I can work anywhere

I needed to go to London to visit my ailing mother. It is wonderful being close to her, and now that I am a freelancer I can work anywhere, as long as I take my laptop with me. No more asking for favours from work, or using up precious vacation days. So here I am, working as usual, and mum can see me while I am working and smile.

Generally, I have been working hard since I last wrote an entry. There is a tremendous amount of work and my major problem is getting feedback from subject experts. But it is great fun and I am enjoying myself.

Now I just have to lug my laptop back home at the end of the visit.

I feel great

I need to access a remote site for project #3. I installed the Shrew Soft vpn but was always timed out when trying to connect. The IT person was unable to locate the problem, but remembered reading something about a problem with the software and Windows 7 Ultimate. I decided to go hunting on the internet, and after a number of false starts found a recommendation to disable the Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter. I did this and now can access the vpn. Cool!

Now that I had access I could check for the documentation items opened for the next release. Some were easy and I have already fixed them; others I need access to the system to check or I need expert input.

I also had a call with one of the developers where he walked me through his new development. I asked questions and elicited more info, and it really felt great to be part of the system again.

Drumming up work

When you work for a company you do not need to worry about the work coming in. Usually you are overworked (at least in hi-tech). Occasionally I would hit a dry spell and then look around for things I could improve, such as initiating a project to update an online help (written before my time) that made it very hard to understand the application. Someone pointed me in the direction of an old tutorial, written for the antecedent of the product, which I could use as a base. I worked through the tutorial, learned the new product and updated the material to what is now in place. This became part of the online help, and also enabled me to improve the rest of the help.

Now I am independent. Theoretically, if the work comes in as anticipated I should have no free time (I have three long-term projects); but that isn’t the case in practice. Project #1 is inconsistent – sometimes a lot of work and other times nothing. Project #2 seems to have dried up. Project #3 is in the holiday season.

So what do I do? Look for new projects or try to see what’s happening in the current projects? At the moment I have taken the easy path, i.e., e-mailing my contacts at the three projects to get the material moving to me. I must become more proactive…