After a week in DC learning the ropes at the new office, and a week in Chicago at N-TEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (which was great, actually–like the first wedding after your own), today I finally settled into what I expect to be doing most of the time for the next few years–working from home.
That’s how I spent the bulk of 2001, my first year as N-TEN’s first Executive Director, but things are a little different this time around. The most important difference is one of the most prosaic: a wireless network. Life’s a lot easier when you’re not shackled to a desk. It’s also nice having actual colleagues and an organizational infrastructure to plug into. Back in 2001, I felt like I was making everything up as I went along, and although that sometimes had its rewards, it also had its frustrations. Life got much better when I moved to a real office at the end of 2001, and better still when I was lucky enough to hire Holly Ross at the beginning of 2003 and finally had a real colleague.
But I don’t think it’s going to take two years to hit my stride this time. I still have a lot to learn, of course, but I feel a little more together, a little more on top of things. At the moment, I’m sure that’s partly because it’s just so damn good to be back in California. This morning Amy and I were up at the crack of dawn because she also started her new job today, but unlike me, she has a two-hour commute 🙁
I walked her up to Cole Valley to catch Muni to Caltrain, and after seeing her off, I had a cup of coffee at Tully’s and read the sports page, looking out on a scene pretty much like the one above. And except for the All Steroids, All the Time atmosphere that’s hanging over the Giants like a cloud about to burst, it was a damn fine way to start the day. Sunshine, blue sky, caffeine. Time to go to work.
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