I’m having a great time at the Google Summer of Code 2009 mentor summit. The people are cool. The un-conference talks are fantastic: community building, mentoring, project hosting, etc. But this post isn’t about all that, this is about the Googleplex itself. Notables:
- “microkitchens”: snacks, coffee, drinks, and a vending machine with prices based on nutritional value (corn nuts: 15 cents, candy bar 4 dollars)
- volleyball, pool, massage chair, books, games
- Toto washlet toilets
- “refer a friend” promos every 20 feet
- coding case studies in the toilet stalls
Boston up: Bukowski’s
Boston down: other drivers
Maine up: Lobster, walk-in beer fridge at roadside Texaco
Maine down: bride/groom unable to get room at hotel with wedding guests
NYC up: Chapelle at the Comedy Cellar, the food, the people
NYC down: rotten milk smell on street corners (but the rain washed it away)
Pics from the trip on Eva’s flickr.
Traffic sucks. One glimmer of hope: the WSDOT is using all the latest Web 2.0 technology to help keep us informed.
Go WSDOT! You must have some pretty smart cookies on the payroll.
Yesterday we returned from our adoption trip to Ethiopia. We met many kind and interesting people and learned a ton about how adoption works there. I already miss my new niece and nephew!
Eva also blogged about this trip, and put our photos up on Flickr.
The country itself was of course amazing; unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
Now it’s on to OSCON, just for today. I’m pretty stoked to dig into some advanced Vim scripting techniques as well as Haskell. If you’re here, drop me a line.
I married into the coolest family. During our stay we’ve had a great time hanging with the kids, elders, and friends. As far as touristy stuff, we checked out the History museum, Lake Harriet, the Gibbs Museum, and the new Central Library in downtown Minneapolis. Not to mention fireworks, food, toothbrush rugs and no tagbacks.
Thank you, Pierces!
Eva and I returned to Tamarindo after an amazing week on the Nicoya Peninsula. Excellent waves, waterfalls, beaches, food.
One more week of school and our monthlong honeymoon will come to an end. What a fantastic trip it’s been! Of course, it’s not over yet; we’re looking forward to more Spanish classes, and of course surfing, swimming, beach volleyball, jungle tours, etc. It will definitely be tough to leave.
Quick wedding photo update: just received some pics from Mark Aiken. Check ‘em out. Thanks, Mark!
Hey Mark, you might want to look out for this impostor.
http://www.blewdogs.com/
Nosara turned out to be hitting, hard. Dozens of peaks to choose from… a two mile beachfront with about ten people surfing at any moment.
Eva and I are currently travelling with a friendly couple of surfers from England. We’re sharing a nice double cabina with them at a bar/hotel called Blew Dogs Surf Camp.
xxxooo
-Adam
http://evapierce.com/blog
Every day the father of our host family spouts the pleasant cliché “Pura vida”, and this usually summarizes what we’re all thinking.
Travelling, Spanish school and surfing are going very well! We’ve seen an erupting volcano, sloths, monkeys, tarantulas, scorpions, poisonous snakes and frogs, iguanas and chickens. More details on Eva’s blog.
Last night Eva and I made a pizza dinner for our host family. The father, Oldemar, had never before eaten pizza, and was quite pleased with the result.
If you’re reading this and get the chance, please post a comment or email me an update! It’s great to hear news from friends and family back home.