One day after work last week, an intern friend of mine Eugene invited me join him and his friends in downtown Bellevue. They would be waiting in a Microsoft building, he told me and provided directions. I followed the directions precisely and found myself, not at a Microsoft building, but at a massive multi-story shopping mall! Slightly confused, I called Eugene only to hear that I had found the right place and that I should take the elevator up to the 28th story of the building. Upon entering the elevator, I had to use my employee badge to gain access to the 28th floor and the pieces came together. Indeed, there are Microsoft buildings that consist of half chic shopping area and the other half has offices. The 28th floor of the Lincoln Center was nothing short of breathtaking. While the interior could be best described as one of many Microsoft cafeterias, the entire top story is surrounded in glass windows overlooking downtown Bellevue and Seattle. As the sun set over Lake Union and the hilly terrain of Seattle, we enjoyed free drinks (compliments of Microsoft) on the large patio overlooking the landscape. It was the perfect way to unwind after a long day at work.
The group of us then decided to go to grab dinner at a local sushi place – as was the case last summer, being again near the ocean means sushi places are everywhere! One the 3rd story of the Microsoft building, you will find an IMAX Movie Theater. We used our employee discounts and went to see the newest installment of the Terminator. It was a great action movie and so fun to watch with some of my engineering friends; we always enjoy watching high-tech movies, as we can instantly spot the occasional technical improbability (e.g. the main character fixed a radio by jiggling an electrolytic capacitor. Ha ha!).
In a previous blog entry, I introduced you to a woman who works in the office next to mine named Michelle. Michelle has a certified therapy dog named Rufus who accompanies her to work every day. Rufus is clearly the office entertainment, as he still acts very much like a puppy. During our department’s BBQ last week, he transferred from person to person flashing hi puppy-dog eyes in hopes of scoring a piece of chicken or some potato chips. It’s a wonder that Rufus isn’t the weight of a whale, given how much I saw him eat that day! When I was talking with Michelle on Friday, I learned something new about Rufus: he basically gets the same benefits that interns do. You can imagine my surprise upon learning that he was receiving a badge with his picture on it that would scan him into any Microsoft building on campus!! I would not be surprised to hear that he probably receives some sort of veterinary health benefit too. The other day I saw Rufus provoke one of our Vice Presidents into a game of Tug-O-War with his toys – it makes me wonder if Rufus has any idea at all that he is slobbering on the person who is redefining the next generation of computing. When I asked him this, his response was a cute blank stare, followed by “woof.”
Last night was my first official night in downtown Seattle. About 30 interns met at the Microsft Transit station and used our free bus passes (provided by Microsoft) to take a bus into the downtown International District. Before the show, we went to a Thai restaurant which serves only pho noodle soup bowls. For only $5, I got a gigantic bowl of noodles, veggies, and chicken in broth. After dinner, we took a short underground bus ride to the Seattle Symphony and saw Stravinsky’s Firebird. The guest violinist was absolutely spectacular; Leila Josefowicz received the 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (aka. Genius Award). I have never heard sounds like that come from a violin before! You can see us all before the show:
The group of us then decided to go to grab dinner at a local sushi place – as was the case last summer, being again near the ocean means sushi places are everywhere! One the 3rd story of the Microsoft building, you will find an IMAX Movie Theater. We used our employee discounts and went to see the newest installment of the Terminator. It was a great action movie and so fun to watch with some of my engineering friends; we always enjoy watching high-tech movies, as we can instantly spot the occasional technical improbability (e.g. the main character fixed a radio by jiggling an electrolytic capacitor. Ha ha!).
In a previous blog entry, I introduced you to a woman who works in the office next to mine named Michelle. Michelle has a certified therapy dog named Rufus who accompanies her to work every day. Rufus is clearly the office entertainment, as he still acts very much like a puppy. During our department’s BBQ last week, he transferred from person to person flashing hi puppy-dog eyes in hopes of scoring a piece of chicken or some potato chips. It’s a wonder that Rufus isn’t the weight of a whale, given how much I saw him eat that day! When I was talking with Michelle on Friday, I learned something new about Rufus: he basically gets the same benefits that interns do. You can imagine my surprise upon learning that he was receiving a badge with his picture on it that would scan him into any Microsoft building on campus!! I would not be surprised to hear that he probably receives some sort of veterinary health benefit too. The other day I saw Rufus provoke one of our Vice Presidents into a game of Tug-O-War with his toys – it makes me wonder if Rufus has any idea at all that he is slobbering on the person who is redefining the next generation of computing. When I asked him this, his response was a cute blank stare, followed by “woof.”
Last night was my first official night in downtown Seattle. About 30 interns met at the Microsft Transit station and used our free bus passes (provided by Microsoft) to take a bus into the downtown International District. Before the show, we went to a Thai restaurant which serves only pho noodle soup bowls. For only $5, I got a gigantic bowl of noodles, veggies, and chicken in broth. After dinner, we took a short underground bus ride to the Seattle Symphony and saw Stravinsky’s Firebird. The guest violinist was absolutely spectacular; Leila Josefowicz received the 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (aka. Genius Award). I have never heard sounds like that come from a violin before! You can see us all before the show:
This weekend, I plan to explore a number of places outside of Seattle. Today I am headed on a scenic drive with some friends, and tomorrow I drive to Forks with one of my roommates. I miss Colorado, but I also find myself loving the greenery and scenery in WA. I feel so lucky to have lived in two such beautiful cities!
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