Googling....officially.

We had the official opening of our new office in Ann Arbor this morning, and for once in my life…I am speechless.

This morning, we listened to people like Governor Jennifer Granholm and David Fisher, the Vice President of Online Sales and Operations here at Google, speak about Google coming to Ann Arbor. We watched a video highlighting where the Ann Arbor office has been and where it is now, and I then realized that nothing that I can put into words could really describe life at Google.

The new office has everything that anyone could want in a workplace, and more. The Wii, a massage room, and every snack you can imagine…

Beyond the physical perks, my co-workers are welcoming, funny and smart people that are a pleasure to be around all day. I feel like I can be my loud, outgoing, jokester self around my co-workers without feeling silly, and that makes me comfortable and happy, ultimately making it easier do my job to the best of my ability. A memorable quote from today’s presentations was that Googlers are able to take their job seriously while not taking themselves too seriously – and I love that.

When it comes down to it, I really could not be any happier with my current situation. The opportunities as an Ann Arbor Googler are seemingly endless – and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be a part of the growth of the office. It has been pleasure writing about my experiences to date, from the hiring process to the office outings. I encourage everyone that I’ve had the ability to reach through this blog to check out the current job openings in the Ann Arbor office as well as other information about Google and working as a Googler. And, as always, please feel free to email me anytime in the future at sjduchaine.blog@gmail.com with any questions or thoughts that you have.

Again, it’s been a pleasure…and thanks for reading!

Go Team!

It’s softball season ... and the Ann Arbor Googlers (or A2ooglers) have assembled a softball team set to take on other companies around the area. It’s to everyone’s benefit that I don’t play, but I’ve been known to talk loud and often, which makes me the perfect cheerleader. I stocked up on the necessities: sunflower seeds, peanut M&Ms (shocking), and bubble gum -- and I was ready for opening day at the softball diamond. Thankfully, it was a nice day; and I spent the day hoping it stayed that way.

It did stay that way, and after work I set out with one of my co-workers to cheer our team onto victory.

The umpire was a little crabby, and the other team may or may not have been considerably better than we were, but it was a great time. Cheers were tailored to the individual player ("train that ball like you train the phone team!") and the pictures are priceless. We may not have gotten the 'W,' but we're prepared to step it up next time.

It’s been easy for me to bridge the gap between my social and professional life at Google. I’ve found that it can be a bit difficult to meet new people when you enter the working world, so it’s nice that I can relate to my co-workers. It also makes it easier that we're a rapidly growing office, and there are continuous new people starting - so there is never a shortage of people to meet.

Even if, say, you're not the greatest athlete, activities around the office are fun, lighthearted, and easy to participate in while bringing whatever you want to bring to the table (i.e. my screaming-for-the-team voice instead of my cleats).

Directions to...anywhere!

This will be my first summer that Monday through Friday still constitutes a work week, and laying by the pool every day in a spoiled fashion is no longer an option.

Either way, I’ll still be trying to do some traveling – and what better companion to have than…you guessed it…Google Maps?

My favorite thing about Google products is the combination of functionality and personality. Check out these directions from New York to Dublin, provided by Google Maps. Notice anything (hint: check out number 24)?

Google Maps is now also available for your mobile device, which is great for people like me who need a little bit of extra help with driving directions. I’m getting better, but sometimes it’s still a little pathetic.

Potato Bug Confusion

As the weather is (gradually) getting nicer (knock on wood), I've made the decision to try to get in shape. Our fabulous HR specialist has put together something that we're calling the 'Fitness Challenge,' which is striving to motivate our office to start exercising and eating healthy. The office is wearing pedometers to help measure which of our teams is getting up and out the most.

I have to admit, I've really been slacking. So, because the gym is not really my thing, and because my team is probably starting to get a little bit irritated, I've decided to try and play more tennis. The eating healthy thing? I'm still working on it.

So far, I'm not so bad when the rules are as follows:

*2 bounces are acceptable
*Anything that would be 'in' when playing doubles counts
*Real serves are unnecessary

I bet my parents, both of whom are amazing at tennis, would be really proud of me.

On a completely different note, I just found out that the type of bug that I have called a 'potato bug' my entire life is actually something completely different than an actual potato bug. A 'rollie pollie' is not a potato bug, but rather a sow bug or 'pill bug,' and the real potato bug looks more like a giant, disgusting fire ant. There are three things that I am terrified of – bugs, ET (the extra-terrestrial) and seaweed. I can deal with fake potato bugs, but the real thing looks like a monster.

Wii Love the Wii

I just called a car place to make an appointment to get a tune up. I felt like it was a simple enough task – until the guy asked me why I thought my car need a tune up…I wonder what gave him the idea that I wouldn’t know. Imagine how smart I felt when my answer came out, ‘uh…it sounds funny?’

I’m going to need to bring one of my guy friends with me to that appointment.

Another thing that I’m not too good with? Video games. Halo? Madden? Forget about it. My nine year old brother puts me to shame in video game competitions. Except Mario Kart – I race a mean Peach.

In the Google office, Wii have a great time with video games.

Ha-ha, get it? Wii have a great time? Yeah, I’m original.

It’s true, we have a new toy to play with should we need a break from our work – a Nintendo Wii. It’s really entertaining, both to play and to watch. Bowling seems to be the office favorite…we keep track of scores on a nearby whiteboard. I was extremely proud of myself when I broke 200, given the fact that I legitimately bowled a 22 once in high school.

I’ve made myself sound like a real winner in this post. So I don’t bowl. Or know anything about cars. But I AM amazing at Mario Kart. Try me.

Google = Life

Can I just say…I love these new themes for my personalized Google homepage. I have the ‘Tea House’ theme, featuring the cutest little dog/fox thing as he goes about his day with his friends. The ‘Tea House’ theme changes in accordance with your time zone. Love it. And the little fox thing is almost as cute as Fifi.

Sure, sure, I may be a little biased, but I love all of Google’s ‘extras.’ Along with homepage themes, a limited test of ‘GOOG-411 ’ was just announced. Lost? Need a phone number or address? You can now call 1-800-GOOG-411 for free local business information from Google Maps. Or, if you’re like me and text more than you call, you can use Google SMS.

Call it laziness, but I’m telling you – it was a great decision for me to get unlimited texts per month instead of paying per message. With Google SMS, you can text search queries to 466453, and you’ll receive a text back from Google with the best information we could find – from airline times to foreign language translations. Interested? Click here for more information and sample queries.

My cubemate brought her dog in yesterday – adorable. The longer that I work at Google, the more my life feels almost surreal. I worked hard to get where I am, but I feel like I was given an opportunity that can’t be matched. Dogs hanging around the office, free food, massage chairs, and the best office atmosphere of all time…

Brrr!

Just when you thought that the worst was over…

I’ve lived in the lovely state of Michigan for almost five years now. So am I surprised when half of the week is 70 degrees and beautiful, and the other half is 20 degrees and snowing? Not so much.

I always find it humorous when Midwesterners hear that I am from Seattle, and make fun of the Northwest's weather. ‘Doesn’t it rain, like, everyday there?’ Yeah, yeah, we get a lot of rain (even though this Friday, the Seattle area is supposed to be 78 degrees!!). But at least we know what to expect.

I couldn’t even offer a similar statement to a native Michigander. ‘Hey, don’t you guys get snow/sleet/rain/sun/fog/ice storms a lot? Like, in June?’

I was so NOT used to this kind of weather for the first two years that I lived here. I wore flip flops in February and I don't think I owned a real winter coat until junior year in college. I almost wore flip flops today, actually, but it was 25 degrees this morning. I've learned. I'm wearing my Uggs.

Even if you're not a cold weather person at heart, after you finally get the hint and buy a jacket, scarves, gloves, a face mask, snow boots, a hat with the little ball on top, an ice scraper, fleece blankets, and so on, you begin to realize that the Michigan weather isn't so bad. Now, I've just got to convince the Californians in the office of that. Don't worry, friends! April (snow) showers bring May (still icy and dead) flowers!

And, Google has just come out with themes that you can add to your Google homepage - that actually change based on the time of day and the weather in your zip code. Follow the weather, sun, rain, or whatever - anywhere you are.
The point of my post this week's bitter post is to address the fact that #1) it’s snowing outside, and it’s April and #2) I am writing this post watching the snow from a massage chair in the Google office.

I may not love the weather, but I sure do love my job.