The Temporary Office
Posted on March 15, 2010 Posted by John Scalzi 23 Comments
I’ve got about ten minutes before the contractors arrive to put down my new office floor (and in doing so likely knock me offline for most of the day) so before that happens: Here, look at my TempOffice, which is my laptop on top of a portable filing cabinet, with my daughter’s desk chair (I don’t generally favor pink), in my bedroom. Behind the TempOffice is the master bathroom, with Kodi valiantly holding down the floor, which considering what the contractors are here to do, is not necessarily a bad thing.
Now, you may ask, why don’t I just work downstairs? The short answer is that in addition to putting down my flooring, they also tearing up flooring, downstairs. Basically anywhere but my bedroom, I’ll be in the way today. Also, yon large dog gets antsy when people she doesn’t know are stomping about the house, so I’ll be keeping her in the bedroom with me (I’ve already put a gate on the door) to keep her from eating any contractors. Because apparently the don’t like being eaten. I don’t know why that is, but there you go.
So there you have it: My life, on the Ides of March, 2010.
Also and again: My Internet presence is likely to be iffy today because of all the house work. I have my cell phone to access e-mail, Twitter, etc., but in general don’t expect immediate responses to anything today. Thanks.
Man, I hope you have a good chiropractor on speed dial.
Good luck.
It’s only one day and fortunately the work I have to do today is not of the “stay in front of the computer for seven hours straight” variety.
Also handy to have your desk next to the bathroom. If you drank coffee, it’d be really handy.
Dude, the new album cover is awesome.
Ugly, but it’s only one day of ugly, right?
Why didn’t you grab your chair? Too tall for the cabinet?
Dude! That’s the same chair my daughter has. She absolutely loves it… first, because it’s pink; second, because it’s comfortable.
The inconvenience of keeping Kodi company in the bedroom will be worth the wonderfulness of a new office. I keep trying to convince myself that the inconvenience is worth a shiny new office because I’ll be in the same boat in the next month or so.
I’m glad to see Kodi takes the same attitude as my dog (Zeus, the English Bulldog) when faced with life’s imponderables: I think I’ll just lay down.
Or is that “lie down”. Whatever…
You work in that pink chair.
At least your temp office doesn’t require you pulling your computer right up to the commode.
ben@4
You know, with a more surreal element, say edit out Kodi and put in a pig or a cow in the bathroom, it could make a nice Pink Floyd album cover.
Back Side of the Scalz
A Momentary Exile of Scalzi
Wish I Were There
Another Brick in…
Ah, never mind that last one. We really don’t need to go there.
Hey, I’m at my permanent deask but also keeping the workman free from the predations of a fierce sharpei german short-haired pointer mix who is convinced everyone outside of the family is an agent of Al Qaeda. Enjoy your dog watching.
My chair isn’t pink, though. Not yet…
ben@4, eviljw@11: Put a guy in a pin-stripe suit, hog-tied, in place of Kodi and title it Flex Time (typeset in a combination of Arial and Times New Roman, natch). That’d work.
Jeff@13: Or how about San Francisco typeface?
Well, that’s Kodi accounted for. Be sure to count cats before any flooring is put down. They have a way of getting in some very small places.
Second worst thing for contractors (after the possibility of being chewed by a large dog) is having to take up newly laid flooring after the owner hears a meow beneath it.. :)
You should just blast Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home” over and over again, all day.
Awwww! Kodi can come over to my house, which is contractor-free and has doggy friends to hold down the floor with her. I’ve found that dogs don’t like contractors very much (at least not after they start with the hammering and stealing chunks of the house), but contractors almost always like dogs. In fact, if a contractor comes over for an estimate and does not like dogs, I become very suspicious…
Just wanted to say that a little over a year ago we ripped up the old wall-to-wall carpeting in two bedrooms and our upstairs hallway and had contractors come in and install hardwood flooring.
Wow. Beautiful. It was expensive but even cheap penny-pinching me appreciates it.
I think you will be very happy with the results.
John,
I hope the contractors do finish your new office floor in the one day time span they promised. The year before Hurricane Katrina, I lived through a complete home renovation both inside and outside and I still lived in the house. I’ll never, ever do that again!! None of the deadlines were met. I hope you have better contractors that I did!
In fact the contractor has just finished the office floor and is about to start work downstairs.
Chang, I’m trying to imagine a Shar-pei & German Short-Haired Pointer mix. I used to have a mostly-purebred pointer, and Tigger with wrinkles just does not compute. Post a picture of this beast somewhere.
The concept of hardwood floors is very appealing. My Akita is currently blowing her coat in large clumps. Even with a daily brushing with a Furminator, the hair is just clinging everywhere.
Good call on the dog. Contractors usually charge extra if any of them get eaten.