Writers Block Live

OK…I got my wish. Thanks to a little intervention from Steve, Phil agreed to work out something so I could remain living in Minnesota, but still be part of Apple’s new DVD team. I believe the applicable bit of wisdom here is ‘be careful what you wish for…’.

Initially we agreed that I would spend approximately a third of my time in Cupertino. I had already been traveling regularly during the previous three years, doing my work for Astarte, so this didn’t seem like it would be too much of a burden for me or my family. I was quite experienced working remotely too, what with Astarte in Germany and me in Minnesota.

I heard this faint voice calling me from somewhere in my subconscious, raising some objections to the idea, but I could not make out the words. I was too excited to be going to work for Apple; something I had aspired to but never dreamed would happen.

The main entrance to the Apple campus – circa 2000

It was left to my judgement how often and how long I actually needed to be in Cupertino. I began by flying out on Sundays, staying the week, then flying home on the following Sunday. After only a couple trips I decided it made more sense to stay a bit longer each time, coming on Sunday and leaving nine or ten days later. This made it easier to follow up with any projects which were started the first week and “spilled over” a bit.

Big Company Perks – Big Company Limitations
Apple has all the services and amenities of a big company, things that seemed downright luxurious to me, having come from years of self-employment and tight budgets. When I decided it was time for me to travel (to Cupertino or elsewhere), I just picked up the phone to the corporate travel group and they made all the arrangements. I didn’t have to worry about the prices or whether or not my stay was long enough to qualify for discounts, or any of that crap. There were two hotels in the vicinity which were Apple favorites, the Cupertino Inn, the Hilton Garden Inn. This was the height of the market craziness out there, so it cost approximately $250 a night to stay in these places, which was a shocking amount considering you could stay in Manhattan for less.

My home away from home

It seemed excessive to me, but the way I looked at it, it was to Apple’s advantage to have me close by and comfortable. It’s the same business logic that motivates many silicon valley companies to provide fabulous dining options for their employees; it keeps them from leaving the campus for long, unproductive lunches.

Four hours out, six hours back
It is roughly a four hour flight from Minneapolis to San Jose. There is also a two hour time difference. Adding in the time to get to the airport, park my car (or return the rental car), waiting for the plane, then getting to my destination when I arrived, the whole ‘commute’ took four hours of ‘clock’ time going from home to Apple, and six hours going back. If you figure I did this trip two or three times each month, that means I was spending 20 to 30 hours a month on my commute. Not bad considering that many people who work at Apple drive an hour each way, each day.

To come:
The duality of my life at Apple…incredible excitement while I was at the office…incredible boredom of living in a hotel so much of my life, without my ’stuff’.

Two sets of everything…

How one third of each month turned into two thirds, and more.

My office became sort of half office, half closet…

Those frequent flyer miles add up…getting spoiled by regular upgrades to first class seats.

Trying to convince Apple to spend half of what the hotels were costing to rent me an apartment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 at 11:16 am and is filed under Rough Drafts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.