It seems my smugness in the recent post "Surviving Snowmageddon" about my work arrangement's resilience against disruption has come back to haunt me. Well just a little.
After last night's 90 mile an hour winds, on this dim morning, I work by the light of my computer's LCD with the brightness dimmed considerably to conserve battery. Still though, roughly 12 hours since the lights went out, I am at my desk working.
My laptop is tethered by USB cable to my Smartphone giving me access to 3G speed that has plenty of bandwidth to establish a Virtual Private Network connection across the Internet to my office resources.
Through my one-X Mobile software client I have access to all of the features of my office phone system that is over 40 miles away. My voicemail server that is 1,800 miles away and my email server that is closer but still hundreds of miles away are unaffected. So here I sit almost fully productive in the dim light of a stormy morning following a massive weather event that has created havoc.
Granted it is getting a little chilly, but there's plenty of firewood if needed.
With the sounds of chainsaws off in the distance as the massive pine tree that toppled destroying my neighbor's car and damaging her home is cleared away, I am in touch with customers and colleagues. Critical deadlines are being cared for and time dependent projects move forward. Granted, the email traffic volume is down considerably as many of my colleagues clear away the two feet of snow that accumulated during the overnight in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
For me the call to my insurance company can wait. The forty foot pine tree that snapped in half in my back yard, almost miraculously, took flight and cleared the fence landing in a neighbor's yard without damaging anything.
Tomorrow will be different but in many ways the same. I will take my productivity tools and board an airplane. Customers await at a three day conference. If the weather clears and the travel deities are willing I'll be on the road and as productive as ever. When I am asked, "Where is your office?" I will give my standard answer, "You're looking at it."
I realize that I have been extremely lucky during these recent events. To all of those who have not been as fortunate as I during this disruptive weather, I send sincere good wishes. Hang in there. The sun will shine again.
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Posted 26 Feb 2010 at 12:19 PM