Eek! We’re not talking about computer mice today–rather rodents of the furry, long-tailed kind.
I got an email yesterday from faithful reader Amanda who wrote:
Hey Jess–I have a detached garden office that could be insulated a bit better (it’s on the list of home improvements) and just discovered I need to move insulating to the top of the list pronto–we have mice! They actually shredded one of my client reports for a nest in the wall, and have been sneaking in after hours looking for food. Any suggestions for getting rid of them?
Fortunately (well, more truthfully, unfortunately 
) I’ve had a few run ins with the little guys myself and though I used to use sticky traps, I finally found something that seems to work without needing to kill the pests. I installed multiple ultrasonic rodent repellers according to the directions (which help you locate them strategically. I haven’t had a problem since.
If you’ve had an unwanted officemate, how did you uninvite the little guy?
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I must confess: I usually work with the TV on. Game shows are my favorite background noise, the cheering audience, the silly questions, the winners, the losers. It keeps me feeling motivated and inspired.
But, I have a friend who was recently horrified when she visited me at the office and discovered that I leave the boob tube on all day. “How can you work with the TV on like that?” she demanded. “You’d be so much more productive if you turned that dreck off!”
Okay, so I added that last part–she’d never have called it dreck–but her tone was one of absolute abhorrence. Which got me thinking: I know I’m not the only gal out there who likes to work with the TV on and if you’re in the same boat, I’d love to hear what you watch while you work.
Old movies? Talk shows? TV shows on Hulu.com or DVD? Game shows like me?
I figure one of the biggest benefits to having a home office is getting to choose your own music or background noise. So, tell me, what’s your poison?
Ever since I got my Vaio desktop (a gorgeous computer that I love working on–seriously), I’ve been enamored with the wireless keyboard. It’s easy to use and really responsive.
Since I’m a fast typist (100+wpm), it’s important to me that the keyboard not hold me back. It’s also important that it not look beat up too quickly–which, since I do a lot of typing… That definitely happens (I’ve rubbed off half the letters on my Mac Laptop’s keyboard…).
The Vaio comes with a really excellent keyboard–it has just the right amount of spring, and has enough extra keys to let me control the computer from a distance (but doesn’t have so many extraneous keys to distract from the keys you really need). I’ve had it for well over a year and its still going strong. It does take (4) batteries which is a little annoying, but I use rechargeable ones so that at least I’m not tossing them regularly, and I’ve found they last quite long–probably at least 3 months with near-constant use.
So, tell us about the keyboard you use right now–is it awesome? Annoying? Are any of the keys broken? Sticky? Keyboards are an oft-overlooked office tool that make a big difference in both typing speed and efficiency (when I’m using a sticky keyboard, typos become way too common). And I’d love to hear about your favorite!
