Primarily, my work environment consists of a desk and computer in my home office. My contact with coworkers is mainly via email; even phone calls are fairly rare. I enjoy the advantages of working at home: on nice days I can do a little work out on the patio, expenditures for a work wardrobe and travel to an office are essentially nil, and my hours are quite flexible. Of course, there’s a down side, too: one can feel rather isolated and miss out on the exchange of energy and ideas that comes from working with others side by side. That’s why I so enjoyed the opportunity to work on a special project a few weeks ago in Seattle alongside people I’ve worked with for years, although mostly via phone, email and Fed Ex. We met at a large, downtown Seattle design firm whose clients include a varied assortment of corporations from around the world. The conference room from which we worked over three days was a glass-enclosed space sitting in the middle of a floor full of cubicles and meeting spaces where mostly thirty- and forty-something creative people in casual, trendy garb toiled over copy and design work. One afternoon on our way back from lunch we even got a quick tour of the company’s “Lab,” where they are experimenting with all sorts of interactive and multimedia ways for their clients to connect with their constituents. It was a fun and stimulating environment in which to work; I couldn’t help but be energized by all that creativity around me. I also enjoyed the chance to interact face-to-face with the design team and fellow copy editors. The banter and teasing eases the tension of deadlines and creates bonds of shared experiences and humor which are invaluable in a good working relationship. So while I don’t think I’d like to trade my sneakers for heels for a traditional work environment (those heels can be killers after a few days on city streets!), I certainly look forward to a few brief interludes of that kind of experience when they come my way. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor