Happy December

Okay, so I went the whole month of November without writing in this thing. I know I promised to write in it more often, but it was a crazy busy month! Anyways, things are going well here. I'm wrapping up my training and will head for home on the 19th. I start my full time role in Ann Arbor on January 4th so I'll work a little from home over the holiday break and then move to Michigan! I can't wait to be back in the Midwest, although I have to admit it is not the most ideal time of year to move....

One slight hitch in my plan is that we can't actually move into our apartment until January 7th...so I will be a staying with a few of my favorite Googlers for a couple of days. See, I told you guys, everyone is super nice here!

Today was really cool at the office because we got to see Ben Affleck do a little "fireside chat" with the VP of google.org and talk about his humanitarian work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was really eye opening and I was glad to have been there. Plus, now I can say I've really seen a celebrity! Haha, and I also have to love him because he's married to Sydney Bristow (aka Jennifer Garner, not the other way around)....!

Anyways, exciting news about my placement. I'm on the Acquisitions/Inside Sales Operations team in Ann Arbor and I'm so pumped! At first I was a little nervous about my placement because I feel so intimidated by this role, but the more I hear about the position and the team the more enthusiastic I'm feeling! I think a lot of us felt we were going to do reactive support first and then be transitioned into roles in dedicated client services and ISO, but I think we are really lucky to have been placed on those teams right away! Although the pressure is on!! My team is a relatively small one, but there's going to be a lot of growth this year and in the future so I'm really looking forward to seeing how things pan out. I couldn't be a luckier girl. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I've been given! I have the best friends and family (and dogs) a girl could ask for, and I'd have to say that life doesn't get much better than this. Additionally, I can't believe what a tremendous experience I've been given in the past 4 months. Google is really an amazing and magical place. It truly has been one of the greatest learning experiences in my life and I will remember my time here in California forever.

For everyone back home and in MN, I miss you guys and CAN'T WAIT to see you!! Without you guys I could have never made it through all these tremendous changes in my life. I'm counting down the days until I get to see you guys!

And as a side note...WAY TO GO PACKERS!!! One step closer to securing a wild card spot and one step closer to WINNING THE SUPERBOWL!! And also, for anyone who watched the Carrie Underwood holiday special...she's AMAZING and I'm obsessed.

Song of the Day: "Songs Like This"-Carrie Underwood

Heyhey!

So I apologize for never writing in this thing (like I promised I would) but things get a little crazy here! I'm always always busy and there are never enough hours in the day. Work is still really busy although I think this week my project will start winding down and I can actually start working a normal work week.

Today we had the Secretary of Energy, Stephen Chu stop by the 'Plex for a little chat with the Googlers. I still can't believe how many cool people come here and how awesome it is! I also can't believe there have been multiple times where I have been within arm's length of Larry and Sergey! Someone please pinch me!

This weekend was way more relaxed than the past two (Napa and Yosemite), but I got to see an awesome concert in Mountain View. It was Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit Concert and we saw....Fleet Foxes, Wolfmother, Monsters of Folk, Gavin Rossdale, Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Buffett, Chris Martin from Coldplay, and No Doubt...ALL UNPLUGGED. It was LEGIT!

This weekend Mom and Aunt Kay are coming to visit....Yay!!! I'm excited to finally have visitors! Plus, it's Halloween! On Friday Google is having their annual Googleween festivities, I can't wait to see what it's like! Also, to shout out...HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!!! (She turned 27 today!!!)

Below is a video I took from the concert (can you believe how amazing Gwen Stefani is?!):

Song of the Day: I'm Just a Girl-No Doubt

Plus on Youtube I just found a video of Chris Martin and his awesome piano version of Yellow that he played!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POQA-CaT8fw

Okay, now I'm done. I swear!

More pictures!

So here's some links from Napa and Yosemite!

I'm having a great time here in Cali! Busy busy busy though! Miss you all!

Napa pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/LENevens/Napa?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD-jruT5LrImwE#

Yosemite pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/LENevens/Yosemite?authkey=Gv1sRgCMm0hoioudfqJA#

Song of the Day: You Are the Best Thing-Ray LaMontagne

Pictures!

So here are a few pictures from my adventures in CA so far! How is everyone doing back home!? Feel free to comment, I want to know what you're all up to! Anyways, Google is still great, busy as ever and I'm having a blast. We had to wear the crazy Noogler hats to TGIF our first week at Google. Pretty funny! Anyways, the other pictures are from San Francisco as well as hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains. Plans for this weekend are to go to Napa/Sonoma and then the next weekend we're going to YOSEMITE! So excited!

Go Packers!

Tonight was probably the hardest football game I ever had to watch. It's really sad to see a purple #4 jersey. Brett Favre would have hurt me less if he would have just stabbed me in the heart! While I'm not okay with Vikings fans, it's even worse for me to see a Packers fan attempt to defend Brett Favre. He totally slapped the state of WI in the face by purposely going to the Vikings, our arch enemies!

Enough of my ranting though.

What a great game for Aaron Rodgers though. I hope this loss isn't too hard on him because he really played well. He has had so much pressure on his shoulders, and I deeply respect him. If we had a halfway decent offensive line he could DOMINATE. He played so well under pressure with the pocket collapsing almost instantaneously after every play. 384 yards? Way to go Rodgers! Also, props for the defense on locking down AP! And forcing the turnover!

It's a sad day in Wisconsin, but we'll get over it, move on, and whoop the Vikings come the Lambeau showdown. I anticipate the Vikings will lose every single game from here on out. :)

Busy Bee!

I apologize for my blogging hiatus, but things have been busy over here! Work is going really well, but I'm definitely putting a ton of hours in! I'm working hard, but we also have a ton of fun too! This week we had a cube decorating contest, which was really fun; our group decided on a Mardi Gras theme. I also bought a (Chinese Fighting) fish for my cube and I named him Dexter (I've been watching that show a lot lately).

I mean to post pictures, but my computer is very old and slow so it's hard to upload anything on my computer and takes a really long time. I promise I will soon though!

My sister came to visit this weekend, which was awesome! We went to see the Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley concert in Mountain view, and it was amazing! We also spent all day Saturday in San Francisco, where we took a trip up and down Lombard Street, went to Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, and Union Square. It was such a great weekend, it couldn't have been any better!

Hope all is well back there, I miss you all!

Song of the Day: 'Welcome to the Future'-Brad Paisley

Sweet Sunday

Had another great day today! Mountain View has a HUGE farmer's market on Sunday mornings so a bunch of us went to pick up some great produce early this morning! It was amazing! We also decided to do a potluck this evening with a Mexican theme and watch the GREEN BAY PACKERS whoop Da Bears in a very exciting Sunday night football game! My clutch player (Greg Jennings) came through just like I knew he would. I have been a Jennings fan since the beginning when he was first drafted! His catch tonight was reminiscent of the Broncos overtime play two short years ago (remember that one, Jome?). Ah, the memories of when I loved #4. The unfortunate thing was that the Vikings won, but I'm guessing they will lose every other game the rest of the season (I'm not biased at all as you can tell, haha). It should be a pretty busy week this week, but I'll keep you all posted!

Song of the Day: 'Ocean Avenue'-Yellowcard

Wow, what a week!

So I know everyone's curious about what Google is actually like...so here's my spin on things (so far). Google really is an awesome company. Most say that the "perks" we get are awesome, but I think the best part so far is the people. It's a great culture where there are so, so many smart people with diverse backgrounds. We also are working on really cool projects throughout the organization that will have meaningful impact! And yes, the food and microkitchens are amazing too. Google just makes sure that we have all the resources we need to get our jobs done effectively and efficiently.

A few exciting things from the week:

-I found out my project for my time here in California. All I can say is that I am in PeopleOps (what every other organization calls HR) working on a really cool project that I am very excited about. I will also be doing some training for my role once I move to Michigan (yes! I AM going to Ann Arbor). Once I'm in Michigan I will be in OSO (Online Sales & Operations).

-There are a bunch of us living in corporate housing and Google gave us bikes to use for 4 months (a picture will be posted eventually). We have created the Park Place Panthers Peloton, and it is really fun to watch like 10 of us biking to and from work every day in matching bikes and helmets. The office is about 3 miles away and our motto is "we ride together, we die together." Mark Rathbun would love it here! Additionally, once on the Google campus, we do have little bikes that we ride around from building to building too!

-I sat approximately 15 feet away from Larry, Sergey, and Eric at TGIF on Friday. I almost passed out! How cool is that?!

-Alcohol (in moderation, of course) is allowed at the workplace for special events. Seriously? Yes. Seriously.

-We compost at Google just like we did at GRE. Yay for the environment!

Those are just a few cool things from my first week at the Googleplex, but I'm sure there will be more to come later! I miss everyone...friends, family, and co-workers from GRE! I am thinking of you guys all the time, and I miss you so much!

Song of the Day: 'Swing Life Away'-Rise Against

Awesomeness

Google is awesome. People are amazing. Food is delicious. More later this weekend, I promise!

Epic Fail

So I promised Jordan that I would post pictures of Jome and I golfing, and I don't like to break promises so here they are! For my second time out I think I did okay and so did Jome! I even had a drive where I hit the ball straight on the green, woo hoo! But overall, as noted in the title of this post, we stunk.

To me, Golf is a partially fun sport. The carts are fun to ride around in and driving the ball is super fun! However, it is using the irons and putting that makes golf a buzzkill. Ugh! I suppose I'll just have to keep working at it until I like all of it because

as my mom tells me, "golf is a lifetime sport." I always listen to her (right Mom?). Haha.

In other news, California Day 2 is going well. I met three of my future co-workers already and they are really nice! Tonight some of us will be going to one of their apartments to hang out and get to know one another. It'll be nice to meet some people! I get to meet my roommate tomorrow and I'm very excited for that too. Missing everyone back home!

Song of the Day: 'The Sound of San Francisco'-Global Deejays

I Made It!

I have officially arrived in Mountain View! It's beautiful here and I am really looking forward to exploring the area. I'm exhausted and a little lonely so I'll keep this post short and sweet. My apartment is great, and I promise I'll be posting pictures and more details soon! I walked through downtown Mountain View today and it's really nice, a lot of restaurant options and it seems to have a really neat culture. However, I MISS EVERYONE BACK HOME! :( Wishing you were here....

Song of the Day: 'Califonia'-Phantom Planet

Embarrassing Kate and Jack

Apparently they make Snuggies™ for dogs. This is very exciting and provides an excellent holiday photo opportunity. Kate is the creative genius behind these shenanigans.

Heading: HAVE A VERY SNUGGIE CHRISTMAS!!!

How classy would that be?

Song of the Day: 'Comptine d'un autre ete'-Yann Tiersen (soundtrack from Amelie)

Adios, Minnesota!

I am officially moved out of my house in Dinkytown (a nearly impossible feat) and am about to go back to good ole 'Sconny. My car (Ford Focus) can actually hold a lot of stuff in it; it's pretty impressive since it's a small car. Moving is just no fun though, no matter what way you slice it. I suppose there's a level of excitement in moving to a new place...except when you're moving your stuff back home and mom is not pleased that her garage and basement are overflowing with your useless junk. That would be my current situation. And to add to that (thank you, Jordan) as bad as packing is, unpacking is probably even more excruciating because you actually have to find a place for all that stuff. And if you're like me, you tend to save everything. Example: Is it really necessary to save all of my college notebooks/tests/assignments from all of my classes for the past 4 years? Probably not, but I operate under the theory that someday I'm going to 'need' that stuff even though realistically that likelihood is very slim. Laura Nevens=Packrat Extraordinaire.

Thanks for the memories everyone, I had a blast these past four years! T-minus 4 days until CA. That's pretty scary given the amount of stuff I need to get done! Last night I had a fantastic 'Last Supper' with Kate and Jack at the Cheesecake Factory. Yeah, I know you're jealous. Num num! Anyways, I don't have much exciting news to share, but I promise to let you know ASAP when I get to CA and can shore more interesting stories/pictures/etc.

As hard as it was to say goodbye to GRE, it sure is nice having the week off! I do miss all my GREers though!

Song of the Day: 'So Long'-Guster

Closing Time

I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that tomorrow is my last day at Great River Energy after a year with the company. I have had the most amazing experience, and can't even begin to say how thankful I am to all the wonderful people who have helped me along the way. GRE feels like home to me, and it's very hard to leave.

I find it quasi obnoxious that often times people fake how wonderful their relationships with other people are. However, I truly felt a part of the GRE family, and can't praise you all enough for being so great to me. I know you didn't have to be nice or helpful to me at all; I honestly would have expected that. What surprised me was that you guys were so friendly, open, and willing to share your knowledge and advice with me. I appreciate all the times that you answered my questions, lent a helping hand, or just stopped by my cube to shoot the breeze.

I know this all sounds a little mushy/corny and I don't intend it to, but the right words to describe the way you have impacted my life elude me.

Jennifer Chaput- I worship the ground you walk on (I hope you know that). You have been the best boss, mentor, and friend a person like me could ever ask for. I have learned so much from you and will forever be in your debt. No one will ever compare; you set the bar way too high for all my future bosses! Who rocks? Jen. Jen is a rockstar.

Gary Connett- You inspire me. If I am only 5% as passionate as you are about my job down the road I will consider myself very fortunate. I would have to say that you in particular have influenced my obsession with the electric utility industry. You have always treated me as an equal and while I never deserved it, it felt really good.

To everyone else- You guys (and gals) are the best. I'm glad I got to know each and every one of you. You have taught me more than I could have ever imagined and I can't believe how NICE you all are! From renewables to data centers to economic development (and much much more)...I can't believe the amount of invaluable knowledge you have provided me. If I have worked with you or for you, I appreciate all the opportunities and hope that I didn't let you down. If you were a tour volunteer...you have saved me too many times to count and I think you're fantastic! I hope that you all keep in touch, I definitely want to hear from you still!

"May the saddest day in your future be no worse than the happiest day in your past."

Song of the day: 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)'-Green Day

Comments

Just a note that as long as you have a Google Account (i.e. Gmail) you can post comments as well as follow my blog...no need to become a member of Blogger!

Song of the Day: 'Runaway'-Love and Theft

Welcome

So I never thought I would become a blogger, but I've decided that this is probably the best way for me to keep in touch with everyone. For those of you who are closer to me, you probably aren't surprised that my blog is titled "Hard to Concentrate," after one of my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. I also felt this was an appropriate title given the theme of my blog, which will be a smattering of random posts about all sorts of things! I would like to further comment that I intend to keep this blog and its comments at a PG-Rated level...I will be moderating you!

Additionally, I want to share all my experiences with you as much as I can, but please understand that there may be certain things that I cannot go into much detail (if any) about for privacy and security reasons (i.e. specifics about my job/projects at Google). I want to be as far away from that gray line as possible, so my policy will be to share only things that I know (without a doubt) I am allowed to.

I hope to keep this updated on a regular basis and hope that you find some of my posts at least mildly entertaining! I hope you all choose to follow/comment on this, otherwise this will probably end up being like one of those 80 diaries that I tried to start when I was a kid and wrote 3 entries and gave up....Cheers!

Song of the Day: 'Hard to Concentrate'-Red Hot Chili Peppers