Q Gift 8 Working From Home

They call it Telework. It gets its name from working via an electronic network of computers and the internet. It’s supposed to be a convenience and perk to spend your work hours in your home environment. Having the joy of working in your pajamas is soothing. Getting cups of something hot with extra time to customize the flavor or something cold with as much ice as you want is very appealing. And of course, trips to the lady’s room minus the caustic soap and struggles with a paper towel machine is a bonus. But this resort-like work setting is tainted by the invasion of Zoom meetings.
In the Zoom meetings, everyone wants to see you. Everyone wants to get a peek at your backdrop in the hope of finding some hidden character not seen at the office. Your home and new parts of you are on display and can be dissected for current or future office banter.
So my bathroom has become my makeup studio where I use more makeup than my previous daily routine. But the drive behind the increase has helped appreciate how these layers of cosmetics provide artificial armor that Dolly Parton says she is never without. Lots of time is spent studying camera angles and backdrop props, setting the scene as if I were Hitchcock filming another version of the movie Rear Window. Lighting and shadows are tested. And when the day is filled with multiple zoom meetings, you are exhausted from holding the mask in place. Your escape value of going back to your office to scream is gone. There is no refuge. The invaders are in your sanctuary – your home.
Telework has robbed us of a haven from away from office stress and coworkers. The entire household is on the same hamster wheel because school is being taught (maybe) with Zoom too. The Zoom screen has created an unexpected backwash in our lives.