What I miss.
I’m back working in an office situation, and I love it. Working from home was becoming difficult.
Difficult because the company (my father’s) was not moving forward in the software side of things. Promises supposedly made when the new venture started with another company, and then repeated when that company was taken over by a bigger company have seemed to be forgotten. I don’t blame my father. He accepted the promises in good faith, a gentleman’s agreement, via email and discussions but never actually in a contract. He’s tried to make the promises be recognised, never mind kept.
The loss of these promises has made his working life hard too, the future he had envisioned has disappeared into a puddle. But Dad’s older, has a new girlfriend and really his working life should be trailing off and enjoying life should gain momentum. So I don’t blame him for not taking the fight too hard.
But me? I need the work and the money. well the money actually. I have a family, a house to pay off, let alone improve, hobbies to enjoy, kids’ education to pay for, etc., etc., etc. And whilst Hubby works, we have commitments that require two good wages. Either that or we have to lessen our commitments, i.e. sell the house and move to a smaller, cheaper house in a lesser area. Not the immediate option to take. Reducing the education costs and the sporting activities of our boys is also not an option. And we've spent too many years not indulging in out own hobbies so we could get to this position to let them go easily.
So back into the workforce I delve.
I was lucky, this job fell into my lap. But also unlucky - it doesn’t pay what I would like, what I am worth. But give me the first three months and at my first review I will be asking for more. If I don’t get it I have taken a step back into the work force proper and I’ll move to somewhere else.
I love the challenge of my new job - basically taking a major system that mostly works and fixing it, tidying it, making it better, getting it ready for the next major step in improvements which will start in a coupld of weeks. Basically editing and polishing a computer system instead of a piece or writing. Doing the critique AND the editing for the original author. Because the original author hates that part.
I love it. It’s been the basis of my working life for over 26 years. Maybe that’s why I don’t look at editing and polishing a story with horror and dread. That’s what I do for a living.
I love mixing with real people. Interaction in real time instead of via chat, email, sms, or notes. I hadn’t realised how much I missed it after nearly 10 years of working at home. Looking back though I can see the symptoms. Stopping to chat with strangers in the shopping centre. Having discussions with parents at sports training or school that I fell down when they stop, so keep finding another topic to talk about as the current one fades. Spending hours on chat when I should be writing, or sleeping.
Spending time in chat has opened up another problem I didn't expect. I miss Chat. I miss the friends, good friends, I have made over the past 18 months because now I get a limited amount of time on chat and it rarely coincides with my friends time on chat.
I miss writing something I either hate, love, or something in between and immediately being able to ask for opinions or stroking, or just plain asking someone to read because that’s the ultimate desire of an author.
I miss logging on and being able to vent, rant or gloat over anything. Being able to discuss things, or just lurking, knowing I can have company if I want it, and knowing that no one is going to think me a snob if I don’t ‘say’ anything for ages. They’ll think I’m writing a master piece. :)
I also miss not being able to write the words that come into my head when they come, or soon after. But I’m coping with that. I have notebooks everywhere (always have done so anyway). I get an idea and I jot it down. I get an image or a conversation and I make a note, or if that’s not possible I repeat the words in my head over and over again. It’s a technique I’ve learnt because when I travel or drive my muse often hassles me.
I’ve started taking lunchtime (supposedly ½ an hour) and spend it eating in front of my keyboard at work, making sure that lunch is a one handed deal.
The loss of writing time I can cope with and learn to get around. But how can I work around the time differences of chat friends? And still spend time with family and hubby, and still get some sleep?
Ah well. I’ll live and work it out. Somehow, so I don’t lose my chat friends.
Difficult because the company (my father’s) was not moving forward in the software side of things. Promises supposedly made when the new venture started with another company, and then repeated when that company was taken over by a bigger company have seemed to be forgotten. I don’t blame my father. He accepted the promises in good faith, a gentleman’s agreement, via email and discussions but never actually in a contract. He’s tried to make the promises be recognised, never mind kept.
The loss of these promises has made his working life hard too, the future he had envisioned has disappeared into a puddle. But Dad’s older, has a new girlfriend and really his working life should be trailing off and enjoying life should gain momentum. So I don’t blame him for not taking the fight too hard.
But me? I need the work and the money. well the money actually. I have a family, a house to pay off, let alone improve, hobbies to enjoy, kids’ education to pay for, etc., etc., etc. And whilst Hubby works, we have commitments that require two good wages. Either that or we have to lessen our commitments, i.e. sell the house and move to a smaller, cheaper house in a lesser area. Not the immediate option to take. Reducing the education costs and the sporting activities of our boys is also not an option. And we've spent too many years not indulging in out own hobbies so we could get to this position to let them go easily.
So back into the workforce I delve.
I was lucky, this job fell into my lap. But also unlucky - it doesn’t pay what I would like, what I am worth. But give me the first three months and at my first review I will be asking for more. If I don’t get it I have taken a step back into the work force proper and I’ll move to somewhere else.
I love the challenge of my new job - basically taking a major system that mostly works and fixing it, tidying it, making it better, getting it ready for the next major step in improvements which will start in a coupld of weeks. Basically editing and polishing a computer system instead of a piece or writing. Doing the critique AND the editing for the original author. Because the original author hates that part.
I love it. It’s been the basis of my working life for over 26 years. Maybe that’s why I don’t look at editing and polishing a story with horror and dread. That’s what I do for a living.
I love mixing with real people. Interaction in real time instead of via chat, email, sms, or notes. I hadn’t realised how much I missed it after nearly 10 years of working at home. Looking back though I can see the symptoms. Stopping to chat with strangers in the shopping centre. Having discussions with parents at sports training or school that I fell down when they stop, so keep finding another topic to talk about as the current one fades. Spending hours on chat when I should be writing, or sleeping.
Spending time in chat has opened up another problem I didn't expect. I miss Chat. I miss the friends, good friends, I have made over the past 18 months because now I get a limited amount of time on chat and it rarely coincides with my friends time on chat.
I miss writing something I either hate, love, or something in between and immediately being able to ask for opinions or stroking, or just plain asking someone to read because that’s the ultimate desire of an author.
I miss logging on and being able to vent, rant or gloat over anything. Being able to discuss things, or just lurking, knowing I can have company if I want it, and knowing that no one is going to think me a snob if I don’t ‘say’ anything for ages. They’ll think I’m writing a master piece. :)
I also miss not being able to write the words that come into my head when they come, or soon after. But I’m coping with that. I have notebooks everywhere (always have done so anyway). I get an idea and I jot it down. I get an image or a conversation and I make a note, or if that’s not possible I repeat the words in my head over and over again. It’s a technique I’ve learnt because when I travel or drive my muse often hassles me.
I’ve started taking lunchtime (supposedly ½ an hour) and spend it eating in front of my keyboard at work, making sure that lunch is a one handed deal.
The loss of writing time I can cope with and learn to get around. But how can I work around the time differences of chat friends? And still spend time with family and hubby, and still get some sleep?
Ah well. I’ll live and work it out. Somehow, so I don’t lose my chat friends.