Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Dirty Homes For Sale And Therapy Dogs

This afternoon I went with my real estate agent to look at a couple of houses for sale. The last house we visited was in a desirable neighborhood in Austin, TX and from the exterior of the house it was going to need some repairs.

As we pass the big ass SUV that's parked near the front door with a dog ramp coming out of it my realtor says oh they must have an old dog. I think nothing of it as we wait to be let in the house. I start looking around the front door area and notice a plaque with a picture of a German Shepherd. I say "Oh look they must like German Shepherds" because why else would you have a plaque of your dog at the front door?

The nice lady says hi and asks if we are "OK" with dogs. I don't respond, but my realtor says I don't mind dogs. I'm still thinking this will be fine and not to worry about the dogs. We go in and OMG it smells and the home is in early stages of hoarding and we-don't-give-a-shit. We were also told we couldn't go into the master bedroom/bath or another bedroom next to it. Why? Well because there are people in the bedroom sleeping and they are nude. These are "day-timers" the nice lady says.

We make our way to the hallway bathroom and there are signs. Signs to remind you to put the toilet seat down, which they ignore, and a sign to wash your hands. The lady suggests that the entire bathroom will need new fixtures. Really? New fixtures and a bulldozer perhaps.

Being the cook of my castle I ask about the kitchen. We head towards the living room and then I became frozen mid way between the hallway and the living room. I'm literally stuck because of the miniature pony sized German Shepherds that have come to greet my crotch. I had three HUGE dogs smelling my downtown and they loved it. For an added bonus one of them barked which was a call to the outside dog letting him know to come inside and smell the fresh pie that just arrived. The nice lady says "Oh they won't bite because they are therapy dogs." That didn't impress me at all so I ended the tour and I never got to see the kitchen. It just wasn't meant to be.

I googled therapy dogs and looking back all 4 of those dogs were well tempered and friendly. They were just being dogs and that's fine. I wish that the humans living there took better care of their environment. The house has potential, but it's been neglected and it really shouldn't be for sale (at least not right now). I think the dogs did me a favor by blocking my path. My scent must have given the therapy dogs insight into my personality which led them to keep me safe by not letting me see the horrors that were probably in the kitchen. One look into the dogs eyes showed compassion and it also said "Get out while you can!"

House hunting to be continued...

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Standing Desks For Everyone!

In looking back at the earliest parts of my career (1997) I didn't have a desk. I was always on my feet running around, setting up equipment, prepping gear for the next film/video shoot, or striking the set. We, production folks, would share one computer that was either in a green room or some other common area. At the time having a desk wasn't something I thought about because my skills for that time were different and I didn't need a computer much less a desk. I was a camera operator and I enjoyed the work. Back where I worked you learned to do many jobs and wear different hats. So not only was I operating cameras I also did other non-sedentary jobs and it was great. It was like working out at the gym and getting paid to do it!

Then in 1999 my interests changed and I moved into the production management area. I was working as a production manager, associate producer, or production coordinator. All of these jobs were more sedentary and honestly I really liked the change and the work. It was mostly a mixed bag of working at my desk and then getting up throughout the day to follow up with the crew. So maybe it was 80% sitting at my desk and the other 20% was me out on the production floor with the crew. Those numbers fluctuated depending on what's going on at the time. 

Fast forward to December 2012 and I felt it was time for a change.  I had an opportunity at the studio where I work to setup a standing desk. I was part of a group that was moving into some newly acquired space and since my office was being moved I figured it was a good time to make this change and I'm glad I did. I kept the same desk, but I bought cinder blocks to give me the height I needed and I also bought a stool to sit on when I needed a break from the standing.

I'm still getting used to the standing and to be honest my thighs were sore that first week, but the soreness goes away. I'm glad I made this change and I feel more productive throughout the day. I really like it and I probably won't go back to sitting like I was before. 

Here are the things I bought for my standing desk:
4 cinder blocks (Lowes)
1 stool (Bed Bath & Beyond) it's behind my desk you can't see it (not the orange one in front of my desk)
1 gel mat (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Paint for cinder blocks (my producer actually bought some for me!)

This is a photo of my desk in case you are curious. I really dig the pink color on the cinders :)