Nice Kitty

I realise that, in this day and age, it’s perfectly normal to be estranged from one’s neighbours, but it still puts me on edge a little. Call me old fashioned, but what if I needed to borrow a cup of sugar? Perhaps a hedge trimmer or a spanner? Or even, dare I say it, some wifi? What then? We live so close together, and yet I’d feel uncomfortable asking the neighbours for a favour. That’s modern life for you, I suppose. 

The thing is, we may not be so estranged if it wasn’t for my cat, Grumpkins, who has this habit of standing on my desk and caterwauling while staring out the front window. He’s actually a lovely boy, but his face is shaped in such a way that he looks sort of demonic, especially when he’s making those noises. Now that I’m working from home, he spends most of the day in this contorted posture, and I suspect it’s starting to put some of the neighbours off getting to know me. 

Where I normally work in central Melbourne, office interior design is something most people take for granted, myself included. As in, someone has arranged every detail of the space in such a way that you don’t even think about it, because it seamlessly supports your workflow. Working from home is another story entirely, and a great eye-opener in terms of realising just how much goes into making an office fitout. Contractors within Melbourne toil under the cover of broad daylight to create marvelous spaces purpose built for efficiency and effectiveness.  

The point is, I think I’m going to have to rearrange my home office so that Grumpkins isn’t facing out the window. Unfortunately for me, that’ll mean my desk has less natural light, which will be sub-optimal for productivity. If I could think of a different tack that didn’t involve changing the office layout, I’d do it, but I’m not an expert in these matters. I’m just your average Joe who doesn’t want to alienate the neighbours more than I already have.