The above photo is of my workspace here at home. Since aquiring my new laptop I have been able to create a little extra room on my desk. Though the above photo looks a bit cluttered the items don’t typically stay there. Before my setup had 2x 19″ monitors and my 5-disc RAID array which took up a lot of space. I thought I would update the photo I had floating around on Flickr of my previous setup.

Telecommuting; My Thoughts.

Many of you know I work from home and have been for quite some time now. Some people out there would say how awesome it is to work for home and for the majority of the time it’s true. There are sometimes where working from home isn’t all the great. I’ll try and list some Pros and Cons for telecommuting, or working from home.

Pros:

• Work in your pajamas (if you’re doing video conferencing, ensure your camera is pointed at least shoulders and up).
• Listen to the music you want to listen to as loud as you like.
• Your workspace is yours, no one else can touch it.
• Your view might be better at home (like mine) that at an office.
• Depending on your employment/employer you can write off percentages of things such as Rent/Mortgage, Hydro, Cable (internet purposes), Work Furniture, Gas, Insurance etc etc
• Lunch is easier to make/obtain and can be better/more healthier.
• Less driving/gas.

Cons:

• Very little human interaction. If you’re a social butterfly, chances are working at home won’t be for you. Skype, Messenger, gTalk etc can only go so far.
• Can’t really escape work as it’s always near by. So much for the 9-5 mentallity (in most cases).
• Typically you have to supply your own equipment such as Computer, Printer, Desk, Chair etc (some companies might be more giving than others). Companies might supply consumables such as pens, paper though.
• Distractions – Television, Kids, going outside in good weather
• No Physical Supervision – Some people need that physical supervision to get work done. If you procrastinate a lot, chances are you probably will do even less work at home.
• Your type of job might not fit with working at home. Are you a cabinet-maker? Chances are you don’t have a tablesaw for your apartment, let along the neighbours might get upset if you use a router too often.

Anyway, those are some of the Pros and Cons I find about working at home. I personally love being able to work from home and have been enjoying it ever since I started a couple years ago. I have everything I need to do work from right here and have set it up to be pretty efficient too.

Most people tell me that they couldn’t do what I do and would probably head to the beach all day. I for one, (surprisingly too) rarely leave my desk when I’m working on things, in fact I tend to forget to eat too. If I get bogged down mentally and need a break, I will stretch my legs and go for a short walk down to the water (10mins at most) to help clear the head. I do come back and hunker down for more computer work, I don’t lallygag when I get home.

Also the great thing of switching from a desktop to a laptop allows me to remotely work. I don’t have to be tied to a desk, I can work from the balcony, I can work from the couch, I can even head down to the local coffeeshop for a couple hours and work. It’s great not being tied to a desk, and I honestly think going back to a desk in an office would be a really hard thing to do.

What are your thoughts and experiences with telecommuting or working at home? Have you ever had the oppourtunity to do it? Would your type of work even allow for it?

I’m not sure what a photographer’s greatest moment can be, but for me it was the feeling I got from having my first photo published, well being asked for a photo in which would be published in a book. Not only was that a cool feeling, receiving the book in which my photo was published is even better!

I received an email from a publisher asking me about a particular photo that they wanted to use in a book about the history of snowboarding, the bonus? Ross Rebagliati was writing it! If you are from Vancouver, or even Whistler, Rebagliati is a pretty big name in the world of snowboarding. Who else has a park and a ski run named after them?

Off the Chain: An Insider’s History Of Snowboarding

Now I’ll be honest, I haven’t finished reading the book, but I am really enjoying the information that Rebagliati has put together as well as his journey through snowboarding. The ups and the downs. It is cool to find out how my favourite sport came to be, starting out with modified pieces of wood similar to surf boards and skateboards, to what influences the design of snowboards today.

“With Ross as your guide, you’ll tour with the sport’s best riders, drop into the wilder side of snowboarding culture, and find out what really happened in Nagano as Ross won, lost and regained his Olympic media. Along the way you’ll check out video shoots, navigate the backroom dealings behind the sport, and hit some of the world’s best boarding destinations. Strap on your board, throw caution to the wind, and get ready to rip in the refreshingly candid and lavishly illustrated Off the Chain: An Insider’s History of Snowboarding.”

Even though I have only read the first few areas of the book, it has been some great reading. With aspects like, how the sport came to be and where it will go in the future, some history of Jake Burton and Tom Sims and more. I can’t wait to read more into where Ross Rebagliati’s career took him and how the whole Nagano Olympics went down in regards to his Gold medal.

Enough about that, more about the photo they used!

That’s right, signed by him too! This will definitely be something I keep forever!

There is my photo (page.112)! The caption above tells who the four riders are, where they are and that I took the photo! That’s pretty cool, well for me anyway.

This is the original shot, well the one I uploaded to Flickr that got their attention. Boardercross (SBX) is pretty cool event, but unfortunately we did not win tickets to the event during the 2010 Winter Olympics. At least we got to see the same competitors at Cypress though. Cool nonetheless!

If you want to check out the book at your local book store here is the info:

• Title: Off The Chain: An Insider’s History of Snowboarding
• Author: Ross Rebagliati
• ISBN: 978-1-55365-487-2
• Publisher: Greystone Books

What’s next for my photography? Who knows! It’s a start right? With the up  coming winter season perhaps I can have more oppurtunities for photos such as the ones I took up at Cypress Mountain or at Whistler. Though it looks like it might have to wait until the 2010 Winter Olympics are over.

So here’s to me wishing for more of my photos published in cool projects such as this one! I can toot my own horn right?

Last week after my little work out on our Elliptical machine and a 4-5 hour walk around Vancouver I noticed that my backside was experiencing discomfort. The area I am referring to was my tailbone region or the Coccyx [wiki]. As a relatively new snowboarder falling on my ass was something that happened frequently, and I do remember falling on my tailbone quite hard at one point. I thought then I might have fractured it and due to the exercise I was doing must of triggered it or inflamed it at the time. I shrugged it off anyway.

The next few days my tailbone pain increased and I found myself shuffling like an old man. Walking hurt, sitting down hurt.  The only thing I could do was pretty much lie down on my side. I have my nurse (Robyn) take a look and she said it sure didn’t look good and it was inflamed and only getting larger. Well it went from a red mark to a red bump, almost like a welt I guess. Of course I couldn’t see it for myself but I would take her word for it.

It wasn’t until Monday where Robyn (and her mother) insisted we take a visit to our local Care Clinic to check it out. Robyn said she thought it was a Pilonidal Cyst, I didn’t want to believe her and said it would go away. The moment I dropped trou, the doctor confirmed that I did indeed have a Pilonidal Cyst or Abscess. It’s not a fun thing to have either.

What is a Pilonidal Cyst? You can check out Wikipedia’s explanation but I try and give a decent example. Typically males (some woman too) develop a cyst in the cleft of the buttocks area, or the ass crack near the tailbone region. A hair can become ingrown, inflamed and eventually become infected under the skin. This is a bad thing of course. It is more common for people who sit for long periods of time during the day, like myself. Being a computer type person I can sit in front of my computers for hours on end, I guess it doesn’t help my chair is so comfy eh? Back in the war days soldiers often developed them from riding in Jeeps all day. Even horseback riders can develop them, though I would hate to have a horse hair some how wiggle it’s way into my skin!

The doctor put me on an antibiotic (Cloxacillin) in hopes that it would take care of the infection. Did I mention that I was still in pain and could really only lie down? We went in a couple days later and the doctor had to lance (drain) the Cyst. That was definitely not the most pleasant experience of my life, even with a local. I won’t get into the yummy details but I was packed and dressed after the little ordeal. Robyn got to assist the doctor as he couldn’t touch things that were not sterile. The doctor also took a swab so they could grow a culture to find out what sort of bacteria was causing the infection so I could be prescribed the proper antibiotic. Even though the small, quick procedure was painful, it was worth the few moments of pain to relieve the pressure and pain I was having daily.

The past 5 days I have been recovering in bed lying down and today is the first day I can sit properly without discomfort. There is no pain, just discomfort and tenderness from the incision. We change my dressing daily but also get to take sitz baths (Epsom salt baths) which help clean and soothe the area. The pain I was reported yesterday on Twitter was because I had the wick changed, because there is still an infection, the wick is designed to move it (puss/infection) out of my body until I can be put on the proper antibiotics. It also makes sure that the skin doesn’t grow over and leaves a hole inside me either. The wick being removed didn’t hurt, but the wick being packed back into the area was extremely painful. I had a local the first time he put it in so it didn’t hurt as much, but this time it was excruciating!

The next visit (Saturday) I get to have the wick replaced again (oh joy) but I will get to find out what antibiotic will get rid of this infection so I can fully heal. I am looking forward to being better.

So this is what has been happening to me and why someone (men in particular) should not sit for long extended periods times. Don’t forget to stand, walk around a bit, take a break! Don’t let this happen to you, it really isn’t pleasent. There isn’t really anything one can do to totally prevent this happening again, but here’s hoping it will not happen again! Being broken is not fun!

As of Thursday (July, 10th 2009), I have been temporarily laid off by my employer. The layoff could last as long as 12 weeks or I could get a call before then to come in an continue working, or I could be receiving severance pay after 13 weeks. Who knows? But what I know is that in the meantime I have to figure out my finances to compensate for this curve ball.

The first thing I did when I left the office was head to the bank and deal with various banking aspects. I stopped my monthly contribution into a growing savings account so that I could access it after my last pay cheque (which is next Friday). I checked to see if I had insurance against a loan I have, but unfortunately it is only insured against disability.

I’ve filled out the online application for Employment Insurance (EI), though I won’t probably hear back from them for a week or two. This will help (hopefully) after my last pay cheque. I can also deposit some of the cheques I still have laying around the house as well.

So What Now?

I can take a little time off. I’m paid up until at least next Wednesday. I’ll have to work out what my expenses are each month and figure out if EI will cover that. Extra spending money will have to be earned on the side by my many talents.

There can be more time for blogging, more time for photography too!

I can go on an animal hunt at Stanley Park as there are new critters hanging out there such as a new resident beaver in Lost Lagoon. I can find out where that River Otter I see really lives. I can check out the 4 Eagle nests that are located in the park too. Who knows, I might even check out some of Stanley Park’s trails too. Perhaps a photowalk around Vancouver is in order?

I can take on more product review opportunities now. I love reviewing product, getting my hands on the latest in technology and writing about this is actually quite fun for me. When I get to keep the products I look at, that’s definitely a bonus.

I can take on some more freelance web design and development jobs as well. If you’re looking for some modifications to your WordPress blog, I can help. If you have a regular website that needs to be updated a bit, I can help with that as well.

I’m not upset at this temporary setback. Life is full of challenges, I just have to roll with them, take them as they come and not give up. I believe things happen for a reason.

What does the future have in store for me? I can’t wait to find out! I’m going to smack this curve ball up over the centerfield fence and out of the stadium!