and discover the hidden gems of a city. Each city is unique -- whether it's the people, food or traditions.

I've spent 2 weekends in Chicago, 1 weekend in Toronto and 1 weekend in Las Vegas.

I'm heading back to Chicago this weekend. I think I'm going to Washington, D.C. the weekend of Dec. 14th because my old boss, Brent, is having a Holiday Party. The weekend in between is open game, but I'll probably keep it local because I have my Company Holiday Party on that Friday.

I'm planning on returning to Los Angeles on Dec. 20th and won't be going back to work until January 2nd, 2008. I only need to take 3 vacation days to get all of that time off, so I'll be taking advantage of it. :)

After Christmas, I'll probably head back to Northern California after spending some time with the Fam and Friends in So Cal. I want to check up on my apartment and just get back into my groove.

It's possible my time in Nor Cal will be super short. But I'll talk about that later if and when I find out any news...

Here's a story... of a lovely lady...

So a few weeks back I mentioned how I absolutely adore my housekeeper. We had a pretty long conversation about the single life and just random talk. She's just so full of spirit.

I had the pleasure again today of chatting with her. I left work a bit late and knew she would be coming by. We chatted about Vegas, trashy celebrity gossip, shopping and our Thanksgiving plans. She's had a lot of life experience and just goes with the flow. I love that.

I finally 'formally' introduced myself and got her name. Her name is Carol and she's a wonderful woman.

So Thankful

I've come to realize how excellent my life is right now. My gripes are pretty minor. Because I'll be traveling this thanksgiving to Las Vegas for a little R&R, I'll write what I'm thankful for now. These are in no particular order, just train of thought:

• My Family - Even though I haven't lived in LA for just under 2 years, my family still makes it point to keep in contact with me. It might not be as often as it used to, but such as life. I talk to my Mom, Dad and Sister often.
  
• My High School Friends - I've been trying to do a good job to keep in touch with as many of my High School friends as possible. Even though I say 'High School' some are really grade and middle school. At this point, I've known many of these people for over a decade. That's a long time. We've been through a lot and I hope our friendships only grow stronger.
• My College Friends - You know who you are. We've all diverged and went our separate ways to some extent. But we make it a point to have semi-annual 'reunions' and keep in contact by phone and email. You guys are all super smart and doing very well for yourselves. Considering it's been only a little over 2 years since we graduated, I think we're all off to wonderful careers. I have no doubt we'll be lifelong friends. I mean, who else can hold up a pinky finger and burst out laughing like we can? We left college during a bad job market and still managed to carve our name into the business world.
• My New Friends - Over the past few months, I've been lucky to meet new people by living in the Midwest and doing a bit of traveling. I've made new friends in Ann Arbor, Chicago and Toronto. From my Irish roomie Kevin to my new friends, such as JD in Toronto and Matt in Chicago, I hope that we'll be able to make future memories together. I've had a great time getting to know people in different cities around North America and I hope to make many more friendships to come.
  
• My Career - I've worked my way up at Google a good amount. I've tried to make a long term impact that will shape my division for some time to come. I started out as a temporary contractor, converted into an Account Associate and was recently promoted last week to an Account Strategist. I worked really hard to get ahead and I'm happy that everything is going well. I've gotten to work in Ann Arbor, MI and I hope this opens the doors to new opportunities in the future.
• My Co-Workers/Friends - Working at Google, It's hard to separate the distinction between friends and co-workers. Never in my life have I been surrounded by such sharp, motivated, and down to earth people. I love all of my fellow Googlers and Gayglers. I hang out with you all the time and I couldn't ask for a better set of people to spend my life with on a daily basis. Even when I moved to A2, you've done a great job keeping in contact. I appreciate it. :)
• My Online Friends - Don't think I forget about y'all. I still read your blogs and posts from time to time. I haven't met many of you in person, but I feel like I know you.
  
• My Health - To some extent, this is what I'm most thankful for this year. I never realized how much good health has on the quality of my life. Before about a year and a half ago, I weighed nearly 300 pounds. Today I weigh close to 180. Yea, I lost an average woman. I sometimes cry when I look at older pictures. I can't believe I let myself go so much. I'm happy I'm healthier in mind, body and spirit. I'm not totally where I want to be, but I'm damn near close.
• My Love Life - This is something I don't talk about much. I guess I'm relatively private about dating and relationships. But I'm thankful I've gained a lot of experience in dating over the past year or so. I've grown by getting to know other guys at a deeper level. I went from zero experience to more experience than many people I know. By no means am I an expert, but I now have people I can lean on to to give me advice. To some extent It was a whirlwind. I'm starting to look into settling down a bit more in the near future. I'm talking with someone, but It's hard because it's long distance. I hope things work out alright.

Soon I'll have a post about what I want to accomplish in 2008. 2007 has been a HUGE year for me. Hopefully I'll have a list created before the holiday rush.

Last Minute Trip to Toronto

I love to travel. I'm not very seasoned at it, however. I have NO international travel experience. Actually, I've never been abroad. That includes Canada and Mexico. I don't have a passport either. Sad, I know.

I was talking with John, my A2 ex pat extraordinare, and we were looking at our calendars for future travel while in A2. We both realized we have NO weekends left left to travel. None. We're both booked to the brim with other travel or personal plans. We both realized we did however have this weekend free. Ohio State is playing Michigan this weekend, so It's gonna be crazy in A2 anyhow. It's the biggest week of the year as far as college football is concerned.

I looked at Hotels, John looked at Travel options and we booked everything in about an hour. We somehow got some KILLER deals at the last minute for this weekend, Friday to Sunday.

We're driving to Windsor, ON, the closest part of Canada to Michigan. It's about half hour away, right across from Detroit. From there, we're gonna take the Canadian Train, ViaRail. The train takes about 4 hours to Toronto. We'll be arriving around 9:30pm. Just enough time to get to the hotel, change and hit the Nightlife. As it turns out, ViaRail has a 'youth' discount. It's 25% off for those who are between 18 and 25 years of age. Sweet! John missed out cause there wasn't a 'middle age' discount. Hehe. j/k

I booked a room at the SoHo Metropolitan in Downtown Toronto. It's right near the Harbor and in the middle of everything. We were able to score a good deal for about $125 CAD (133 US) a night. That's very good for a 4 star hotel in Toronto on the weekend, especially at the last minute.

We're not really sure what we'll be doing, but our Train leaves at 7:00pm on Sunday Night. We'll be back around Midnight. Yay! So if you have ANY tips or places to visit in Toronto, let me know. :)

I'm looking forward to a clean Metropolitan city! Yay!

Top 10 Best Resale Value Cars

I'm thinking in 2009 I'll probably look into getting a new car... if only to establish some credit for myself. I'm pretty practical, so there 'Top 10 Resale Value Cars' will most likely be on my test drive and research list.

These are the Top 10 for 1007, according to CNN/Money:

• Chevy Corvette, 50% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Honda Civic Sedan, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Infiniti G37, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Mini Cooper, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Scion tC, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Scion xB, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Toyota Corolla, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Volkswagen Eos, 52% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Volkswagen Jetta, 51% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years
• Volkswagen Rabbit, 51% Predicted Retained Value after 5 Years

The only cars on this list I haven't thought about are the Chevy Corvette and the Infiniti G37.

John Travolta for A Night

It was truly 'Saturday Night Fever' for me. This past Saturday I made my way to Detroit for a bit of clubbing action. As you might know, I go to dance, experience new music and meet new people. I don't go to drink or hookup. Cause I'm a good guy like that.

Anywho, I made my way over to Backstreet Nightclub. I couldn't find the club at first because It was located in a hidden part of a strip mall. I was like, 'Oh crap. What did I get myself into?'

I get there around 11 and there aren't too many people around. It wasn't until 12 until the party got jumping. It's probably the most unique club I've been to in the Midwest. It has an elevated 1970's lightup dance floor that No One gets on until like 11:45. Before that, It's a complete stare showdown a la 'The Abbey' in LA or 'Sidetrack' in Chicago.

You can kinda tell the place is a work in progress. There is exposed wood in some areas that is meant to be finished. Despite that, the place has a great dancefloor, fun music, and a cool lounge in the back meant to get away from it all. There are Cabanas with Curtains if you want that 'Private' moment as well.

Most of the night was spent observing and taking pictures. At one point I did dance with Ziggy, a younger (I believe latino?) guy in which I'm still wondering as of today if he is of legal age. Yowza. There was this cute late 20's/early 30's guy I've seen at Necto who kept looking at me, but still never went up to me. Maybe next time.

There was a drag show. It was quite scandalous, with a guy who I think got breast implants. I would share pictures, but I want to keep you sane. Instead, here are some tamer pictures.

Here is a YouTube video of the Dance Floor in Action at Backstreet. It's to the music of 'Show Stopper' by Danity Kane.




I ended the night with a quick stop stop at White Castle, just to say I've done it. I got a diet coke and a cheeseburger. I can offically say the Diet Coke tasted better than the burger. Lol.

Yes, I'm Me

After A wonderful week, My Sunday evening turned into one of major bad luck.

I wanted to be productive, so I did laundry. Sounds good, right? Until I realized I left Chapstick in one of my pockets in the dryer. Dun Dun Dun... That means a whole grip of clothes now has petroleum stains all over it. *Le Sigh*

Okay, so that's kinda bad, considering I only brought a limited amount of clothing with me to Michigan.

I go to Meijer, the local 'we have everything, plus we're open 24 hours' store, to grab some laundry stain remover. I also realized I was low on gas, so I headed to a gas station I knew would be open.

I then see the flashing red and blue lights. Now I'm confused because I have no idea what I could have possibly done to deserve to get pulled over by the A2 coppers.

The officer approaches my car on a dark empty major street, and this is what happens:
Officer: Good Evening. Do you know why you're being pulled over?
Me: I have no idea.
Officer: Did you see that flashing red light back there?
Me: I don't recall.
Officer: Do you know what that means?
Me: I'm not from here. I haven't seen that very often where I'm from.
Officer: Where are you from?
Me: California. I'm not used to those in all honesty. I wasn't sure what to do.
Officer: Where are you staying?
Me: Near the mall.
Officer: Ah. Can I see your license and registration?
Me: I can try to find the paperwork, but this is a rental car.
[Hands over License and Registration]
Officer: Is this you?
Me: Ya. I lost about 115 pounds.
Officer: You look great!
Me: Thanks.
Officer: I'll be right back. I'm going over to my vehicle.
Me: *sighs* as he can see the officer writing the ticket in his rearview mirror.

So basically, I'm not all that bothered with it. I panicked at first... only because of insurance issues. Turns out you can't do traffic school in Michigan. The fine for 'not yielding for a flashing red light' is $130 and 3 points on your record for 2 years. It kinda blows. Now I know about flashing red and yellow lights and what you're supposed to do.

So the only real cool thing about the evening was the compliment about my weight loss. Yes, I'm Me...

Let it snow!

Today was the first day I saw a bit of snow, even though it didn't stick. It was just cold enough that flakes would fall from the sky above. It was magical. You know. I've come to realize that it's nice to have snow. Sure it's cold... in the low 30's, but it's something different.

Once I saw the flakes coming down kinda hard, I ran outside with Dina to take a picture. My manager kinda thought I was crazy, but whatever. :P


Snow in front of the A2 GOOG Office

Dinner at Cafe Zola

I went out to one of my occasional 'sit down' meals in Ann Arbor last night. Dina, a policy specialist based out of Mountain View, has been in town for the week. We decided to celebrate at Cafe Zola, one of the swankier places in town.

The food was good, although a bit overpriced for carbs (pasta's, etc). I had to add protein ($7) to my dish because it was basically pasta and a lemon sauce for $18. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty... but throw in some meat for that, bitches.

Here is a group picture:


Foreground: Dina, Me, and Sarah
Background: John, Jane & Britt

The Mystery Maid

In Ann Arbor, I have a housekeeper who remained a mystery... up until this morning. I left a bit late for work, around 9:15am instead of 8:55am. I'm kinda glad I left late, only because I finally got to meet my housekeeper.

Every Thursday, she comes to The A2 Apartment de Kevin & Will and cleans up our non-mess. We usually only have a few dishes in the sink, some trash to throw out, and some linens to clean. I must admit, I love not having to clean my bathroom. That's the one thing I don't like doing and usually delay.

As I'm about to exit the shower, I hear a woman in the distance say, 'Housekeeping.' I started to freak out a bit. She said, 'Don't worry honey, I'll clean the front first.' Anyone who uses the word 'Honey' already wins me over.

After I get ready, I come out and almost leave... until something told me to strike up a convo. Once I did, we chatted for about 15 minutes. She's a 40-ish (but looks young) African American woman. I didn't catch her name, but I will next time. We talked about the single life and what she's experienced. She grew up in Chicago, recently lived in Vegas, and made the move to Ann Arbor. I asked if there was anything I should do because I'll be in Vegas for Thanksgiving. She's like 'Go to Crave... you know... they have a show that's really different. With transgender folks.'

That was so unexpected. We also chatted about Chicago, because I've been there the past two weekends. She made me laugh and we got along pretty well.

I think I might go to work late every Thursday just to talk with her.

The mystery was unraveled...

B Schools & Office Space Characters

My Friend Steph K. forwarded this to me. I laughed. These are (not) my opinions on particular B Schools and their correlation to Office Space characters. :)

1.) Harvard -

Pros: The best academic brand in the world, people from East Timor will know where you went to school. Graduates are extremely polished and dynamic leaders. its no coincidence that so many politicians these days are HBS grads.

Cons: Students are about as pompous and pretentious as possible. Polish is a fancy way of saying full of s**t. its no coincidence that so many politicians these days are HBS grads.

Office Space Character: Lumbergh (Peter's hated boss). He's a quintessential Harvard grad; in charge and full of platitudes that sound great but on further inspection don't make any sense. He also drives a nice car and makes a lot of money while being universally loathed. Kind of sums up every HBS grad you've ever met, right?

2.) Stanford -

Pros: Small class size and focus on do-gooders leads to an incredible array of backgrounds and accomplishments of students, who thrive in tight knit community. Haven for the really interesting superstars out there. Tremendous brand. Beautiful weather.

Cons: It may be interesting to be classmates with a Buddhist monk-fighter pilot, but its also hard to relate to anyone ("So, did that vow of peace make it hard to take out bogeys?"). For super accomplished business students with the world at their fingertips, it sure doesn't seem like any of them actually like business.

Office Space Character: Peter (main character). He seems like the most level headed, likable and down to earth of any of the characters, but for all his talents, he ends up as a damn construction worker. He's also a major league flake, showing up to work only when he feels like it. Can you say entitled?

3.) Wharton -

Pros: Arguably the best technical business education in the world. Great brand name, and the job placements are second only to H/S.

Cons: Not sure if it's the ultra rigorous curriculum, the competitive culture, or the fact that they have to live in Philly for two years, but Whartonites are paranoid bordering on psychotic. The odds of having a nervous breakdown in your life triple after going here. Double that if you actually ask anyone at Wharton to calculate those odds.

Office Space Character: Tom Smykowski (Co-worker that invents "jumping to conclusions mat"). I'm assuming that Tom was actually an excellent technical employee, but that his constant fear of losing his job made him batsh*t crazy. Most fitting quote "I'm a People Person!!!!!!" when yelling at the consultants.

4.) Northwestern -

Pros: Strong team culture and arguably the best marketing program in the country. Incredibly collaborative for such a large school. Great location next to major financial center (Chicago).

Cons: Very soft curriculum, these guys are poets. I'm pretty sure that Kellogg finance classes are prerecorded cartoons taught by Disney characters. Is it really worth it to pay $10000+ to drink every night? I mean, couldn't you just do that without the degree?

Office Space Character: Joanna (Peter's girlfriend). Like Peter, she's very likable, level headed and likes to get around. Unfortunately she's also vastly less skilled than many of her fellow characters. Thank God she's hot.

5.) Chicago -

Pros: Finance education is second only to Wharton globally (and even that's debatable). Probably the best facilities of all the top business schools. Fantastic job placements and close proximity to Chicago. Academic horsepower of profs is untouchable.

Cons: Socially awkward is an understatement. Unlike Whartonites who are just high strung, Chicago GSBers either never learned or quickly forgot how to communicate with peers. Make sure to wear a face mask if they're talking to you 'cause spits going to fly.

Office Space Character: Milton (Co-worker that loves red swingline stapler). Milton seems like a nice enough guy, and he might be the smartest guy in the office (he pulls off the grand caper in the end). It's just that he's about as charismatic as a toilet bowl. Hire 'em, just make sure to get GSBers an office in the basement.

6.) Columbia -

Pros: Great location in the middle of global financial center (New York). Most diverse student body in terms of minorities and women. Very strong finance program. New York allows great social and job placement opportunities, and draws worldly, cosmopolitan students.

Cons: Cliquish and commuterish. Columbia is like a high school with super rich kids. High ***hole factor. This isn't the kind of school where you'll be going to house parties, its more like the kind of school where you're expected to order bottle service for twenty guys on a student budget or else be ostracized.

Office Space Character: Bobs (consultants that lay off workers). They seem smart, they have great jobs, but c'mon, these guys are douchebags.

7.) MIT -

Pros: World class entrepreneurship program, and probably the best supply management program in America. Attached to world class research center, and location in Boston is strong. Great job placement, especially in consulting.

Cons: For all their unique academic offerings, the overall school is like 90/10 men/women including undergrads. Takes the term sausage fest to a whole new level. Nerdy culture.

Office Space Character: Michael Bolton (Peter's co-worker and friend). Michael Bolton desperately wants to be cool, listening to rap music, talking in slang, but lets face it, he's a dork. He's also hampered by his dorky namesake, which seems to attract a lot of nerdy people (to his obvious dismay).

8.) Tuck -

Pros: Small class size and tight culture leads to maybe the most enthusiastic students in any school. Great respect from recruiters. Alumni network is arguably the most responsive and helpful of any top school. Strong rigorous program.

Cons: Very conformist culture, and really limited social options. These guys seem so enthusiastic about their school that I'm almost certain that all students are given ecstasy at orientation. Listen, if two years in the middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire were to constitute the best two years of my life, I would kill myself.

Office Space Character: Brian (Works with Joannas at Chotchkies, wears 37 pieces of flair). Brian is well meaning and LOVES his job. Never mind that he's a waiter at a glorified TGIF, he still loves it with all his heart. They say ignorance is bliss, in which case, maybe Tuckies have the secret after all. That or, like Brian, they're borderline retarded.

9.) Michigan -

Pros: Maybe the most hands-on practical curriculum of all the top schools. New facilities coming up in 2009. Largest alumni network of any business school. State school, so the 2nd year is cheaper.

Cons: Location proximity leaves something to be desired (Detroit? Why not put it next to Beirut). The overall atmosphere here is very fratty and college like. Every single UMich student and alumni I've spoken to say the highlight of their experience was tailgating and watching football. EVERYONE. Not that football isn't awesome, but no one else had any other experience that was noteworthy? They probably forgot the rest after beerbonging Jagermeister.

Office Space Character: Lawrence (Peter's next door neighbor and friend). Lawrence is a good guy. He's loyal, and salt of the earth. He also has a few rough edges, and would use 1 million dollars to be intimate with two other women. Have a great time with old Lawrence. Just don't be surprised if all you end up with is a job he hooked you up with at the local quarry.

10.) Haas -

Pros: Great location in the bay, and strong ties to Silicon Valley. Great weather. Small class size and tight culture. Berkeley has very strong international brand name.

Cons: Weak ties to financial sector, and east coast in general. The culture here is definitely about as PC as it gets. This seems like the type of school where you'd need to get a permission slip before you held a woman's hand on campus.

Office Space Character: Stan (Joanna's manager at Chotchkies). Stan wants Joanna to do more than the bare minimum. After all, people can get an MBA anywhere, but they come to Chotckies/Haas for the atmosphere! Don't you want to do more than the bare minimum? Then put on your flair, burn some bras and save a whale you selfish jerk.

11.) Duke -

Pros: Maybe the best health care management program in the country. Great brand name, especially in the south. Strong team culture.

Cons: Relatively young MBA program, so alumni network is small. As such, the brand cache just isn't there yet. People that come here seem very cookie cutter to me, not in a bad way, just very comfortable and relatively unambitious.

Office Space Character: Samir (Peter's co-worker and friend). Samir is a nice guy, very practical and unassuming. You get the feeling that he's happy as long as he has a job in hand. Won't make waves, won't screw up, and won't take any risks. But he's a happy guy, and will have a house with 2.2 kids and a dog in a suburb somewhere (probably Durham).

12.) Darden -

Pros: Strong Case method program and rigorous curriculum is universally respected. Alumni network is very strong and active with current students.

Cons: Middle of nowhere. Intellectual horsepower not as strong at a lot of the other top schools.

Office Space Character: Anne (Peter's ex-girlfriend who was cheating on him). Anne just seemed really high maintenance and uptight. You try doing twenty cases a week for a year and see what happens to you. Just don't be surprised if it's a bigger bi**h than you imagined.

13.) NYU -

Pros: Great location within spitting distance of Wall Street. Strong finance curriculum, and media program.

Cons: Location in downtown Manhattan make this the ultimate commuter school. Weird inferiority complex with Columbia. If you don't go into finance or media, good luck.

Office Space Character: Other Lumbergh (ex-co-worker of Peter, Joanna's ex-boyfriend). From all accounts, the other Lumbergh was a likable guy who was good at his job and got a great job offer to move on somewhere else. We just never actually saw him. Kind of like your NYU classmates.

14.) UCLA -

Pros: LA! Sun, beach, beautiful glamorous people everywhere! Strong ties to Southern California business and great real estate program.

Cons: LA. UV rays, crowded beaches and shallow, materialistic people everywhere. You get the feeling that UCLA students are there just to spend two years in SoCal rather than to get jobs. As such, this place draws vapid, materialistic people. But damn they're hot!

Office Space Character: Drew (Peter's co-worker, describes the famous "O-face"). Drew's a fun-loving guy that people like. He's also the kind of guy that would tell anyone who was willing to listen graphic descriptions of all his sexual exploits. I liked Drew when I was 19. When I'm 26..?

15.) Cornell -

Pros: Maybe the best Hospitality management program in the country. Ivy league brand name, and strong ties to some top consumer management companies. Small tight knit culture.

Cons: In the middle of nowhere, and it's definitely a cut below a lot of the top tier programs. I mean, hospitality management? Seriously?

Office Space Character: Peggy (Lumbergh's secretary). She's kind of in hospitality: "Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! ."

16.) Yale -

Pros: World class brand name. Arguably the best social enterprise program in the country. Relatively strong job placement for the rank.

Cons: Newer program means little real rep with employers or alumni to lean on.

Office Space character: Dr. Swanson (Peter's psychologist/hypnotist). The Dr. has a very strong reputation, and he makes Peter go from depressed to happy (what a do-gooder!). But when it comes to the rankings, he just falls over dead.

The Ann Arbor Haircut Solution

I find getting a cheap haircut in the Bay Area is super simple. Go to Supercuts or some local barbershop and you're good to go. However, it's not that simple in Ann Arbor. No Supercuts within 40 miles... and everything is a 'salon' (aka 30 to 40 bucks for a cut). I'm usually used to like $15.

I asked Brian, a co-worker of mine, where he gets his haircut. He said, go to the Douglas J. Institute. It's the school for the Douglas J. Aveda Salon. So basically, someone who's training to work in a major salon will be cutting your hair. My stylist, Missy, started to train in January. So she's almost ready to graduate after being in school for 1 year.

It's the best $15 haircut I've ever gotten. It was all scissor cut, so no shavers. That makes for a more precise cut.

So this was my experience:

• Made an appointment for 9pm (they do haircuts until 10pm)
• Walked in and was asked if I wanted water, tea, etc.
• I sit in anticipation, not knowing what to expect.
• Missy comes and gets me and says she's be cutting my hair today.
• She introduces me to her instructor, who'll be occasionally looking to she what kind of job she's doing. She'll also chime in with advice or take over if Missy needs help.
• She asked me how I wanted my hair cut. I said 'finger length,' which is the perfect length for my wavy hair. She gets a couple of more specifics and her instructor approves it.
• She starts talking to me and we make chit chat. She's from Michigan, but a town 45 minutes north of Ann Arbor.
• She gives me a scalp massage with 'Energizing Oil,' one of about 6 I could choose from.
• She then shampoos and conditions my hair.
• She then starts the cut -- all scissors. It takes a while, but it's very precise.
• The cut was finished after about 25 minutes. I approve the cut and the instructor approves the cut too.
• I get my hair rinsed, so I get all the stray hairs away.
• I then ask what type of product I want in my hair. I choose an Aveda matte finish paste. It smells wonderful.
• My hair is styled and I walk downstairs to pay. I actually decided to get the paste too, because it smelled and looked good.
• The haircut was $15 and the product was about $20. So with all of the fancy shmancy salon styling and some product, I walk away paying less than a typical A2 Salon Haircut.
• Overall, I'm impressed! Such a great idea.
  
• Conclusion: Go if you have the time and want a luxury experience on the cheap. The whole process was about an hour... so that was the only downside. I wasn't doing anything anyways, so it was a great way to spend a tuesday night. :)
  

Ann Arbor: Work , Live and Play

Where I Work

I currently work at Google's Ann Arbor, Michigan office. I've been here for about 3 weeks. I'm normally headquartered in Mountain View, CA, but I've taken on an assignment here to help with the growing office. I'll be here until the end of December. So if you're in town, swing by and say 'Hi'! I've already seen 5 or so people from Mountain View swing by. It seems to be a popular stop. ;)

I'm not missing too much that the headquarters offers (other than the AMAZING people). I do miss being at the *hub* of it all, but It's also great to be at a regional office. On occasion I think about eating lunch at 5ive or Pure Ingredients Cafe, but the catering there have here is top notch (and healthy!).

Ann Arbor has its own flavor. It's young, vibrant, and refreshing. The people are very friendly, down to earth, and approachable. If they haven't met you before, they'll introduce themselves right away. The receptionist, Kim, knows everyone by name. The weather has been okay so far, but talk to me in a few weeks when it gets cold. The leaves are just changing colors and It's very beautiful. The rumors are true. Most people are married or in a long term relationship. But that doesn't mean they don't like to play. They have so many clubs, events, and groups at the office. There is something to participate in virtually every night of the week, if you want.

I arrived with 2 other Mountain View expats, Brittany and John. Brittany specializes in Quality Control (as do I) and John is a master optimizer for client's advertising accounts. Both have a wealth of experience.

Me, Brittany & John

Where I Live

I live in the more suburban part of southern Ann Arbor. The great thing is that there are plenty of places to shop, eat, and relax. All of my favorites are nearby --- Whole Foods, Target, Panera Bread... just to name a few. I also live right next to the local mall, Briarwood. The mall isn't that great, but if you want the basics, it's cool. You have to venture off to Troy for more upscale stores at Somerset Collection. If you want something more upbeat, Downtown in only a short 8-10 minute drive. My office is located Downtown. So I can walk to loads of shops, bars, and restaurants. That's a nice change of pace.

I live with a fellow Googler, Kevin. He's from Google's Dublin office. He's originally from Cork, so don't call him a Dubliner. Haha. It's great to live someone from another country. You get to learn things from a different perspective, but at the same time, see how we're very similar. Our weekly thing is watching Depserate Housewives together on Sunday nights. I found another trashy TV lover! Yay! He's a very funny guy. He reminds me of my Mountain View Cubemate, Ziv.

Kevin & Will

Where I Play

It's been really nice living in the Midwest. Ann Arbor is a very liberal college town, so it's a nice place to live. I go out to bars, restaurants, parks and shops all the time. I even ventured out to a gay film festival put on by the Triangle Foundation & Reel Pride Michigan last week in Royal Oak, a swanky suburb north of Detroit. I went a few A2 gayglers and saw a movie called, 'The Bubble,' A modern take on Romeo and Juliet, but with two men in the Middle East.

Some of the Bars, Restaurants, Clubs, Attractions, etc. I've been to:

• Bar Louie (Ann Arbor Bar)
  
• Zanzibar (Ann Arbor Restaurant)
  
• Arbor Brewing Company (Ann Arbor Bar)
  
• Monterrey Cantina (Royal Oak Mexican Restaurant)
• Pronto! (Royal Oak Gay Bar/Restaurant)
• Necto - Friday Night 'Pride' (Ann Arbor Gay Club Night)
• Royal Oak Main Art Theatre (Royal Oak)
• University of Michigan, Football Stadium (Ann Arbor)
• Cosi (Ann Arbor Sandwiches)
• Borders #1 (Ann Arbor Bookstore)
• The Chop House (Ann Arbor Steak House)
• Leopold Bros. Brewery (Ann Arbor Bar)
• Aut Bar (Ann Arbor Gay Bar / Brunch Place)
• Kerrytown Shops (Ann Arbor Shopping)
• Menjos (Detroit Gay Club)
• Somerset Collection (Troy Shopping)
• La Dolce Vita (Ann Arbor Dessert/Wine/Cigar Place)
• Stucchi's (Ann Arbor Fro Yo / Ice Cream)
• Briarwood Mall (Ann Arbor Shopping)
• Whole Foods (Grocery Store Staple)
• Potbelly's (Ann Arbor Sandwiches)
• BD's Mongolian BBQ (Ann Arbor Restaurant)
  

I have a load of other places to check out. Woot!

My Ann Arbor Apartment: Briar Cove Terraces

Here is slideshow gallery of my apartment. It's close to Briarwood Mall, Target, Golds Gym, Meijer, and loads of chain restaurants. Yay for suburbia!

View Album

Get your own

I want these shoes.

I saw these at the Lacoste shop at Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego. They just placed them on the rack. I didn't want to plunk down the cash for them at them time. But the more I think about them, the more I want them.

It's the Lacoste Swerve Edge Mix shoes. Yummy!

Cost ~ $135

Chilly Sunday in A2: Brunch & A Movie

I must admit I'm kinda jealous that I'm not in Kauai, Hawaii with my family right now. They left on Friday and will be staying for about 10 days. I haven't been on the annual family Hawaii trip in 2 years... I'm starting to feel left out. *Le Sigh*

On the bright side, I am having an AMAZING time in Ann Arbor. Today was rather chill, but I did still do stuff.

I went out to brunch at Aut Bar (on Yelp!) with Mo and Megan, the local gay bar in the Kerrytown District of Ann Arbor that also has pretty good food. The waiter was cool. Kept us entertained with commentary every so often. Lol.

After that, we strolled the shops and Farmers Market in Kerrytown. We then strolled the streets to end up at Megan's new house that she recently bought. It's super cute with very unique architecture. Buying houses... in your 20's... pretty much not doable in Cali. *Sigh* It's the benefit of living in Michigan.

We then caught a flick at the Showcase Theatres in Ypsilanti. We ended up seeing Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I liked the film. There were some parts that will definitely stick in your memory. There were some very graphic scenes.

I then was able to work out for a bit at Gold's Gym and grab some dinner at Boston Market (my substitute for El Pollo Loco).

Midwest Obersvation #1: Marriage in your early 20's

Observation #1: People Like To Get Married

After living in the Midwest for a couple of weeks, I'm starting to notice some trends. Most of which, makes me feel like a fish out of water. Throwing an out gay guy in the Midwest is kinda daunting, but I'm doing well.

One thing I'm noticing is people are married in their early 20's. It's kind of shocking. I know 2 people married from high school. Two. I think there are like two people that aren't married or in serious long term relationships at the Google Ann Arbor office. So you often hear stuff like, 'I'm going to paint my house this weekend with my husband.' Rather than say, 'I'm going with my clubbing with my girlies.'

Even when you go out, you see people with their kids in their early 20's. I feel like as if this is because people either met their significant other in high school or in early college. Stayed together for 4 or so years and decided to get hitched.

I think people in California refuse to get married before 30. Even if you're in a long term relationship, I see people break up because they're commitment-phobic and would rather be single than married.

I don't see myself getting 'married' before 30. Possibly a long(er) term relationship.

Midwest Clubbing with 'My Team'

I've been living in the Midwest for a little less than 2 weeks now. It's been pretty nice. To some extent, I feel like I'm on vacation. I guess this is what happens when I'm in a new environment. I can roam, get lost, do new things, meet new people... all on my own pace.

There aren't too many guys at the Ann Arbor (A2) office that are out. I think that's the benefit of living in the Bay Area. So I'm gonna have to go experience whatever is gay in A2 either by myself or bring some of my girlies on occasion (some have already offered to go). I don't mind clubbing or bar hopping with the straighties every so often, but I do find it pretty boring.

I don't mind going out by myself. But it is weird going out and not running into anybody you know. Like I can go out in LA or SF and run into people every single time. Even if I don't run into people, I feel more comfortable introducing myself to people or I get introduced to others from my current set of friends. I guess it's just a matter of building those relationships and friendships up in the Midwest.

I also think I'm not very proactive when I'm by myself as far as introducing myself to people. When I'm with others, I have no problem. When I'm solo, it's not so easy. Maybe it's because I don't have a second opinion. It's a bit weird and something I need to work on.

So with that being said... I dived into the Ann Arbor gay scene last night. It was surprisingly fun. Where did I go? The only gay clubbing night in the city is held on 'Pride Friday's' at the city's hottest club, Necto. It's typically a straight club, but it goes gay on one night of the week. The layout of the club is pretty nice. It's like basically 3 stories. Top Level is High Energy dance music. The middle level is an outdoor area to hang out and chill. The bottom level, called the 'Red Room,' is more like a bar and the music varies. It can go from hip hop, to the latest tracks you haven't heard, to those tracks from the 80's and 90's you hate to admit you love.

Some things of note:

• Midwest gays really like to smoke, not that the west coast kind doesn't. But it's pretty gross going into clubs in which you can smoke. I also think it's because 18 to 21 year old kids like to rebel and think smoking is still cool.
  
• Ann Arbor guys are surprisingly attractive. It's partly because it's a college crowd, but I was impressed. Definitely not LA cute, but better than average.
• The club was sort of ethnically diverse. Mainly white and black folks. There were sprinkles of Asian and Latino guys. There was one slightly older Asian guy who I thought was hot, wearing a red hat, a shirt from Ruhel, and a blue American Apparel track jacket. It's too bad I never introduced myself to say Hi (just as an experiment in proactiveness). Before the night was over he made out with some fugly white dude and probably went home with him. There were also some cute black and white guys.
  
• It's nice living close to a club. 10 minute street drive home. SCORE.
• Straight girls in the Midwest love gay boys, just as much as everywhere else I've lived.
• Pride Fridays are known to be the best night at the club.
  

Necto on Yelp!
Public Photos of Necto on Flickr

Top Chef: Miami Finale

I know this entry is super late, but I'm very happy to see Hung with Season 3 of Top Chef on Bravo.

I was rooting for him throughout the season, even though people thought he was a major a**hole. He's a cocky son-of-a-b*tch, but at the same time, he's very passionate about his food.

I personally wouldn't eat a lot of his stuff (he's into fish and duck), but I do respect him as a chef. I would probably eat more of Dale's stuff. So I'm glad he was in the top 3

The reunion show is tomorrow at 10pm on Bravo. See what's cookin'. :)


Hung Wins Top Chef

All is Well in A2

So I arrived in the state of Michigan on Monday afternoon. I made a pit stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, before I got into Michigan. That town looks lovely, too. I finally got to see what that lake actually looks like. Some of it looks like swamp land.

I picked up my rental car. They hooked me up with a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. It's a fucking boat, but it's classy inside and drives well. My apartment is pretty swanky too. We even have weekly maid service, but I kinda find it annoying cause things get placed in awkward areas.

My roommate, Kevin, is from our Dublin, Ireland office. It's like getting to go on a free European Vacation, but without having to deal with the flight. We've bonded over trashy American and UK television. He's originally from Cork, so his accent is a bit thicker than a typical Irish one.

I also think I like working in a small(er) regional office. Although, it's hard to tell after only a week. It's like the difference between going to a small liberal arts school or going to some huge state school. Would you rather be noticed or don't really care because you're just a face in the crowd? It's nice interacting with the managers in this office too. They're all very approachable and down to earth. Also, the director, Grady is a wonderful guy. Very personable, down to earth, and genuinely friendly.

I'm so glad I'm getting to see more of America. I'm trying to remove this 'California is the only place in the universe that is livable' mentality from my head. I mean, I see myself living the vast majority of my life in California, but I also want to experience every place I can.

Part of me is still shocked I decided to leave for Ann Arbor, Michigan. But I know I made the right choice. I feel so much less stress. There is no pollution, no traffic, no road rage, and this overwhelming sense of friendliness in the Midwest. It's like if you're not friendly, you'll stand out like a deer in headlights.

But there is some observations from my first week here:

• There are no toilet seat covers anywhere. It's a bit weird.
• People are surprisingly trusting. For example, my first floor apartment back door goes into open grass and the street. But I still feel safe.
• Guys don't make an effort to dress here, probably because it's a college town.
• The town is very liberal. Although the college kids seem to be into Ron Paul.
• It's still okay to smoke in bars and restaurants here. Blah.

Crazy Week Ahead

So this next week is gonna be a crazy time in my life. I'm not sure I have the time to pack in everything I want to in this short period of time.

Today: The Big 24. Yowza. It's also the start of Fall. I love the smell of fall. :)

Monday through Wednesday: Try to have lunch and dinner with some of my buddies. Also throw in a workout here and there. It's going to be a crazy week at work for me. It's one of my busiest 2 weeks of the quarter. *le Sigh*

Thursday: My last day of Work at Mountain View Headquarters until 2008. My team is having an offsite in the late afternoon. Wine tasting and a nice dinner in the South Bay. Woot! After that, I'll most likely be driving down to LA. Don't worry, I won't be drinking. :P

Friday: If all goes well, I'll be waking up in my bed in Los Angeles. I'll probably run a few errands during the day. I'm hoping to have a dinner with my family in the evening. Somewhere near the 'South Bay' or the 'Westside.' After that, I'll probably spend some time in West Hollywood with some friends.

Saturday: Drive to SD. Spend some time down there.

Sunday: Last Minute errands. I'm sure I'll forget stuff.

Monday: Arrive at Burbank Airport. Leave for Detroit, Michigan. It isn't a direct flight because I have a stop in Colorado. I should be in Michigan around 4pm. Pick up my rental car, drive to Ann Arbor and go to my housing. My housing is available after 5pm.

Real friends have your back

I don't really like relying on anyone else. Becoming dependent on others makes me feel a bit awkward. I always go to the worst case scenario. What if they don't follow through on what I'm depending on them for?

I guess by not relying on others and being independent, It helps me from not thinking about that 'worst case scenario.'

So last night rolls around. I had a fantastic time with some friends after work playing poker, eating a bit of pizza and playing a karaoke game on the PS2. I came in 3rd of 6th place in poker, in case you were wondering. I lost on a full house with the winner having a four of a kind. :/

Anyways, a few of my friends who i was playing poker were going back to SF. I wanted to go to a club in SF because I would get to see some of my friends who I haven't seen in a while (John, Devon, Milo) and some of my friends who I will be seeing less of because of going to Ann Arbor and other circumstances (Ty, Evan, Eddie.) Heej was kind enough to offer me a ride up to SF. I called Alex and Joe, because Joe was in the city and heading back down to where I live in the Silicon Valley. So I could get a ride back home from him. At least I thought that was the case...

When it came time to leave the club, Joe was plastered (I can't drive his car because it's a stick), Alex didn't give a shit that I was stranded, and I now had to deal with that 'worst case scenario.' Ty, one of my good friends and co-workers who I was hanging out with at Dragon, came to the rescue and asked Fred, who was heading to San Jose, to see if I could get a ride back to my apt. in Sunnyvale. Fred was kind enough to give me a ride, even though it was a little out of his way. I was rescued by real friends. Before I left, Ty said 'I Have your back, Girl!' Now he needs to know I have his back anytime, too. Also, before I left, Devon said, 'Anytime you need a place to crash in the city, You're more than welcome at my place.' My friends know I have their back and I know I have theirs.

I guess I learned my lesson. Either (1) Don't depend on others or (2) Only depend on your real friends.

I had a great time last night. It will most likely be my last club experience in the San Francisco Bay Area until 2008. I can't wait to go to A2 but I have a sour taste in my mouth from last night

Big News, Big Move

I know this seems REALLY random.

I'm moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Google's Ann Arbor Sales Office.

So it's not long term. But it will definitely be a change in my life. I'm moving for the entire 4th quarter (Oct. to Dec.). The opportunity popped up this week and I was lucky enough to be accepted. I'm excited, a bit nervous, but ultimately it will be a major refresh in my career.

More later...

Sex In Suburbia: Edition # 1

Any potential with a relationship with anyone who I've been on dates with in the past few months has come and gone.

It's back to the drawing board. I get most of the signals guys pass when they're 'just not that into you.'

I mean, I'm guilty of the same thing. Not calling you back as much, etc. It just sucks when it happens to you. I guess I expect some sort of reason for cutting off contact completely. Not responding to calls, etc. after everything is appearing to be going well.

If two months goes by after talking to each other almost daily and then all of a sudden things end without closure, I tend to wonder, wtf?

Yes, excuses like 'I'm busy' can be the answer, but even that isn't good enough of an excuse in my book. If you have time to brush your teeth, you have time to respond to a phone call, taking 2 minutes out of your day just to say hello.

Another Sea, Another Fish, I say...

New Rule: Express Lanes

So I was at Target today grabbing a couple of things. I walk into the 10 items or LESS lane.

I didn't really inspect what people had in their basket, figuring they'd at least come close to the 10 Items or less part.

Well, the lady in front of me had like 30 things. She said 'I'm sorry, I didn't see the sign.' Okay, maybe I'll believe you. But, don't you think there was a reason why that line was shorter than the rest? Just maybe?

Biatch, please.

New Rule: 10 Items or less doesn't mean 'Eh, I don't see signs, I'll run 30 things through the express lane.'

Friday Night Socialite: Dinner at Zazie San Francisco

I don't normally go out to dinner as much as I should. I guess I just grab something quick from a quick casual place (a la 'Plutos' or 'El Pollo Loco') nowadays. I guess it's the routine in me.

I probably should be exploring Bay Area restaurants more like when I first transplanted myself here. It's like a foodie's heaven.

On Friday I went with Joe to a quaint French Bistro in Cole Valley (SF) called Zazie. It was super delicious. I guess they're known for their brunch, but their dinner was spectacular. They're also known for the garden patio, which I didn't experience either. I guess there are more reasons to go back. :)

It's Michelin Guide rated and is well received on Yelp, too.

When you first walk in, you notice the winding staircase to your right and the brick interior. Joe was smart enough to make reservations, something I never do. So we were seated right away.

The waiter was a nice guy, with what I can only conclude is a British or Welsh accent. He knows his food and wine.

After looking over the menu, I was trying to decide between the Steak Au Poivre and the Ravioli with Lemon Sauce. The waiter said it comes down to delicateness. I wasn't feeling anything super heavy, so I went for the Ravioli. It was very tasty. The flavors blended well in a light and airy kind of way.

Here's what I ordered:

Drink: French Cider - Really Tasty. Slightly sweet. :)
Starter: French Onion Soup - Superb!
Entree: Ricotta Ravioli in a Lemon Sauce with Crab and Aromatic Peas - Amazing!
Dessert: Vanilla Creme Brule (One Bite Only!) - Wish I had more. Haha. ;)

UCR San Diego Reunion 2007

Last weekend I spent my weekend in San Diego, California.

I had a nice mini-vacation with several of my fellow UCR Business buddies. It was a nice way to catch up.

What did we do? Here are some highlights:

• Rented a 10 person speed boat and cruised around Mission Bay.
• Chris proceeded to get pulled over from the Ocean 'Police' pretty much as soon as he took the wheel. Haha.
• Loads of stories from Cindy that shocked pretty much everyone.
• Salt water in eyes = Ouch.
• Dinner at Black Angus. I hadn't been to a Black Angus is years...
• Loads of silliness in drug stores. I think we almost got kicked out of one store.
• Random Hotel Antics. Pretty much the worst bed I've slept on in a long time. Go Ramada. Haha. But we made the most of it.
• Late breakfast/brunch at Denny's. I hadn't been to Denny's in years either. Dan and Mike ate wayyyy too many packs of sugar. That's what happens when too much testosterone is at the table.
• A lovely stroll and picture session in Balboa Park.
• Drove back up to Irvine. Got loads of Fro Yo at Yogurtland. Coolest Fro Yo concept yet. This is the longest line I've stood in for food in a while. You pay by the ounce. As much yogurt and toppings as you want. You can totally go overboard... like me... haha.
• We departed ways after taking some final pictures.
• Drove back with Dan to his Apt. and played with his doggie Smokie. Cutie pie. :)

Pictures can be located here.

Silicon Valley Real Estate: Le Sigh

This is pretty much the reason why I'll never be able to afford real estate in the Bay Area. When strolling around the valley this weekend, I see the vast amounts of wealth in the forms of pricey clothes, expensive cars, and the latest high tech gadgets. I'm pretty sure some people must be into crazy amounts of debt to afford any sort of lifestyle here. *Le Sigh*

As Seen in the San Jose Mercury News:

It's time once again to check in on Silicon Valley's real estate market - which, actually, has turned into two markets. In super-pricey communities such as Palo Alto, Los Altos and Mountain View, housing sales are doing just fine, thank you very much. (After all, those Googlers have to live somewhere. And when you're busy changing the world, the closer you are to the Googleplex, the better.) In more, shall we say, working-class communities, sales are plummeting. As prices throughout the valley climbed over the past few years, those of us without tech stock options pretty much needed, shall we say, creative financing to qualify for a mortgage. The trouble is, with the growing subprime-mortgage mess, those creative loans are suddenly impossible to find. With fewer buyers able to enter the market, inventories are building. In fact, at the current sales pace, it would take more than a year to sell all the homes listed in parts of San Jose.

Link

Hot Music Track: Duran Duran's 'Night Runner'

I was tipped off from a few music blogs about Duran Duran's new track called 'Night Runner.' It's a collaboration with heavy hitters Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.

Hot. Here is a low quality tease on Entertainment Weekly's website.

Cool Google Maps Mashup: Walk Score

A few blogs today went crazy for Walk Score, a new Google Maps mashup that lets you know how 'walkable' your residence is. Its tagline is 'Find A Great Neighborhood.'

Not surprisingly, my LA home was the least walkable and my Washington DC pad was the most walkable. I miss DC for that reason alone.

What is the 'Walk Score' of your residence?

My Los Angeles, CA Home: 49
My Riverside, CA Apartment: 82
My Washington, D.C. Apartment: 100
My Sunnyvale, CA Apartment: 78

Of course their methodology isn't all that perfect. But it's still impressive. Learn what's nearby your place. Maybe you'll discover something fresh and new within walking distance. :)

Close to Home: Minnnesota Bridge Collapse

I woke up this morning shocked to hear about the bridge collapse near Downtown Minneapolis, MN.

Turns out that one of the trainees' I'm working with, sister, was on the bridge when it collapsed. She's actually in the picture on the front page of the New York Times on the bridge. Thankfully she survived and is okay.

Apparently, an Oprah episode helped save her life. There was an Oprah episode (that I've also watched) about worst case scenarios. One of the scenarios was how to get out of a car submerged under water. So even though her car plunged into the water below, she was able to survive because of knowing how to get out of a submerged car.

Oprah saves another life. :)

Flying Virgin America

I'm flying back to Los Angeles next week for a little bit of a get together with some college friends.

I originally was going to drive, but I wanted to maximize my time this time around, in addition to minimize driving boredom. Additionally, my car is at 99K miles and a trip to LA would push me over the 100K mark very easily.

So I'm going to be one of the first people to use Virgin America airlines. The airline's first flight is scheduled for August 8th, 2007. My flight is on August 10th. Let's hope everything goes smoothly. By the time I wanted to book a flight, Southwest already had crazy prices. VA still had some good deals. I'll be doing the SFO to LAX route rather than the typical SJC to BUR.

What I like about VA:

• They fly to the cities I care about: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, Washington DC
• Mood Lighting: Who doesn't want the interior of a plane to look like a club?
• Sophisticated Entertainment Console: I think they really thought this one through. Built from scratch and based off Linux, this console is crazy cool. Loads of MP3's, Movies, Games, TV Stations, and even passenger to passenger IM. Want a drink? Order it via the console.
• Tech Connectivity: Power, Ethernet and USB hookups at every chair!
• Cheap(ish)!: On par or better with Jet Blue & Southwest for coach/economy. Very good pricing on First Class. One day, I might do an east coast first class trip. :)
  
• Leather Seats with Headrests

Suburbs to the City: Possible Move?

I've lived in the suburbs all of my life, except for 3 exciting months in the heart of Dupont Circle in Washington D.C.

I like suburbia. I love Target, chain stores, safe surroundings and vast amounts of parking. I feel comfortable.

However, I'm only going to be young for so much longer. I'm turning 24 in a couple of months. That's basically 50 in gay years. One of my prior bosses said once you feel comfortable, it's time to move on. You should feel challenged. He was referencing jobs, but I can relate it to living situations too.

Strangely enough, most people think I've been living in The City (Local lingo for SF) since I moved here... including many of my co-workers. Apparently I give off some 'city aura' or something.

One of my co-workers is having a room in his place becoming unoccupied starting Sept. 1st. I haven't seen the inside of his place, but I've dropped him off once and I like the neighborhood.

I'm seriously considering moving. Two of the main factors are (1) > 10% increase in my rent at my Sunnyvale Apartment starting on Oct. 1st and (2) I'm only young for so much longer.

I know I like city living, because I've done it before. I like mass transit, walking around, people watching and roaming around in unfamiliar places... all things suburbia doesn't offer. I've been weighing the costs and benefits of living in the Silicon Valley vs. SF for a long time... practically since I moved to the Bay Area.

The main factors for me not wanting to move to SF were:

• Cost of Living
• Commute to Work
• Parking
• Weather
• Safety

Now that I've spent a lot of time in SF, I've gotten over the Safety and Parking issues. The weather is still iffy in comparison to the South Bay, but the bright side is that it doesn't get as hot in SF. And quite honestly, the weather is very different depending on which neighborhood you live in. The commute wouldn't bother me if i don't have to drive, hence the handiness of the Google Shuttle. So now the last issue to tackle is cost of living. Rent would be the exact same as what I'm paying, if not slightly cheaper if I have a roommate.

So the details of where I'm thinking of moving:

• Neighborhood: Noe Valley. It's close to the Castro and the Mission but far away enough from the hustle and bustle. 7x7sf.com describes Noe Valley as:
  

'Sheltered from the fog as well as from the chaos of urban living, sunny Noe Valley offers mom-and-pop boutiques, cafes and Victorians that attract young families and anyone, really, who's looking for small-town atmosphere. But the more things stay the same, the more they change: The latest branch of Fresca restaurant opened, a farmer's market hustles and bustles each Saturday, and Les Petits Ninous Urban Bébéwear opened last fall.'

In other words, it's a blend of sanctuary and city life. It doesn't have as bad of weather as say The Sunset, which also is far from the hustle and bustle (and thus, relatively moderate in pricing). I've driven around Noe Valley and find it cute, safe, with a twist of chic. For more SF neighborhood info, click here.

I'm going to see my co-worker's place on Saturday afternoon. Even if I don't end up living with him, I'm still considering a move to the city.

What I know of his place:

• Rent is $800 (I currently pay $850 for a studio, but it will be increasing to $950 soon)
• It's a 2 bedroom 1 bath on the 3rd level of a house. It overlooks much of city since it sits on top of a hill.
• The bedroom I would take over is tiny, but I would have office space in another room.
• It's close to both a Google Shuttle Stop (4 or so blocks away) and also close to mass transit (Muni).
• Washer and Dryer is available on the 2nd floor.
• Rent is month-to-month with no increases in pricing since he moved there over a year ago. (a real plus to not have to sign a long term contract!)
• Sharing of utilities would split my current cost in half.

If You Could Read My Mind

I'm slowly approaching two years living in the Silicon Valley. That's a long time. Kinda.

A lot of things lately have made me evaluate my living situation, among other things. On My Mind:

• Cost/Benefit Analysis of Silicon Valley vs. SF. The tide may be turning.
  
• I'm still in my early to mid 20's... is living in suburbia still for me?
• What do I really value?
  
• Should I downgrade my car to something smaller and possibly more gas-friendly?
• When should I get plastic surgery? (because I WILL need it after my weight loss)
• Can I really keep up working out 3 to 4 times a week? Or will I cry into the fetal position at some point due to stress?
• Do I Miss Los Angeles? Or is it just my friends and family?
• Will I go to grad school at some point? If so, will it be for my MBA?
• I have 3 weeks of vacation stored up. How the hell am I going to use it? Should it be a lot of mini trips or one big ass vacation?

Crap TV Night

I got out of work kinda late because I decided to work out with Nai. Dinner was slim 'pic'in's (referencing the new cafe on my Campus 'PIC' -> Pure Ingredients Cafe) on Crittenden (Googleplex #2) this evening. So after the workout, Nai and Audrey (Nai's GF) went to main (Google lingo for 'main campus') and I met them there. Now didn't you like that lesson in Google Lingo 101?

I'm thinking about getting a personal trainer sometime soon. Since the new gym on our campus opened, trainers are giving out some trial sessions to get some clients on their plate. Now that I'm about 15-20 pounds from my 2nd weight goal... I need to Step It Up!

After work, working out and dinner, I ventured home and watched a load of crap TV. Somewhere in the middle of watching all the crap below, I chatted with Norm. Awww.

TV Consumed:

• SYTYCD -> I Watch Yesterday and Today's episodes. I'm glad Dominic stayed but I was sad to see Hok's old partner go. And Mia Michael's was nominated for an Emmy? Weird. Mary Murphy is as crazy as ever. And what's with having to watch the same dance 10 times? Kinda boring. And my cubemate extraordinaire brought up the point that if Cat Deeley didn't have a British accent, she'd be super boring to watch. Vickie thinks that Cat has a tendency to add r's to the end of words randomly. Haha.
  
• Two Episodes of 'True Life' on MTV -> 'True Life: I'm celibate' and 'True Life: I'm moving back in with my parents.' Both were relatively entertaining. I never knew there could be 3 different reasons for being celibate: (1) Finding Jesus after a car accident, (2) As Revenge for being Cheated on, and (3) To Prove you aren't a whore when you once were. Go Fig. I don't want to knock the other episode of 'True Life' because who knows... one day I might move back home. Yikes!
• Big Brother 8 -> The results of Thursday's episode was good. Dick's probably squirming a bit.
• Welcome to the Parker -> Episode 1 on BRAVO was rather entertaining. My favorite part was the quality control aspect of the show. It's pretty much my daily life at Google. Quality Quality Quality! Who knew they threw random 'room service' tests like that to their staff. I just realized that if I were to move into quality control in any other industry, It would be rather difficult. Oh... and this just reaffirmed my loathing of stupid drunk straight men when they're not around women. They need to be bitch slapped!
  
• Sex in the City -> I caught a random episode on KRON 4 in the Bay Area. The topic? Sexpectations. Why is it always something?
  

Whew... I'm spent. Nighty!