Who said working from home is easy?

Monday, January 19, 2009 at 5:03 pm (Hack for Hire)
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OK, I might not have to battle snow and ice to get to work. Or worry about sleeping in an extra half-hour after a late night watching the post-game shows. Or even wrestle with the perennial chore of what to wear every blessed day.

But working for yourself from home is not without its challenges. I tell people who ask me about it (with dreams in their head and longing in their eyes) that it’s not for everyone.

You have to be self-motivated. Nobody is checking to make sure you’re at your desk, doing whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing to earn a living. You have to forget there’s a TV a few feet away, a refrigerator full of food, rooms that need cleaning, a novel begging to be read, or an Internet full of time-wasting at your fingertips.

You have to deal with the insecurity of not being sure of your next paycheck. Or the one after that or the one after that.

You have to find all the jobs, pay all the taxes, buy all the supplies, and make all the coffee. You have to be your own cheerleader — attaboys are hard to come by. The very best you can hope for is that they’ll call you again next time.

Working solo means usually being alone. No one’s around the water cooler to rejoice over the big win, lament over the big loss, or dish about what so-and-so said when you-know-who told him about you-know-what. Lunchtime is no different from any other time. There’s never any birthday cake at 4:00 in the conference room. It’s isolating. You have to have the temperament to deal with that. And no, everyone else is not checking e-mail all day long. Your computer is your lifeline in so many ways, but it’s not always attached at the other end.

And, there will be other obstacles you didn’t anticipate. For example, it’s hard to write when you can’t see what you’re writing.

blocking-the-screen

And it’s hard to type when you can’t move your arm.

asleep-on-my-arm

And yes, you may end up wearing your bathrobe for an embarrassingly long time.

I’m just saying. Just so you know.

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. 
                                                ~ James Matthew Barrie

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Yay! (And get your own damn icon.)

Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 11:10 pm (Writing by Ear)
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Afterglow. Nothin’ like it. 

Here’s wishing a speedy recovery for Willis McGahee. And kudos to the Ravens for playing a hell of a game — we were worried. Thank you, Troy!

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Lounging in bed this morning watching the news on Channel 4, I saw a piece by Bill Hillgrove about the Terrible Towel. The gist, as you might expect, “He who desecrates the towel, beware.”

What struck me most was Bill’s comment that the NFL was looking into introducing towels (or facsimiles) of their own. Then I found this P-G article that describes the effort.

What the hell? Ripping off Myron Cope’s brainchild and making money on a team icon whose sale funds a charity in honor of Myron’s disabled son? What an insult.

They couldn’t do a pennant, or a flag, or a foam whatever? Had to be a towel?

Or wait, maybe it’s appropriate that all those other NFL teams wave the white towel (in surrender) when the Steelers come to town.

Or maybe that’s what Steeler fans should wave in disgust when the refs make lousy calls against us or fail to notice when James Harrison gets held on nearly every play.

Or maybe it’s that imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.

Nah. It’s just the NFL trying to make a buck off a Pittsburgh original. Good luck with that.

Right now, though, it matters not. Pittsburgh’s goin’ to the Super Bowl!
HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another. 
                                                                  ~ John Dewey

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Oh no, not Country Home too?!

Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 7:11 pm (Cottage Industry, Writing by Ear)
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My decor is doomed. Seems it wasn’t enough that Cottage Living magazine folded, now the one I like even more, Country Home, is closing the barn doors for good. Two favorite magazines gone in 2 months (although I did learn that my Cottage Living subscription would be honored by Southern Living, which was a nice surprise).

Has the world finally had enough of the uber-emphasis on decorating the last 10 years? Can HGTV be far behind? Surely not, but I could probably give up cable if that folded. 

So now I’m down to Better Home and Gardens (a perennial subscription for close to 20 years) and my recent gift subscription to Martha Stewart Living — so lovely but so unattainable. It sure doesn’t bode well for the state of this ol’ house in the days to come. Good thing I’ve saved the back issues. Inspiration has to come from somewhere.

A comfortable house is a great source of happiness.
It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience.
                                            ~ Sydney Smith

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