An epidemic of working from home

Hello Everyone,

I'm probably the first person to make snarky observations about working from home, and doing so with a pet no less, so buckle in for some original content.

1. Zoom is a miracle of technology and if, after all this is over, I never have to attend another video conference again it'll be too soon.

2. The technology we have is basically magic and allows us to connect in a difficult time. But rarely does it just work. So often, there's some element that goes wrong and you have to spend time figuring it out. I know that computer science pros internally scream when people like me complain about some piece of software that was full-on science fiction a generation ago doesn't go perfectly smoothly, but there is a reason we try to get to a human as fast as possible when calling an automated response system.

3. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: God bless public libraries. The fantastic institution in Delta, and its its free wifi available from the safety of the parking lot, is a lifeline for me right now.

4. Arthur's not really confused. He rarely knows what's going on, and I bet he's smarter than the average pet. He just doesn't care to know the details. You're home all day again? Cool, let's chill on the couch.

5. Grocery shopping is a highlight for me right now. It's an adventure. Wonder what's going to be on the shelves this week?

6. When we all started working from home but before Zoom, we realized that all those work meetings could have been an email. But then we discovered video meetings, and now we are back to having meetings but they take even longer. It's like printing out an email on paper to deliver a message.

7. I have a work phone and a personal phone. A work tablet and a personal laptop. Emilie has a phone and two laptops. And thus, Silicon Valley is full of rich jerks.

8. Working out from home really removes the illusion that exercise is just a harder, useless version of everyday movements. I've been doing arm curls with a bag full of canned goods. My work-dawn-till-dusk farming ancestors would not understand this.

9. We all knew that rush hour was a crazy way of organizing things, but man does it ever seem crazy now.

10. It's humbling to take 6 weeks off your job, and come back to things being essentially the same. No nuclear power plants melted down because I wasn't tweeting about them. That's good, I guess.

Stay safe,

Wes

Photos

Got a selfi-heavy selection. First is me being g socially conscious on my first bike ride of the year with my friends.

The second is a cool shot of an old birdhouse I came across in the bush.

The third is my third woodworking project of the pandemic. I stripped and refinished this old rocking chair.

Lastly is a selfie in front of the aforementioned wonderful institution in Delta.