Things have been happenin' here at our household. As noted in my last post, I've been working in a new job. I'm still on the steep side of the learning curve regarding what, exactly, it is that I'm supposed to be doing. I want to do what they want me to do, better than they expect me to do it. And I'm not quite there yet, of course, but things are going well overall. At the same time, I don't want to do more than what they want, because I'm a part-time help, and piling up billable hours when it's not necessary is a sure way to land on their wrong side. So, as an independent contractor, the idea is to stay aware of what's necessary, do a great job of what you're supposed to do, but don't go looking for additional work. How would you like it if you had a plumber who was great at what he did, but he kept going around your house reworking your pipes without you asking him to do it? I'm the plumber.
At the same time, we've been really busy around the house. Last week, we put new carpet in the living room. The old one was original, laid down 14 years ago, and it was the cheapest possible carpet even then. It was long past its shelf life. So on Sunday, we started moving stuff out of the living room and into wherever we could put it. By the time the carpet guys got here, we looked like something on an episode of "Hoarders" ... except in the living room, which was barren. Shameless plug: we used Pearlman Carpets from Asheville. They had done our bedroom last year and we knew they would do a great job. They did. So that afternoon, we started putting everything back in. Took three more days to get it all done.
Guys, you'll relate to this. The big issue for us was the electronics. A TV, DVD player, satellite receiver, and sound system can be confusing to connect, especially when they range in age from 16 years (sound system) to 2 years (DVD). When we disconnected everything, the resulting spaghetti pile of cables looked like we'd never get it figured out. But we took our time, and labeled everything before it was disconnected, and it all went back together easily. Bullet dodged.
Another challenge was moving the couch and bookcases. We're talking heavy stuff, and J and I aren't spring chickens anymore. Ever used those sliding pads you can get from Lowe's or Home Despot? We got a set and what a difference it made! Even Janis could move the couch around the living room on the old and new carpet all by herself.
Immediately after the living room, we reworked our office. We had a desk that was just too small for two of us to work on, particularly when one of us (me) was trying to do a real job. So we bought a new component system at Office Max that is essentially two 55" desks in an L-shaped arrangement. J's got her side and I have mine. It's so much better than sitting in a chair with my Macbook on my lap, using the arm of the chair as a desk to hold a notebook.
Speaking of the Macbook .... no, I'll save that for my next post ...
At the same time, we've been really busy around the house. Last week, we put new carpet in the living room. The old one was original, laid down 14 years ago, and it was the cheapest possible carpet even then. It was long past its shelf life. So on Sunday, we started moving stuff out of the living room and into wherever we could put it. By the time the carpet guys got here, we looked like something on an episode of "Hoarders" ... except in the living room, which was barren. Shameless plug: we used Pearlman Carpets from Asheville. They had done our bedroom last year and we knew they would do a great job. They did. So that afternoon, we started putting everything back in. Took three more days to get it all done.
Guys, you'll relate to this. The big issue for us was the electronics. A TV, DVD player, satellite receiver, and sound system can be confusing to connect, especially when they range in age from 16 years (sound system) to 2 years (DVD). When we disconnected everything, the resulting spaghetti pile of cables looked like we'd never get it figured out. But we took our time, and labeled everything before it was disconnected, and it all went back together easily. Bullet dodged.
Another challenge was moving the couch and bookcases. We're talking heavy stuff, and J and I aren't spring chickens anymore. Ever used those sliding pads you can get from Lowe's or Home Despot? We got a set and what a difference it made! Even Janis could move the couch around the living room on the old and new carpet all by herself.
Immediately after the living room, we reworked our office. We had a desk that was just too small for two of us to work on, particularly when one of us (me) was trying to do a real job. So we bought a new component system at Office Max that is essentially two 55" desks in an L-shaped arrangement. J's got her side and I have mine. It's so much better than sitting in a chair with my Macbook on my lap, using the arm of the chair as a desk to hold a notebook.
Speaking of the Macbook .... no, I'll save that for my next post ...
You've been busy! Having the right office set-up can make all the difference, we're re-doing a room in my new digs to be an office and it's taking a while (we're doing it ourselves) but when it's done, it'll be a perfect place for me to get my work done :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're enjoying the new job! Keep it up!