The Quirky Teleworky, Vol 2

How many days of telework* does it take before you have a day where you just don't quite get around to showering?

A-one.....A-twooo.....A-THREE!

To be fair, it was on the fourth day that no shower was to be had. The first three days, the potential presence of the IT guy or the AT&T technician prompted me to groom appropriately. With no such pressure on the fourth day, I went makeup-free and, by late afternoon, was sporting a Pebbles Flintstone hairdo.

You may also be surprised to learn that I've been fairly productive working at home. I think the main driver may be the company's somewhat draconian time-tracking system. As far as I know, there are no job codes for "reading celebrity gossip online" or "toilet cleaning", and if there were, they certainly wouldn't be billable.

"Telework" sounds so Orwellian

Having spent the weekend assembling Ikea office furniture, I was ready for my first day of telecommuting. I spent the first 2 hours of my day waiting for the IT guy to show up, only to find out that he'd been given the wrong date. Without access to the company network, I spent the majority of the day attempting to read background articles, though I was frequently interrupted by the dog's demands to be alternately let in and out of the house. I did spend the day at my desk, resisting the urge to read on the couch (mainly because I was sure I would have fallen asleep).

The day was capped off by an account status call during which my coworkers were soundly put in their place by some really bitchy clients. They talked to us as if we were in the principal's office with our parents after being caught behind the school with the burnouts--that cool, calm tone with a not-so-subtle undercurrent of disgust and disappointment. I am going to love working on this account, I can just tell...

Day 2 is starting out just like day 1--waiting for servicepeople to arrive. The IT guy is supposed to be here at 9; the phone guy anytime before noon. The majority of my afternoon was going to be spent on a phone call, but it was cancelled so I'll have to find something else to do. I have a project but am frankly not quite sure what exactly it is I'm supposed to do with it. Perhaps I should find out...

Guys, TMI warning...

So, my whole adult life I've made it a point to schedule my yearly "lady doctor" visit with a female practitioner. This isn't because I have the notion that male gynecologists are somehow perverts or that they're going to get really excited about poking my private parts with cold metal objects and gloved fingers, but just because it always seemed more comfortable to go to a woman. Women can sympathize with how idiotic you feel with your feet in the stirrups, all your womanly glory on full display in a decidely non-erotic and fairly uncomfortable way.

The ob/gyn I've been seeing the last couple years, Dr. S, is ridiculously hard to book. Appointments have to be made months in advance. For a number of reasons I had to call today to change my upcoming appointment, and was trying to book it for a specific day. "Dr. S is on vacation that day, but Dr. O is available," I was told. Grateful that an appointment was available at all on the day I'd requested, I took it. As soon as I hung up the phone, I realized my problem: I had no idea if Dr. O was a man or a woman.

Turns out, he's a man, and I am going to have to deal with it. So, ladies, if you care to comment: do you have a preference whether to go to a man or a woman ob/gyn? If you've been to both, was there a difference? Did you worry more or less about how well-groomed you were? Do you feel more or less comfortable with an older male doctor? Discuss.