by Garrison Frost, publisher

Over the last few months, many have inquired as to what goes on behind the scenes at The Aesthetic. Well, here at The Aesthetic, the day starts pretty early. The day crew usually arrives around 5 a.m., taking over from an 23-member nighttime staff that has been compiling information from our overseas bureaus. This early morning crew of editors, writers, graphic designers, architects, artists and short order cooks immediately get busy condensing information into the articles and postings readers have come to love on a daily basis.

By 9 a.m., the rest of the staff has arrived. Executive teleconference with colleagues in Paris, Lisbon and Jordan. Writers busily write up hundreds of thousands of words of content as anxious editors look on. A large stable of artists review mock-ups. An entire two floors of technical staff blast out miles of html and Flash coding.

Things have hummed along fairly well since The Aesthetic moved into its new digs at an undisclosed location in the South Bay. We regret not being able to share the exactly location with our readers, but we fear our prominence will attract certain unseemly international elements eager to make a name for themselves through our destruction. Anyway, the building is a stunning modern rehab of an early 1960s palace designed by a famed French modernist architect who left Europe during the war. We hired one of New York's hottest young architects for the upgrade, and paid top dollar for a team of interior designers. They outfitted the place with Italian couches in a relaxed retro style that perfectly reflects the organic elements of this steel and glass beauty that has few, if any, right angles. Particularly satisfying is the lobby that perfectly catches the light from an inner atrium along its curving opaque walls. This lobby was recently featured in a respected national design publication.

The building is just as much a living entity as a work environment. Special care was made to ensure that the structure was self-sustaining. Special panels on the roof and atop the parking structure generate most of our electrical needs during the day, and a special water filtration system allows us to reuse our wastewater to satisfy the needs of our fabulous landscaping, which has been featured on the cover of not one, but two journals. Our gardens actually provide much of the produce for our three-star all vegetarian cafeteria.

Technologically, The Aesthetic tries to stay ahead of the curve. The building is fully equipped with wireless high speed access, allowing employees to take their 17-inch PowerBooks anywhere on the grounds and still be linked to the Internet and company servers. Where desktop computing is desired, The Aesthetic features only G5 processors and 21-inch flat screen monitors. These rest upon sleek amoeba-shaped metal desks designed by a famous French modernist furniture designer who did not give his consent to be named for this piece.

It is also important that our employees feel good about their work, so The Aesthetic utilizes some very unorthodox and progressive human resources policies. In addition to generous health, dental and retirement programs, the firm also provides free on-site day care and meals. All employees are given the use of hybrid vehicles during their employment and are encouraged to work from home, or take time off during the day to surf and nap. Sleeping quarters are provided on-site.

Well, that's a little bit about what goes on here at The Aesthetic. Now you know.

(August 6, 2003)

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