Wednesday 20 October 2010

Searching for a place to call work

With a week before my new contract starts, I've been attempting to do some more work for the Writer. But as you may have guessed, home, with a retired mother, two dogs and - as I have just been informed this morning - a cleaner doing the ironing, is not really an option.

So I have been on the hunt for the perfect workplace, and largely failing every step of the way.

My local library turned out to be a 1950s inspired wireless free zone. And call me a non-believer, but I just didn't think Britannica Encyclopedia would rival TripAdvisor when it came to up-to-date opinions on Peak District museums. The librarians pointed me towards Starbucks, which I trotted along to only to find the words "BT Open Zone", aka, "Pay, Suckers" blazoned across the front, and screaming children stacked across the interior.

Next.

An independent cafe, newly opened and full of employees sparkling with the need to please beckoned me though it's doors and into it's WiFi zone. The strawberry smoothie was lovely. No, I wouldn't like another drink, thanks. No, no, really, not even water. Oh, alright, a chamomile tea please. That's all thanks. I'm fine. Yes, the WiFi is working. Oh! No, thanks, I'm fine for drinks at the moment. Yes, everything's wonderful, and if it wasn't, I'd walk the two steps from my table to the counter to tell you alllll about it.

Nuff said.

(There's a lot to be said for coffee chains taking over the world, but in this case, there's more to be said for the anonymity they afford.)

Yesterday, with my word count at zero, I ventured to Kings Cross and the British Library. As it turns out, the wireless internet connection at this world renowned institution of British learning is rivalled only by the one at my local library. I spent almost two hours in purgatory, otherwise known as a blank page covered in the words "Loading...", "Transferring data...", Server not found" and "Problem loading page", before calling time on another unproductive day.

This morning? Well, it's only 9:50am, yet after a pre-9am run in with my mother before I'd even left my bed, this morning deserves a blog post all of its own.

This freelancing stuff just isn't working.

And neither, it seems, am I.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hotel lobbies work for me. In one hotel I can go in, stay for 3 hours and not even be approached by the staff with the offer of tea or coffee. They assume that most people are waiting to meet someone and let you get on with it.

Also, if your phone can update to Android 2.2 it comes with Wi-Fi tethering, i.e. the phone becomes it's own mobile hot-spot which you can then connect your laptop to. I might have seen free apps that do the same for pre Android 2.2 phones as well.

Anonymous said...

There's always Maccy Ds...

Failing that, come over to my flat while I'm at work and hog my wireless. 15 minute train ride from Viccy to East Croydon.

You can take ratty breaks too :)

Fen said...

I feel for you, I'm job hunting and I have a job. Chin up, something will come along, it just has to.

Anonymous said...

pdanet and easytether might be worth looking at, both from Android Market. Haven't needed to use either myself.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

Wifi is a joke. By this time, I assumed that the planet would be blanketed in wifi waves but it's not. Even here in cosmopolitan NYC it's not easy to find a hot spot (although our libraries radiate wifi).

AFC 30K said...

Oh, peak distric measeums - I'm from the Peak District...

AFC 30K said...

which is why I can't spell......

Please Don't Eat With Your Mouth Open said...

not twitter - Not a bad idea. About the hotel or the tethering, I'm going to look up on how to get it going on my phone. It would save a lot of stress finding wifi.

soup - I would actually just sit there playing with the rats. I'd convince myself that one of them looked a bit lonely, and wanted a cuddle, then it would only be fair to give equal attention to the others. I have the same problem with the dogs.

Fen - Pssst...I've got a job. I just can't find anywhere to sit and do it ;)

Unbearable - Exactly, you'd think internet would be everywhere - but wherever it is, it's largely rubbish.

AFC - I'm researching the life out of that place at the moment. White peak, dark peak, museums...argh.

Anonymous said...

I have in the past had to resort to McD's when I've needed to get online to work and had no connectivity at home. However it wasn't somewhere conducive to being productive, though the mozzarella dippers made up for that.

 

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