It's quite the experience to return to Seattle after roughly a decade or more. I came here several times as a kid, as my dad's best friend from college lived up here. I barely remember the experience of being here, much less knowing what to look for in a city, but strangely enough I had a lot of things feel familiar upon my return.First thing I noticed - the scent of Seattle is etched in my brain. I didn't even know it was. But whatever gives this city its unique air - I guess it's the pine - is very well known to my nose, much to my surprise. I'm actually out in Bellevue, the northern suburb on the way to Redmond, but this town is so technological that it's got its own downtown section full of office towers. I'm in the midst of that, but on the way here I got just a taste of the 'industrial' version of Seattle - somehow it's nicer than other cities. Old, but well-preserved.Holy mooooooly, there are tons of Starbucks here. It's like the Louis Black routine, except in real life and on every block.I'm in Bellevue to visit Valve, the guys who made Half-Life. I'm previewing their new zombie-themed shooter Left 4 Dead, and it's entirely sweet. Highly recommended. They like to splurge on game journalists, so it's a snazzy hotel with corner suites and room service and all that jazz. I'm just happy the internet access works.I could make this a post about how I'm 'living the dream' - traveling on company dimes, playing games for a living, etc. But my life isn't really that. It's just writing about games all day. That said, I do love my job and I think that, more than the gaming part of the equation, is reason to be proud. It's a job that fits me perfectly, and I'm happy to have found that and have snagged the job after just one year out of school. It makes for an awkward conversation on flights sitting next to strangers. The "what do you do?" conversation starts with some blah job that somebody else does and ends in me having this perfectly fitting, awesome job I'm satisfied with. I'm afraid of it being a depressing thing for most people, because I can't relate on the "work sucks" angle.I just hope it inspires someone. After all, it was my mom's own Office Space-like work situation that made me commit to doing something I enjoyed everyday.