I START MY NEW JOB TODAY !

Bright and early this Monday morning, my life will take a dramatic turn. For the first time in years, I will climb into my car and drive to work. (as opposed to walking across the hallway from my bedroom to my home office - you can read about what happened to that job here)

I'll park my car near this corner and, while waiting to cross the street, I'll check out what's new in the windows of Pottery Barn (the competition) and J Crew (where I'll try not to spend my whole paycheck).

On my way down the block, I'll pass more tempting shops and restaurants housed in fantastic, original Old Town architecture like this . . .

. . . and this . . .

. . . before turning into one of the alleys that leads to the courtyard, the heart of One Colorado.

On any given day in the courtyard, I'm likely to encounter such surprises as a 'Rainbow in the Sky' . . .

. . . or a juried show and sale of works by local emerging artists . . .

. . . or the largest free outdoor film festival in Southern California . . .

. . . or live music . . .

. . . or a giant Christmas tree!

On New Year's Day, if I were to stand on this corner, just steps away from my new place of business . . .

. . . I would see this in person instead of on tv.

Back in the courtyard now, have you guessed yet where I'm headed to work? That's right! It's my first day at Crate and Barrel's Pasadena store. Under one of those black awnings is the door that will take me. . .

. . . through the housewares department . . .


. . . and up those stairs . . .


. . . to the furniture floor where I will be surrounded by and selling such beauties as this . . .

. . . and these . . .

. . . and these.

After four weeks of training, by mid-August I'll be on my own, working to help Crate and Barrel customers beautify, energize, design and create that place that's most important to all of us - home.


Wrapping up my old job and preparing to start this new one are what's kept me from posting (and commenting) as much as I'd like to lately and I imagine this adventure might keep me away from the blogs altogether for a while. At least until I get used to my schedule and figure out if blogging still fits into it. I have a couple of half-written posts about a recent "field trip" that I hope to get up soon and, at some point, I'll update you on how the job's shaping up. In the meantime, have a great week and wish me luck!

Oh, and if you find yourself shopping in Old Town—great shopping by the way, if you're unfamiliar with the area—please stop in and say hello!