Seeing a Solution

Scott Hardie | November 29, 2019
I'm stumped on a logistical problem. I wonder if anyone can help me spot a solution that I'm missing, please.

Every other Friday morning, Kelly must go to an eye doctor for treatment. She'll have to do this for the rest of her life. It's in the next town over, about 30 minutes from our house. The appointments start around 8-9am, and they typically last for 1.5 hours. The office is open 8-5 Monday through Friday.

Because it's an eye doctor, she can't drive afterwards. I've been taking her there, then driving her to work, then she gets a ride home at the end of the day from a co-worker. She has arranged her work schedule around this, but it's getting harder for me to be away that long. I'm losing 2.5 hours of my day every other Friday, which is often a busy day for me.

My first impulse is to work in the waiting room with a laptop. But there aren't any desks, and I would need one. There's also no wi-fi, but I could use my phone as a mobile hotspot if necessary.

I tried dropping her off at the eye doctor and going home instead of waiting, but it's so far that I very soon had to turn around and go right back to pick her up, and I didn't get much done. I don't see that solution working.

If I were the one needing this treatment, I'd use a ride-sharing service like Lyft or Uber. But as a woman travelling alone, Kelly is apprehensive about getting into strangers' cars, and I don't blame her. I looked for ride-sharing services that employ only women drivers for the safety of women passengers, but none of them are near our metro area. There is a local cab company with driver medallions, but this seems only marginally safer.

Getting rides from friends or co-workers isn't feasible because it's right in the middle of the workday and too far away for people to drive. Our house is on the edge of town and closer to this eye doctor than anyone else that we know.

There is a bus service, but she would have to transfer three times, for a journey of 3 hours, 15 minutes, according to Google.

I suppose we'll all eventually ride in self-driving cars, but that future seems years away for us. We're in no position to buy today's smart self-driving cars like Tesla.

I don't want to lose this much time every other week forever, but I'm stumped about how to fix it. Any advice, or obvious solutions that I'm missing? Thanks!

Steve West | November 29, 2019
This seems a little obvious but have you considered a portable desk? There are several, easily transportable varieties, many of which are less than $100.00. Some are two tiered but still appropriate for small spaces. They tend to fold flat so transporting and carrying it is only a small hassle. Because it stores easily, perhaps the office would be willing to keep it there for you. See a bunch of them on Amazon.

Samir Mehta | November 29, 2019
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Scott Hardie | December 1, 2019
Excellent solutions! I will try both of those. I once thought of bringing a folding TV tray as a portable desk, but as a fat guy, I'm self-conscious about being seen as too fat to hold a laptop on my lap, so I kind of brushed it off without really thinking about it. That's actually a great idea and an easy solution. And Samir's second suggestion is good too: There's a McDonald's and a Starbucks nearby, both of which would offer wi-fi and comfortable tables at which to work, and I wouldn't feel strange sitting there with a laptop. I'd need to buy something, but I don't mind getting a Diet Coke or something light in calories. Thank you both very much -- I feel a lot better about this now! :-)

Samir Mehta | January 19, 2020
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Scott Hardie | January 20, 2020
Not as well as I had hoped. I tried the McDonald's, but it's apparently the Friday-morning gathering site for two clubs of retired men who argue non-stop. And when I say non-stop, I mean that I was there for over an hour and the noise never once let up. The ceaseless cacophony of loud voices shouting over each other, with not a single person apparently listening to another, was maddening. It was like being on a cable news show. I left early because I couldn't tolerate it any longer; I immediately felt much better just by stepping outside of the building.

The Starbucks is still under construction but should open in the next month. There's a Taco Bell open for breakfast which I'll probably try. I haven't tried the portable desk idea yet; that one's still viable too. I might also talk to my boss about simply blocking out my calendar and working a half-day every other Friday and getting the work done elsewhere in the week. :-\