Telecommuting

I've been working at home a lot lately. My job has evolved to where it is 70% web-based workflow, so there are few technical reasons for me to be in the office and fewer reasons still pertaining to coworker interaction, as my team is geographically dispersed.

I've been enjoying the freedom of it. There's nothing like waking up at 8:00, booting up the laptop, and being on the job at 8:30 while still in my robe sipping coffee. I'm also cooking for myself more, which is nice and healthy, but I'm getting tired of frying things.

There were points when I thought there were simply too many distractions to work at home, namely the TV. During the uprising in Egypt, I was glued to CNN an entire afternoon when I ought to have been working. But the novelty of TV at work wore off, and CNN's incessant coverage of right-wing lunatics made switching the boob tube off an easy decision.

My company offers the option to work full-time at home. I can't imagine wanting to do this in July or August, in my un-air-conditioned apartment, but if I evict my roommate, his bedroom would make a decent home office, and I could air-condition it. The company would pay for a dedicated phone line, internet access, and a printer, which would take some of the financial sting out of living alone.

Of course, my commute to Midtown, door to door, is only about 30 minutes on a good day, I've got a couple of new Brooks Brothers suits gathering dust, and there's truly a lot to be said for Midtown happy hours. Maybe I won't give up the cubicle yet.