Google tour and Google food!


Just got home...thanks so much to Walter for picking us up at the airport! I have a ton of e-mail and work to catch up on, but wanted to thank the Bohnhoff family and Andrew & Jenny for hosting us after the convention. Jeff and I felt incredibly spoiled, and it was also wonderful to be able to spend some time with friends we don't get to see all that often. More pics and details in an upcoming Blathering.

Above: Jenny and Andrew, who were married last September!

Speaking of Apple, we visited the company store with Jeff Bohnhoff, and I bought Logic Express 7 as well as a tutorial book on the software (Logic is one of JeffB's projects at Apple):

And while we're on the theme of technonerdboy friends, our pal William was kind enough to give us a tour of Google:

Jeff and I were both blown away. No interior photos allowed, sadly. This looks like a fun place to work, and I'm not just saying that because of the beach volleyball court, lap pools, massage rooms, tubs of coloured bounce-balls, whiteboards with plans for world domination, lava lamps, full-scale replica of SpaceShipOne, live projections of current search queries around the world, exercise bicycles, computerized toilets with heated seats, washers and dryers, video games (including classics like Asteroids), movies, showers with towels...

No, I'm saying this because of the FREE FOOD. :-) Holy toledo. There are apparently 11 Google cafeterias to choose from in Mountainview, and the food is all free to employees. Each employee is allowed to bring two guests per month. And the food is REALLY GOOD. I was floored by the presentation and quality of all the dishes, worthy of being served in an upscale gourmet restaurant. I had rabbit in couscous, tender lamb loin in some scrumptious sauce, grilled eel salad, other delicacies. If you're curious about what else is served at Google, check out this Google Food Photo Blog.
Hey, Google even has its own line of ice cream sandwiches:

Apparently Google worked with the ice cream sandwich company to produce a natural, locally sourced, trans-fat-free version of the treat.
Back to unpacking...
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