Thomas Jefferson figured very prominently in the President’s inaugural address today.  Mr. Jefferson also figures prominently into my daily workflow – I’ve got a marble bust of him perched right next to my monitor in my home office.

I admit the bust is a little old school and over the top.  The TJ bust was a present I got upon my graduation from Mr. Jefferson’s university (UVA).  I’ve since kept him on my desk at all of the legal jobs I’ve had since then (more than 10 years ago!).  Some lawyers hang a diploma on their wall to advertise where they went to school.  I have the bust instead.  Not everyone gets it.

Since I’ve started working for Automattic the bust, which was always important to me, has taken on some new meaning.  It reminds me why we do the important work we do….who better to represent our commitment to freedom of the (Word)Press?

The only other thing I have on my desk is a small company photo that we all received in our Automattic holiday packages this year.  These are the guys and gals that make it happen every day.

Between these two momentos, I rarely lack for inspiration.