Thoughts on Home from the Road

Where is home? We are repeatedly asked this. There is not an obvious answer. AliSun may reply, “home is wherever we are.” I have been calling Ojai our “home community.” We have no house to return to from the road. Just a modest office-slash-storage space holding the dwindling remains of the way we used to live. Having a home does …

How Government Is Woefully Unprepared For How I Work

I arrive at the Ventura County Clerk at 9am. I have thirty minutes before the unwashed masses flood the office, seeking marriage applications, Fish and Game forms and notaries public. I’m there to change a partnership to a sole proprietorship. I dutifully fill out my Fictitious Business Name application and prepare my check. I’m called forward, presenting my paperwork. Surely, …

One Week To (Radical) Departure

We are overwhelmed. Over-tired. Over-excited. 160-odd hours until we are dumped at the terminal, herded through security and ushered down the corridor that smells of stale air and jet fuel. I figure the degree of complexity in traveling and working around the world falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. More complicated than filling up a truck and moving …

On Going Paperless (Or Not)

I’ve been working on going paperless for about six weeks. I’ve converted most bank statements. I’ve converted most bills. I’ve converted all my invoicing (including those that receive snail mail versions). I’ve unsubscribed from a few publications, and I’ve suspended three magazines.

Wherever I’ll Be, I’ll Be Here

In a matter of seconds, I can think of ten friends who can work from basically anywhere. At any one moment, they might be in touch from Starbucks or Whole Foods or a client’s office or sitting in their car. Got wifi, y’know? Of course there’s nothing monumental about mentioning to a client that you are popping into a coffee …

Breaking The News To Clients

Dear client, I am leaving in seven weeks to travel the world for perhaps a year, starting with this Caribbean paradise. I will have access to white sand beaches, snorkeling gear, a rainforest guide and a hammock, yet you will receive the same high-touch service to which you are accustomed. Please continue sending your retainer checks to the same address, …

How We’ve Come To This Place

Ali Sun and I have lived in Ojai for over seven years, the last four years spent in absolute paradise. We live in a back house on an estate, tucked into an avocado orchard. Our landlords are dear friends. Their eighteen month old son is a joy to watch grow. The doggies are fine specimens of Labrador. The people who …