Anywho, I found the only job in Texas that utilizes my West Virginia law degree. I'm now a title attorney doing West Virginia title opinions for oil and gas companies. Yes, even for the one I just left. And how can I do this job in Texas, you may wonder? I'm actually contracted with a firm that does work in Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and a slew of other states, and I do my work from my house.
That was actually the biggest drawback of the job, to be honest. I just didn't know how it would work - getting up but not putting on my office clothes, driving Britton to daycare just to drive back home, and being responsible for turning off the celebrity gossip websites and actually doing some work. At work I am quite a chatty person, and I wondered if I could survive with just my dog to keep me company. Not to mention that I was now going to be responsible for all those things your employer typically handles - retirement plans, employment taxes, and insurance. And most pressing is that I actually abhor change. I'm a routine person and I like knowing what's coming, so any new job or city or what have you sends me into a nervous flutter.
But I decided that this change could be good, I promised the hub I'd continue showering and dressing in non-stretchy waistband clothes, and I bought a new desk chair and file cabinet. It's been over two weeks now, and I have to admit that it really works for me. I make a point of meeting up with Memaw once or twice a week to do errands or go to lunch, and it gets me some socialization and a reason to put on make-up. Taking Britton to daycare means I'm still getting up at 6:00 am - on the same schedule I once was, but no longer tied to a commute of over 1 hour roundtrip.
And I actually like my new work. Figuring out who owns what in West Virginia is complicated, and I'm out of my comfort zone with this new property law side. And it does seem odd to be practicing law without stepping foot in a courtroom. Granted, my first love of law has and always will be public defender work, and I think one day I will return to it. But for now this new job suits me just fine. Let me introduce you to my new job....
My new lunch hour...
No longer tied to running errands or grabbing lunch within one hour, I now can do things at home during my lunch break. Case in point - so far this week I've quilted one day and made a chicken pot pie another day during lunch, neither of which I could do (well) at an office.
My new cubicle mate...
Yes, this is what Sadie looks like all day. No, actually sometimes she's completely stretched out to where half her body is on the floor and the other is still in her bed. She snores loudly and farts obnoxiously smelly farts (all things I wasn't exposed to before), but the upside is that with me home to take her out she hasn't pooped in the house since I started work!
My new co-worker...
When people hear I work from home, they almost always ask immediately if Britton stays home with me. And I get to feel like the bad mom when I say no. Honestly, if she was home with me I wouldn't be getting much work done, and it's not worth it to me to keep her home and then work all night. But without my long commute, she does spend over an hour a day less in daycare than she did before.
My new business lunches...
Actually, this is all of us this weekend at Pei Wei! I don't miss going out for lunch anymore because when you're home it becomes a big pain to leave the house. I'd rather watch the noon news for thirty minutes while eating a sandwich, then knock off work thirty minutes early. Plus I have my Tuesdays and Thursday with Memaw, and a couple of lunches lined up with my used-to-be co-workers.
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