I haven’t felt this good in ages. Everything’s been positive for the past day and a half. It all started with improv class yesterday.

It was the last session of my Sunday night class. We spent the entire time practicing the format we were going to use in the student showcase later that evening. Because it was a “show night,” I was feeling very enthusiastic. I went into each scene during class with a boldness that had been absent for the past two months. I was having fun with improv again. The entire class felt great. It was the first time I thought we were going to do really well during the showcase. I couldn’t wait to get to the theater to perform.

Our performance went well. I don’t think there were any outstanding moments, but we all had fun and were pleased with the outcome. I don’t believe we were an embarrassment to our teacher, in any case. Which is an accomplishment in itself.

What I really liked about last night was reconnecting with my previous classmates. It felt really good hanging out and talking with those folks after the performance. They were all so supportive of each other – and had a positive, uncompetitive bond I’ve yet to see elsewhere in improv. I wish my new classmates had stuck around to hang out and socialize as well – but then again, we never did hang out outside of class.

It was good to see an old coworker from TSA at the showcase. I wouldn’t have thought that remembering my time working in Pentagon City would lead to positive feelings, but seeing an excited, smiling Christine after the show was enough to make the night a positive memory in itself.

Despite the joyous evening, I had to force myself to go to bed and get at least a few hours of sleep before my early morning wake-up call.

You see, today was my first day as an AOL employee. And I had to attend the orientation bright and early at 8:45 AM. I was glad to spend the first half of the day sitting in a large auditorium with a couple other new hires and a whole slew of interns.

Following orientation, I had a few tasks to do at my desk and a meeting or two to attend. I discovered that I would soon be working with a very cool girl I had interviewed for my Inside AOL show a little while ago. That was a big plus in my day.

Before I knew it, it was time to go home. No more late nights in the office for me – now that I don’t have to meticulously count hours. In a sense, it’s back to the good ol’ days of working to get the work done – not to meet a certain amount of hours. This was probably the biggest reason for the intense sense of freedom I now have.

In addition to the unshackling of my evening hours from work, I now no longer have other commitments demanding my hours and attention. Improv is over for the time being. Roller derby is also in hiatus. And after putting a few other projects on hold, I now find myself with a completely normal, daily schedule that includes a healthy amount of work, the ability to take “social lunches” again, free evenings to enjoy the outdoors or entertainment (books, video games, television, writing, et al.), and plenty of free time to do with as I please.

It’s a whole new world. Starting today. I have the freedom to be completely normal and boring. It’s going to be a great summer!

I’m on vacation today and tomorrow. Not for any particular reason, other than the fact that I’ll be transitioning into a full-time employee at AOL on Monday, and I want to take some vacation days without actually using vacation days. It’s like a last-chance, preemptive vacation.

On Monday, I’ll be leaving the contracting life I’ve loved for the majority of my career – to go steady with one company for the long-term.

I’ve benefited greatly from being a contractor. I loved moving from contract to contract every year or so – meeting a totally new group of work friends at each location, learning new web tools, and adapting to different work environments. It’s made me very flexible to change in all areas of my life. It’s also given me a well-rounded view of how different companies do similar tasks – of which I’m able to glean the best practices.

I always thought it was bizarre how AOL fills most of its job openings with existing or previous AOL employees. There are folks at AOL, who’ve been there for a decade or more – and all they know is working at AOL. It’s a very incestuous company with a lot of old-way thinking. It seems to me, if AOL wants to get out of the rut it’s currently in, they should make it a priority to acquire great web talent outside of the AOL campus. Find people who do the same jobs at — not only competing companies — but other types of businesses (like telecom, print media, etc.).

Anyway, I digress…

The reason I decided to commit long-term with AOL is because I have been around the block. I’ve worked for small Internet companies and big corporations and government agencies. I’ve worked in different fields. On websites with different purposes. And after a decade of learning from each new job, I’ve decided that AOL was my favorite place to work.

For the most part, AOL is a casual work environment. I’m not talking pre-Dot Bomb casual (like Roku), but as close to casual as you’ll find in the Washington, DC area today. The campus facilities are fantastic – free garage parking, cafeterias/bistros in every building, gyms, and lots of lush greenery outside. The ability to wear jeans everyday is surprisingly essential. It wasn’t until I worked for the Government that I realized how stifling to creativity a dress code can be. This isn’t a problem at AOL. As an internet company, I’m surprised telecommuting isn’t encouraged more – but that’s not much of a problem for me, because the commute is easy, and again, the parking is gratis and plentiful.

And there are other benefits to being an employee. I haven’t taken a vacation day in over a year. I usually take my short vacations between contracts. But those are financed out of my own pocket. I could never justify taking a day off work as a contractor, because I would be losing too much money each day. Now that I’m an employee, I now have paid vacation days that I have to use or lose. I can actually plan a trip this year!

The preeminent benefit of flipping is my ability to go all-out with my ideas now. I don’t feel like an outsider working for a company and pulling my punches. I feel like I’m part of the company and have some ownership of my ideas. My success is now directly linked to AOL’s success. I have a vested interest in boosting AOL past its competitors. No need to save my clever ideas for side projects. It’s time to incorporate them into AOL’s strategy.

I’ve decided on a company to stay with. I’m ready to go all-in. I’m ready to commit.