Discipline

Uh-oh, here I go again, raising the specter of perhaps this blog post being about something that some guys into leather get into.  Sorry... not the case.

This post is just to say that yes, I have begun my new job, and so far so good.  It takes a long time to get on board, with all sorts of paperwork and forms and such.  Photo IDs for this-and-that, fingerprints, retina scans, passport validation, etc., etc.  But it's all good... I finally got my network ID and access to email, but not, as yet, a VPN so I can't quite yet access all the systems at the office remotely.

I did get one of those cool new devices that hooks up to my laptop for accessing it.  This thing, called a CAC card, gives me access to the building as well as access to certain parts of the network, and when connected, actually makes my work phone number ring on my home phone.  It probably does other stuff too that if I found out about it and told you, I'd have to shoot you.

The "discipline" to which I am referring in the title of this post is working from home.  Most of the time, I will be working from my own home, and not in an office.  Even though the office is just a few miles from my home, there's no reason to go there, as the majority of people I work with are scattered all over the U.S. and we all work together in greater cyberspace.

I must remain diligent in working on work time.  No foolin' around on the computer, answering personal email, writing blog posts, or commenting on Facebook.  I really do have a serious work ethic that when I'm at work, I'm working, regardless of location.  That type of self-discipline is what earns me the right to be able to work remotely, because they trust that I'll focus on getting the job done, and I don't need to be in an office to have someone watch me do my job, which is mostly using the phone and a computer.  I can do that anywhere.

Pretty cool new way of doing work.  No commuting.  No hassles.  Start work as early as I want, and knock off at a reasonable time so I can have dinner prepared for my partner and handle other stuff, too, as needed.  I can also take my "lunch hour" to visit my aunt who lives 5 minutes away.  Heck, I'm pretty fat, dumb, and happy with this new gig... let's hope it lasts.

By the way, "fat, dumb and happy" is a figure of American speech.  By working at home and taking lunchtime to visit my aunt, I can skip lunch and thus continue my weight-loss program by reduction of caloric intake on non-essential meals.  Also, since I don't have to start work until 6:30am, I can continue to take my weight-loss walks between 4:30 and 6, which is also good for me. As I said, "it's all good!"

Life is short:  let's hope this easy-peasy method of working is able to last!