working at home

Jodi and I got together last night to go over some Consonance stuff. We're very excited about the upcoming convention! And visiting California, whose weather is bound to be nicer than Toronto's. It's a shame we won't be able to spend more time visiting and doing touristy stuff, but that will have to wait until another trip. :-)

The Unknown Guitarist is on our street again (see today's Blatherphoto, taken yesterday). He usually plays on warm summer evenings, with a paper bag over his head and an open guitar case for donations, but he seems to be expanding his performance seasons. I gave him a toonie then took his picture. As he posed, he called out "Make sure you get my good side!" :-)

I'm trying to get my personal domain situation sorted out properly, still hoping to get everything under my DomainDirect account...it will make domain management much easier than going through Network Solutions Bureaucratic Hell each time I want to make a change. Here are a list of my personal domains so far:

blatherings.com
urbantapestry.org
ovff.org
harpresource.com
ruthohi.com
filking.net
filking.org
filking.com

And the variations of electricpenguin domains under Jeff's name, of course. re: filking domains -- Eventually I hope to put up a resource like Inkspot, only for filking resources instead of writing resources. Maybe even do an e-mail newsletter. It would only be a hobby, of course. (pause) Yes, I know Inkspot was only a hobby in the beginning. But this would REALLY be just a hobby. Honest. :-)

Working At Home

The topic of working at home has come up on Blatherchat (which, by the way, you will not be able to post to until early next week because of technical maintenance by my hosting service/technonerdboyhero, Bryan Fullerton).

Ah, telecommuting. Everyone seems to be envious of people who work at home. And why not? Those who work at home have flexible hours, can wear their pjs all day, no one watches over their shoulder, and (best of all) easy access to one's refrigerator. Sounds like heaven, doesn't it? :-)

The truth of the matter is that working at home does not always conform to the typical outside view. Many people who work at home tend to be self-employed, doing contract or freelance work. These types of jobs usually aren't nearly as secure as regular office jobs, and rely heavily on the amount of work you're able to find on a day-to-day basis. As a result, self-employed types often tend to put in more hours than 9-5ers. It actually takes great discipline NOT to work, because sometimes it feels as if every hour you don't work means you're losing money. Taking holidays can be agonizing.

Parents who work at home have an even tougher time (as Andrea can attest! :)) since they have to also juggle caretaker tasks. And young children don't always adhere to a convenient schedule. Frankly, I'm in awe of parents who are able to pull this off (my sister and Andrea included!). A Blatherchat quote from Andrea: "After a particularly _trying_ day with Nicholas, I now _know_ that working in the office is TONS easier than managing a newborn <shake head>."

I'd be interested in hearing from any of you who work at home about this topic. Are there any other pros/cons that I haven't mentioned? Blatherchat posting will be enabled early next week, so you won't be able to post until then, sorry.

Today's Blatherpic
The Unknown Guitarist.