Summerized

Co-working

So everybody's been talking about co-working in San Francisco, and I thought I'd try it. Co-working facilities fill the niche that lies somewhere between schlepping your laptop to Starbucks, and toiling in a traditional office cubicle. They're shared facilities for people who need workspace and/or companionship, and most have monthly membership fees. I checked out Sandbox Suites for a day. With a scrappy startup vibe, they have two floors of desks, communal space and meeting rooms. Facilities like printers, fax machines, coffee, and wifi complete the experience. Though the day I went was rather quiet (they are still growing their clientele), I got a lot done though, and enjoyed being in a different setting with someone to talk to other than the cat. My plan is to go once or twice a week now.

Post Holiday Update

I've been remiss in my post-holiday blogging.

We went to Oregon to visit my family, and spent a couple days on Mount Hood, inner-tubing and skiing.

We stayed at Timberline Lodge. It's an amazing piece of history, built in the depression by workers hired by the Federal Works Progress Administration. And its exterior was used in "The Shining." Despite that connotation, I've wanted to have a cozy Christmas at Timberline for a long time. It was lots of fun, and great to practically ski out the door. I also loved exploring the lodge, which is filled with deco and arts and crafts detail, from the massive local stone fireplace at the center, down to the handmade wrought iron door handles.

Local artisans were hired to create and decorate absolutely every part of the lodge. In a downstairs game room, there are amazing linoleum carvings illustrating alpine scenes with fabulous '30s fashions.

Stained glass murals of Paul Bunyan and Babe decorate the Blue Ox bar.

We got to sleep in one of these fabulous beds. The design would look contemporary if it were reissued.

Really lovely chairs with woven leather seats sat fireside.

Some elements, like this cougar bas-relief over a doorway, are more deco, while others have a heavier, more arts and crafts feel.

Since it was the depression, the builders and craftspeople used unusual materials in innovative ways -- finials were made from telephone poles, and carved with creatures, like this owl.

After Timberline, we spent a relaxing couple of days at my parents' home, looking out on beautiful snow showers against the pine forest.

Have a great '08!

Photos used under creative commons license: "Hippie Mike," by Captain Alcoholica, "Gnu" by calvinm, and "An Angel's Ear" by LST1984