When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
Walking meetings are the best kind of meetings. You end up having very different 1:1s while walking around the neighborhood than you do sitting in front of your laptop.
Every time I do one, I decide to do them more often.
Then I don’t.
We are in the process of building a separate little building at the summer cottage that, for now, will house a few rooms with proper desks and office chairs. At least for the time being, it is affectionately known as the “Teams Pavilion”.
It’s not quite finished yet, so this week I was still working from the boathouse. It may look rustic and cosy, but after a few hours your back starts complaining. Even so, I think it is a much better place for meetings than the main house, with the girls running around and Stuart workshopping in the next room.
Little back pain is a small price to pay for spending the evenings at the summer cottage. And the girls love spending the days with their mummi.
The main conference day.
It was pouring down the whole day, so I did not miss much by sitting inside and trying to learn something new.
I came to get more practical ideas of advanced AI in ecommerce. It’s a good thing that this is what I wanted. Every presentation focused on the topic, whether the title said so or not.
The weird thing about AI is that I have yet to meet a person who does not feel behind the curve. Cowork launched four months ago, and already everyone feels they have missed the boat.
Or, this is what I tell myself – while quietly feeling I have missed the boat.
A trip to gin distillery helped.
We had a very relaxed office afterwork today. The weather was fantastic, so we ditched some other plans, headed to the park with picnic blankets, and ordered pizzas. To top it all off, the coworking space we work in had some beers that were about to expire. We were happy to dispose of them.
After several shorter nights, I was planning to leave early. But it was pretty easy to convince me otherwise. Again.
We had a farewell dinner for a team member, Ed, today. It started calmly enough in a nice Italian restaurant, but the time we hit the second coctail bar, I was glad the next day was a public holiday.
A good night out.
Day 100 – feels like an achievement! I had hoped to do something special for the occassion but – appropriately enough – I spent the day travelling.
A few special moments above the clouds. Then frantic rush on the ground. Broken laptop. Last minute presentation prep literally in the lobby. On my colleague’s laptop. Great lunch. Productive meetings. Good coctails. Another mad rush.
Looking back, it feels like a pretty good analogy for my everyday life.
I travelled to Kokkola for work today. It’s a small town on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. In spring, before the nature awakens, there isn’t all that much to see. In summer, it can be nice (so I hear).
The old town of Kokkola has some beautiful wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a few dating back to the 17th. They were definitely worth a walk.
Dogs are welcome in our office, so there are often furry visitors – big and small. Surprisingly often, there are kids as well, although typically only for an hour or two.
I have never yet seen a cat in the office. Or a parrot.
I work in consumer product business and we needed to shoot a simple product video for a new launch. When our intended model got sick, Alanna and Kiara stepped in at short notice.
I was very proud of the girls. They handled the whole thing as little pros. They listened to instructions, patiently went through all the repetitions, and kept a positive attitude. After all, I had promised them a salary.
I don’t think the experience made either of them dream of acting as a career.
There is something magical about Spring Day in South Africa. In Finland, Midsummer tends to have everything but summer weather. I even remember a year it was sleeting. The same happens elsewhere in Europe. Just ask the British what is the typical weather for the Spring bank holiday… But in South Africa Spring Day is typically glorious spring weather – warm, sunny and beautiful.
Having a business breakfast outside in the morning was a great decision. The only problem was to motivate oneself to get back to the office.
Blue Moment 