It Gets Sweeter

Yesterday I received a curious email from someone at the reception desk:

date: Feb 5, 2008 10:35 AM
subject: Gift
mailed-by: google.com

Hi Jessica

Can you come to the reception anytime today?
We have a present for you.
Cheers

Ok I’ll admit, I can’t resist emails like this. I also know that by saying this, every one of my so-called friends who is reading this blog is at this very minute sending me an email describing a mysterious present they are holding hostage from me. To which I reply, “You guys all suck. But also, thanks for reading my blog.” </shit eating grin>

I went down to reception after reading this mail and was about to declare loudly, “I’m here for my present!” when I noticed about twenty other “presents” all stacked up in boxes on the reception desk. “I take it those are all the same,” I said glumly. “It’s nothing much!” the receptionist said cheerfully, as if my hopes weren’t dashed enough. She then handed one of the boxes to me with a little card. I swept it up to the third floor, ran to my office, and opened it on my desk. This is what was in it:

That’s right, it’s a “Welcome to Zurich” cake with a joyful message from the happy receptionist. The cake itself turned out to be this spectacular hazelnut chocolate delicacy, the kind that’s not too sweet, not too dry, not too gooey, and in my fantasy, not too many calories.

I know what you’re thinking: the receptionists give out gifts here? Or maybe, someone baked me a cake? At work? At my last team off site in Mountain View my boss gave me a bottle of wine because I was leaving the team. My response? “I love this company. You get a present for coming, and a present for going, and a present for being that damn cool.”