The past seven days have comprised one of my favorite weeks ever. I wouldn't say work and life were balanced, per se. But yes, if we'd placed the joys derived from each one in opposite baskets of a sturdy scale, that scale would have rocked and creaked its way to equilibrium before the fulcrum collapsed from sheer overload.

Last week, my pet project at work launched! I work on Google Docs, and we've just added spreadsheet forms. Forms are designed for anyone who needs a simple way to collect information from many people, and keep that information where it's always accessible and up-to-date. Creating and sending a form is dead easy, but the best part is that now you can invite anybody with an email account to add content to your spreadsheet.

For a while now, the project and the small team behind it have embodied the Google engineering atmosphere at its best (or my favorite): creative, unique, slightly chaotic, independent, nimble. I'm pleased as punch that we can now share our work with the world.

On the flip side, exactly a week later, I turned 25! My design teammates from near and far surprised me with cupcakes. My engineering teammates went out for a launch dinner that night, and dessert came with a candle in it. Brenna of sweet smiles and blow-your-mind vascular engineering came to visit on either end of a work trip upstate. The first real snow of the year came down thick and fast that evening. And in the very nicest fashion, Mikl was there to share much of that. Worlds collided, and collided well.

I also got visited at work (thanks Allie!), text messaged, emailed, IMed, voicemailed, Facebook messaged — doubly fêted for the launch and the birthday. The swarm of small hellos from friends near and far have burrowed themselves deep in my bones. I'll be warmed from the inside out for a while yet.

Most of the hullaballoo is over now, and I'm left with what feels like a lifetime supply of very delicious red velvet cupcakes. If you're in the New York area, consider yourself invited for tea and cake. Over and out.