Thursday, January 3, 2008

From Marching Band to Home Office



[Edit: new photos from the bride!] Back in September I went to a friend's wedding where those guests who were musically inclined performed the processional music via marching band. I played a snare drum. Our lead brassist was this guy:The trumpet player. He seemed really cool. Like the kind of guy you want to be your uncle (sorry, I stole that description from Ryan)

Today I'm reading The NY Times when I came across an article entitled, "Home Office Life and Its Discontents," which I TOTALLY understood on sight. Working from home has made me a sort of emotional wreck at times by simple default of not having any outside interaction with people (Mohammed at the corner deli saying "I see the lady is of the way?" when I buy tampons doesn't count).

The article covered a bunch of different examples of solitary home-office ennui and malaise...and then I saw this photo:In case you can't read the caption, it says "David Behl is lonely at his home photography studio." Basically, the saddest caption ever (you half expect the "wah wah" muted trumpet effect to play when you hover your mouse over the picture).

But look! It's him! It's the dude from the wedding band!

(Whoah, I just had a stoner's epiphany - wedding band can refer to the symbolic ring AND the musical entertainment.)

Anyway, here's to all the hard-working home-bodies, but not the home-working hard-bodies. Let's show 'em we can be alone all day in our dark offices and be loads happier than people in even the most hospitable communal environments.

3 comments:

Assholier Than Thou said...

so i think we should all post our own staged david dehl home office photos. you first.

Anonymous said...

When I worked part-time at a company in Tokyo, I was the arbaito oneesan when I showed up at the office ("chan" at the end of my name, and worse, got referred to as "uchi no gaijin"), but when they had to call me up at home for something--I got treated more like shacho.
Plus, and you know this goes without saying, lots more time to read blogs of other of the self-employed "community."
Other perks: no legs swollen from sitting long hours at the desk, pre-scheduled nap time every single day.

Anonymous said...

http://minamimuki.com/blog/20071126/monday
morning.html

PS: Here's the home office of my "administrative assistant." Same suite of luxury offices as mine, sans laundry hung from the curtain rods. Notice everything at her fingertips. Notice phone message written on the back of her hand.