Tag: Working Remotely

My Current Situation Part VIII

There was a small window in time at some point in July of 2021 where life was beginning to feel a little normal, albeit, the “new normal,” as masks were flung off, dressy outfits were put back on and baseball caps were sent back to the ball field.

 

 

Then along came Delta, it sounds like a movie but instead it’s the name of the new variant that is quickly turning our everyday lives into a mini nightmare.  The medical doctor on the last news segment I watched explained that even if you are fully vaccinated, you can still catch and/or transmit the COVID virus –  Yikes!  It’s no wonder that it’s spreading like wildfire.

 

 

And now the Connecticut Department of Public Health recommends that all state residents go back to wearing masks inside public buildings.

 

 

Yes.  Again…Wait, Really?!?

 

 

So as of today, me and my fellow News 8 Account Executives continue to work (masked up outside our cubicles) in the same hybrid fashion we started about 14 months ago.  Call me crazy but I happen to like working 50 percent from home and 50 percent from the office.  I have even created a cozy home office in one corner of my dining room that easily fits my desk, office supplies, desktop computer, office chair, printer and work files.  I can’t lie: I’m not looking forward to going back to work in the office 100 percent of the time.  Especially since I’ll have to face those crazy, unhinged drivers every day as opposed to just half the week.

 

 

Being the Optimist that I am though, I take a deep breath and remember what I am truly grateful for: I am truly grateful that me, my family and my loved ones are all healthy, fully vaccinated and presently living Covid- free lives.

 

 

And I certainly hope the same for all of my TVFL readers.

 

 

 

My Current Situation – Part II

About 3 1/2 months ago (mid-March 2020) CO19 happened and turned my world inside out and upside down.

 

 

To try and sort everything out, I blogged about the unfolding of these unusual events in My Current Situation: My current situation…

 

 

Here’s where I’m at today:  during the first 10 weeks of Covid 19 me and my fellow Account Executives in the News 8 local sales department were asked to work 100% of the time from home on our laptop computers.   Daily zoom sales meetings and zoom  calls with our clients and prospective clients became the the new norm.  To make it work at home, my dining room quickly became my new office, the table now completely covered with client files and client notebooks.  Lucky for me I already owned a computer desk and office chair and now it was finally getting full use.  At the office I was used to working  off of dual monitors so to simulate this I connected my Dell home computer monitor to my HP work computer and as luck would have it, they were compatible (smile).

 

 

When Week 11arrived we Account Executives were told we were heading back to work but in a checkerboard fashion.  Meaning that we were to be split into two teams.  Team  A would go into work the first week back  on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and work from home on Tuesday and Thursday and Team B would do the complete opposite.  In this way only half the staff would be in the office on any given day.   We still were not sure how long this new arrangement would go on but as it turned out for me it worked out just fine (smile).   I’m happy because I get the best of both worlds: a break from the monotony of working from home 100 percent of the time and the chance to get out of the house, work in my familiar cubicle and connect face to face with my co-workers (smile).

 

 

I’m not gonna lie:  Being back in my cubicle was strange that first week back because in this new Covid world we now had to wear face masks and practice social distancing.  No more water cooler chit chat (smile).  Plus we did not have access to certain areas or departments in the TV station as they were now considered off limits…

 

 

And sanitizer seemed to be everywhere so my hands felt like they were in a perpetual state of dryness.

 

 

But the best part of week 11 was that we entered phase II of back to normalcy in the state of Connecticut.  In this phase Hair and Nail Salons were now allowed to open back up.  Yay!  Finally some relief for my neglected head of hair and bitten down nails.

 

 

Also my gym I love kickboxing opened back up – so I had to quickly get used to working out real hard again (smile).

 

 

During phase II I was also able to go back to my favorite dentist in North Haven to get my teeth cleaned.

 

 

But phase II did not include vacations (at least not in our world).  Vacations for now were a distant memory…we are not looking to fly anywhere for a long while nor were we even remotely interested in taking super long car trips so Staycations in Connecticut were going to become our new option.

 

 

Here’s what I think:  suddenly in this CO19 world the little things that we used to take for granted have become big things…spending quality time with family members, heading to a performance at a live theater or concert hall, meeting up with my girlfriends for dinner, etc.

 

 

But despite everything I still commit to remaining positive, optimistic and focused as we are truly all in this together.  And because of that, I choose to wear my mask in public.

 

 

 

 

 

My current situation…

I don’t even know where to begin.  All I know is I woke up one day 2 weeks ago and my life as I knew it had changed.

First, after many closed door meetings between our sales managers at work, we Account Executives were all told to pack up our important files and such as we would now be working remotely.

How long?!?

For an “indefinite” period of time…

Granted, working from home was not foreign to any of us as we had all been networked several years ago and had even recently received brand new laptops.   What I was I having a hard time wrapping my head around was the idea that I would be working from home every day, as opposed to from time to time or on occasion.

I’m not gonna lie, at first being at home every day was exciting because I no longer had to get myself up at 430am to kick box at the gym, figure out what I was going to wear to work, apply my make-up, style my hair, deal with crazy distracted drivers on the road, etc.

All I had to do now was roll out of bed at 6am, wash my face, put on my workout gear, find a good 30 minute cardio workout video on YouTube, shower, eat breakfast, put my lounge-wear on and start my work day.

Oh the irony, being home every day but not having the luxury of going out to dinner, visiting family or friends to socialize after hours, going to the matinee on the weekends, and so on.   It seemed like everything, for the most part, was now closed.

It’s no surprise that things started to get real old after about a week and a half.  Being home all day long working on my laptop took away that feeling of joy I used to get when I walked into the house after a long tough day at work.  I felt my home life and work life were now starting to collide.  To compensate, I started taking long walks at lunchtime to break up my day and to change the scenery.

And going to the supermarket or Target on the weekends was starting to get more and more complicated.  Trying to shop without getting too close to the other shoppers, trying to find certain items like toilet paper or Lysol or thermometers, remembering to wipe down and sanitize all of my purchases after I took them out of the plastic bags…

And I really cannot forget to wash my hands (for at least 20 seconds) for what seems like a million times a day…

Or forget to keep my hands off my face…

But the kicker, not being able to kiss, embrace or spend quality time with my family members and/or loved ones.

Hey, I guess there’s always air hugs…

As you TVFL readers know, I always try to find the silver lining.  So after today, 2 weeks in, I would say one of the positives that has come out of this Covid 19 madness for me is that all of the things I said I didn’t have the time to do, I now do.  For me that’s reading.  I used to devour books (especially in the Summertime) and now all I do is scan the daily newspapers for sales leads or read an occasional magazine article(s).   Guess it’s time for me to hit the books once again (smile).

Yes, life as I once knew it is changing day by day and week by week.  It can be dizzying.  All I can do to stay sane is pray without ceasing, count my blessings daily Count Your Blessings… and leave it all in God’s hands.  Without forgetting to stay healthy, helpful and calm.