A day in the life of a telecommuter...

A day in the life of a fellow telecommuter, a vignette of home life intersecting with work life. Today, we travel to Switzerland to join Chantal, a part-time freelance writer. Chantal wrote me a note offering up a diary of her day. I was ecstatic for the offering and at the chance to feature an international telecommuter. Chantal commutes to her morning job as a copywriter, but spends her afternoons as a remote worker.
I am a part-time freelancer living in Switzerland and my days are often divided between copywriting and more traditional freelance writing, so I thought I'd write about one of my days when I work as a copywriter in Zurich in the mornings and as a freelance writer in the afternoons. To be really authentic, I have written the time Swiss style.
7.29 Radio alarm goes off to the Swiss-German commentary, "Gute Morge. Es isch halbi-achti…"
7.30 Clock tower across the street dings twice.
7.31Pull the pillow over my head in denial of yet another day in a country where I feel like a 2-year old when it comes to understanding everything from my mail to the grocery store cashier.

7.35 Take shower with the lights off. What are skylights for?
7.45 Clock tower dings three times.
7.52 Debate between last year's Ann Taylor and Italian jeans with Swiss sweater. Either way, white socks and comfortable shoes are out of the question unless I want to scream "foreigner."
7.54 Put off the decision, as it's too early to decide on things like wardrobes. Go for plaid 1996 Land's End robe instead.
8.00 Clock tower dings four times and then eight times.
8.01 Pour some boxed milk over Fit Flakes and pretend they are Cheerios.
8.15 Italian jeans win. Clock dings once in approval.
8.30 Clock tower dings twice. I run out the door dressed Zurich style-all in black.
8.35 Arrive at train station. Grab free German paper. Try to read.
8.38 Train arrives. Continue to read paper to avoid having to stare at person facing me. Get tired of German after four minutes. Put on iPod to drown out all foreign languages. Close eyes to avoid having to stare at person facing me.
8.54 Arrive in Zurich. Hold breath walking through smoky train station.
8.59 Take tram to advertising agency. Realize I miss eavesdropping.
9.11 Try to speak German to colleagues. They answer back in English.
9.30 Write headlines for billboard. Geneva office calls with project. Frankfurt office wants copy for ad. Everything is "extremely urgent" making me feel "extremely stressed."
11.00 Bells go bananas reminding housewives to prepare lunch for their husbands and children.
13.00 Agency wants me to work additional half day but I need to work on column for Swiss News (www.swissnews.ch), which is, to put it in terms they'll understand, "extremely urgent."italic;">
13.15 Run to catch the tram before it leaves me pondering my 10-second tardiness.
14.32 Check e-mail. Post link on facebook and blog (http://onebigyodel.blogspot.com) to recently published Christian Science Monitor essay. Check www.writtenroad.com, www.urbanmusewriter.com, and my yahoo writing group. Finish procrastinating by googling myself. Yes, I still exist on the Internet. Whew. You never know.
14.45 Start writing Swiss News essay. Write two paragraphs. Revise. Keep writing. Figure out title. Keep writing. Change title. Check my blog, One Big Yodel, (http://onebigyodel.blogspot.com) for past ideas I could include in essay. Get distracted by comment from reader about how she is scared of Obama.
15.45 Check e-mail. Get rejection from Skirt! Magazine. Read over encouraging August 23^rd e-mail from Washington Post editor for 50^th time to soften blow of latest rejection.
15.50 Devour Swiss chocolate. Read David Sedaris for inspiration and comfort self with the fact that last Monday, even he admitted he still gets rejected.
17.30 Finish draft of Swiss News essay. Log on to ECM to look for new releases to review. Put on a recording. Think about organizing stuff to avoid offending husband with "piles." The soprano starts singing Italian art song I know. I sing along. Forget all about organizing anything.
18.00 Have idea for Classical Singer Magazine. Write a quick query to editor.
18.20 Jog along the river and try not to take it personally when people ignore me and don't smile back.
20.00 Check e-mail. Tell myself to stop checking e-mail. Check my web site (www.chantalpanozzo.com) instead. It's still there.
20.15 Watch Swiss rip-off of America's Top Model. It's in two languages not including English. Get a little overwhelmed. Reach for laptop for relief.
22.15 Get in bed. Enjoy week-old International Herald Tribune husband picked up on airplane.
23.00 Clock tower dings four times, then 11 times. Turn off light and pray for loss of consciousness.