Whether you are a provider or a monger; how do you balance your work and hobby life?  Does your job allow you to hobby during the week while working or do you have to find other time?

Curious to know how others balance the two.  For me, work often gets in the way of my hobby desires.  Granted it does allow for me to hobby but the window/opportunity is small.

no one is going to say anything if I leave my office for an hour or two providing everything is in order. My only concern is making sure I have a reason to be in the area where I’m seeing the provider. I once drove out to the sticks on a rainy, icy day out in Tacoma. Thought to myself what in the hell will I say if I get into a wreck?!?

With my job I am in a vehicle driving from business to business. Now I am in office for parts of the day. I have only seen one provider while actually at work. At the time it was my dedicated area which was Southern pines, Pinehurst, Aberdeen area. While the vehicle can be tracked I was in my normal area an on lunch. So no worries. Some other visits were while training/meetings out of town. Hotel provided from work an would host.  

My job has recently changed. I dont stay in that area but I do visit it from time to time. I have tried to visit that provider again but schedules havent worked out. I do go to Raleigh area at least once a month and while I probably wouldnt venture far from the office area I dont think anyone would even question.

Work from home with tremendous flexibility in my schedule; but prefer during the day encounters during the work week as much as possible. Do worry about the car breakdown thing from time to time.  I tend to visit AMPs on weekends it seems like (plus most of the girls I like are week day based)

When I do schedule, I tend to block my work calendar as I can. I have had to cancel at  least two dates when work stuff jumped up but by in large I have the flexibility.  Tend to work all the time so so when I disappear its not a big thing.  Biggest issue is the traffic frankly in Charlotte.  I have been known to  been in the car on the phone for work rolling into an appointment - just how it works out.

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I do get a chuckle that my employer's "family friendly" policies do allow me to escape the office and have appointments with married men in a manner that, if discovered by their wife, would have unfriendly implications for their family.

I am fortunate to have a day job with a boss who could not care less if I take a few hours in the morning off, or work from home before or after a mid-afternoon appointment. (When I work fewer than 8 hours a day it comes out of my pool of vacation hours.) There really are "knowledge worker" type jobs out there where physical presence isn't required, and workers aren't held to a 9-to-5 schedule. Those jobs make appointments much easier to schedule than, say, someone doing shiftwork.

I think when there is a will there is a way. Of course some people have better flexibility than others but if you really want to see someone you'll find a way to make that happen.

You say that you were going to look at a "boat", "car", "whatever" from an ad on Craigslist as a surprise gift, impulse purchase or something. ALWAYS have a cover story ready. When I go "shopping" for auto parts on a Saturday morning, I always manage to squeeze in a visit with a local provider. I did have to spill some gas on me once and blame it on the gas pump to hide some perfume. Plan ahead.

Hell.... I worked from home as a virtual business consultant for years. Had I known then what I know now, I would have taken appointments during my lunch breaks and then gone back to my regular work afterwards. Definitely would've had a mischievous smirk later on during my boring conference calls lol.

Amber Rose  
TER 314640