Well, while I know that more than a few people are still roaming around with open eyes and ears, it seems like quite a few of us have settled (contentedly or not) into our post-INSEAD lives.


That could be applied to me as starting, well, today.


Today is my first real day of work, though I officially started on the 2nd, and moved to Moscow 4 days before that. There was a bit of unease at the beginning when it seemed like I may not actually have the job I was hired for, but after some tense scrambling with my partner-in-crime Olesya (who has redefined for me the advantages of INSEAD over any other school), we managed to iron everything out, and now I am a real worker.


Well, sort of…. it’s hard to say that with total authority, as I write this from a villa in Sardinia, looking out on Porto Rotundo, where I’ve been (with a few trips to Rome and Trieste thrown in) since last Wednesday. I wake up in the morning, walk around the pool while staring at the sea, read the papers and prepare briefs and emails before heading down for my breakfast of fresh fruits, cakes, and cheeses. After a quick conference with my boss, I head back to my “office” of a long marble table, dappled in Mediterranean sunlight, and work until 2 or 3 when called for lunch, a 4-6 course affair with all the delights on Sardinian cuisine and viniculture, after which I continue until dinner time. I guess one of the advantages of working with a billionaire is the chance to live like one on a thousandaire’s salary. I have to say, it’s not such a bad life. Instead of “window or aisle” it’s nice to choose between “couch or dining table”…or just go back and forth. I’ve learned that I prefer raspberries and caviar to peanuts and pretzel sticks. Who knew?


If you think this sounds good, fear not. I will be writing much different posts after November 13, when I will be ensconced in Moscow winter, living in the same complex where I work, seeing nothing but the inside of the World Trade Center, and eating borscht for every meal.


Anyway, the next few weeks are going to be very hectic, but I may be coming to a hotel near you. If you’re in Moscow, New York, Mumbai/Goa, Tehran, Beijing/Shanghai, Zurich, or Berlin, there’s a chance that between now and November 13th, we’ll be in the same city. It might be fun to grab a drink (may I suggest vodka?).


Please send stories, anecdotes, whatever, as the only way this will continue to be interesting to you or me, is if it touches on things outside my new bubble (and this goes to all my friends still in the INSEAD bubble, who I haven’t heard from for some time). I miss you all, and hope the wind blows me in your direction (or you in mine) soon.