Portable Work Load

I have to start work today at 11 a.m., and my oldest daughter has an orthodontist appointment in Grayling at 10:45 a.m. I am the only one available to take her. How do I do it without missing work?

It involves a complicated series of public services and private resources. Luckily, I am no longer stuck in my office just off my living room. I can work from anywhere (theoretically) thanks to the wireless internet on my laptop. Today, I am putting it to the test.

I arrived in Grayling about 45 minutes before Autumn’s appointment. I dropped her off with her dad’s cell phone, 50 cents in change and the number for a service my own county doesn’t have — dial-a-ride. Autumn has never rode a dial-a-ride before, and I think she needs the experience. I did warn her that the nickname for dial-a-ride is dial-a-tour. I doubt that has changed. Heck, even the phone number is the same from when I was a kid. I still had it memorized!

After getting her all set up at the orthodontist, I drove to Grayling’s public library. I was pretty sure the library had wireless, and if it didn’t, I thought I could just use one of the library’s public access computers. I hoped it would all work.

Bingo. The library has wireless, and I am currently sitting in a pretty comfortable chair in the fly-fishing section of the library. What’s that? What do you mean your library doesn’t have a fly fishing section? This one does. It includes fishing poles, nets, pretty detailed drawings and examples of tons of flies. After all, this is Crawford County, which is home to the start of the AuSable River, which is a premier place for fly fishing although to me, it brings back memories of canoeing.

Anyway, there is a nice little corner of the library that has comfy chairs and a table and is close to a plug in, so I am there. I’ve already checked, and I can connect. The library’s internet access seems to be much faster than Houghton Lake Library’s internet access.

I start working in about a half hour. It should go well. I am pretty happy about it. I only need to be online for a couple of hours, and I can then return home.

I have two summer jobs right now, and both are working online. I am teaching creative writing for Baker Online, which offers me flexibility. I have some deadlines I must meet, but overall, it is pretty flexible about when I log on. My other job, however, requires me to be online for specific times, and when I am working, I am on a clock, so I don’t have any flexibility once I’ve selected my hours. That job is tutoring for Smarthinking.

Next week, when my family is on vacation, I will continue to work for Baker, but I’ve taken the days off from Smarthinking. I didn’t want to be sitting in my camper or somewhere hooked up to the internet when my family was off in a boat or taking a nap.

And isn’t it amazing that I can have a job that allows me to work from home without being self-employed? Ideally, my preferred mix is getting some face-to-face time with students too, but in the summer, I like the freedom online employment brings me.