Happy Day

It has been a fantastic day from start to finish.

Work absolutely FLEW by. I had no idea where the time had gone. I've gotten more comfortable at work as well - comfortable enough to joke around with coworkers a bit and losing the fear of asking questions more day by day. Tomorrow is Friday already and then next week we jump into the first kaizen blitz, which will be very busy but I think also very rewarding. My roommate for the summer also showed up on Wednesday evening, and he is awesome. We get along great and also have similar interests.

After work today a bunch of people from the company all met up for happy hour, and I was so glad that my roommate and I went. It was a great chance for both of us to meet some new people from the organization, talk to the ones we already knew in a more social setting, and just plain relax. It's amazing how people open up when they get around a table with a couple of beers. :-) We were there nearly 3 hours, and by the time we left I was loving my job simply because I knew the people better and could get excited about some of the opportunities this company affords.

Then we both drove home. The sun was already down, but the sky was still a beautiful shade of light purple/blue, that soft, gorgeous color of blue that only the Pacific Northwest sky can get at dusk, like the color of the sky above the clouds from an airliner as the sun sets. The air was clear and warm, and I drove with the sunroof open and the windows down. Just as I cleared Northgate on I-5 and headed over the bridge, downtown Seattle came into view, beginning to sparkle as lights came on in the towering buildings. The Space Needle glistened like a platinum hourglass against the sky, and the Olympic Mountains formed the perfect indigo backdrop to the dark blue waters of Elliot Bay.

I looked out over that beautiful view, inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp, salty evening air, and sighed with contentment. This is why I came back, I thought to myself. It's going to be a good summer.