I've only been in work two days over the last 5 weeks. Once for some new staff interviews, once for some badly organised training. Apart from that, I've been doing my best to help Sam have a good summer holiday... West Yorkshire was plunged back into semi-lockdown a few weeks back so he's been forbidden from seeing much of his friends, I've only been able to take him to his Nanna's a couple of times, and no holiday clubs or sports' camps like he's done in previous summer holidays to break up the monotony of spending so much time with daddy.
But today I was back to work for real. Except I'm not, because I'm still working from home a lot of the time and will still be teaching the majority of my lessons online until at least Christmas. I'm hoping they'll actually let me go into the building tomorrow for the first time since March, and hoping they'll allow me to continue doing that at least two or three days a week for the foreseeable future... but I'm having to beg for the privilege.
I know there is a danger to my physical health in going back to the office... but there's a greater danger to my mental health in continuing to work from home.
I'll keep you posted how it goes.
There's still a question mark hanging over the future of this blog. Not whether I'll continue it - but where. If blogger scrap the old interface completely, I find the new one so hard to use, I may well jump ship to Wordpress. It'll be a shame to lose the meagre position this blogger link holds in the blogosphere, but I can (and already have) exported all my old posts to Wordpress, and I'm hoping most people reading this will follow me over there if I'm forced out of here.
Regular service will resume soon - either here or elsewhere - and I'm looking forward to my new interactive Tuesday feature, which I'm hoping won't be quite as labour-intensive as the Hot 100 became. And the Mid-Life Crisis and Positive Songs will also continue. Speaking of which...
The Hooters will primarily be remembered for their Top 30 UK chart hit Satellite, a song I bought on 7", along with their beer commercial follow up, Karla With A K. One of their biggest hits in their homeland USA however was never heard over this side of the Atlantic. It's as good a song as the other two though, and worth revisiting here...
The older I get, the more I miss the 80s. I know it wasn't actually that great at the time, but with rose tinted glasses, it looks blood brilliant. I find nostalgia strangely calming in these turbulent times, even if I know it's nostalgia for something that never really happened. There's still a great comfort to be had in fake nostalgia.
Good luck with the return to work - Sounds as if the “rules” will constantly change so best to do what’s best for you right now.
ReplyDeleteImpressed you’ve been able to transfer your old posts to WP and guessing you would be able to keep your domain name. Good luck with whatever you decide.
We watched The Lost Boys the other night and had a real pang of nostalgia for the 80s - I was in my 20s during that decade so not so fake for me. We wore those ridiculous bright coloured clothes, listened to the music and had a bit of a ball before life started getting that bit more serious. Thanks for posting the song.
I'm so sorry to know things are so difficult and pose a dilemma too when it comes to physically going to your workplace - it's hardly surprising that for so many people working from home is just not sustainable, the more I think about it the less 'normal' (for want of a better word) I realise it is to carry out your in a home/family environment, especially when you're not alone there. A friend of mine is struggling similarly and had to argue the case to go in - she also cited the danger to her mental health of continuing at home. It's not to be underestimated. I really hope you can find the best way. On the up-side, another friend who is a keyworker has had to go into her office on a daily basis right the way through this whole thing and, with the obvious attention to hand-washing and distancing, has coped and stayed healthy, along with everyone else who had to with her - so it can be done. Here's hoping you will at least be able to get your 2-3 days per week there. Fingers crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I meant to add about the nostalgia thing - it seems to be a common response to our weird world right now, there's much comfort to be had from revisiting a familiar past.
ReplyDeleteI'm debating the Blogger Interface too. Some of the changes "to make things simpler" are having the opposite effect. But I'm actually getting used to it now (didn't say enjoying it).
ReplyDeleteIf you do run away to WordPress I'm sure you'll be followed. Where else can we go to stare at pictures of long forgotten 80s pop stars on a Saturday morning.
And the going back to work thing - same as you for the sake of my sanity. Working at home is not as bad as I feared, but 6 months??
I'm fed up having conversations with detached voices and photos.
1st September seems like a sensible date - maybe 2 / 3 days per week to start with. I'm really missing the social aspect of being in an office, and I would like to reduce the 11 hour working days with a bit of travelling time and a conversation about nothing in particular