Coffee-shop-internet-hop-to-stay-on-top.
I learned a lot from my friend Sara about working in coffee shops.
No, she was not a wait person (that's the way it's put now, right? no waitress or waiter).
She was working while she was on vacation..and her room that she stayed in didn't have a reliable internet connection. So she got to know all the places and all the times and all the ways the internet can work, or should work, or would stop working, in all of the local coffee houses/shops/dives along the road to Hana, in Paia, Maui.
It was fascinating listening to her. She actually said she was "on the coffee shop - internet hop - to stay on top" of what she was working on! She learned where she could go at what time of day and who worked there and their schedules. And she knew all the wait people's names.
It takes a brave person to walk in to a coffee place and set up an office for a couple of hours or more. I haven't done it myself for more than 15 minutes, and that's just for checking my email or text messages while I have either an iced tea or a hot chocolate (always with steamed milk or whipped cream). And in case you are wondering...I don't drink coffee, but I love the smell of it.
I've been in lovely places that have open areas in the back with lots of tables and chairs and have looked around at who is working on his/her computer for what seems to be... days! When I come in the next time...they are still there.
I haven't noticed if they are wearing the same clothes, though. Perhaps they've already put a load of wash into the coin laundry nearby..and enjoy the wash cycle, with their computer, tablet, or smart phone in the coffee house down the street. Then, it seems to me, they need to take a break and move the laundry to the dryer, and come back to continue their work efforts.
What kind of bugs me though, are the ones who talk on their phones (loudly), thinking they are in a closed-off room, where nobody can hear! Uh, yeah, we can hear you! And yeah, we don't want to hear you.
Where I live, we have a brand new library. Well, new to us since 2006. The original library was a Carnegie building, which is now waiting for a lessee to come up with the funds to turn it in to a Pinball Hall of Fame or something like it.
But the new library has all the computers in it, and a dedicated space for a coffee shop where folks can also bring their devices! It's very cool! And you can purchase light snacks, homemade baked goods, and drinks there, with the proceeds going to the Friends of the Library, who support it.
I like the way work and life blend together these days. Folks have some choices about how and where they want to work. It seems good.
Please, raise your cup o' joe to the newer way to work!
Live richly, marilyn
No, she was not a wait person (that's the way it's put now, right? no waitress or waiter).
She was working while she was on vacation..and her room that she stayed in didn't have a reliable internet connection. So she got to know all the places and all the times and all the ways the internet can work, or should work, or would stop working, in all of the local coffee houses/shops/dives along the road to Hana, in Paia, Maui.
It was fascinating listening to her. She actually said she was "on the coffee shop - internet hop - to stay on top" of what she was working on! She learned where she could go at what time of day and who worked there and their schedules. And she knew all the wait people's names.
It takes a brave person to walk in to a coffee place and set up an office for a couple of hours or more. I haven't done it myself for more than 15 minutes, and that's just for checking my email or text messages while I have either an iced tea or a hot chocolate (always with steamed milk or whipped cream). And in case you are wondering...I don't drink coffee, but I love the smell of it.
I've been in lovely places that have open areas in the back with lots of tables and chairs and have looked around at who is working on his/her computer for what seems to be... days! When I come in the next time...they are still there.
I haven't noticed if they are wearing the same clothes, though. Perhaps they've already put a load of wash into the coin laundry nearby..and enjoy the wash cycle, with their computer, tablet, or smart phone in the coffee house down the street. Then, it seems to me, they need to take a break and move the laundry to the dryer, and come back to continue their work efforts.
What kind of bugs me though, are the ones who talk on their phones (loudly), thinking they are in a closed-off room, where nobody can hear! Uh, yeah, we can hear you! And yeah, we don't want to hear you.
Where I live, we have a brand new library. Well, new to us since 2006. The original library was a Carnegie building, which is now waiting for a lessee to come up with the funds to turn it in to a Pinball Hall of Fame or something like it.
But the new library has all the computers in it, and a dedicated space for a coffee shop where folks can also bring their devices! It's very cool! And you can purchase light snacks, homemade baked goods, and drinks there, with the proceeds going to the Friends of the Library, who support it.
I like the way work and life blend together these days. Folks have some choices about how and where they want to work. It seems good.
Please, raise your cup o' joe to the newer way to work!
Live richly, marilyn
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