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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Blogging in Exile

Lately I've been working from an "undisclosed location". About 2k miles from the place that I call home. I spend my days in front of my monitors with only my dogs for company. Waiting for the school bus to appear outside my window like a lonely pooch myself.

While it is calm and quiet for the most part and I seem to be getting a lot done - I've yet to find a sweet spot and be able to relax into it. I find that I miss the constant din of the office. I miss being able to walk down the hall and bounce ideas (or ribbing) off my cohorts.

Worse, I realize that I've started to feel like the exiled leader, watching his country move on without him. Sometimes in directions that he never intended. Only able to have effect via telephone or message. I think the real hard part is that I only receive information that others think I need. It's like getting your news filtered through a sharpie happy censor and government controlled media.

Some seem to treat me almost as if I am suddenly mentally disabled. They seem surprised when I accomplish the same things that I did when I sat next to them. Sometimes they seem to think it necessary to check up on me. Calling my customers, going over my work when they never would have before or asking me "who does that now that you are gone". The last one is the worst.

No one does this on purpose of course. Each of my co-workers have their own issues to deal with and no one would expect them to supply their remote counterparts with info. Not sure I'd like it if they did. I wish they would ask before trying to "help". I wish they would include me in those impromptu meetings. Dial me up and put me on the speaker.

The thing that no one ever tells you about working remotely is that you loose the ability of presence. Just being there in the crowd as things happen. Seeing for yourself. Walking past a conversation and catching a phrase that drags you into participation. And if "they" did tell you, you would never understand until you actually experience it.

I wish there was a program where co-workers of a remote worker could do this for a week or two to understand the isolation. When I managed home workers - they all worked in the same city and I would require at least a twice weekly visit to the office to keep their face in everyone's mind.

I'm guessing this isn't such a problem for workers who's jobs were conceived as remote from the beginning and never had a presence in the office from the beginning. I'm thinking that must be a terribly lonely job. Like being born into exile and having no country to call home.

Lucky for me my exile is temporary.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Friday, January 16, 2009

Bye Bye Bush!


Just had to say it out loud. We are in the final 100 hours of this nightmare!

Good bye - good riddance - and may the fleas of a 1000 Iraqi camels infest your pubic hair - jerkwad!

Wow is the south different.


Having a bit of culture shock in my temporary home. This article about one of my heroes - Morgan Freeman - outlines just how the south differs from the north on racial issues.

http://tinyurl.com/9tbtec