Usually waking up an hour after your flight has left is a bad sign -- like, a sign of imminent doom, that things are about to get horribly worse. At least, that's how it usually feels and this being the third 6:25am flight I missed in 2005, I was well-accustomed to that feeling. Luckily I got re-routed through Tampa, then Los Angeles, and I finally ended up in my San Jose, CA destination with a lovely Val awaiting me. She seemed shocked; said I was far shorter than she expected, then she realized I was walking with a group of Stanford basketball players and that, though they dwarfed me, I still managed to have at least an inch on her. (Val is "5'9 and three quarters!", according to her.)

A lot of the visit was a bit of a blur. After arriving, I quickly showered, and was promptly told by Val that my skater rat apparel just wouldn't do and that our New Year's Eve party was meant to be dressy. A black shirt and some funky necklace managed to placate her, luckily, as well as my excuse of having just flown in from out of town with no instructions to dress pretty. Off to the party, where I met a load of brilliant and entertaining people, including Lina who was positively heartbroken by the lack of fireworks.

The next day included eating vegan duck for breakfast, visiting Google offices for fun (not profit), getting lost with Val in some frightening redwood forest, Indian food in SF with Janet, Jen, and Val. Actually, the Indian food might deserve an entry of its own -- the owner of the restaurant actually spoonfed me, which was bizarre and funny. Afterwards, we went to visit Kristal and laughed at various things, including the most hilarious website ever. "Oh yeah baby, check out my throughput."

Of course, that feeling of imminent doom was not entirely wrong. I contracted some kind of California Plague while there and spent my flight back doubled over with body aches, fever, and chills. Overall, well worth it. Happy New Year, everyone!