The Wave Commuter Mug

You can't see this Wave Commuter Mug and not swoon a little. Not if you're me anyway. An individual mug perfectly steeped and fresh. Unless you lucked out with an office that just provides amazing fresh coffee (which most aren't that lucky) this is a very tempting purchase. The design also looks pretty fantastic. Pour me another. 

A Confession

Hello from the girl who has worn the same striped shirt for days and has yet to put makeup on. I have a confession.

In a swift punch of irony -  I (along with my entire department) was laid off recently. Which is why I've been working from home a lot lately. I loved my job and the people I worked with and it hurt surprising much to be let go due to cut backs. It hurt kind of like a breakup with a long-term boyfriend hurts, and that surprised me. I have also been writing and planning and biting my nails for this blog for ages, and now I'm not working! Have I lost my credentials now that I'm out from behind my desk and on the job hunt? At first I thought yes, but as I have stopped wallowing (I was being serious cry baby) I've realized that I am still very qualified to write about this. Job hunting or gainfully employed, I'm still a professional. And lay-offs are just a part of the corporate world.

So here I sit, with the plans to move forward with even more time on my hands to boot. This is a part of the growing professional process, isn't it?

Have you ever been laid off? How did you cope with the news?

Work-At-Home: Pros and Cons

I've found myself tackling a lot of work at home these days. As opposed to being in an office with co-workers, cubicles, managers, and an endless supply of coffee. I've had major caffeine withdrawals but I'm assuming one cup of coffee a day is far healthier than three. Whatever, I guess I'll learn how to deal. I've begun to notice some highs and lows to the work-at-home environment. For example...

Pro: The ability to work for long periods of time without distractions or interruptions.   
Con: No co-workers to casually interact with throughout the day. I may or may not catch myself chatting with my cat more than I care to admit.

Pro: How comfortable my couch is. And loving my desk set-up at home.
Con: Loosing all the desk space the office provide.

Pro: No rush-hour traffic.
Con: Feeling like I never leave the office and therefore, overworking.

Do you ever work from home? Do you love it, hate it, both?

About Those Shoes...

 

You know the feeling. You leave the house feeling untouchable. You know your outfit is fly and it's going to prove to the office that you are the cool kid. Your black trousers are skinny and perfectly paired with an adorable pair of studded ankle-strapped platforms. Subtly studded and a-okay for the office (you even asked your roommate to make sure). You've got this, cool kid. But somehow over the course of the day you find your confidence slowly deflating. Every sideways glance from the coworker two cubes over along with a couple subtle comments on your shoe height while waiting for the elevator have chipped away at your 6 foot tall confidence and left you... well... 5'6" with your shoes kicked off under your desk. Reminds me a bit of the above scene from The Hangover.

Yeah.

Been there. Often. I've also told myself that if my attire is alright with my boss and those I report to, then they're fair game (though I do believe there are appropriate office attire guidelines, but we'll discuss this often in the future).

Is that a bad call? Do you ever feel uncomfortable in your work clothes even if it isn't crossing any dress-code guidelines? Or do you just own it? I'm finding myself doing a mixture of both.