And the number of documents I have to redo from native English speakers, well, poor English is hardly just a foreign problem.

This. Oh my stars, this. Remind me again why I decided being a technical editor was a good career move?

Theoretically, I can telecommute if I need to. It involves me remembering to take the work laptop home so I can connect remotely to my work machine.

Okay, this one cracks me up:

Arendal, Norway. April 2004. A downtown gas station was robbed about 5am by a man dressed as a ninja and armed with a sword and knife. The perpetrator, allegedly of foreign decent, fled on a bicycle. (Source: Norwegian news bureau NTB).

The whole escaping on a bicycle thing seems so anti-climactic.

And this one seems rather unfair:

Manchester, England. March 2004. A 25-year-old man who killed an armed robber with a samurai sword was sent to prison for eight years. The man made the attacked after finding four men armed with a gun at his front door. The victim was stabbed four times and died at a hospital. Three men were charged with robbery and firearms possession. (source: The Daily Record).

8 years in prison for killing someone who broke into your house with a gun?

I'm more productive at work, if only because of the threat of supervision

Yeah, the threat here's not that strong unless my co-workers tattle. And they'd better not. I think it's a comfort thing.

eta:

The whole escaping on a bicycle thing seems so anti-climactic.

My mother was mugged by a guy on a bicycle. She got fed up with his demands and told him to get stuffed before he'd gotten everything. I think she tried to chase on foot, or perhaps she just wanted to wave a fist menacingly from full standing position.

My mother was mugged by a guy on a bicycle.

But was he dressed as a ninja? That's what made it anti-climactic for me. I mean, if I was ever to go through the effort of robbing people while dressed as a ninja, my escape would involve smoke bombs and leaping from roof top to roof top.

But was he dressed as a ninja?

I admit--I didn't ask.

That's what made it anti-climactic for me. I mean, if I was ever to go through the effort of robbing people while dressed as a ninja, my escape would involve smoke bombs and leaping from roof top to roof top.

No! Ninjas use all tools, even the tools we disdain. That is why they are so invincible.

Who here telecommutes? Ever, or occasionally, or regularly? Is anyone living the dream?

I don't, but my company is really open to the idea. The new mom in my dept. is doing 1/2 days from home M-Th, and all day on Friday (she's Orthodox Jew, so this works great for her), a manager in the section works home in the Dells on Mon and Tues and then drives the three hours for Wed-Fri (stays at his sister's house Wed and Thurs night). Also, one of the editors I used to work with just bought a house up in Door County, so she only comes in every other month or so.

Ninjas are humans, right?

They are mammals.

Ninjas are humans, right?

Let's not go too far. They are mammals. That much we know for sure.

I have to admit, I'm going to miss Jesse's daytime tv reports once she goes back to a fulltime office job.