After the last post… I have to say the week flew by. I’d planned to take pictures, I’d planned to do lots of things… but instead I worked during the day, attended meetings, and hung out with coworkers I hadn’t seen in years. It was an amazing experience, it was enjoyable… it was exhausting! But… exhausting in a good way!
It’s weird to be out and about again. Yes, there are still mandates and COVID restrictions here… but more even than that it’s amazing how much effort it takes to be “on” at all times. I know that probably sounds odd, especially to those who are very social, but even as social as I am (and I am a social butterfly!) this trip was a great deal of being out with people, making good impressions, having big-picture discussions. I loved every minute. It’s great to be back… and I am back!
Deep Dish Pizza from Windy City Pizza & BBQ
This week was a chance to revisit some old favorites, and have a few “firsts”. Going back to my corporate office felt odd, especially because most people still haven’t returned to the office. But I did get some amazing deep-dish pizza at Windy City. I also got delicious lobster rolls at the Lobster Shack near Redwood City (Pictures will follow from past trips). I also got to try quesobirria (Thanks Jen!), got to meet Jen and her husband’s new baby girl, and also spent some time at a place called “Taste Buds”, which is a group cooking class location near downtown Palo Alto.
A Lobster Roll from the Lobster Shack in Redwood City, CA
Taste Buds was a corporate event, and it was a ton of fun. There were about 30 of us, broken into groups of 4-5, and we were given pineapple to cut up… chicken to skewer along with the pineapple, and ingredients for spring rolls and pad thai. Over the next hour… we’d prep some of the ingredients, melt sugar for the pad thai sauce (mixing together all the other ingredients as well), and then toss it all together with fresh noodles to make a pretty delicious meal. It was very orchestrated, I don’t think you could have ruined it if you tried, but it was still a great opportunity to meet others from my group, talk, and enjoy some (probably too much!) wine. I’d do it again in a heartbeat… I think it was a great team-building event, and I’m glad we did it! Wednesday was a good day work-wise, followed by a lot of “work fun”.
I’ll admit, though, that my favorite night was last night. I got to see Jen, Josh, and their new baby daughter, after a few years of not doing so! (Well, okay, I saw them Sunday too but still!) I headed over to their home… and they very graciously opened the whiskey cabinet and ordered from a close birria restaurant. The birria quesadilla (quesobirria) was amazing, as was the liquor and company, and we finished the night with some card games and conversation. I’ve missed it. I’ve missed them. I can’t believe it’s been so long.
It’s Saturday now, I’m about to head to the airport to fly home. One more trip through SFO… and this will be the first of many. It sounds like this is going to be a year of heavy travel for me again with work, I couldn’t be more excited! I need to start getting my social energy levels up and ready for it… the world is beginning to turn again for me. I hope it is for you, too.
