Wednesday Randomness
YOU GUYS!!!
I am HAPPY to report to you that my company has changed their mind and the In Office 2x a Week Mandate has been cancelled. YAY! For those of you who are new here due to NaBloPoMo, I have worked from home since 2006, both at my prior job and my current one. There is an office about 30 miles from here, which can take anywhere from 25 to 90 minutes by car each way, and there is no public transportation that would take less than 100 minutes and involve several transfers. My company decided that it was time to get people ‘back in the office’ 2 days a week, which would apply to all employees within a 50 mile radius, whether they have ever worked in the office or not. This started in early September for a lot of folks, and was going to start in early January for those of us that requested an exemption. Apparently the folks who have had to go in have not been quiet about their frustration at having to commute to work in a cubicle when no one else on your team is within 200 miles, and apparently they do sometimes listen to employee engagement surveys, so I will NOT have to go into the office! YAY! And I hadn’t even started buying any office clothing! (Not true, I bought 2 sweaters, and I didn’t thrift them, which I had intended, so yeah…but I totally wear sweaters all winter, so it’s not like they’re fancy blouses or suits.)
Look at the Kitty with a Pearl Earring magnet Maya brought me home from work. Isn’t it cute? My fridge is overrun with pictures and magnets, and I love it. I like to collect them from museums, though as the fridge is so full, I suspect my next memento will have to be a bookmark. The other magnets shown are: Rue de Rivoli, which I got in Paris in 2022. Ted and I honeymooned near the Rue de Rivoli way back in 1993, so I was happy to find this one. The Girl with a Pearl Earring is from when the famous painting was on tour in 2013, and Ted and I saw her in San Francisco. The Lady and the Unicorn is of one of the famous tapestries at the Cluny museum in Paris. I bought a magnet when I was there in 2022, but apparently I left it right there in the gift shop, because when we got back to our hotel and I looked at my bag, it was not there. My step-mom went to Paris in 2023, and she also went to this beautiful museum, and bought one for me as a replacement for the one I left behind. So this one is extra special, it reminds me of my trip and of her.
This is our red wine for Thanksgiving next week. I bought it in an online auction to benefit our local Meals on Wheels. It’s 2012, so hopefully it is still good. I doubt we will drink both bottles, but then again, who knows?
I downloaded this app, WoofTrax, to my phone. It’s a fundraising app that donates a pittance to your animal charity of choice when you take your dog for a walk, and tell it you are doing so. A lot of pittances add up to something at least, and I walk every day anyway, so I am doing it, even without my walking buddy, Mulder. I’m walking in his memory I guess. Bay Area Rescue Keeshonden is the rescue where we got both Mulder and our prior dog, Genevieve.
Years ago, Roma was a blog friend, and we’re still friends on Facebook. I don’t remember what her blog was at the time, actually, but she is an artist in New Mexico, and is a wise woman and I love when this memory pops up in my feed. Resist the pressure. Do all of the things that you want to do and bring you joy, and nothing more.
Imagine my joy when I received the most excellent postcard from Engie! I love snail mail, and we can all use a little extra subversive fun right now.
PSA – Thelma is now available for streaming, on Hulu and on Amazon. Such a lovely film, well worth your time.
Lastly, I don’t really drive to the countryside to look for beautiful fall foliage, but there are glimpses everywhere you look anyway. The local parks are awash with color, as are the grocery store parking lots, neighborhoods, and the medians between the lanes on the streets I walk. Not as beautiful as a lakeside forest, but beautiful nonetheless.
38 Comments
Kyria @ Travel Spot
HAPPY DANCE! That is great that they are not going to make you go in! I am so glad that there was a test cohort before you and that they spoke up and that someone listened! We used to go into the office; I asked to WFH and my boss said yes and then my coworkers started saying that they wanted to too, but my boss did not want all of us away at the same time so we only got to WFH one day a week. I was a bit miffed since I had asked first, and also since I saw no benefit in being in the office (in SF) when half of our group was in NY anyway…but I quit and so did another of my SF group (2 out of 3 of us) and now the one guy left in SF works from home! So it was completely unbased. But it’s not my problem anymore, I suppose!
J
I do think working in the office can be beneficial for some teams, and if I were in the same city as my office it would not bother me at all. But our team is spread out and there’s no real benefit, and that commute was going to SUCK, so yay! Commenting from Oakland to SF is no fun, especially if you’re not near a BART station. But really, working from home works really well for SO MANY of us.
sustainablemum
So glad to hear you can continue to work from home, that would have been a long commute for you if not. Enjoy your wine and thanksgiving. Love that postcard. Assume you have read the book Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier? If not do, it is a good read as are most of Chevalier’s books.
J
I love Chevalier, and loved Girl with a Pearl Earring. When we went to see the painting in SF, I came home and re-read the book that evening. Delicious.
Ally Bean
I’m pleased to read you won’t have to be traipsing all over the place to go into an office. Once Z-D started working from home [March 2020] and no longer spent an hour and a half in the car every day his attitude changed for the better. Good that you’re avoiding all that. I like your wine selection source and your attitude about its quality!
J
It’s amazing what a difference not having to deal with a commute can make in a person’s attitude, right?
AC
I have at least two photographers try to replicate The Girl with a Pearl Earring, and they did a good job. Cats are better though. ?
J
I did a google search of ‘cat with a pearl earring’, to try to find this magnet to link, and goodness, a LOT of people have had this same idea. Cute!
Lisa's Yarns
I am so glad you won’t have to go into the office! That would have really impacted your quality of life and there didn’t appear to be any benefit to being in the office. I don’t mind going into the office 3 days/week but I end up there maybe 3 days/month these days with all the traveling and the holidays and such. But gosh I would be pizzy about it if I had a nasty commute and no benefit to being in the office. Luckily our commute isn’t too bad. We leave at 7, have 2 drop offs, and I’m usually at my desk by 7:40ish! It will be even better next year when we just have one drop off!!!!
J
Agreed, if there were a benefit to it, I woulnd’t have minded so much. If it were closer, I wouldn’t have minded at all, I would have enjoyed getting to know my coworkers from different teams. But I really didn’t want to deal with the wear and tear on my car, and as I said while griping to SO MANY PEOPLE: “I would never have applied for a job that far away, especially without public transportation, but now I guess I have one.”
Margaret
That is excellent news! My older daughter works for Washington State and is supposed to go in to the office in Olympia once every pay period. (every two weeks?) That’s not too bad. My fridge is a mess of magnets too, most of them with special memories attached.
J
I think once a pay period would be more manageable than 2 days a week, for sure. Especially when you have young children like your OD, it can be tricky. I kind of felt bad complaining, because so many people commute every day, but yeah, I complained anyway.
nance
Oh, I’m rejoicing for you! I can only imagine your relief and joy when you got the news that you could continue to WFH. I think you should wear the new sweaters anyway as an Act Of Triumph.
One of my Sadnesses is that I have a stainless fridge and cannot put up any magnets to hold reminders or notes or anything fun. (That is only one of the reasons I hate my stainless–HA HA–fridge. NEVER AGAIN.)
I don’t know if you recall it or not, but many years ago–November of 2011, to be precise–I did a series of posts called Pressure Busting Tips for Christmas. There were 20 of them, posted one per day. They all came about from personal experience. Your friend is wise and spot-on. As far as I’m concerned, this year’s Christmas is all about Theo, period.
Finally, let me know how you like the Cabernet Franc. That varietal is one of our favourites, but we usually get ours in Ontario. It was used for so long as a blending grape only. It’s so great to see it getting its due as a stand alone wine in lots of regions now.
J
Yeah, I really like being able to put things on the front of my fridge, so would be hesitatant to buy one that doesn’t handle that. I’ll report back on the Cab Franc. I’m not really familiar with the varietal. I hope it’s still good, being 12 years old. I ASSUME whomever donated it to MOW for their fundraiser stored it properly.
Yeah, I’m wearing the sweaters. 🙂
Alexandra
I’m still laughing at your post’s graphic … hoping of course, I’d be one of those on dry land! My OH was asked earlier this year (Ha! Ha! asked) to go back into work 2 days a week and, as we only live 4 blocks away, it’s no problem. The problem is, like you, half their team lives 40+ minutes commute time away. So only half are going in on the same days, other on different days and … well, it’s just not working. Enjoy your victory while you can.
As for Fall foilage, I’m surrpunded by it here, though it’s true, this last week the trees are officially bare up here, in the Frozen North. We might see spring again around May 1st!
J
I wouldn’t mind going in if my office were 4 blocks away, but if only half of my team was there and then going in on alternate days on top of that, I’m not sure I see any benefit, other than the purported goal (at my company) of getting to know team members and so on.
Nicole MacPherson
SOB I AM SO JEALOUS OF YOUR SNAIL MAIL
Great news on the WFH front!
NGS
I sent you a postcard, too, Nicole! You will get it someday!
Yay for being able to work from home still!! Woot Woot!
J
Thanks Engie!
J
Thank you Nicole! I hope your postal strike ends soon. Fingers crossed.
San
Oh yay, that is great news, Julie. I know how much you were dreading having to go back to the office. I think it was so “unfair” to force remote employees to take on the commute after such a long time, but apparently the people who went had some “pull” and they decided that you can keep working remotely.
J
Thank goodness for complainers, I guess!
Birchie
Yes yes yes yes yes!!!! That’s fabulous news that RTO has been cancelled.
Thanks for the reminder on Thelma! I can’t wait to see it.
J
I hope you like it, it’s such a charming film. I may watch it again tomorrow, it’s supposed to be blustery all day, maybe a day to stay in with a movie.
Melissa
Yay for continuing to work from home. I’m so happy for you. I have always worked from home, except for the two weeks when I was training our finance manager. G works at home too now; they got rid of the office during COVID. My daughter started work this year after graduating, and her office is Mon-Wed in the office and Thurs and Fri at home, which is a good mix for her. It would be hard starting work and being at home all the time.
That postcard is classic.
J
I’ve never worked in the office at this job, and it was a little rough when I was training for sure. But with modern technology, it can certainly happen. I THINK our company tried to sell our closest office building a year or so ago, but in this environment, no one wanted it. So they decided if they couldn’t sell it, they would fill it up, I guess.
Maya
That is such good news about your commute! And I’m glad that some of that time is being used to walk with Mulder (in a way <3 ).
I have an hour to commute each way and I always wonder what I'd do with that time if I didn't have to. It sounds like I might save the world when all I'd do is probably cuddle up and read, but still :).
J
I feel for you Maya! When I first heard about the commute, I was thinking I would listen to audiobooks, but then we thought about it and decided 3 of us would carpool, and I’m not sure of the etiquette on that when you know the people you’re riding with. For me, it’s not only the time in the car, it’s the being dressed and ready first thing in the morning. As it is I get up, play my word games (wordle and such), do my yoga, go for a walk, and plop in my chair at 8am, no shower, no work clothes, no makeup. So going into an office was going to mean no walks on those days, and changing my morning routine a lot. I was NOT THRILLED.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I am lighting some fireworks over here in celebration of you NOT having to go into office. How amazing. So happy for you…
I am having issues with the card.Not the sender, obviously. And not the saying. But why have a naked woman there? isn’t that exactly what patrachy is about? Sex sells and all? Don’t get me wrong the womans illustration is fine but the combination is itching me. Maybe I am overreacting….
J
Thank you for the congratulatory fireworks, and for your thoughts on the postcard.
Jenny
Wow- THAT is good news! Good thing you didn’t go out and buy a bunch of business clothes.
You’re reminding me to get wine for Thanksgiving. And- I also got a postcard from Engie! I love them!
And- great quote from Roma. This can be such a fun time of year, or it can be stressful. Why make it stressful when it doesn’t have to be?
J
Thanks Jenny, yes I am all for less stress! I think we get pulled into wanting everything to be magical and perfect when the kids are younger. It gets easier to tone it down as they get older.
Stephany
Oh, I am so glad to hear that you don’t have to go into the office! I don’t think I could do that again. I just love working from home so much. I keep hearing about companies doing these return-to-the-office mandates and just… WHY?! For most office jobs, it’s not necessary!
The cat with the pearl earring! I love that magnet so much!!
J
I’m glad that you commented on the magnet, isn’t it cute? Regarding RTO, yeah, crazy. I think maybe the cities are pressuring employers, because restaurants and so on have really taken a hit. But the carbon impact is horrible, right? Plus the added expense of commuting, and the time involved. Also, I wasn’t looking forward to having to put on makeup and being dressed that early! LOL.
Karen Meg
I am thrilled that you don’t have to go in office!! I think companies are still trying to get it right, I’m glad that your organization actually listened to the people. It’s a bit ridiculous to ask especially those folks who have been remote from the very beginning, to have to go into the office – I get that they’re trying to be equitable, but when you do that you change the original terms of employment.
My last job which I absolutely loved was 100% remote, reason I applied in the first place (no chance of commute as office was in Seattle) – and we did so much with colleagues around the world! Most opportunities now require 2-3 days in office and since I have not had to commute more than 15 minutes from home in the last 25 years, I just can’t do it.
Thelma looks like such a cute movie, will have to look for it!
J
I think you would really like Thelma, definitely cute.
I hope I never have to go to an office again, truly. Working from home is so great. If I do have to go in to an office, I would like it to be close to home. I have NEVER worked in a different city from where I live. I’ve been very fortunate in that way, though of course some of that is planning.
Anne
So so happy for you re: the no more RTO. Read the room, people – and it sounds like they did! For once! I am so glad it worked out in your favor. Whew.
I was saying the other day that academia is really the only job that I can have now – unless I lucked into something like medical editing, which I might consider in the future. I need to have the flexibility – not to mention, the relatively casual dress code (at least where I am!). 🙂
J
Thanks Anne! Yes, a casual dress code is pretty important. I think in my industry, I could have worn jeans and sweaters if I had had to go to the office, which is something at least.