What was expected to be an average Friday workday turned into an exhilarating real-life episode of CSI this morning at May HQ. Garth pulled up to the office to what could have been doomsday – a brick through the front window, as well as the front window of the unit next to ours.

With thousands of dollars of computer equipment, drawers full of irreplaceable client files, and racks of inventory (RedisWhite) we were immediately relieved to see everything intact and our office untouched. The “locksmith” next to us however, didn’t get away so lucky.

After racking our brains why they wouldn’t care to touch our valuables, we starting sleuthing around, putting together the pieces, and discovered the remnants of pot plants and (what we thought was) dog food in the back alley. Ah ha! Evidently the bandits knew exactly what they were after, and mistook our office unit (with no signage out front) for the underground growing operation next door. That explained why our neighbors never actually appeared to be doing any real work (he claimed to have won the business in a high stakes poker game), and why they’d sometimes leave their barking american bulldog there for long periods at a time. Mystery solved.

Given the opportunity to reflect back, we are extremely blessed that we can continue on with business as usual. However, a couple huge lessons learned: 1) Backup all your files off-site immediately. Services like Mozy, Carbonite, and Dropbox are great places to store your files. Google Docs now lets you upload any files to their servers for free. Most project management tools like Basecamp and Intervals also support online document storage. There really is no excuse to not backup. 2) Insure your property and equipment. If you work from home, make sure your homeowners insurance is enough to cover any loss. If it seems like you can’t afford insurance, then you REALLY can’t afford for your equipment to get jacked, so just do it. 3) Finally, get to know your neighbors. Your livelihood may depend on it.

One last positive – we now have a really cool brick paper weight as a reminder of today’s events.

Last week we journeyed outside on our first company field trip and traveled to San Diego to scope out this quarter’s recent grads from the Art Institute of California – San Diego (the alma mater of our very own Amanda Ashcraft). The event took place at the Wonderhaus, a spacious, brick warehouse space in downtown SD.

It was inspiring to observe the fresh talent of hungry artists straight out of school. Many of their final thesis projects were the culmination of 9+ months of sweat, blood, and probably a few tears. Their dedication and creative passion was super apparent, and we wish them all the best of luck with venturing out into the ‘real world’ design community.

A few noteworthy designers, illustrators, and web developers we made friends with include

Jed Bridges // Sereli Rodriguez // Eric Gravlin

Be sure to check out their impressive online portfolios, follow them on Twitter, and if you get overwhelmed with work -  toss some their way!

One of the most enjoyable aspects of a trip like this, to a place like this, is the drastic contrast to my current living situation. The city. The sights. The people. The restaurants. The buildings. The lifestyle. The history. Everywhere I looked was a sight to behold–to soak in. The rich history of a city like San Francisco provides great visual nuggets every step of the day. From the quirky details of old buildings, to beautiful signage, to people from all walks of life–the city is a great place to recharge and refill your creative banks.

Below is a random (limited) collection of images that caught my eye as we trudged up and down the hills of Frisco.

What I’m saying here is nothing new–we all know that taking time away from your computer, your office, and our day-to-day environment–and spending time in new places is a good thing. What I am saying is more of a reminder and encouragement to get away (sooner rather than later). The world is big and wonderful and full of ideas–take advantage of it.