Believe it or not, Progress!*

I'm back to knitting on the train. More like, I'm back to taking the train. Working at home (WAH) definitely has its pros and cons:

PROS
1. I can work in my jammies all day long if I want. Nice, kind of (see Con #1). Jammies are for jammies, though. For lounging on Saturday or Sunday. For snuggling when it's cold and snowy (thank god we finally got some of that this season). For making pancakes with your 2 year old who loves to stir. For opening Christmas presents in. But work? Nah, it just doesn't have the same vibe and appeal. But it sure lets me get a lot more work done to avoid an hour of start-to-finish getting ready.

2. I can use a dry cleaning service and (a) not worry the driver is coming into my house and possibly stealing things and (b) not worry that my clothes will be stolen because I locked the door to keep the driver out. (we don't have an easy hiding spot) Writing this makes me feel really paranoid. But I live in NJ, outside of NYC. In less than 12 mos, we had 6 packages stolen. Christmas presents, birthday gifts, clothes and toys we ordered for DD. Six. So, I'm not leaving my suits and DH's beloved Hugo Boss suit out for some jerk to swipe ("Swiper, No Swiping!" won't work). So, working at home lets me avoid having an errand to run on the weekend -- I LOVE that the drycleaner comes to me FREE OF CHARGE! Luvely.

3. I can exercise in the middle of the day if I want and not have to worry about going back to work sweaty. (I've actually tried lunch-time WOs in several jobs. They worked then because the gym was nearby my work making for a really quick commute [sometimes it was IN my work]. But now, there's no gym near my work, so when I'm in the office, my only workout time is FIVE AM. Have you ever worked out -- hard workout, like running, full body strength, etc -- at FIVE AM? It SUCKS! Those people who say, "Ah, I love my morning exercise" must do yoga and sleep through half of it, or something, because hard, pounding WOs at 5 AM usually leave me with a headache. Sad, because the same WO at 5 PM leaves me feeling refreshed (and ready to eat a side of beef, which I don't feel so bad doing because I worked out hard). Anyway, mid-day workouts are the best.)

4. I don't have to pack a lunch. (I hate packing a lunch. I hate carrying a lunch. So why do it? A budget, of course. And also because bringing your own lunch has health benefits -- I know exactly what's in it, portion size, etc. But I hate hate hate bringing my lunch and snacks. One time, a guy on the train looked in my bag and said, "Wow, you have enough in there for a picnic." I wish I had responded, "Wow, and if you were cuter I might just share with you, but instead if we get stuck on this train, you can wither and die from starvation." But in all honesty, I deserved his crack. I carry half a grocery store with me to work.)


CONS
1. I can work in my jammies all day long if I want. (See Pro #1)

2. Sometimes a day will pass when I don't step foot outside. Yeah, I'm kind of embarrassed about that. But it happens, and sadly more than I care to admit especially when I work several days in a row at home. But you get to working, you get bogged down, you have email after email, task after task, and all in the comfort of your own home where everything is at your fingertips, and voila, in you stay. Scary.

3. I don't have to pack a lunch and end up grazing all day. Not good, especially when Pro #3 is more a wish than actuality. At least with the half-grocery store in my bag it's only HALF the store. When I'm at home, it's the equivalent of 2 stores worth of food, I swear. Dangerous. Dangerous.

and the worst ...

4. I lose my train knitting time! 45 min one way of blissful, uninterrupted knitting time. This morning the train was 30 min delayed, so I got a nice 1h15m chunk of time. When everyone else groans in response to the conductor saying, "We're behind a disabled train and face a 30 min delay," I just keep knitting, a sly smile creeping over my face.

The drawback to train knitting, however, is occasionally people think that because you're a knitter, you're a talker. And not only a talker, but a nice person to begin with. A friendly person. A homey person who cares about the world's woes and wants to make it right by knitting it special huggy.

I'm not that kind of knitter.

I'm a NJ to NYC commuter through-and-through. Leave me the fuck alone.

This morning, some weirdo guy (obviously a tourist, and probably half retarded at that) tried to strike up a conversation. "Wow, I bet you knit a lot of sweaters on the train." Mumble mumble mumble. "Not really, sweaters are too bulky." "What? I didn't hear you." "Ah, sweaters are too much to lug around. This is a sock." "OH WOW! I bet you keep your whole family outfitted in those!"

Yup. I knit $20 pairs of socks for my entire family to wear day-in and day-out.

OK, maybe the guy wasn't retarded. At least my account above doesn't convey his retardedness. But really, I thought I was talking to Ronald McDonald with feathered grey hair and no makeup. The guy was goofy, which a silly puddy grin stretched ear-to-ear, smacking gum at 8 in the morning, and chatting up a storm with everyone around him. Er rather, talking to himself because no one would talk back to him.

I'm rambling.

I'm very tired tonight but am trying to beat an 8 PM bedtime. AH! 9:00. I'm off to la-la land.


* I was going to write this post all about the progress I've made on DH's second sock, but spent the entire time droning on and on. Suffice it to say I'm finally on the foot and in for the home stretch. If I take the train a few more times, I'll have that puppy done and a nice $20 pair of socks on my beloved's feet.