Well, everything's pretty much all wrapped up here at work. Ticket queue is empty, emails sent, laptop/workstation/desk cleaned out. I decided walk around and said goodbye to old friends and old places.

I visited the first cube I had, in building 42, down the hall from where Larry & Sergey had their offices. They called those offices "The Fishbowls", since they were normal offices, with actual doors and such, but glass walls. Everyone knew where they were: "You up in The Fishbowls?" "Yeah, second one" was the answer, and then he'd be able to come right on over. They used to parade large groups of bewildered Asian businessmen past us a lot in the early days. I always felt like I was in some sort of weird geek zoo. You'd be hacking away and look up to see like 24 guys in the same dark suit staring at you with the same "curiously amazed" look on their faces. I could sort of hear their thoughts as they gazed upon the specimens on display: "You see, Hiroshi? He's making the Internet!" I always felt like one of those animatronic dudes in the control room in the intro of the Mission to Mars ride at Disneyland.

I went out to the open tech talk room in 42 and sat in the ball pit one last time. I noticed that the weird Japanese massage chair without English instructions was there again, so I had a little massage (it was always a new experience with that chair, trying to remember what button combo did what). I had a love/hate relationship with that tech talk area. You'd walk by and see some amazing people talking. I saw NASA scientists, famous authors, the guy who invented the phrase "virtual reality", the dude who wrote Sim City, and a lot more. But it was also kind of loud, since The Fishbowls were right around the corner. It could get really crowded as well, making it hard to get to the office. I'd have to go around the back way, by the bathrooms.

I went over to the balcony I spent a lot of time at, back when Tracy was in San Diego and I was up here. That was a long and stressful first three months. I spent more than a couple hours on that balcony, either on the cell phone or reading over whatever latest fax I had from the realtor or the relocation company. It was always windy there, but it was the best place to talk on the phone without being overheard. It annoyed the two smokers in my building when I was out there and they were forced to go to the balcony in building 41. They would glare at me from across the way.

Moving on to building 41, I noticed the smell of the breezeways. There's a odd smell that comes out of B41. It smells like a new airport, or a hotel lobby. I think it's carpet and cleaning product. But due to some overpressure situation in B41, the two breezeways which connect to it have a fairly strong, airport-scented breeze in them. I always liked that smell and I don't know why.

I stopped by the very first meeting room we went to on our very first day. All of us where there, fresh off the plane from San Diego, all happy and excited about being "on the inside". They had backpacks on the tables, with your choice of a thinkpad or mac. Lots of other goodies were in there as well, like Google pens and little magnetic puzzles. That was a crazy morning. As oddly hectic and tenuous as things were the couple months before we got up here, I think mostly we were just happy to have it all over with. I sat down in the same chair and all that came back to me. Second row from the front, just left of the center aisle. I remembered that my little crypto card wasn't working so I couldn't get on the wireless network. But I got online, and sent an email with my brand new google.com address.

It was nice to go back and see people and places I hadn't really taken much notice of lately. Part of me is really happy to leave, but another part is kinda sad. It feels like leaving high school: you really want to see college and a new city, but you had a good time over the past few years moving between the awkward->getting to know your way->old timer stages of life there.

I've got 21 minutes until my exit interview, and not much to do until then. So I think I'll go walk around a little, steal a pen or grab a free snack or something. From now on, I'll have to content myself with the Google home game.

It was a very good run, and I'd do it again, but I'm glad to be moving on.