While it was snowing in Cincinnati and temperatures dropping into the single digits I was laying on the beach in San Diego. My friend/co-pilot and I set out for California by car. Along the way we took in the veiws of west Texas, the Grand Canyon, the neon lights of Las Vegas and got stuck in a snow storm in Arizona. Helix Electric (my co-op employer) covered everything for the trip including food, gas, hotel and all the candy bars I could chomp down. We arrived to beautiful mid 70 temperatures and a fully furnished two bedroom apartment. Rent, utilities, even cable (premium HBO included) all paid for by Helix. The apartment already had sheets on the bed and dishes in the cabinets. The pool and hot tube were just a few steps away and so was the gym. Helix went as far to accommodate me as to getting a blender so that I could make some margaritas. As if all the perks weren’t enough they paid me pretty well too! The people at work were all friendly and had that laid back southern California attitude. My job was project engineer for the San Diego State University telecommunications project. During my stay in San Diego I visited a beer festival in Encenada, Mexico, went camping in the Anza-Borrego desert, saw Tiger Woods play in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, and won some money in Las Vegas on my birthday. How could a co-op with all these perks not be the coolest co-op?