Get inside, Take off shoes almost immedialty, put down backpack if I’m wearing one, take off coat if I’m wearing one, take off socks, put keys, wallet and watch in safe place.
I usually work at home, but when I’m at a client site, I walk in the back door, plop my keys down on the kitchen counter with my purse, head to the living room, kiss my husband, sometimes I’ll get a snack, but after a few minutes with my husband, I usually walk back to my home office and start working on client development for my own company.
I love working from home because I don’t usually keep working once my husband is home.
I come in, drop my bags down on the floor (which won’t be unpacked for weeks, just picked out of due to my laziness), go to the bathroom, greet my pets whom I missed so much, change into shorts and a t-shirt, grab a bite to eat if I’m hungry, then watch TV or something.
Put keys in a clam shell that is placed by the door for that purpose, and listen as they manage to fall out and clatter down to the floor.
Put cell phone by clam shell, despite knowledge that as soon as I turn my back, cell phone will scuttle away like a horseshoe crab and find some other place to relax.
Make sure screen door is closed and that no adventurous cat is in the process of absconding.
Greet SO if she is awake, and relay brief synopsis of day’s events.
Scratch bellies of available cats.
Return to living room and remove shoes and pants, which I leave at or on a chair close to the door.
Toss shirt in wash and put on unspeakably ratty, but well-broken-in tee shirt.
Assure bitterly complaining cat that there is sufficient kibble in its bowl.
Observe condition of cat litter boxes, and remark that they really should be sifted or changed.
Pee, if necessary.
Examine computer to see if I received any interesting calls.
Think of a reason to avoid returning calls.
Have a beer.
Flop down at computer and start enjoying my down time.
No punctual peeing or pet placating for me.
I usually:
Come in through the garage
Set food and or beer on counter
Stare amazed at the amount of junk mail my roomie gets and leaves on the counter
Sift through mail pile for Netflix discs
Deposit food/beer in fridge
Listen to see if I can figure out what roomie is watching on TV
Greet roomie who is collapsed by the computer
Plug in PDA since I drained it’s battery at work
Collapse on other couch
Watch whatever he’s watching untill a valid complaint can be made and the channel is changed
Exchange “did you hear about” stories
Ask if there’s anything non-crappy on TV, if so, we watch, if not, in goes a Netflix DVD
Eat
Consume beer if the evening calls for it
Leave work, pick up hubby, dirve home, dump stuff at front door, take off bra, put shorts and wrecky tee on, mix drinks (rye & coke for hubby, martini / beer for me), sit on back step, have a smoke, yack about day, then check fridge to see either one of us remembered to take something out of freezer for dinner, if not, comtemplative moment by fridge, fix dinner, sit on back step, talk about future plans, have tea, make lunches, check messages on computer and/or phone, go to bed.
Other nights, same routine, only squeeze in Habitat for Humanity Meeting, and/or Lions Club.
It depends on where I’m working. If I’m telecommuting I check the de-humidifier, turn off the lights, walk upstairs, and kick back in the living room for an hour or so before either starting dinner or taking LilMiss to lessons (Monday = swimming, Wednesday = violin).
If I’m in office it’s:
Enter house through back door.
Shoes off. Shoes in the house annoy the heck outta me.
Make sure kid takes shoes off and doesn’t leave them in the middle of the kitchen.
Quickly toss stack of shoes down the basement stairs.
Make sure I hang my keys up or at leave leave them on the microwave.
Put purse on counter while greeting cats.
Check phone messages. If there are some let the kid know, because if I dare pull messages there’ll be a hissy fit. NBD, she receives 99.9% of all calls.
Unload any purchases (usually groceries) I may have. At least get the freezer and fridge stuff put away. Put empty bags away. As I head towards my bedroom I pick up what needs to be picked up. I know many people prefer to pick up the house before bedtime, but I prefer to do it when I get home and I have the drive to do so. If I wait until bedtime I will only be able to enjoy it for 30 minutes the following morning. Doing it when I get home let’s me enjoy the cleanliness for the evening.
JAMMIE TIME!! I adore jammie time. Even if it’s lounge wear, it’s jammie time. I do my damndest to stop on the way home for anything we may need because when I’m home I don’t want to have to go back out if at all possible.
Wash face.
Pee, if necessary, with Bern and Clee (cats) either at my feet or in the tub.
(In temperate weather) open all the windows.
Flip through the mail LilMiss picked up. Sort into Bills, Adverts, and everything else.
Place bills, adverts I want, and everything else I want on the kitchen table. Place everything else on the counter by the stairs to be shredded the following day.
Go back into the living room, flip on the TV, sit in MY chair, open a Diet Coke, light a cigarette, and relax for 30 minutes.
Start dinner/order dinner.
Veg out the rest of the evening, maybe take a walk/bike ride with LilMiss, hang out in the yard with the cats.
Get in, shove door closed, attempt to break lightspeed in the space between door and pee-drome (I have no idea why, but even if I pee right before leaving wherever I was, I still have to run pee when I get home), remove shoes and trousers while on throne, go to bedroom removing blouse, toss street clothes to appropiate places (reuse pile or wash basket), toss on some real comfy clothes, slump on chair.
Once slumped in chair, I decide what to do next.
PS: yes, I know you usually say “go pee”.
Thank you for asking.
I drop the incoming mail, and any other dry goods I’m carrying, onto the rocking chair, and proceed to the kitchen with the groceries. If I see my answering machine blinking along the way, I frown at it as I pass. I immediately put any frozen goods into the freezer, and any dairy products into the refrigerator. If I have to use the bathroom, I do so at this point. If not, I finish putting the groceries away. Then I listen to any phone messages with that skeptical look back on my face.
Back to the rocking chair: the mail gets sorted, and any particularly interesting-looking piece of mine gets openend and skimmed. New magazines are tossed onto the coffee table. Then I sit on the rocking chair and take off my outdoor shoes and place them in the front hallway, so I can put on my slippers (I’m always much more comfortable with my shoes off).
That all being done, I wash my hands and face, and then a) eat, b) check my e-mail, c) sit in front of the TV, or d) lie down for a nap. Usually I try to combine two or more of those.
It’s funny how we get so regimented without even realizing it.
When I come in, I:
Put my stuff on the dining room table.
Rub the belly of the cat who’s writhing on the floor as an invitation to do so.
Feed the cats or let them out, whichever they want more urgently. (I only let them on the deck, which is second story and no, they don’t jump off.)
Go upstairs to the bathroom to do #2.
Change into a t-shirt and sweats.
Grab a beer.
Sit down at the computer, check my email, and try to get in some game time before my SO gets home.