The chronicles of telecommuting chapter 1

Iron Chef Challenge: Secret Ingrediant - Nothing!

I've started my new job from home' I can finally say I'm "living in the city". What do I mean by this? I'm no longer commuting almost 70 miles a day down to San Carlos and back. I'm no longer rushing from work to get to class, although I was a bit pressed for time to make my class today, but I'm hoping this isn't the normal course of events in a day. I've been assured that it's not. My work, place of residence and education are located here in San Francisco. I'm finally "living" in the city full time.

Yesterday I came to the conclusion that my desk and chair were not sufficient to lead this new life that's been termed telecommuting. My desk chair was remarkably uncomfortable so I opted to throw away my desk, I tried to dissasemble it but after two moves it was rickety and uncooperative so it split in many little pieces. I gave my old chair to some friends who were happy to take it from me as a replacement to the even more uncomfortable desk chair they had. Office max proved to be a right proper place to aquire new office furniture. I spent a good chunk of change, uncharacteristically for me, quite suddenly committing to a new furniture set. These things usually take a very long time of stewing, contemplating, comparrison etc. etc. However, this time I just decided I need new furniture and I'm going to have it right the hell now! The new L-shaped desk is all glass tops with a small glass hutch on the longer section. I can honsetly say I'm in love with this stuff. Cabling is a bit of a mess and hard to hite, but over the next few weeks I'll find a way of sorting out this jungle of wires. Still, I really like the new setup with all the glowing LEDs. It's very modern and suites my purposes of having space and convenience to go between computers. A KVM switch is my near future to centralize everything on the new flat panel screen. Yes, we're almost there, the command center is nearly complete. A few odds and ends, removal of old filling cabinets and drawer systems, to be replaced with container store modularly designed solutions will round out my archival and storage needs.

The kitchen on the other hand is a quiet disaster. I haven't disposed of all the packaging materials that this furniture came with. The long boxes with their foam and now emply plastic wrappers and sleeves are still sitting in my kitchen. I think tomorrow will be hack up the carboard day.

One other thing is missing... food. Here's where it gets intersting. Now class let out for me around 8:30 tonight, I was brutally tired and couldn't find the motivation to go to the store. I was gone all of last week on business in Phoenix, training to be exact. The week prior was the conference and my last week at the old company. The week after that was living off of leftovers from the dinner party the weekend before that. So the challenge, dear friends, eat for the rest of this week off of what's here in the house, lots of tried beans, crack wheat, soba noodles, 1 1/2 onions, 2 eggs, 1 sausage, 1 chunk frozen pork, 2 quarts vegetable stock, 1 jar peanutbutter, spices galor, a recently procured banzair rosemary tree for fresh herbs, olives, water, orange juice, numerous teas, soon to be bad pine nuts, lemons, 2 bottls of beer, an unopened bottle of Onigaroshi and basmati rice. The rules will be simple, rice on it's own is not a meal, there must be 3 meals a day, oatmeal can be breakfast but not all five days. There must be a component of "interest" or some quality of gourmet. I don't know what this will be, but simple simply won't cut it.

Either I'll destory my digestive system with way too much spice and salt trying to dress up my food... as if my life isn't complicated enough here I am adding just one more layer to the tower of babel... viva la telecommute!