Wow! That first part sounds awful! I think I would explore other options even if working from home.

I have had great luck removing labels by filling bottles / jars with boiling water and letting them sit a few minutes. I mostly do this to save wine labels I like or want to remember. When doing this it is also very easy to wipe off any residue.

My org is also looking to right-size and find a much smaller HQ.

I have used many Linux distros, Old-school RedHat (floppy days) Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, etc. I used to like messing around with the kernel and configs, etc. Now I just want something that works so that I can get to work. I installed Pop_OS on an old Microsoft Surface about 3 weeks ago and I have been very impressed. It was simple to install, has a pleasing interface design, and no bloat software. I'm going to keep using it for my desktop and highly recommend it.

My thoughts exactly!

Sounds like all the old dudes were feeling lonely and just wanted some company. I will say that you are lucky to have a 20 min commute. When I was going in daily I, had a 90 min commute on public transportation. Yuck.

I work for a fairly large organization that is mostly centralized but all my immediate colleagues are distributed around the globe. So, continuing work-from-home is not that difficult for me and no one is demanding my return.

LOL! Nevermind. I figured it out. Instead of "Add new article" it is "Add new link" under the '+' sign.

Totally agree. And actually, if I were in my early career, I would probably like to go in for face-to-face time too.

I'm in a similar situation. Sort of "soft" shopping for a new job but nothing has really fired me up enough to make the change. And if I do, I am fully committed to being remote as well.

What?!?! 8 years and NOW they call you back. I'm sorry!

I bet they are also the same people that schedule a 1 hour meeting for an email that would be one paragraph.

Give her a scritch for me!

I'm in a very similar situation. My partner and I are very lucky to have a nice house and office space for each of us. I understand not everyone has that. :(

Wow! Where in Japan would you go to farm? What type of farm are you thinking about?

What kind of studio? Gaming... animation...?

That's cool. If I tried to ride my bike to work I would probably get run over in the first couple of miles. I'm jealous of cities that have nice bike paths.

Glad for you. Sounds like your office took a reasonable approach.

synergy >

This, and silos, are my two most hated office words. Hope you find something you like!

I wish I had had that option when my kids were little. Hope you find something you enjoy.

Nice! One of my first jobs in HS was working for a small, family-run machine shop. I got all the messy clean up jobs but liked the work overall.

Funny how return-to-office only applies to some.

That is some really great insight to have for a job seeker!

I'm lucky in that our townhalls are all streamed.

The less of a plan they have the more effective they are at destruction.

In a large metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA. The city itself has a decent bike program but not the wider area

Sounds fantastic. Good luck!

I'm with @kestel7, that sounds really shitty. I hope things get better for you. Even if you get another remote job maybe you can make enough to go to a shared workspace.

This coming from the prince of unintended consequences.

Not to mention Commerce regulates international trade and enforces sanctions. Most Federal agencies do far more than most people realize.

I like to write between tasks. Both fiction and little programs that continue to make my work easier via "automation."

Would you mind sharing what type of work you do?

I get easily distracted as well. I battle this by using the Pomodoro productivity method. This fits my short attention span AND allows me distraction time.

I feel you about traffic. If I had to drive into work I don't think I would ever make it to the office before closing time.

Love this movie!

This resonates with me for the times I have gone in the office.

Personally, I love it. No one is watching over my shoulder planning my day but me. My office only cares that I complete my work on time. I get to figure out how best to do that.

LOL! My org is doing this as well. The couple of times I've been in I just plopped myself down in a conference room without booking it. No one was around to complain.

I find this amazing. Sometimes I get into a zone but it never lasts a whole day.

I love that I am not on anyone else's schedule.