Everyone Panic!

On Thursday I woke up early, grabbed my iPod, and headed down to Portland for a special treat: a day spending time with the amazing team at Panic.

Cabel and Steve and the rest of Panic have a great thing going and it was really fun spending some time with them talking about both of our companies. Their office set up is perfect in every way for their seven-person team. They've each got G5s and Cinema Displays so they're serious about getting work done but they're also all in one big open area, so if they have to collaborate, it's just a matter of turning in their chair. They also have a really super-nice meeting room with comfortable couches and chairs. One day I hope to work in an office setup like Panic has going. Working out of University Zoka is fun and a great way to get written up in Wired, but honestly, on a day-to-day basis, it can become limiting. (It's really hard, for example, to work on top-secret stuff or have loud arguments.)

Portland is a really great city and a lot fancier than I've ever noticed before. I've mostly just driven through before so it was nice to get a chance to finally get a good look around. Almost everywhere in the area I was in felt like it was just built this year - very modern and bright and inviting. The city is very flat, a lot flatter and more compact than Seattle, but really similar in a lot of ways, especially with the culture.

It was a long drive for a one-day trip, but I got so much out of the visit and it was a great opportunity to finally meet up with the Panic team (I've had their bumper sticker on my window at my dad's house for longer than I think I can recall). I passed the time in my car listening to 21 Dog Years, which was very entertaining. In some ways, it reminds me of my job, and in others, it reminds me again why I like working for a small company where I actually *gasp* make a difference. :)

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