distance learning and distance "working" -- reducing our carbon footprint

I was just thinking today that I live in Southern California and haven’t driven my car in 3 days. "Preposterous!," you think. 


Not at all! I work from home most of the week (usually only going into the LA office once/week). Not only do I love my job more than I would if I worked in a traditional office environment, but I work harder and perform better. Since working from home, I’ve reduced the expense of gas/transportation/parking; I’ve reduced my ‘carbon footprint’; I’ve reduced my personal meal expenses; I’ve reduced any inner-office drama because I interact with most of my colleagues via chat/email or the occasional phone call; most of all, I’ve reduced my general stress.

I work 8-9 hours per day, sometimes more. I am committed to my job and my overall performance. I wonder if I would be just as committed if I had to face gridlock traffic or inner-office drama? Would I be excited about my company if I had to miss dinner with my family because my train was late?

What’s ‘green’ about telecommuting:


1. No need to commute – that’s less cars on the roads.


2. Preserves the environment – not just the emissions…


3. Improves health – less stress commuting, less time away from family.


4. Increased performance/productivity – I can work in my bathrobe and not “waste” time looking presentable for the general public.

It is awesome! I love it! This is month 10 of working from home and I have no complaints.... I wonder if my brother's business school talks about the benefits of telecommuting as a cost-saving measure. The downside of telecommuting: it isn't for everyone ~ you have to hold yourself accountable for meeting your goals. The plus-side: there are very few places in the world that I can't work.

I wonder if other telecommuters are equally in love with working from home.

health care reform?

A friend of mine sent a link about health care reform. It's about 9 minutes and is really informative. Check it out. :)

It's official ... I am Kimberly Kanter McBroom - the case of the missing cell phone

After an hour and a half of waiting (standing) in line at the social security office, number '70' was selected and I became a McBroom.  I got so excited that I wanted to call my hubby and tell him the good news; but alas, I lost my cell phone last weekend and was unable to call/text/email/etc....

The cell phone missing thing: is not a big deal! Surprised you, didn't I? Many of you dug through your purse/pocket and "felt" that your cell was near just thinking about the loss of my cell. I thought I was going to freak out, but the list of the most inconvenient parts about not having my cell phone is as follows:

1.  The time - I don't own one watch, at least not one that I can locate. Thank God for the microwave.
2.  My alarm clock -- the phone did it all. Now I need to find my college alarm clock and see if it still works.
3.  Email - Thank goodness there are at least two computers within 15 feet of me at all times.
4.  Text messaging - it's a bummer!  I IM/Skype chat all day at work, so I feel 'connected,' but my friends don't IM with me, so that makes me sad. :(
5.  My address book! Now I have to walk all the way to a computer and "lookup" phone numbers.

That's it. That's all I miss. I called AT&T to report the missing phone and found out that I am no longer under contract with them, and haven't been for a year. I thought that I was "stuck" for another year. I canceled. I don't have a cell phone bill -- I definitely don't miss that. What do you do when you need to call Kim? You have a few options, some more obvious than others:

IM me! (I'm using Skype and Messenger)
Email me! (i have more email accounts than I should admit)
Call my landline, duh! (obviously not listed in this blog, although all 3 of my readers would probably think it was convenient, but not 'safe')