Chandru Murthi is back with these thoughts about working.

I am not a computer nerd, in spite of my having worked in the field for, I will say coyly, three decades plus. Actually "nerd" is an interesting word that appears to have a meaning both pejorative (to me) and somewhat positive (to many others.) The reason I don’t like it is the connotation that "computer nerds" are one-sided, talk incomprehensibly and drink chocolate milk at lunch. Which, indeed, is the situation with many I know through work. I, on the other hand, am many-sided, am said to mumble incomprehensibly but do drink wine at lunch.

The plus side is that, having paid my dues, I have been working independently for a long time, the last ten years at home. This is sometimes considered the ideal work environment, but I do miss the camaraderie of the workplace.

My wife the painter and once-ex-graphics designer (she’s back, folks, check out her website,) also works at home; we have dueling offices on the top floor of our brownstone. In our case, familiarity may not breed contempt, but it sure causes some negativity. Being together most of the day brings out the best in, shall we say, verbal sparring? There’s always that time that she barges (my word) or merely wanders (hers) into my office, ignoring the closed door, plops down and talks. This unilateral decision usually annoys me because, though I appear to be merely staring at the monitor, which displays nothing more serious than my latest Google search on quiet air conditioners, I am actually in that trance state I go into (familiar to any computer programmer) when confronted by an insuperable programming obstacle.

Which is why I should be glad that two changes are imminent; one, that Elizabeth has just rented a painting studio to separate her fine arts endeavors from her graphic design ones, the latter continuing from home; and two, that I am in the somewhat slow process of changing careers, to being a green building consultant.

One of my Indian friends pointed out that only in the US of A could a person of a certain age (to use a charmingly old-fashioned expression) such as myself even think about changing careers. No way if I had stayed in India, I’d probably have been indentured to IBM for the rest of my life, having joined them fresh out of college (I have heard that, in Bangalore=Silicon Valley of India, people do change jobs nowadays.) When in India, I had a cousin who, for health reasons gave up three jobs in five years and then found himself unemployable. That would’ve kept me on the straight and narrow..

But here, one has choices. And with choices comes indecision. Which is a roundabout excuse for my not having done much yet on the green building front. But I must say that living in Park Slope encourages such an obsession. When I moved here, I was amazed and gratified to see so many people seemingly on their own, but actually working independently and flexibly. Where else could you see the coffee shops filled with non-students even on weekdays? Perhaps I should join ’em. Soon as I get a wireless card, let’s do lunch at Ozzie’s

Chandru Murthi