I used to be a people person

It's amazing how a single job can turn you from a people person into a don't-speak-to-me-or-I'll-kill-you kind of person. In a very short time, I've managed to go from somebody who loves social interaction with strangers to someone who would much rather hide at home and only communicate with those people who have already proven they are awesome. And all because of a job where I have to interact with strangers on a daily basis, and deal with every little irritation with a smile on my face as if it doesn't bother me at all.

Many of us have jobs like this. Many of us are forced to pretend things are fine, even though really we'd rather remove each and every person who has ever annoyed us from the workplace. People who have had jobs like this, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. (People who haven't, damn you lucky sods.) It's those people that seem like they are intent on making your day difficult, whether they are actually trying or not.

It's the people who blithely ignore any and all signs that explain something, then complain when what they're doing - which just happens to be what the signs are FOR - isn't working. More often than not, it's working fine, and a tiny bit of reading on the enormous screen right in front of them could have prevented whatever problem they're having.

It's the people who either refuse to acknowledge you, making you feel as if you're talking to a wall, or act affronted if you dare to speak to them. Apparently some people believe that if they didn't specifically say anything to you, you are not allowed to say anything to them, and to do otherwise is unexpected and shocking. It's as if they think a human-shaped computer has suddenly become sentient, and it's insulting to them. (Oh, there's an idea. Can I bring Skynet to work with me?)

It's those people who think you are out to get them, even though you are only doing your job. In some cases, you're following the law. I don't care who you are, if I have to break the law to make you happy, you can stuff it. Go make somebody else's day a nightmare, I've had enough now.

There are more, oh so many more, examples. But I'm ranting again, and I've discovered that extended ranting doesn't help any more than a single rant does in de-stressing myself. To everyone who has had to deal with people like this and more, you have my sympathy, my empathy, and my hope that neither of us will be in this position much longer. To those who have not had to work under such conditions... Any vacancies where you work?

I want to work from home

I know, it's something a lot of people want. Working from home, for a lot of us, is that ideal job that is always out of reach. We can see something that vaguely looks like the opportunity, but it's always either too fuzzy to see clearly, too hard to get hold of, or too far to reach. We think that if we could just get that one perfect job that lets us stay in our comfort zone, everything will be better.

I don't really believe this any more. It's not too fuzzy, I'm just not looking at it from the right angle yet. It's not too hard, I just haven't put the work in yet. It's not too far, I'm just not really reaching for it yet. And there is no such thing as a perfect job. Even people who work from home still have to do that part called "working". If they didn't, it wouldn't be a job, it would be a hobby, and most people don't get paid for hobbies.

My goal is to work from home in the near future. I'm calling it a goal rather than a dream, because my dreams have a nasty habit of fizzling into whatever else is in my head at any given moment. I don't want to lose this goal to my own lack of focus. I want it to happen, and rather than just hoping for it, I'm going to work for it. I will make it happen.

So I'm bracing myself. I need to find the right angle and figure out what I can do. I need to make sure I've got all the skills and knowledge I need to reach it. I need to make myself work to grab hold of the opportunity once I've created it. (I need to stop talking like I'm trying to write some kind of inspirational speech, while I'm at it.)