The Perks

I just took a nap. It is the single-most awesome perk of working from home. That, and getting to watch Tatum’s eyes get crazy for No Good Reason all day long (when he’s not napping with me.) Napping compensates for the late nights and weekdays spent staring at spreadsheets. It doesn’t quite compensate for Tatum’s random and violent attacks of my feet under the covers at 3:00 AM, but that would happen anyway, so at least napping helps.

Working from home has other advantages, too. Like: complete silence. I know many people like a little background noise when they work, music or something. And sometimes I play my iPod when I have a really tedious task I’m working on. But for the most part, I am able to stay the most focused if everything is totally quiet. You don’t get that working in a cube farm. Another bonus is being able to exercise. I get up, do some work, and then often go for a jog or even go to yoga if there’s time, around 10:00. Some days I’m too busy and can’t make it. But most days I do. It’s a good excuse to get out of the house, which I desperately need. I start to go stir crazy, sitting in one little room all day. On the other hand, I have yet to see any health benefits. I see no new muscle or loss of flab after a summer of running out of sheer boredom. I’m expecting it’s all just building up and I’m suddenly going to be skinny and toned for my sister-in-law’s wedding this fall. Right?

Echo.

Echo.

Happily, I’m off to Boston soon for a business trip, so that should take care of the little travel bug that’s crept back into my brain. This is sad for Sugar, who’s developed a bad case of clinginess. (More so than usual.) I have a little white shadow all day. If I bend over to pick something up, or check something on the computer, she jumps immediately onto my shoulders. It’d be cuter if it didn’t draw so much blood. We need to work on her aim. She kind of just goes for “up” and figures out the details as her paws make contact with anything, be it collarbone or lace sleeve. (Because I am Beethoven? Who wears lace sleeves? I was making a point.) As soon as I sit down, she’s on my lap. And oh! But it is tragic, tragic I tell you, if I should ever need to stand up again. There is much sadness and angst.

Fortunately for her, I haven’t bothered completely unpacking from Miami, so the suitcase is still lying on the floor, and I’m hoping she won’t notice when I start to fill it up again.

Then it’s The Funasaurus who gets to lug her around on his shoulders for the week that I am gone. Lucky you, baby. I’ll try to remember to trim her claws. Because we all know what a fun job that is.