I ask you this…
Is there anything more pathetic than calling in sick on a day you are supposed to telecommute?
No really, is there? Because I just did it. Today is a telecommute day and I just called in sick.
What a waste of both a sick day and a telecommute day. Urgh.
When I am working from home I like to listen to music. For some reason, Richard Thompson (with and without Linda, and with and without Fairport Convention) seems to work for me while I work. Not sure why.
Anyway, I have gotten into the habit of sitting at the dining room table while I work. I don’t like wearing headphones for long periods of time so I don’t like to wear them while working all day. I have a sweet Bose iPod dock that I had been using, but it isn’t something I can leave in the dining room and frankly I’m too lazy to hook it up and take it down all the time.
What to do?
I thought about streaming my iTunes Match account through our Apple TV. Why not, the television goes through what is by far the best sound system in the house. Unfortunately, it’s not in the same room as me when I work, and if I get a call I would have to run into the next room and shut it off before answering. That’s a pain.
Ahh… but iTunes Match, plus Apple TV means… Airplay!
What I did today was send the music app (formerly known as the iPod app) on my iPhone through the Apple TV via Airplay. That means the control of the music (volume, track, ect) is here in the dining room with me. It also means that if the phone rings, the music is automatically paused! Two proverbial birds, one proverbial stone!
Apple, you so cool! Thanks!
The obligatory cat-visiting-me-while-I-work picture.
Patches can sense that I am royally pissed off about the snag I’ve hit on the task I’ve been working on since lunch so she’s trying to cheer my dumb ass up.
Behold! The second butt kicking benefit of getting to telecommute one day each week!
So far, the big benefit to working from home has been the obvious one. I don’t have to drive to and from work for an hour plus each way. That is a huge deal for both me and my cars’s mileage.
Tomorrow I will experience a new benefit. I will get to go to a school function for my step daughter and I won’t be late! It will only take me 30 minutes to get to her school, even with traffic. That’s compared to about an hour and 20 minutes or so if I had to travel all the way from the office.
How awesome is that? Can I get a WOOHOO?
WOOHOO!
Today is going to be a text book study in nerdom. Thursday is my (somewhat) regular telecommuting day now. Also, my step son has a recorder concert at school at some ungodly hour like 9:30 or something. My wife is taking a little time off to go see it. I’m not so lucky in that regard. After the concert, she is going to telecommute too.
Both of us will be working from home at the same time. How nerdy cute is that? She’ll be at her desk in the living room. I’ll be on my laptop on the dining room table. Two nerds in love, working away next to each other. Isn’t that precious?
I hope she doesn’t get mad when I start yelling at my screen.
Inside the Red Head's Head 