“It’s the same thing every day, Clean up your room, stand up straight, pick up your feet, take it like a man, be nice to your sister, don’t mix beer and wine ever…oh yeah, don’t drive on the railroad tracks.”
~Phil Connors~ Groundhog Day
It’s Day 72 of working from home during a pandemic.
I’m fine except some days I feel like Phil, on repeat, only as a woman with a brother.
While no two days have been exactly alike, there are a few things that remain constant throughout the work day:
- A hot cup of tea and protein bar to start
- Ziva cat snoring throughout the day
- Birds chirping as loudly as Ziva snores
- The furry kids begging for food
- Submitting a daily morning report on who’s in the office and who’s out of the office.
The last bullet point has been part of our emergency/safer-at-home planning since day one. Our 15 regional supervisors have to report status for their offices by 8:30 am, Monday through Friday. I compile their data and send it in to someone else, who then compiles the statewide data and sends it up the final rung of the ladder.
A few supervisors have recently expressed that they will be glad when this report is no longer needed and I’ve replied that some days it feels like a bad remake of Groundhog Day when we don’t want to live by their rules anymore.
We don’t want to file a stinkin’ report anymore.
We want to do something different, like mix beer and wine, and leave our bedroom a mess.
Know what I mean?
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Mary J Melange 
Oh, do I know what you mean after just starting Day 80. 🙂
Funny how we can survive repetition in normality, Judy, but at home maybe not so much.
go for it!
I’d be happy with a beer and unmade bed at this point. :-p
And when this is over, what will become of the compiled-compiled-report-compilation? I can’t count how many systems I wrote over the course of my career to house reports like these so someone could take credit for automating a process. I hope you are allowed to break out of your routine, soon. That beer will taste extra good.
I’m in a different routine. MuMu wakes me at 5:15 ( I get up at 6:15) so I can scratch her. If I don’t she either bumps me or bites me. Nothing mean, just a nibble, but it gets my attention.
I can’t count the number of compiled reports and spreadsheets I’ve had to complete over the years, Dan, and how often I have asked myself, “Why are we doing this?” Although I understand the reason for the morning report, it’s simply one that we will all enjoy throwing to the wayside.
Funny about MuMu. She’s taking notes from Gibbs who still has an early alarm clock. It seems he is just too impatient and hungry to wait past 5:00 am.
I think MuMu and Gibbs are chatting at night. Planning and plotting the next day’s moves.
It’s all about getting our attention, Dan…good or bad. ^–^
Live crazy. Mix your wine and beer. If not now, when?
Actually, I’d prefer mixing beer and a brandy old fashioned, Ally. My beverages of choice. Soon, I hope.
I could join you in that combination. Sounds lovely…
Attendance reports? Sigh… That would drive me nuts on a lot of levels, Mary J.
Crystal hasn’t started her morning round of snoring yet. But I seem to have fallen into the habit of two mugs of morning coffee. Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump. Hugs!
Coffeeee…mmm…might have to trade in my second cup of tea for some joe.
I just finished today’s attendance report and an email reply to yet another supervisor asking when we will be done with this. It’s going to be this way for at least another month.
When my agency started letting us telework one day a week (some other groups within the agency could work at home up to 4 days a week) it used to drive me up the wall that the execs didn’t trust the lower grade staff to actually work on their telework day. I know there are people who abuse it, but that goes with everything…
I would say that the majority of our employees would not abuse working from home and that’s what we have to go with – to trust the majority.
Retirement soon?
Not soon enough, Lois. Probably at the end of the year if the stock market doesn’t totally tank before then. I need to have enough money for cat toys and kibble.
Fingers crossed for you, Mary.
Thanks Lois!
So you’re telling me I don’t have to make my bed today? Is that what I’m hearing? 🙂
You betcha! And forget the dusting too!
Indeed!
🙂🙂🙂