Greetings, dear readers.

Like many of you, my regular workplace is closed for health and safety, and we are asked to work from home. I’m grateful for the opportunities that affords … Annnd having reached Day 21 of WFH, some of the rough edges are showing and the squirrels are coming down from the attic.
You might recognize some of these new experiences:

1. I now have “day sweats” and “evening sweats”. I never stand up during video conferences.

2. My coworkers are a little suspicious of my “personal assistant” on audio calls, to whom they heard me say “Who’s a good boy?” Accompanied by pro-level panting.

3. I refer to the post-it note over my laptop camera lens as a “privacy screen”.

4. I enabled the privacy screen because one of the residents of my abode spilled something unidentifiable on my last clean shirt and I was not about to be like the coworker I saw in flannel jammies printed with baby animals and just … I will never be able to unsee that.

5. When the phone rings I automatically pick it up and give my name and title. And then facepalm when my mother says “Hello, dear” and I remember that it’s Sunday morning.

6. I trip over a dog toy for the umpteenth time and threaten to take it up with HR.

7. HR does not care because they have a full schedule already, what with grooming and claw maintenance and ordering the staff around. This includes the house human – I’ve been told to get that dish refilled now, or get written up.

8. When yet another neighbor starts up some loud lawn implement, after several hours of the weed whacker concerto while I am trying to work on something that requires my nonexistent concentration, I begin to fantasize about in-person committee meetings in buildings that have no lawns.

9. I cannot figure out how in the Sam Hill I managed to lose the only physical paperwork I have in my possession until I realize that HR is napping on it.

10. On Fridays the grocery store pickup app automatically asks for my birthdate when I log on and then says “the usual?” and loads two bottles of chardonnay into the online cart.

And you know things are a little squirrely I’m already thinking about that online cart on Monday…

Sometimes all you can do is laugh and try again tomorrow.

Squirrels aside, I am grateful you have spent some of your time here today. All comments and questions are welcome. Be well and safe, dear readers!