The Upside to Being Your Own Boss

Miles Driven: 0
Phone Calls Aborted By Failing Technology: 9
Things I Ate Which I Would Never Allow My Children: 3
Times I’ve Run Upstairs to Reboot The WiFi Router: 6

I got up this morning, and as is my daily routine, came down to get a glass of water and check my email before I took a shower. I’m one of those agents who is easiest reached by email, and most of my clients are email people too, so I often get late night emails from clients wanting to see property the next day, or who have an urgent question of some variety.

Anyway, when I opened Outlook this morning I didn’t have a single new email past just after midnight. So the dilemma then facing me was: Should I be grateful that there were no new fires to be extinguished first thing Friday morning, be nervous that no new clients were clamoring to see properties this weekend, or be suspicious that something more sinister was afoot, because PUH-LEASE, 6 hours without a single email? Not even spam? Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!

Yep, Cox is having serious system-wide issues today and my internet should be renamed ‘intermittent’ for the day. Seeing as how the plan of action for the day included printing and scheduling showings for Saturday and using an online system to setup a property inspection, this development threw a bit of a wrench in the works. Here’s how it went for about an hour:

Pull up inspection website, begin filling out information on the property, hit ‘Next’ button to advance screens, page goes nowhere because internet is down. Hit back button and carefully filled out property info has disappeared.

Step away from computer, attempt to make a phone call on cell phone and am thwarted by lack of Verizon cell service in the foothills of Northeast Mesa (every time one of those commercials comes on with the army of geeky/helpful guys in black and red following people around I curse the TV, point my finger to the satellites circling the Earth and shout, ‘WHERE IS MY ARMY OF VERIZON PEOPLE? I AM ALONE!!).

Pick up landline phone, discover that it has a dial tone, call listing agent I need to discuss an issue with, explain issue, only to realize I have been talking to air because the landline has gone dead again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Finally, when it became clear the universe and my Verizon army had conspired to ruin my productivity for the day, I gave up and watched the Grey’s Anatomy two hour season premier from the night before while laying on the couch and eating frosting out of the container with a spoon. It. Was. Heavenly.

The joy of peace and quiet and the ability to eat a handful of chocolate chips right out of the bag without having an eagle-eyed five year old say, ‘can I do that too?’ almost brings a little tear to my eye. Sure, I have lots of days filled with chaos and a litany of tasks, but I also have days where I get to declare a ban on usefulness and wallow in brain-rotting TV and sugar.