February 4, 2005
The apartment-turned-office
Totally off topic for a moment, but I've just found a great post from my old Financial Times friend and colleague Tom Foremski, describing an average day in the FT office in San Francisco. It is from his newish blog SiliconValleyWatcher. I didn't think it was possible to feel so nostalgic about events that happened only five years ago.
SiliconValleyWatcher: Introducing the first guest blog from Louise Kehoe--a true Silicon Valley WatcherLouise recruited me to the Financial Times in 1999 and we worked together in an apartment-turned-office just off highway 101 and Hillsdale. A large highway exit sign close to the office said "Kehoe Way." I would often joke that Louise has been in the valley so long, they built it around her.
We were in the midst of the heady dotcom days and we were pumping out enormous amounts of news copy. We were draining cups of tea and creating huge clouds of nicotine laden smoke.
And when a really big story would break, maybe ten minutes before our very latest afternoon deadline, that's when the adrenaline kicked up a notch or three and we'd work together, (Andrew Heavens was working with us too) and we'd get a stock price, get a quote from a contact, check the whisper numbers, get whatever was needed to write that news story. Louise would usually take the lead and pound out the story, just seconds to go. And then London calls and wants another 60 words! And copy editors are calling and saying it has to be sent now, now! and Louise gets it done and squared away. No problem, we go and have a cup of tea.
Posted by aheavens at February 4, 2005 4:32 AM