Working from Home & Future Travel

I have been back in the States for a little over two weeks. It feels like a month has passed already. Skylar, my two year old son, keeps asking to go back to places in France. It's amazing how often pictures of key Parisian landmarks are shown in advertisements and product packaging. And, each time Sky sees one, he says, "I wanna go there again."

Now that I'm home, my role is changing once again. Instead of testing the core global system and reports, I'm starting to coordinate the mapping of data for logistics objects. My Lexington plant office is being moved to the other side of the building. Not that it matters since I mostly work from home when I'm not traveling.

Things I like about working from my house:

1. My home office / guest bedroom is so much more pleasant than a drab cubical.
2. Internet access is faster than in the office.
3. My Internet access is not monitored as long as I don't use the company laptop.
4. During conference calls, I can put the phone on speaker. In an office cubical, this is disturbing to others.
5. I can get more work done with fewer distractions.
6. I can cook lunch instead of always eating out.
7. My wife is a school teacher and has summers off. So, during the summer, I can eat lunch with family.
8. No dress code. I can even go to work in my PJ's or boxers if I want.
9. My morning commute now consists of simply rolling out of bed. With inflated gas prices, this saves money not just time.
10. I can bring my dog to work.

Next week, I go to Nashville for the official kick-off of "work ahead" data mapping for standard product plants in the U.S. and parts of Mexico. I'm likely to be required to travel to Nashville two or three weeks a month from now on. The schedule will be arrive Monday afternoon, leave Thursday afternoon. It's only a three and half hour drive from Lexington. And, unlike working in France, I get to have all of my weekends at home! If I gained anything from all of my travel abroad, it was a growing appreciation of family and my time spent at home.

Next month, I am planning a 4 day trip to Tijuana, Mexico. But, the trip may not happen due to increased security measures due to current unsafe conditions in parts of Mexico. I've been invited to Monterrey and other Mexican locations but don't have time to visit them all personally. Tijuana is the least safe of all but is where my key subject matter experts reside.