back to school

i went to the office this week - Monday, Tuesday, and today. going in is completely optional, and very few people are taking advantage of it. i decided to see what it was like.

it was super clean and dust-free. it looked for all the world like i had left on Friday and not 18 months ago. the real signs that time had passed were that the two cafes in the lobby are gone without a trace remaining, and there are something like three new buildings outside. (my office is in the same neighborhood as Amazon and the growth rate is phenomenal. i was sad to note that you can no longer see the local dog park from our lounge.)

pros:

• the bus is not full and traffic is light
• i have at least my half of the floor to myself. no distractions!
• coffee and reduced but larger-than-expected assortment of snacks and soft drinks
• the fancy laptop dock
• phat internet pipes
• immaculately clean everything
• no noise outside or C breaking my flow for dumb shit

cons:

• masks required if you are not alone in a room (which is all the time since i don't have an office)
• i have at least half the floor to myself. no friends.
• motion-activated lights time out and turn off if i don't leave my desk
• i still have a hard time passing up the basket of full-sized candy bars
• only one door to the lobby is unlocked and it makes my walk like 30ft longer

i was productive, and the commute really is a difference maker: on the way in slowly starting to think about work stuff on the bus ride, walking up the hill and waking up my body; on the way out shedding work thoughts as i walk down the hill, reading and chatting with C about dinner on the ride home. when i walk through the door i'm fully home and decompressed. for two nights i left my work computer at work! (apparently just knowing that it's in reach weighs on me.)

part of being at the office is people and there aren't people since we're not able to spend time together yet. that's hard. but wow do i need to get out of the damn house, it's definitely improved my mood.