Chillin’ at 33,000 Feet - Working or Not Working

Any of you who have been following my blog realize that I spend quite a bit of time away from home. One of my friends recently pissed me off during an IM chat. I had to work late Thursday evening. Then I had to work late last night (Friday). I didn’t get home until 3:00am. I am now flying, to get back home. I also had an emergency teaching session come up so rather than get to chill at home and write a presentation that I have to give the following week, I am now flying on Wed., to PA to teach for a few days before flying back to Bozeman. Basically, the week is shot….I don’t get to spend it at home and I will only have about one or two days to work on my presentation as opposed to the entire week like I was supposed to have. Admittedly, I wasn’t in the best of moods. The last thing I wanted was for someone to tell me that it wasn’t “work” to be flying back home.

So I got to thinking….maybe it IS me. Maybe I am deranged (quite possible) and am one of the few people that believe that if you have to travel away from home to do stuff for work, I consider the travel to be work. I don’t fly for my health, or for fun. So what I thought I would do is two-fold:
1 – post the actual chat
2 – ask an opinion of my fellow readers.

So here is the chat:

*friend*: hi
fullstate: hey
*friend*: TGIF
*friend*: LOL
fullstate: yeah, well I still have to work tonight and tomorrow. so screw friday
*friend*: I thought you were flying out tomorrow AM?
*friend*: I know I am on percocet, but I can read your blog and that is what your schedule at one time said
fullstate: so you are another one of those that thinks that I am flying for fun and that it's not work?
*friend*: no
*friend*: did I say that?
*friend*: never said that
fullstate: X-(
fullstate: the implication of your statement is that I am flying and not working because I am flying.
fullstate: ???
fullstate: LOL
*friend*: not sure how you do both at the same time.
*friend*: but, whatever
*friend*: it is the weekend
fullstate: eh?
fullstate: come again?
*friend*: on company time still, yes
*friend*: but dont call it work when you are sitting on your ass on a plane drinking a bloody mary
fullstate: it's fucking work if I have to fly my ass off all over the place and burn personal time.
*friend*: I am not arguing with you
*friend*: I am not skyline
fullstate: yeah, but like I said, you obviously don't think that flying on personal time for work is work. I get you.
*friend*: I dont think it is the act of work. I think it is wrong and bites into your personal time, but I dont think it is physically demanding
*friend*: is that clear
*friend*: until you do it over and over and over and over and over
fullstate: and I don't do it over and over again?
*friend*: you have
fullstate: but it's not work.
fullstate: I get you.
fullstate: I gotta go.
Session Close (*friend*): Fri Sep 01 14:06:49 2006


Session Start (fullstate:*friend*): Fri Sep 01 14:07:33 2006
*friend*: knock it off
*friend*: brad, stop baiting me and being a jerk and putting words in my mouth. I have not disagreed with you about this. as typed above I support you in this.
*friend*: I understand your position on it
Session Close (*friend*): Fri Sep 01 14:09:02 2006


Session Start (fullstate:*friend*): Fri Sep 01 14:09:05 2006
*friend*: it is work for you
Session Close (*friend*): Fri Sep 01 14:09:10 2006

And there you have it. So was I completely off base or did it just seam like they were talking out of two sides of their mouth at the same time?

So now for the poll:

Am I smoking crack, and travelling for work is not really work?
	Yes - You are smoking crack. I don't consider travelling for work to be work.
	No - If you travel for work it should be considered work.
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