London Weekly 84
Monday I didn’t do much besides work, and Tuesday was much the same. I did go to the different offices to give presentations, which was a nice change of pace. Wednesday I made it to the last night of choir for the term. I signed up for next term and am looking forward to it. Craig and Sergio were there so I got to say hi to both of them.
Steph and I took a long weekend in Amsterdam where we met up with Tina. We started early Friday morning with a train ride on the Eurostar. The train went through Brussels, to Antwerp, Rotterdam, then to Amsterdam. We had to get to the station about 45 minutes early to go through customs, but it wasn’t bad at all. We got to Amsterdam around noon.
We started out with the Canal Museum, which talked about the expansion of Amsterdam and the construction of the city how it is today. It was really interesting to hear and read about. The garden behind the house was also gorgeous. We then checked into the hotel and waited for Tina to arrive.
We went to dinner the first night once Tina got in and walked around the flower market before getting to a nice Indonesian place. It was really tasty and I enjoyed the variety of food. They had a plate with all sorts of dishes. We walked into the main park near where we were staying, but didn’t get very far.
The next day we grabbed breakfast at a cute little coffee shop before heading into the city a bit. We made our way to the Centraal Station and hopped a bus to a small town with lots of windmills, Zaanse Schans. It was an adorable area, and some of the windmills are setup to still run. We saw the sawmill moving, and got a demonstration of the mechanisms. We also go to tour the dye mill, and oil mill.
The town was adorable, and we toured through the cheese maker, the clog maker, the carpenter, and the weaver house. The whole town was adorable, and the weather was perfect.
We got a crowded bus back to Amsterdam, which took a long time due to traffic. We headed back and grabbed some frites. Steph and I had an amusing evening making AI music about Archer and Lana.
The next day we went to the Rijksmuseum. We grabbed breakfast at the cafe there, then wandered the museum. It is pretty big, but something that only takes one day. We made it through all the exhibits we cared about by the mid afternoon, and then headed back to the hotel for a rest. Tina wandered separately from Steph and I, but her interest was still captured by the same pieces. The monk meditating with an engine, the teapot split in two, the library, the angry swan, and the model ships.
We had a late lunch at the Carousel, a themed restaurant that had pancakes and waffles, which were delicious. We all had a bit of a food coma after that and relaxed at the hotel for a bit. Dinner was at an Algerian spot Stpeh noticed while we were walking around and it was interesting and tasty food.
Monday morning we had coffee with Tina and then said our goodbyes. Steph and I headed to the royal palace, which originally was the Amsterdam town hall. It is a gorgeous building, and it is a shame it isn’t a public building anymore.
Our train was delayed so the trip back to London didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped. We caught the later train back to London.
London Weekly 82, 83
I got back from California to some happy kitties. Steph was still diving in Budapest so I had the house to myself for a few days. I got so many good kitty cuddles. I took a lot of time for self care and got a few new terrariums.
Steph and I did a round at Castle Climb of the V1-2 loop. I still ended up with one route I couldn’t get through. After that we met up with Nancy and Punit with Atlas at one of the markets in the area. We got some amazing Proper Tacos, and then walked around for a bit.
I wanted another chill week after the craziness in California, so I didn’t end up doing much the second week either. Steph and I got some amazing seats for SIX on Tuesday. I went to choir rehearsal, but most of the people I know weren’t there this week.
The weather was amazing, and I had dinner by the canal a few times. There is a bench that is across the canal from Reagents Wharf that I’ve taken to. It is perfect for watching the baby coots and ducklings.
What would have been London weeks 79, 80, 81
I had an almost three week work trip to the SF Bay Area in CA, and it was interesting to say the least. I had four major things for work over those three weeks, and they thankfully went smoothly enough that I could handle it. However, it barely went smoothly enough.
I still had some time to have fun with people in California.
I got in Monday, and got to the hotel, taking it easy the first night. Tuesday we met at Shoreline Lake. I took the shuttle to a Safeway in Mountain View, then walked along one of the trains that led to the lake. I didn’t even realize that there was a concert until Michelle showed up on her bike and told me Michael was stuck in the traffic. Michael and Adam got in a little after that and we had a nice picnic by the lake.
Wednesday was games. I was giving demos late, so I grabbed to-go at Speedy’s and headed to George’s. We played some Mars, and remembered that I no longer want to play mutual solitaire games. Mars is great, but I’d like more interaction with the other people.
Thursday I went to dinner with Paul and Yutong at Crouching Tiger. We got so much magic chili, both tofu and prawn. It was delicious. Yutong also loved the London mug, and she passed over the gifts for Steph.
Friday I joined for Frosthaven, watching as they had one of the boss fights that was especially tough. They did a good job of exploiting the rules, but in a different way from how Steph and I did it. I worked on an AI song, getting the lyrics just right. It is another prototyper sea shanty, but Suno.ai has seriously improved their model.
Saturday I did laundry and walked around the Burlingame neighborhood near the airport hotels. It was nice, and I was able to get things from the pharmacy. I also picked up Steph’s computer from her parents.
On Sunday Michael and Michelle were hosting book club then a sushi making day. They had so much delicious sushi prepared. I epically failed on the first one and had my first sushi taco of the trip. After that we went to Palo Alto to see Tina perform. Lee was also there and it was good to see their dancing. It was fun to watch. I then walked into Palo Alto to try to buy a Vision Pro, which didn’t work out, then had dinner with Xiaomeng. We went way over the top in ordering, and I had my first overage of the trip on food expenses.
Monday was one of my chill days at work. But by chill I mean I didn’t have lots of meetings and demos to give. I still got a lot done. I also decided to make a game that evening, one that I’ve been thinking of for a while. It was a simple game where you start with four simple elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Rock. You then have to combine them to get to some crazy final goal. I started with the goal being a spaceship. I set it up to have AI give the results and give images for the results. It worked really well and took me a little less than 2 hours to make and beat.
Tuesday was more demos, then Pickleball. I really enjoyed playing with Paul, Michael, and Michelle. We played in a little park near the office that I hadn’t been to before. After that we went to dinner in Redwood City at Broadway Masala. It was just as good as I remember.
Wednesday was the big demo summit and I showed some of my work there. Then I met up with some of the team from Zurich for dinner before joining people at George’s for games. We played a more party game, but it involved no talking. I still enjoyed it a lot more as it was lots of interaction. We did really well, only losing once.
Thursday was the team meeting for design, then dinners. We went to downtown Palo Alto to drink afterwards.
Friday I took Mate and David S from work to Devil’s Canyon for beer and food trucks. We then walked my old neighborhood.
Saturday was more laundry, then heading to Paul and Yutong’s place in Sunnyvale to make Zhong Zhi, a sticky rice dumpling wrapped in leaves and boiled. It was so messy, but a lot of fun to make and eat. We were all sooo full by the end of it. I took some back to the hotel and ate it, but without a plate or utensils it looked like a murder scene afterwards.
Sunday I played FrostHaven with the group. It was fun. I got caught in a really bad situation when an unlikely event of the laser turrets firing really early happened. I then got slaughtered in a corner. The rest of them made it to the end and won. My sacrifice was not in vain.
Tuesday I met up with Steph’s parents and Jeff, Patty, and Elizabeth. They were great to see, and seemed to be doing really well. It was interesting to hear what Jeff and Patty have been doing since they’ve decided to not work for a while. We went to Pacific Catch and I had my second round of sushi tacos, but this time they were meant to be sushi tacos.
Wednesday was more dinner and games. We went to the vegan place, Merit, and then played Codenames. Nicole came by, and played for the first time. I really enjoyed the evening, and it solidified that I’m probably done with the mutual solitaire style games.
Thursday was just the flight back. It was mostly uneventful. Someone else from the London office sat next to me, and we chatted a bit.
London Weekly 78
I took it really easy this week, both for making sure my back got better, and for having a slow week before heading to California for three weeks.
I had breakfast with Royi this week, and it was good to see him after many years. It sounded like neither of us had been great in keeping in touch with fraternity brothers. He’d moved back to Atlanta, but I guess not really reconnected.
We also watched a ton of taskmaster. We went through the seasons that had Mel, Sue, and Noel, since we are familiar with them from The Great British Baking Show.
Steph and I had a dinner at Rosa’s Thai restaurant on Wednesday, and I left work a little early so we could. Otherwise Wednesday was the typical choir and dive club. In choir we did The Colors of the Wind, which was really nice. The baritones had lots of melody, and the harmony parts weren’t hard for us. I regret that my work trips will make it so I can’t perform this term.
Thursday was a day I’d been looking forward to for a long time, we got to see Spirited Away the live action show. It was really well done, but the puppets weren’t quite as impressive as the massive Totoro and Cat Bus. It followed along with the movie pretty much exactly shot by shot. Friday we watched the movie to compare.
Saturday we went on a hike from Uxbridge to Rickmansworth. The hike was along the Grand Canal, and was so nice. The baby waterfowl were adorable, and I always love seeing the variety of house boats along the canals. We stopped for lunch at an adorable pub inn, Coy Carp Harefield, and it was delicious. We played through a round of Frosthaven that evening.
Sunday was about relaxing and chores before leaving for California.
London Weekly 77
i got back from California Friday afternoon. I slept amazingly well on the flight. Steph and I made it to the dive club social, which was a great time. They hung fish from the ceiling on streamers, and had a great spread.
Saturday evening I went to meet some people from choir and had a great time watching Eurovision with them. I really enjoyed the show and the people. The acts were all interesting and different.
Work was crazy this week, with projects changing in priority and timelines shifting. I got what I needed to done, but not nearly as much as I wanted to.
I also hurt my back on Monday at Power Pump. I had weighted the bar for squats and tried to picked it up too quickly and badly; entirely my fault.
I cuddled the kitties a lot and that helped. Monday and Tuesday were all about relaxing with some Frosthaven, then I made it to choir and dive club on Wednesday.
I took Thursday off. Steph and I rode the Metropolitan Line to the end at Uxbridge. Then we made it to Pinewood Studios to see Taskmaster. They were filming series 18 and it was hilarious to watch in person.
Friday we headed to Portland for a dive trip. I backed out of the diving because of my back injury, but went to Portland anyway. It was a long trip to not do anything. The weather was not nice enough to go around the island and the dive crew was out diving then came back exhausted. The dinner together was nice.
The trip back also took quite a long time. We left around 2pm and got home around 9:45pm. I had a nice call with Kim that evening as well.
What would be London Week 76
Tuesday morning I jumped on the Piccadilly to the airport and took the 10 hour flight to California. I got in a little later than planned and decided to take public transit. The difference between public transit in the US and UK was stark as it took me 1.5 hours to make it to the hotel, with most of that time waiting between BART and CalTrain.
I got cleaned up and headed out to Mountain View to meet up with Michael, Michelle, George, Yutong, and Paul. We ate at Oren’s Hummus and had a great conversation. I was feeling the jetlag pretty badly by that point, and hopped the train back to the hotel. I specifically got a hotel close to CalTrain for that purpose, but it is probably not worth it. I’ll stay close to work next time and take the shuttles to wherever I want to be after work.
Wednesday I was able to get all the work done that I needed to, and then I took the shuttle to Sunnyvale. The shuttle system is amazingly fast and nice. Because it uses the carpool lane it was way faster than if I had driven on my own.
I met everyone at Speedy’s and had some of the nice bay area Mexican food, which is one of the only cuisines that London really doesn’t have. Then we headed back to George’s and just talked for the evening. Yutong showed off her new skills at making tshirts, and they were really nice shirts. She also baked some banana and peanut butter muffins, which were delicious. I was fading hard, and I got a ride back from Michael and Michelle.
Thursday was productive, but I didn’t meet up with many other coworkers before heading to the airport. I was able to sleep better on that flight than I ever had before on a flight. I got a solid 8 hours of sleep, and got back to some cuddly kitties!
London Weekly 75
I got back from NYC really late on Friday. Saturday was really chill, with Steph and I going to Yonder to do some climbing, then playing Frosthaven most of the rest of the day.
Sunday was a lovely day, where we went to the Albion for lunch, then had a fancy dinner reservation at the Gingerline. The Albion is an old pub in Islington that has an amazing wisteria vine on the front and another on a trellis in the back. The day we went it was raining and got really cold at the end of lunch. I still really enjoyed it, and they had a lovely set of classic Sunday roasts.
Gingerline was a cute venue that looks really unassuming from the outside. It is an interesting dinner and a show location. Their current performance is called the Grand Expedition. The show was ok, with it being a series of small dances mixed with some surround videos on the walls. They got the feeling of taking off in a hot air balloon done pretty well with the surround video display. They also did a really good job on the decorations. The food was good, and tasty, but nothing exceptional. I also wanted more of a specific set of singularly impressive acts, but it was more low level and somewhat interactive the whole time. I think my expectations were just off from what the show was.
I was glad I didn’t have to go to Menlo Park this week, but there was a lot of work to do still. Monday, I went to meet with Osman, a friend of Irene’s. He works with startups as part of the London Business School, and we had a great discussion on how big corporate and startup life differ. I look forward to talking to him again. I made it to choir on Monday evening, and I feel bad that I’m not going to be able to go to many this month, due to all the US trips for work.
Wednesday after work we went for drinks. David and I walked down the canal to The Constitution, which had just opened up. It was directly on the canal, but had 3 levels, and we took a table on the top. Nathalie joined us later, as did Grace and Carla. It was great to relax with people at the bar, as it has been a rough few weeks.
Thursday and Friday we relaxed at home and hung out in the nice weather. We spotted a fox while on the astroturf stairs in King’s Cross, which is right in the middle of everything. It amazes me the amount of wildlife in the city with the canals and parks all over.
Saturday, while Steph was diving, I went to Castle Climb and did the V1-2 circuit in the top section. There was one that I just couldn’t grip the holds towards the end. Then I walked home and got pictures of so many great flowers, especially lots of wisteria. I ran across another fox, which was healthy and cute.
That night I joined Craig, David, DC, and Segio for dinner and Overtures. They did a few good Disney, but then did a lot of famous musicals, but not the famous numbers from those musicals.
Sunday we spent mostly with Punit and Nancy. Steph made an amazing pie. She got the recipe from one of the Star Trek actors. I helped Punit put together their new canopy on their roof patio. Then we watched the final two episodes of Siren Island, one of the Korean physical challenge shows. I really enjoyed this one as it had some real strategy. The people who had strategies also were the ones who ended up winning most of the time.
When we tried to head home the Victoria line wasn’t running, so we had to head back and take the book club call from Nancy and Punit’s place. It was a great discussion, but the book was really hard to get through.
Monday was chill, Steph and I went to power pump, then had lunch at Canopy Market. We chilled until the evening when we went to Cabaret. We got there only a little before showtime, and saw Carla and Grace right before the show. I really enjoyed it and it was some of the best acting I’ve seen.
What would be week 74.
I left early Monday for a work trip to NYC to meet up with my new team. I got in Monday afternoon and met up with David for some tacos and drinks. Then we met up with Hannah and got some amazing banana pudding. The three of us went for a lovely walk along the highline, but it was strange how close people’s places are to the walkway. I suppose it is better than if it had remained a train line.
Tuesday the London crew was up early, and I went for a run in Central Park with a few. It was amazing, and so much was blooming. That evening we had dinner with our new teams, but I crashed really early.
Wednesday was pretty relaxed, and we took the afternoon to play a game of 1000 boxes. It was a team building series of minigames. Our team ended up winning the mystery prize of a pineapple. It was fun. Eugenia was the MVP. We went for drinks at a crazy maximalist bar called Oscar Wilde. Getting to chat with everyone was amazing, and I really enjoyed the time there. Ata, his wife, and I went to see Jenna perform some Improv in Brooklyn. I got a suggestion from Jeimy to give and they accepted it: Antarctica. Jenna had the best skit of the night, and it was amazing.
Thursday was more intense, and I was able to sneak my way into the role I wanted. We had a prototypers dinner and then we split up to get some sleep before flying out the next day.
I met Hannah at her hotel at 5am, and we made it back, eventually.
It's an Exciting World 