The chronicles of telecommuting: II

Everything that goes up must come down. This isn't meant to be cryptic or some kind of apochrypha, it's just that when you're working alone from home you notice that the balance of the universe is absolute, totalitarian even. I've learned a thing or two since my stint in the casa. Maybe learned is the wrong word to employ here, I've observed, yeah, that's much better, I'm an observer here in my Captain Kirk chair, swivelling around the digital universe.

First thing's first, my place is small, so this limits observations. However, since I started this gig there's been 1 fire, 1 earthquake and several stops by the UPS man.

Working from home allows one to save money, naturally, we all knew this. The savings, however, aren't always readily apparent. In order to document this, I'm going to employ a two column system that's in line with the spirit of double entry book keeping. What exactly this means, double entry book keeping, I've no clue, I dropped out of accounting 101 as a freshman in college because it made my brain hurt and I've no clue to this day how to balance my check book. Since I'm in the majority of individuals out there afflicted by accountitis, I don't feel quite so bad. To that end, credits bad, debits good:


cigarettes are expensive | major savings on petrol

fine delicacies get pricey| the decision tree is more "precise"

have to heat the house more | major savings on laundry, come on you would wear the same jeans four days in a row too as long as the odor didn't choke you!

missing my jalapeno bagels for breakfast | money spent on coffee in the morning went waaay down as I make it at home

I spend money riding the bus to school, which is great as its an automatic half hour more that I can read every day | personal hygien products (yes, I still brush my teeth everyday for you smart asses out there! but I shave even less than I did before, and deoderant, well see the note about choking yourself)

spending more money on printer ink and paper | lunch doesn't quite bite me in the pocket book the way it used to, but I do miss Himawari


I'm sure I'll come up with other costs and savings in this here telecommuting world. It's been mostly good so far, but I do feel like I'm becoming a bit of a shut in. I simply don't leave as much as I should when the day is done. I've become better at closing the laptop; there's a definite danger of becoming a work a holic when you mix your work space and your place space, but I've found otherways of enjoying my digital corner: working on photographs. I've left one of my tripods near the door, fully extended, so that at any moment I can walk up the stairs to the roof of the building and photograph the sunset. One of these days, when I get up early enough, I'll do the sunrise, in the mean time it'll have to be just sunsets.

So for now, back to work.... and adieu...