When I decided to move back to Canada in 2000 and told my boss, he looked at my long face -- I loved my job -- and said: "What? You're not quitting, are you?"

I was confused. Quitting was the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn't see another option given my move. Somehow, my boss did though and I began telecommuting, not just from an hour-drive away, but from across the Atlantic and with a seven-hour time difference too. I even continued manage my team in my capacity as a product manager.

Well, I never set foot in an office again! I can also say that I've been late to work once in all these years and have taken no sick days.

People always ask me how I manage it, how I can make myself go to my office, sit at my desk and work. They would goof off, they say. I seriously doubt they would do that, but can't really prove it to them, can I? And from reading this article, it seems that many companies that are now allowing more employees to telecommute so they could save money on gas indeed are concerned about loafing.

Finally! Needing a place to park with your laptop but too far from a Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA)? Finally, you can enjoy the soothing environment of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) for free ... well, for the price of a latte or two. The coffee king of Seattle is ending its Wi-Fi partnership with T-Mobile and linking up with AT&T (NYSE: T). The new deal is expected to roll out gradually beginning this spring.

The new plan, while not perfect, is certainly better for those of us who want to pop in for a quick email check or blog update. It provides each customer with 2 free hours of WiFi service per day, with additional 2-hour blocks available for $3.99. Monthly subscriptions will cost $19.99 and provide access to AT&T hotspots in other locations in addition to Starbucks branches.

If you are already an AT&T broadband customer, you are eligible for free Internet access at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S.

Still in need of WiFi that's free all day, every day, regardless of your at-home broadband provider? Look for your closest Panera, or use an online Wi-Fi hot spot finder that can direct you to local coffee shops, book stores, and even gas stations that have the service.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Tell me something I didn't know.

Los Angeles and Orange Counties reign supreme when it comes to the amount of time we residents sit in traffic jams. (We're at or near the tops in housing prices and foreclosures, too, but that's fodder for another post).

My BloggingStocks colleague Tom Barlow weighed in on the Texas Transportation Institute's newly released study just today. But because I often actually sit in this traffic, I couldn't muster his same sense of mirth. Or is that schadenfreude?

A recent survey in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) may have found the secret to job happiness: work from home.

In the poll of about 10,000 U.S. workers, 73% of remote and home-based workers said they were satisfied with their company as a place to work. Only 64% of office workers could say that. The survey was conducted by the Kenexa Research Institute. There was other evidence of just how great working from home is for all parties involved:

• 53% of remote workers said they weren't considering leaving the company within 12 months. Only 46% of office workers said that.

• 54% of remote workers said there was "open, honest 2-way communication. 44% of office workers said that.

• 53% of telecommuters said they believed senior management speaks honestly, versus 44% of the office workers.

As someone who works from home, I can certainly see the benefits. Working in our own environments allows us to create the atmosphere that is most conducive to our success. For instance, right now, I'm listening to a CD that I would probably get shot for blasting in a cubicle. Working from home keeps workers happy and a happy worker is a good worker. The number of work-from-homers will continue to rise in the decades to come, particularly if we see more data demonstrating just what a good deal it is.