I stayed at Office Nomads late last night which gave me the opportunity to do two new things in the space, both of which you should do: Take a shower and attend a workshop hosted by Chris Haddad and Beth Yockey-Jones.

First, the shower. After my first-ever shower here, I’ve decided that the shower is an excellent ON benefit that doesn’t get enough props. Here’s why. One of things that I love about freelancing is that I can get up from my desk whenever I want and go for a run. This is really beneficial since I am training for this May’s Vancouver half marathon. But since I was already here, I didn’t want to spend the rest of the evening sweaty and I didn’t want to go home to run, shower and come back. So I brought my running clothes with me, took a shower and smelled like flowers (ok, peppermint) for the event. Yay showers at work!

After the shower and dinner was the workshop which helped me immeasurably.

I first heard about value-based pricing thanks to Chris (he likes to call himself “#1″ since he is ON’s first monthly member). It’s a subject he talks to me about frequently so I know he’s got a lot to say about it and as I build my business, it’s something I’m thinking about. Last night he hosted a Biznik event in the space on value based pricing and pretty much convinced me that charging hourly rates is dumb. Charging for the value you offer your clients is where it’s at, and what I need to do from now on. Keep an eye on his Biznik profile and Web site. Word has it he’ll be hosting more of these in the future.

We talk a lot at ON about how coworking makes things so much for better those of us who work at home. Working away from your company’s (or client’s) office also helps the planet by reducing the amount of trips you have to take in your car. In fact, according to Susan, who knows about this stuff, “Trip reduction strategies are one of the primary ways we can make an impact on climate change in our region.” For us, anything that improves the state of our environment is worth doing. On Friday, there was an excellent segment on KUOW (our local NPR station) about this kind of effort, called trip-reduction strategies, that speaks directly to one of the ways we think ON can save the world. Check it out.

If this is the kind of thing that interests you or might be the kind of argument you could use with your boss to get him or her to let you work at home (or with us) at least a few days a week, keep an eye on the blog. Susan is working hard with Seattle Department of Traffic and Seattle Climate Action Network to make ON a resource for trip-reduction strategies.

Yay for Friday afternoons! It’s always been my favorite time of the work week because whether or not things are done, people start wrapping things up in neat little bows and a sense of relief starts to wash over me.

As I write this, the mood at Office Nomads (normally a light one) is starting to lift. Erik and I just exchanged words over who should replace the beer he drank from the fridge (which he bought in the first place). I bowed out when I realized I could just knock back some whiskey while I put this post together instead. Ah life in an office without HR, rules!

• I stumbled upon Luck of Seven a bit late as the project is coming to an end, but thanks to the wonders of the internets, I can catch up on the adventures of this “open-source journey documenting free culture, social innovators and global change.”
• I don’t play Second Life, but this came through on my “co-working” Google Alert and I think it means that coworking is going to take place in Second Life. Weird.
• This has nothing to do with anything but it’s cool nonetheless: ImprovEverywhere froze life in the busiest train station in the world for five minutes. Completely cool!
• Not to belabor a point, but being alone affects
  you.(via)
• Failure Now an Option.

Have a great weekend!