Good morning, #Toronto!

I am now urgently on the lookout for a *cheap*, or ideally *free*, #Telecommute or #CoWorking space within a half-hour #TTC commute of Maple Leaf Gardens where I can use my hotspot with a laptop and headset. Three weeks in, my job parameters have radically changed, and I’ve got about a week to figure out where I can set up shop.

(You don’t want to *know* how fast a #WorkFromHome arrangement would turn into #WorkFromHell.)

Sing out if you have a lead! Thanks!

I Foresee a Bad Day Ahead

I don’t know what’s going on with me today, but I have a bad feeling about this. About everything.

I am working from home for the first time this week and it feels glorious. I have a deadline today that I should be able to meet easily. Why then do I feel this sense of impending doom? I went through all of the email from my half day out of the office yesterday and I just sense that I am going to be pecked to death by the universe today.

We are going to Vermont tomorrow to see the kids. Maybe that’s the reason I feel off today. Maybe my heart is already driving North and as a result the rest of me is just pissed off that we still have a full day to go. I don’t know. We’re going to meet up with the kids for an NCAA hockey game. UMass Lowell (both my and my wife’s alma mater) at University of Vermont (my step daughter’s alma mater and employer, and my step son’s current school). It’s going to be fun, assuming Lowell cleans Vermont’s clock. Both teams are doing well in the early going. I am hoping for a fun game. Unlike the Bruins game last night where they lost in Dallas 7-2. I am just going to make pretend that game didn’t happen, m’kay?

I don’t know about this sense of impending doom. Hopefully I work myself out of it. Wish me luck.

#collegeKids #deadlines #doom #Family #Hockey #IHaveABadFeelingAboutThis #ncaaMenSDivisionOneHockey #StepKids #telecommute #umassLowell #universityOfVermont #work #workFromHome

I am having system connectivity issues at work today. Working from home is being a jerk. Who knew?

I’m pulling my hair out of my head a little. I can do 90% of my job fine, but that last 10% is frustrating as all hell.

Come on, system. Let’s get our virtual head out of our virtual ass, huh? How about it?

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/10/10/connectivity/

#systemIssues #telecommute #vpn #whyMe_ #work #workFromHome

The last few days at work have been busy and a little stressful. Lots of putting out fires. Not literal fires of course. I don’t drive a red truck for a living.

Anyway, as is usually the case when I am working in the office, I feel like I would be in a better mindset if I were working from home. If nothing else, I would have furry little critters hanging around and cheering me on*.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54053437177

I took this picture just before I left this morning, just for some moral support or something. You know how it is.

*Are they cheering me on or are they making fun of me? I can’t tell. It’s like the Cheers and Jeers section of the old TV Guide except you don’t get to know what category you’re in until it’s all over.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/10/09/busy-6/

#Cat #iphoneography #Kitty #office #photography #robin #telecommute #work #workFromHome #workInTheOffice

The best part of coming home from the office tonight (as far as work is concerned) is that I know I can work from home for the next two days.

Also, I get to see the cats.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54038643786/in/datetaken/

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/10/02/home-23/

#Cat #commute #iphoneography #Kitty #lily #photography #telecommute #work #workFromHome #workFromTheOffice

To every government department screeching for workers to physically return to the office.

Go on. Prove you're sincere.

Compulsorily acquire the premises.

#covid #covid19 #pandemic #latecapitalism #capitalism #commute #telecommute #itsthefuture #itsthefuturenow #itsthefuturedave

It is Monday again. Blah.

We had both kids here last night for the first time in ages. It was wonderful. Talk about a full heart, right? It’s over now though. My step son, Harry left for Vermont this morning. He’s on his way home. I was on a conference call when he left, but I got to say goodbye. I’m happy about that at least. My step daughter, Bellana will be here for a couple more days. She’s going out to do some stuff during the day today but she’ll be back this evening. I’m happy she’s here. I was happy that Harry too. I just really love them both and I love having them around the house.

Work has been busy so far today. It will continue for a few days at least. I am planning on working from home tomorrow but I have to go into the office on Wednesday. I’m not sure what my second office day will be this week. I hate the idea of going in on a Friday, but I think this week it will probably happen. I just don’t want to commute two days in a row this week. Especially after doing it four days in a row last week.

I haven’t taken a picture yet today. The photo a day challenge is still open. Where are the cats?

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/17/monday-blues-2/

#collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownKids #hybridWorkEnvironment #Kids #StepKids #telecommute #work #workFromHome

My step son is home for a few days so I cannot work from the desk in his room. I’ve been using that space for my telecommuting needs for months now. When did I move things there? I can’t remember. Was it last fall? Last August maybe? I could search the blog for it but I’m too lazy at the moment.

Not using the desk in his room means I am back at the desk in the cellar. I left it all setup for work use when I moved so the big question for this morning was would it all still work?

The answer? Yes. Yes it does. All of it. Excellent. I had to plug everything into the laptop, and plug the webcam into the USB hub, and turn the speakers on, and that was it. I am now 100% back up to speed. I’m all punched in and off to the employment races.

Technology, man. You gotta just dig it.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/14/cellar-dweller/

#computerDesk #office #officeSpace #tech #telecommute #workFromHome #workSpace

The rules for our hybrid working environment are simple. We have to be in the office for 40% of the work days each month. That works out to approximately two days each week. Usually. Some months require an extra day to hit 40%. This month is not one of those months. This month just needs two days each week.

Last week I messed up my routine. I was feeling under the weather. Not bad enough to miss work, but bad enough to not want to go into the office and risk getting anyone else sick. I worked from home all five days last week. No office visits for me.

Because of that minor illness and my desire in the post Covid world to go out of my way to not get anyone else sick, I have two days to make up in order to get back onto the two days in the office pace.

I had two ideas for that. Idea number one was to work three days in the office this week, and three days next week. Not bad. Not good. Doable. Idea number two was to just bite the bullet and work four days in the office this week. Suck Suckity Suck Suck Suck for one week, then back to normal for the rest of the month.

I went into the office on Monday (traffic was mild). I went into the office on Tuesday (traffic was horrible). I am in the office today, Wednesday (traffic was bad but not as bad as Tuesday). Tomorrow I will have to make a tough decision. If I work from home tomorrow, I will need to come in three days next week (because I am sure as hell not coming into the office on Friday). If I work from the office tomorrow I will be back on track and not have to worry about any of this for the rest of June… but it will suck suck suckity suck to be in the office four days in a row (again, no way in hell I am coming in on Friday this week).

So what am I going to do?

I feel a little sick even thinking this… but I think I am going to work in the office. Four days in and one day at home… that was how our schedule worked pre-pandemic. The thought of that just blows chunks. It blows great big chunky chunks.

I think I am going to do it though. Oh help me please, I think I am going to do it.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/06/12/in-the-office-7/

#commute #hybridWork #hybridWorkEnvironment #hybridWorkSchedule #office #returnToTheOffice #telecommute #work #workingFromHome #workingInTheOffice