Today CheeseGov let me work from home for the first time. I’ll have to go into the office the rest of the week, and it’ll be a while before they let me do three days a week from home, but it’s a start. Like I said, commuting to Madison is a small sacrifice to make…especially when I’m able to fill my lunch breaks with fun activities.
When I sat down at my desk in the basement and fired up the laptop, it felt simultaneously a little weird and also completely normal. It’s been…wow, almost a month since I WFH last. I had a few tense moments waiting to see if I’d be able to log in and access the CheeseGov intranet – especially when I got an unrecognized user error message the first time – but, haha, that’s because I was a dumbass and mistyped my password. The second time worked like a charm!
Logging into my laptop takes a bit of effort, even in the office, because we use a YubiKey. If you’re going, a Yubi-what?!, don’t worry: I’d never heard of it either. A YubiKey is a hardware authentication device that plugs into your USB port to prevent unauthorized access. It’s a simplified form of two-factor authentication (2FA) that eliminates the need for text codes. So high-tech! The only downside is, it’s one extra thing to carry around. Luckily it’s about as heavy as a postage stamp and fits easily on my keychain, so NBD.
To complicate matters, because CheeseGov’s database houses sensitive information (nuclear launch codes in case we go to war with Illinois, or maybe it’s just customer names and addresses, they really haven’t given me the specifics), we have to lock our computers every time we leave our work stations. At least I don’t have to worry about that at home, because I highly doubt Laverne and Shirley are going to use this confidential data for nefarious purposes.
Speaking of, it was nice to hang out with them today. Workplaces are so much better when there are cats roaming around! It’s so funny to see them obsess over the many squirrels in our yard – especially when said rodents venture onto the patio. Both cats will sometimes lunge and leap at the squirrels, oblivious to the concept of glass barriers. The squirrels, for their part, taunt Laverne and Shirley. They’ll come right up to the sliding glass door, stand on their hind legs, and peer inside while the cats work themselves into a frenzy.
Truth is, I obsess over those squirrels, too. Because they’re a real pain in the ass. Sure, they’re cute, but they’re also cold-hearted robbers who think nothing of stealing from our bird feeders. I had to move a bunch of the feeders to our covered patio, suspending them from the wooden beams where they are out of reach of the squirrels. A couple of times the bushy-tailed asshats have climbed up a post, leapt through the air, and ended up hanging upside down from the suet feeder, so I have to begrudgingly give them props for acrobatics and sheer determination.
A lot of bird feeders are advertised as being squirrel-proof, but few live up to those claims. After much trial and error, I’m happy to report I found one that actually foils squirrels.
Birds, even larger ones like woodpeckers, are light enough that they can stand on the perches and feed to their hearts’ content. But whenever squirrels grab onto the feeder with their mangy little gray paws, the metal cage drops, blocking access to the birdseed. The first time Tara and I watched a squirrel try, and fail, to steal from the birds, we whooped and hollered and high-fived one another. This prompted my wife to declare, “I guess we’re officially old if this is what gets us excited nowadays.”
Whatevs. It worked so well, we bought a second one to replace the other allegedly squirrel-proof feeder that was not. I was getting tired of flinging open the screen door and dashing outside, flailing my arms and yelling, every time I caught a squirrel in the act. The neighbors must think I’m a nut job. It’s even worse when you forget you aren’t wearing pants.
Squirrels: friends or foes? Ever use a YubiKey? What gets you excited nowadays?
Mark My Words 
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