*** *** ***
Donald's been working from home a lot, these past few weeks. There are occasional trips to R. (hometown, where office is located), D./M./S.F. (other nearby towns that seem to "share" a shopping mall that has a Panera Bread-- a.k.a. "the office away from the office", as they meet there so often), and the businesses of clients, but most of the time, he's been working right here at home. We're not sure how long that'll last.
Once his office is finished in the (currently under interior construction) company building, he'll probably spend a couple weeks or so working every day in town, to get more properly into the groove of things. After that, he thinks his day-to-day location will depend on the specific tasks allotted for each day. When making things for the company itself, it makes more sense to work in the building, where he can get instant feedback, but on days when he'll be focused completely on larger projects for other businesses, he should be able to work from home. Then there's the possibility that his "department" might get enough business to expand and hire more employees. If that happens, he may not be able to work from home as much.
We'll just have to wait and see what happens. As long as the business keeps its main office in R., his drive to and from work/meetings with clients should be much shorter and less stressful than his old drive to Mobile.
. . . So far, I've been writing only about work location and the commute, and of course that's only a small part of the big picture. For the rest, I think he's enjoying the new job. It's more about designing websites than his old job had come to be, and I think he feels that designing is the fun part of the process-- so that's good. . .
*** *** ***
Donald was in the "local" section of the Mobile paper, last week. (Or was it the week before?) He knew that someone had written up a press release relating (I think) to the new branch of the business-- and he'd sent in a photo at their request-- but he didn't even know it had been printed until his prosthodontist mentioned having seen him in the paper. So, he's famous now. ;o) And I am, too, "kind of", because I'm the one who took the photo that they printed. (Of course, I'm sure it wasn't credited to me, so technically, I'm still only famous in the eyes of Molly and Trixie, because they've known all along that they're living with a "famebus phlotograpper". . .) Or in other words, yeah, we've hit the Big Time now, alright. (g)
*** *** ***
Over the weekend, we put the nine posts for the patio-covering structure in the ground, braced them, and set them in concrete. I call it a "patio-covering structure" because I'm not sure what the proper name would be. It's going to be kind of like a pergola, I guess, only with shade cloth over the open, wooden "roof".
Anyway, it's good to have those posts up. It looks fairly junky just now, with the crazily mismatched braces and strings all over the place, but those'll be going away before long. It's amazing how just those nine posts already make the patio feel more like a room. Just a little vertical element was all it took to make it feel quite a bit more private than it did before-- not to mention larger. It's also easier to begin imagining how we can fill the space with a swing, a small table, and some chairs.
I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like when we're all done, but that probably won't happen for a while. The time change has taken away more of the evening light-- and the days are still getting shorter-- so we'll probably be working on it mostly on the weekends. I can work on it some during the day, but there's only so much that I can do on my own. Painting? Yes. Lifting large boards, carrying them up a ladder and hammering them in place by myself? No, not likely. Not unless I have no other choice, and the fate of the world depends on it. Then I might at least give it a try.
Projects like this one take us so much longer that I feel like they will-- or should-- take. Maybe I'm just overly optimistic-- which is surprising, as I don't generally think of myself as an optimist. (I'm a realist with periods of pessimism that must be remedied with pleasant distractions. (g))
Anyway, it's good to have those posts up. It looks fairly junky just now, with the crazily mismatched braces and strings all over the place, but those'll be going away before long. It's amazing how just those nine posts already make the patio feel more like a room. Just a little vertical element was all it took to make it feel quite a bit more private than it did before-- not to mention larger. It's also easier to begin imagining how we can fill the space with a swing, a small table, and some chairs.
I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like when we're all done, but that probably won't happen for a while. The time change has taken away more of the evening light-- and the days are still getting shorter-- so we'll probably be working on it mostly on the weekends. I can work on it some during the day, but there's only so much that I can do on my own. Painting? Yes. Lifting large boards, carrying them up a ladder and hammering them in place by myself? No, not likely. Not unless I have no other choice, and the fate of the world depends on it. Then I might at least give it a try.
Projects like this one take us so much longer that I feel like they will-- or should-- take. Maybe I'm just overly optimistic-- which is surprising, as I don't generally think of myself as an optimist. (I'm a realist with periods of pessimism that must be remedied with pleasant distractions. (g))
*** *** ***
As for the political side of my life. . . (Don't worry, I'm not going to go off on a long rant. Well, not a very long one, at least.) It's been a while since I decided to take most of the political stuff out of my daily life-- a choice I made because the constant exposure to political news was making me nervous and depressed. Still, it's been impossible to stay away from all of it. (Even Donald's mormor, when she spoke to him over the weekend, was complaining that, lately, too much of the news in Sweden seems to focus on American politics.)
I don't have a very good feeling about the results of tomorrow's election, but I refuse to give up hope that the lesser of two evils will win. I'll definitely be voting. I don't think there's any risk (whatsoever) of "the other guy" winning the popular vote in my conservative-leaning state (Thank you, Sweet Home Alabama!), but I'm too opinionated to not cast a ballot. Then, with that duty done, I'll just try to resign myself to whatever's going to happen. It shouldn't be the end of the world, whichever way it goes. We'll see. ;o) My main concern is that, if Obama becomes president, he might bring about the "change" he promises-- and it's not the kind of change I want to see.
So. Now you know where I stand, as if there had been any question. I'll be glad just to have this election behind us, to tell the truth. I'm tired of being force-fed "political crap" in every possible venue-- day in, day out for months on end.
I don't have a very good feeling about the results of tomorrow's election, but I refuse to give up hope that the lesser of two evils will win. I'll definitely be voting. I don't think there's any risk (whatsoever) of "the other guy" winning the popular vote in my conservative-leaning state (Thank you, Sweet Home Alabama!), but I'm too opinionated to not cast a ballot. Then, with that duty done, I'll just try to resign myself to whatever's going to happen. It shouldn't be the end of the world, whichever way it goes. We'll see. ;o) My main concern is that, if Obama becomes president, he might bring about the "change" he promises-- and it's not the kind of change I want to see.
So. Now you know where I stand, as if there had been any question. I'll be glad just to have this election behind us, to tell the truth. I'm tired of being force-fed "political crap" in every possible venue-- day in, day out for months on end.
*** *** ***
Trixie continues to grow. I think Donald said that she weighed about 16 pounds, last time he checked. Her hair is noticeably lengthening-- particularly on her tail and the backs of her legs, taking her one step closer to the appearance of a grown Eskie. She still likes to bite, at times-- probably because she's teething. She's also still fond of people. For instance, she and Molly were both outside when our meter reader came by. Donald watched from a window as Molly barked and kept her distance. Trixie, on the other hand, ran up to the fence, bouncing happily, and was petted several times by this person she didn't even know. Some watchdog, huh? ;o) Seriously, though, I'll be glad if she just barks to let us know people are here, but still maintains the ability to interact happily with people outside her circle of known humans.
*** *** ***
Well, time to go finish supper and work on getting used to the fact that it's an hour earlier than it feels like it is. . .
Well, time to go finish supper and work on getting used to the fact that it's an hour earlier than it feels like it is. . .
