I went to the office on Wednesday for meetings and a team lunch outing\u2014the first time I travelled into London since March 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While everyone was happy to see colleagues in person again, I saw no evidence of excitement. The office was too cold, too quiet, and too different to home. The pulled pork feijoada at Cabana restaurant, however, was delicious.
On my way to London, as I plunged into deep thoughts to escape the dullness of the commute, I realised that I had been awake for two hours and still had at least one more hour before I reached the office and started working. By the time I walked through the front door, I would already be tired. In contrast, if I was working from home, I would be starting the day fresh and full of energy. There and then I knew I was never going back to working full-time in an office.
The day would have been uneventful if one colleague who lunched with us didn’t send an email later in the evening to let us know that she had tested positive to COVID-19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I went to the office on Wednesday for meetings and a team lunch outing\u2014the first time I travelled into London since March 2020. While everyone was happy to see colleagues in person again, I saw no evidence of excitement. The office was too cold, too quiet, and too different to home. The pulled pork feijoada […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1j9q5-Kp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3569,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2023\/01\/02\/happy-new-year-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":0},"title":"Happy New Year 2023","author":"Eddy Young","date":"2 January 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A friend on Facebook posted a meme depicting this year 2023 as an ominous fog enveloping a wooden rope suspension bridge, of which we can only see the first few uninviting joists. Even if that's an unfortunate reflection of my own mood, I wish good health and happiness to everyone.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2022-12-28B-007-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2022-12-28B-007-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2022-12-28B-007-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2022-12-28B-007-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/2022-12-28B-007-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1730,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/01\/happy-new-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":1},"title":"Happy New Year","author":"Eddy Young","date":"1 January 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Glass fa\u00e7ade on Oxford Street, London I wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope that 2013 was a good year and that 2014 will be an even better one. This picture reminds me of the festive atmosphere in London on the last day of 2008 as we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Glass fa\u00c3\u00a7ade building","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00035.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4101,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/18\/fooling-around-with-artificial-lighting\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":2},"title":"Fooling around with artificial lighting","author":"Eddy Young","date":"18 May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I bought a fresh roll of Kodak Ultramax 400 to test the film in daylight and under artificial light. I set up some LED lamps and flash lights and took pictures with the Nikon FM2. I also shot the same pictures with a Nikon D200 for later comparison. Here are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Souvenir items from London gift shop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2024-05-18-0012-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2337,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/10\/remember-to-touch-base\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":3},"title":"Remember to touch base","author":"Eddy Young","date":"10 June 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A few months ago, picking up an old-new notebook from my stock of pillaged office stationery, I was surprised by my own handwritten quotation on the first page. Remember to touch base. Base is where you were before you became lost. I copied it onto a Post-It that is now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210606_160946.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210606_160946.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210606_160946.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210606_160946.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210606_160946.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3141,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/25\/2010-fifa-world-cup\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":4},"title":"2010 FIFA World Cup","author":"Eddy Young","date":"25 June 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I am reminded by Facebook of my time at 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. I was there to deploy a software that my employer had sold to FIFA. The plan was for me to be in Johannesburg for five days, but technical difficulties forced me to extend my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bafana fans at 2010 FIFA World Cup","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMAG0035-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4621,"url":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/23\/store-closing\/","url_meta":{"origin":2877,"position":5},"title":"Store closing!","author":"Eddy Young","date":"23 March 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This weekend we are staying indoors as P continues to recover from the pain in her lower back, which had her immobilised for most of the week. She was well enough to help me fix spikes on our garden fence, which we hope will deter pigeons and neighbourhood cats\u2014and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/woolworths_001-150x150.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2877"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4341,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions\/4341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/priscimon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}