myWhidbey because we don't live under the rock.

This review by CNN convinced me.

Here is a list of the top five things I like:

1. My family
2. My island
3. My job
4. My iPhone
5. Poker

I would place poker higher on the list, but my iPhone is just so darn delicious! Mmmmmm.... iPhone.....

Tonight I played a tournament at a local pub called Cozy's Roadhouse. This pub is the epitome of the quaint and charming Whidbey Island of years past. You can't miss the hospitality and friendly smiles when you step in the door. Unfortunately, I like bar food as much as I like the all-new "iPod killer" from Microsoft, so I never eat there.

But I like poker, so I have a reason to go in. Tonight's game was brisk, lasting about two hours and 45 minutes. I want to say we had about 18 players, but I don't know for sure. The game was Texas Hold 'em, no-limit; buy-in was $20, with unlimited re-buys for the first three rounds, plus the option of an add-on after the third round. All that poker lingo means simply that there was a lot of money in the pot!

When the last chips changed hands, I walked out of the game in first place, taking the $400 prize. After my buy-in and subsequent add-on, plus a tip to the gracious host, I netted $340, or about $123 an hour.

If only I was a good player, I could do this for a living...

As dependable as a Swiss watch, jaws drop every time I reveal to a mainlander that I live on Whidbey Island.

I know the reaction full well. I still have flashbacks to my days at Apple, when my commute was around ten minutes; a leisurely ten minute walk, that is. Back then, any distance longer than 45 minutes was for the birds, and I was going to have nothing to do with it. I would listen dumbfounded to the tales of co-workers and their long and tiring commutes; fighting traffic, spending endless hours trapped in metal cages on wheels. I remember one co-worker in particular who had a three hour train ride, each way!.

"How ridiculous!" I thought. "Not me. Not in my lifetime!"

Well, here's a toast to my new lifetime. I commute now, and unlike my days at Apple, it's is no walk in the park anymore. I am an islander, and I work at Google.

Let me repeat. I work for Google, the second most awesome company in the world, and I live on an island. Yeah, yeah, there's a commute tucked somewhere in between, but who cares about a commute when when one destination is Google and the other is an island. Really, life can't get any better.

I know most people don't see it this way though; and it's not just mainlanders that freak out either. Some islanders who work on Whidbey can't fathom a commute off the island, let alone a 90+ minute trek each way. I'm sure many people think I'm nuts, but I guess one needs to appreciate how lucky I am to work for a terrific company, and have such a paradisiacal place to call home.

Consequently, and by way of an introduction, I would like to present my new blog:

"round trip" -- demystifying an islander's commute to Google

For my first post, I'll tell you about Supertramp.

There are three things I generally do in the course of my commute to and from work:

I listen to music on my iPhone,
I listen to podcasts on my iPhone,
and I talk to people... on my iPhone.

When I am not using my iPhone, I take time to reflect on my day, or to think about my beautiful children and my amazing wife. Sometimes, I even look at photos of them... on my iPhone.

This morning was a Supertramp kinda music day. Until very recently, I thought Supertramp meant something radically different. Then, while flipping through some music that I... uh... "borrowed" from some friends, I came across "Breakfast in America" and "The Logical Song". I was immediately hooked.

So, on my way to work this morning, I had a Supertramp bash in my car; loud, head bopping, and singing all the way:

I'm a winner, I'm a sinner
Do you want my autograph
I'm a loser, what a joker
I'm playing my jokes upon you
While theres nothing better to do


When was the last time you had 90+ minutes of uninterrupted Supertramp bash?

I like music. Kudos to whoever invented it.