Another benefit of working from my kitchen table most mornings is the things I can visually observe. So last week I mentioned that I heard the birds; this week, I'm watching the spiders. Now before you go getting all arachnophobic on me (I'm thinking of someone in particular here...), let me 'splain.
When I left Stockton, I was given the most adorable office/garden plant by my amazing coworkers. It's called a Dish Garden and contains what looks to be three different plants all cohabiting nicely in a little wooden bucket. (Incidentally, my coworkers must have known that I'm not so good with houseplants because it looks like they chose a relatively impossible-to-kill variety - the thing STILL doesn't need to be watered two weeks later!) Since the kitchen table is essentially my desk for the time being, I have the plant sitting right next to me so that when I'm trying to think of something productive, I can just look at it and meditate for a moment. It turns out I'm not the only one naturally attracted to the greenery. Spiders like it, too.
There is this one specific spider I've been watching all morning - he's just a little guy, eight legs and all that normal spider stuff, but boy is he acrobatic. I'm sure that whatever he's doing has some evolutionary/ecological purpose, but from this angle, it just looks like he's having fun. And why not?
I watched him crawl up the side of the pot and onto the leaves - I looked away for just a minute and when I looked back, there he was on top of the plant world! Right there on one of the highest leaves, looking down. And right before my eyes, he let out a piece of silk and descended back down to the table like one of those guys on Mission Impossible. It was pretty awesome to watch.
But the fun didn't stop there - I'm not quite sure how the mechanics of it work, but he just pulled himself right back up on that same silk strand. And I watched him do it back and forth a few times until finally, he decided to explore the table top a bit.
Now I should say that I'm not even a little bit afraid of spiders. I've definitely seen some that I didn't want to wake up to in the middle of the night - when I lived alone in my little Thoreau cabin, I learned more about spiders than I ever wanted to know. Like, for instance, apparently the Pine Barrens is home to a glow-in-the-dark variety of arachnid...and also a strange blue-purple one...and also ones that are the size of my fist. But we cohabited alright - our agreement was they could come in and hang out as long as they didn't bite me or my cat or wake me up in the middle of the night by crawling on my face.
And you know, our arrangement worked out quite well. I didn't kill them and they didn't bother me.
Anyway, so now I've got this little guy hanging out with me at the table - I was a little afraid I'd accidentally squish him, so I picked him up and put him back on the plant for awhile. I doubt he'll stay there, though - he's quite the international explorer.
t.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Computer-free Sundays
So when I was deciding how this work-from-home thing would actually work, I thought a lot about what small-biz owners the world over know all too well - that it can be almost impossible to separate business from pleasure, especially if you have a home office. When exactly do you stop working for the day? When do you stop working for the WEEK?
My theory about why this problem even exists is as follows: People who choose to work from home (and have that luxury) do so because they actually LIKE their jobs. People who choose to establish home-based businesses probably do so because they DISLIKED their former jobs enough to call it quits. In either case, I think it's a fair assumption that people with home offices are probably pretty happy with what they're doing; thus, it seems almost unnecessary to draw "arbitrary" lines in the sand about when you will stop working for the day or week or month. Why stop what you like doing?
Well, because it's healthy not to work all the time, that's why. So in an attempt to organize my week, I decided to strictly adhere to a new self-imposed rule - no computers on Sundays. Yesterday was the trial period and boy, it was HARD. Usually, my day starts around 5:30 or 6 (weekdays or weekends, doesn't matter), when I open my laptop and get to working. I use the term "working" loosely here, because I could be doing something that's actually productive...or I could be reading one of the gazillions of web-zines or blogs that I haunt on a regular basis. Either way, I really like my computer and I like my habit of greeting it early in the morning, bowl of coffee in hand and quiet all around (especially on a weekend, when hubby and dog and cat really don't get up until long after me).
So it was hard not to do that yesterday, especially since I hadn't slept well the previous two nights, during which time I finally got to finish reading that long-awaited Forbes laying on my coffee table. (Ahhhh, conservatism in the early morning hours...turns out it's just as disturbing as it is in the afternoon or evening, yet still completely informative for people fascinated by the psychology of billionaires...but I digress.) I was laying awake staring at the ceiling fan and wondering...worrying, really...what I would do with myself for the next couple of solo hours. So I just laid there until I fell back asleep and it turned out not to be so bad, getting a little shut-eye. And guess what? When hubby and his dog finally woke up, we laid there and had a nice long chat about random things...because I wasn't in the kitchen, on my computer, getting the morning coffee buzz by myself.
The rest of the morning went pretty much the same way - I even watched a bit of T.V., which I haven't done in ages. It turns out that when you're not glued to your computer screen, you can actually have some decent conversations with people...you know, your FAMILY, those people with whom you rarely interact during the week. We talked about all sorts of things and I'm sure I learned a new thing or two - I don't think we've had conversations like that in the time we've been married, actually. Just never happens. I found myself thinking, "So, THIS is what they mean by communication. Huh, whatdya' know? We're pretty good at it." The funny thing is that HE was on his computer some of the time we were talking because HE apparently doesn't have to observe the Computer-Free Sundays rule...
We had plans yesterday that included driving up to Bridgewater, so much of the afternoon was spent in the truck, at a restaurant, and then in the truck again. By that time, I was jonesing a little for technological interaction, so not having my laptop on hand, I reached for the old standby - the trusty iPhone. And then I looked at hubby, who looked back at me and said, "You're ridiculous." At which time I quietly put the phone back in it's place in my bag and looked out the window at the beautiful Jersey Turnpike view (if you're not familiar with the Turnpike, then please inject serious sarcasm into the previous statement). When we got home, I found myself wondering what to do, what to do. Hubby likes to sit outside and read the paper sometimes, so I tried that for about five minutes - didn't work because the allergens were a-swimmin' around my head and making me very uncomfortable. But hey, I gave it a shot. In the time that I WASN'T on my computer, I did laundry, brushed the cat (believe me, this is a serious undertaking), reorganized my closet, straightened up the house, and did some other stuff I can't remember. All without a headache because my eyes weren't strained from staring at a screen all day. Then we watched a Netflix movie that had been sitting around the house for far too long - it turned out to be "Public Enemies," that Johnny Depp movie about John Dillinger. Good stuff - I really liked it, but of course it didn't have a happy ending.
And then I went to bed, at which time I slept almost the whole night! Pretty amazing stuff.
But what really surprised me about the whole Computer-Free Sundays test run was what happened to me this morning. I keep a list of things I need to accomplish on each day during the week so that I know I'm doing everything I should be doing - I've found that when I'm not in a deadline-driven office environment, I have to create my OWN deadline-driven office environment to get anything done. But instead of jumping out of bed and going straight to the computer, at which I would normally sit for several hours before destinkifying myself and going out into the world, I stayed right where I was. In bed. And do you know what I heard?
I heard the coolest bird chirping away. It had this really rhythmic song pattern that I found myself drumming along to.
Why is this amazing? I hear birds every morning, so what was different about this one?
Well, I'll bet you that same bird (or family of birds, as it turns out) has been singing that same rhythmic song outside my window for weeks, but this was the first time I actually HEARD it. I wasn't in a rush to do something else; in fact, I seriously considered making it a Computer-Free Monday, too (but that wouldn't be practical). I heard that bird and I couldn't get up because I liked listening to it so much.
Eventually, I did get up and I'm in my usual position right now - sitting at the kitchen table with my bowl of coffee (this morning, it quite literally is a bowl with a handle on it) and my laptop, no T.V. in the background (I detest daytime television especially), and a snoring dog in the next room. But guess what? I can still hear that bird outside my kitchen window. He and I are friends now - we're making plans to hang out tomorrow morning and probably for the rest of the week. I asked him how the fam was and he says the kids are alright.
t.
----------
P.S. (at about 12:30pm on Monday): Speaking of the wily ways of nature, I just witnessed the most fascinating thing at my kitchen window. I heard very recently that spiders are good to have around if you've got problems with stinkbugs (which we do, like everyone else in our great state right now). I just snapped a pic of a spider dangling down on its little silk rope, where it had captured a stinkbug twice its size. I felt kinda bad taking a picture of the bug's demise, but it's nature - whatdya' gonna' do? Who am I to mess with the natural order of things? Anyway, it made for some pretty interesting viewing - it took a loooooong time for this spider to have its way with the stinkbug, but had its way it DID. Now both are gone somewhere, one digesting the other no doubt. I've always liked spiders. Now I know why.
t.
My theory about why this problem even exists is as follows: People who choose to work from home (and have that luxury) do so because they actually LIKE their jobs. People who choose to establish home-based businesses probably do so because they DISLIKED their former jobs enough to call it quits. In either case, I think it's a fair assumption that people with home offices are probably pretty happy with what they're doing; thus, it seems almost unnecessary to draw "arbitrary" lines in the sand about when you will stop working for the day or week or month. Why stop what you like doing?
Well, because it's healthy not to work all the time, that's why. So in an attempt to organize my week, I decided to strictly adhere to a new self-imposed rule - no computers on Sundays. Yesterday was the trial period and boy, it was HARD. Usually, my day starts around 5:30 or 6 (weekdays or weekends, doesn't matter), when I open my laptop and get to working. I use the term "working" loosely here, because I could be doing something that's actually productive...or I could be reading one of the gazillions of web-zines or blogs that I haunt on a regular basis. Either way, I really like my computer and I like my habit of greeting it early in the morning, bowl of coffee in hand and quiet all around (especially on a weekend, when hubby and dog and cat really don't get up until long after me).
So it was hard not to do that yesterday, especially since I hadn't slept well the previous two nights, during which time I finally got to finish reading that long-awaited Forbes laying on my coffee table. (Ahhhh, conservatism in the early morning hours...turns out it's just as disturbing as it is in the afternoon or evening, yet still completely informative for people fascinated by the psychology of billionaires...but I digress.) I was laying awake staring at the ceiling fan and wondering...worrying, really...what I would do with myself for the next couple of solo hours. So I just laid there until I fell back asleep and it turned out not to be so bad, getting a little shut-eye. And guess what? When hubby and his dog finally woke up, we laid there and had a nice long chat about random things...because I wasn't in the kitchen, on my computer, getting the morning coffee buzz by myself.
The rest of the morning went pretty much the same way - I even watched a bit of T.V., which I haven't done in ages. It turns out that when you're not glued to your computer screen, you can actually have some decent conversations with people...you know, your FAMILY, those people with whom you rarely interact during the week. We talked about all sorts of things and I'm sure I learned a new thing or two - I don't think we've had conversations like that in the time we've been married, actually. Just never happens. I found myself thinking, "So, THIS is what they mean by communication. Huh, whatdya' know? We're pretty good at it." The funny thing is that HE was on his computer some of the time we were talking because HE apparently doesn't have to observe the Computer-Free Sundays rule...
We had plans yesterday that included driving up to Bridgewater, so much of the afternoon was spent in the truck, at a restaurant, and then in the truck again. By that time, I was jonesing a little for technological interaction, so not having my laptop on hand, I reached for the old standby - the trusty iPhone. And then I looked at hubby, who looked back at me and said, "You're ridiculous." At which time I quietly put the phone back in it's place in my bag and looked out the window at the beautiful Jersey Turnpike view (if you're not familiar with the Turnpike, then please inject serious sarcasm into the previous statement). When we got home, I found myself wondering what to do, what to do. Hubby likes to sit outside and read the paper sometimes, so I tried that for about five minutes - didn't work because the allergens were a-swimmin' around my head and making me very uncomfortable. But hey, I gave it a shot. In the time that I WASN'T on my computer, I did laundry, brushed the cat (believe me, this is a serious undertaking), reorganized my closet, straightened up the house, and did some other stuff I can't remember. All without a headache because my eyes weren't strained from staring at a screen all day. Then we watched a Netflix movie that had been sitting around the house for far too long - it turned out to be "Public Enemies," that Johnny Depp movie about John Dillinger. Good stuff - I really liked it, but of course it didn't have a happy ending.
And then I went to bed, at which time I slept almost the whole night! Pretty amazing stuff.
But what really surprised me about the whole Computer-Free Sundays test run was what happened to me this morning. I keep a list of things I need to accomplish on each day during the week so that I know I'm doing everything I should be doing - I've found that when I'm not in a deadline-driven office environment, I have to create my OWN deadline-driven office environment to get anything done. But instead of jumping out of bed and going straight to the computer, at which I would normally sit for several hours before destinkifying myself and going out into the world, I stayed right where I was. In bed. And do you know what I heard?
I heard the coolest bird chirping away. It had this really rhythmic song pattern that I found myself drumming along to.
Why is this amazing? I hear birds every morning, so what was different about this one?
Well, I'll bet you that same bird (or family of birds, as it turns out) has been singing that same rhythmic song outside my window for weeks, but this was the first time I actually HEARD it. I wasn't in a rush to do something else; in fact, I seriously considered making it a Computer-Free Monday, too (but that wouldn't be practical). I heard that bird and I couldn't get up because I liked listening to it so much.
Eventually, I did get up and I'm in my usual position right now - sitting at the kitchen table with my bowl of coffee (this morning, it quite literally is a bowl with a handle on it) and my laptop, no T.V. in the background (I detest daytime television especially), and a snoring dog in the next room. But guess what? I can still hear that bird outside my kitchen window. He and I are friends now - we're making plans to hang out tomorrow morning and probably for the rest of the week. I asked him how the fam was and he says the kids are alright.
t.
----------
P.S. (at about 12:30pm on Monday): Speaking of the wily ways of nature, I just witnessed the most fascinating thing at my kitchen window. I heard very recently that spiders are good to have around if you've got problems with stinkbugs (which we do, like everyone else in our great state right now). I just snapped a pic of a spider dangling down on its little silk rope, where it had captured a stinkbug twice its size. I felt kinda bad taking a picture of the bug's demise, but it's nature - whatdya' gonna' do? Who am I to mess with the natural order of things? Anyway, it made for some pretty interesting viewing - it took a loooooong time for this spider to have its way with the stinkbug, but had its way it DID. Now both are gone somewhere, one digesting the other no doubt. I've always liked spiders. Now I know why.
t.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What am I looking for?
Well, after three days of lounging around the house in a pain med-induced coma, I'm definitely looking for a way out of here. I'm not conscious enough to do any actual work, but I'm conscious enough to be bored out of my mind. My day is essentially broken up into two parts:
Part One: Laying in bed with my cat, staring up at the ceiling
Part Two: Laying in bed with my cat, staring at a computer screen
Both have gotten old.
For some reason, I have this unbelievable urge to WRITE, to produce something semi-useful so that at the end of this week, I can look back at my recovery and say, "Hey, I was pretty productive." Doesn't look like it's going to happen.
Strangely enough, with all this "free" time on my hands, I've had no desire to turn on the T.V. In fact, I think I hate T.V. - it's really just background noise, but there's enough of that in my head, so why bother?
There's this vast part of me that's grateful for the silence in the house during the day. Then there's this oh-so-tiny part of me that is going absolutely nuts...and I think that part is winning.
It's 9:42 and far past my normal bedtime, but I've slept so much today, I don't know that sleep will come easy tonight. Besides, I've been having such weird dreams, I'm not sure I'm eager to get back to sleep anyway. I'm sure they'd make great stories if I could remember them long enough to write them down when I wake up.
Well, the battery is going to die on my computer and I'm far too lazy to get up and plug it in, so I suppose that's it for tonight. Perhaps I'll have better news tomorrow.
t.
Part One: Laying in bed with my cat, staring up at the ceiling
Part Two: Laying in bed with my cat, staring at a computer screen
Both have gotten old.
For some reason, I have this unbelievable urge to WRITE, to produce something semi-useful so that at the end of this week, I can look back at my recovery and say, "Hey, I was pretty productive." Doesn't look like it's going to happen.
Strangely enough, with all this "free" time on my hands, I've had no desire to turn on the T.V. In fact, I think I hate T.V. - it's really just background noise, but there's enough of that in my head, so why bother?
There's this vast part of me that's grateful for the silence in the house during the day. Then there's this oh-so-tiny part of me that is going absolutely nuts...and I think that part is winning.
It's 9:42 and far past my normal bedtime, but I've slept so much today, I don't know that sleep will come easy tonight. Besides, I've been having such weird dreams, I'm not sure I'm eager to get back to sleep anyway. I'm sure they'd make great stories if I could remember them long enough to write them down when I wake up.
Well, the battery is going to die on my computer and I'm far too lazy to get up and plug it in, so I suppose that's it for tonight. Perhaps I'll have better news tomorrow.
t.
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