August 5, 2008
Chainsaws and callers and crows, oh my!
So there I was, making great progress with a large Web site I’m writing for a client, when all of a sudden …
CAW CAW CAW. CAW CAW CAW. CAW CAW CAW.
Well, there goes my train of thought.
Thanks to a murder of crows (yup, a group of crows is called a murder) apparently engaging in battle outside my office windows, now I’m completely distracted from my writing task.
Those of us who work from home realize that as a trade-off for the wonderful flexibility (and occasional PJ wearing) we enjoy, we face our fair share of disturbances. Here are some of the many distractions I’ve encountered while working at home:
telemarketers
Seriously, does the Do Not Call Registry mean nothing?
lawnmowers, weed wackers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, etc.
My neighbors really love their yards.
crows and blue jays
These birds are pervasive, aggressive, and LOUD.
thunderstorms and my dog
Like many dogs, Riley gets really scared during thunderstorms. She usually paces and pants uncontrollably around—and under—my desk. (And occasionally we find her in the bathtub. Poor thing.)
police training exercises
This is random: One day I looked out into my quiet suburban yard and saw two policemen dressed in head-to-toe black with a police dog running around a large bush on our property. At first I thought there was an escaped convict hiding in the shrub, but the kind officers assured me that they were merely conducting a drill. At noon. In my yard. With very large guns.
It’s a wonder I get anything done at all.
What about you? What distracts you from working at home?
Filed by rebecca at 11:54 am under The freelancing life
Laundry, house cleaning and Law & Order day-time marathons…
LMAO - the police drill! OMG.
Tess: House cleaning is a major distraction for me too. Every time I leave my office (to get a snack, use the bathroom, get the mail), I have to fight the temptation to unload the dishwasher or take out the trash.
The funniest thing about the police drill was when I opened the window and yelled out, “Everything OK, officers?” I think I scared them more than they scared me. They had no idea that I was home. LOL.
Blogs are my biggest distraction. LOL That “subscribe to comments on this post” feature is a bad bad thing.
Plus, it is LOUD here. Suburbs are supposed to be quiet, but apparently not when you live next to a train track and your neighbors are always doing construction. (We don’t get many chainsaws though.)
@Amy: Blogs are distractions: Now that’s the understatement of the day!
You know, I thought the ‘burbs would be quiet too (as I write this, there is a weed wacker blaring across the street from me). Joke’s on us, I guess.
I don’t work from home, but I do blog from home, so…
* with you on the neighbours. We are surrounded by retirees. Wonderful neighbours but noisy! I mean, holy frig, these old guys never stop with the lawn mowers and chain saws!
* not the dog, but the cats. Especially the Siamese. He has a ‘human at the laptop’ tolerance, and once past that he goes on a yowling binge until you pick him up, as nicely as possible tell him how stupid he is, and then put him back down. This resets him and I’m good until max tolerance is reached again.
Television! I usually cannot eat a meal without turning on the tube; and two hours and a spotless plate (thanks to my dog) later, I realize it’s been two hours and I haven’t gotten any work done! Woe is me!
Can’t say that I’ve ever had a problem with a police drill, though. That just sounds crazy of them to do!
@Urban Panther: Thanks for dropping by! Yes, the retirees in my neighborhood have some free time on their hands, and they just love to putter around with the power tools. Usually when I’m on a phone interview …
Your cat sounds hilarious! Luckily my dog is too big to get in my lap. When she’s antsy, she just rests her snout there. Very cute, but very distracting!
@Nathan:
Yes, TV is a major time killer when working at home! Especially during lunch. I get sucked into “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and the next thing I know, an hour has passed (and I’m still not a millionaire).
Glad you stopped by my blog. I’m off to check out yours–
Rebecca
CAW CAW CAW CAWWWWWWWWW
Don’t get me started on crows. (I ranted about them twice on my blog already).
Like clockwork, I’ve been getting woken up EVERY morning by the same asshole birds since April.
CAW CAW CAW CAWWWWWW.
Get up, shut the windows, and try to get back to sleep, (with a pillow on my head, sometimes).
CAW CAW CAW CAWWWWW.
My God.
WON’T YOU.
PLEASE.
SHUT.
THE F*CK.
UP.
(Oh, someone with a pellet gun, please come by…someone, please…).
@Friar: They really are horrendous creatures. I wish my neighbor would get a cat. Or a fox. Or perhaps a mountain lion. Maybe that would help resolve the situation.
Rebecca
That’s why crows made my Top Ten Asshole Animal List
http://deepfriar.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/friars-top-ten-assholes-of-the-animal-kingdom/
@Friar: How could I have missed that one?!? Hysterical. I’m totally with you on seagulls. Those flying rats can ruin a perfectly good day at the beach. (One pooped on my husband last time we were there :()
Rebecca,this is hysterical and I can absolutely relate! A murder of crows? Oh now that is truly appropriate for the sound they make that makes you want to commit that act against them! I get geese, weedwhackers and a blasted fountain that is supposed to be soothing. The fountain is so loud that I welcome power outages when the darn thing goes out. LOL! Ah the joys of the home office!
@Karen: LOL - the fountain! So much for the calming sound of water. Part of me really looks forward to the wintertime, when all of these outdoor noises cease and I can close my windows up tight!
Rebecca: Lucy gets the same way with thunderstorms, and we’ve had so many this summer I’ve lost count. She just started this year, when one storm was particularly loud and scary.
For me, it’s blogging and books. And the dog. And the hubby. Hmmm, and sometimes food. I’m a grazer so I have to eat many times a day or I feel awful. I need my own water cooler and kitchen up here.
The noise isn’t too bad around here since it’s a more or less quiet street. Our neighbours to the right recently moved so I no longer hear their son, who is autistic. He would shout the same thing (Whoo!) really loud every minute for hours. There were times I had to close my window.
@Steph - I hear you on the hubby and food! My husband is a teacher, so he’s home during the summer. He doesn’t try to be distracting, but he really is
As to food, yes, I’m constantly eating and drinking water. So if I’m not getting up to refill my glass, I’m heading to the bathroom …