It’s been a pretty great few weeks. I’ve settled into my daily summer schedule, and I’m enjoying my time as an intern at OpenDNS. I have time to eat, nap, and most important, think. It’s a far cry from the usual hectic school year, and a welcomed change.
Work has been good. I work at OpenDNS, an online security and infrastructure firm, and I really feel part of the loop. The company is approaching its fifth year, and has been very successful in its niche market. I appreciate being able to join in on meetings, working with different departments, and learning new marketing approaches.
The marketing work that I’m doing is a bit different from the typical consumer marketing that comes to mind. I help my manager market our services to other businesses, so I’ve been learning how to use Google AdWords and Google Analytics, plus a host of other programs that the people in the office use.
What I especially appreciate is the laid-back yet effective work atmosphere typically found at tech firms, proving that there are different approaches to work culture that are just as effective as the cutthroat business work culture. I work from 9-5 with a lunch break in between, and I’m back at Berkeley before 6 PM.
I’m also getting more exercise and sleep than I ever have (at least since high school), and I feel great. I’m biking a total of six miles every day to get to the bus stop and from the bus station in SF to work (and back). I’m also playing two hours of ball about four to five times a week. I’ve definitely improved from the first week back, and I can actually run a full court game without getting too tired now.
I’ve also had occasional forays to places like Costco, 99 Ranch, Berkeley Marina, SF, and the movies in Emeryville. There are definitely a lot more people back at Berkeley now for summer school and internships, so there’s more life around campus and more people to hang out with.
What else? Ah. I’ve been eating lots of good food (see: previous posts). Since it’s the summer and I work in SF, I’ve been trying out a lot more new places. I love it. To balance things out, I’ve also been cooking at home a bit more (still the simple stuff, but better than nothing). If I eat out during lunch, I’ll cook for dinner, and vice versa.
I’ve also been able to attend Sunday services at my church more consistently, and I’m looking forward to this weekend – I’ll be driving back to SoCal to attend my home church’s summer conference. I’m taking Friday off, and I get next Monday and Tuesday off, so I’ll have a nice little five-day weekend.
Lunch break at work. The picture doesn't show my sweet double-monitor setup, but does show an interesting McDonalds' lunch. Pic originally from OpenDNS's FB page.
Summer is good.
The sun is shining at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
