Work and Play

Well, it's been a whole pay period of two weeks (and one Monday, but who's counting?):

So to recap, for those of you who aren't familiar with my every move, I interned at SRAM just out of college for about nine(?) months or so. After that, I started freelancing for Hayes from home. Usually when people freelance, they get multiple jobs from here and there to keep themselves busy, but I had enough work from Hayes to make it my One and Only :) Anyhow, I worked from home for almost an entire year, which was kind of a shock to realize.

Well, I liked working from home. No commute, no dress code and all the comforts (and the refrigerator right there!) of home. Hanging out with the cat, listening to music, watching an episode of 30 Rock during a break, etc. Also, now I'm realizing that I never really had to coordinate anything, like when to leave for work, what materials I'd need to bring in (kit and shoes to change into for a ride, or a book/sketchbook for reference), what to pack for lunch. Now I actually have to prepare for my day. It was nice while it lasted, you might say.

My first day at Hayes was a little bit of a shock to my system. Toward the end of the day, I was tired from waking up early, and I practically shed a tear for how good I never realized I had it. When you work for yourself, there's no training, no protocol to go through, no rules or prescribed way of doing things. Le Sigh.

Lest you think I don't like being a corporate warrior, let me tell you about the stuff I do like. I like having people around to bounce ideas off of. It's a lot easier to get feedback and revise designs. I like getting little projects from different people- it makes me feel really productive to get lots of projects done while working on or waiting for feedback on larger ones. Already I've learned a lot more about the products and the company, and I've met a lot of cool people.

I somewhat enjoy the drive. It's about 20 minutes, and mostly traffic jam free. On the days there are traffic jams, I take earlier exits and drive through the city. I get to listen to the radio and hear the news from NPR. I'm sure I'll really like the commute by bike. I've been driving because I don't have a computer at work yet (It's been ordered and is on its way) and riding that far with that much weight on your back gets old. Plus, it's been a lil' chilly. Brr!

Overall, it's pretty cool. I like feeling useful to the office, and I enjoy my coworkers. (Even if I do have to keep one finger on the speed dial for HR to report inappropriate comments.) And I've got some pretty cool projects to work on. I can't really complain... I guess I've got it pretty good. I might be a member of the small percentage that really enjoys their job. How did that happen? Sometimes I think I lead a charmed life, and I wonder what I did to deserve it.