Waiting to Work

It is merely a fluke that I brought my laptop to work today.  Due to the severe wind chill warning this morning, my plan was to use my laptop for fun and games during my lunch hour.  Little did I know that I would be using it to work this morning because my own computer and two monitors are unavailable due to needed maintenance.

Having anyone in my office for reasons not directly related to my job is a little uncomfortable due to the size of my office.  It is a perfect little office with a view for my purposes.  Think back to Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" ("In my own little corner!").  It is cozy and a perfect haven for intellectual/mathematical activity.  The wonderful size of the office has an impact on my ability to work (even on a laptop) when someone else is completing unrelated activities in the same space.  Enter maintenance.

It's very different when a student is in my office because the social aspect of the meeting is clearly and immediately productive for both parties.  The issue here is that I don't want to alienate anyone--especially when they're here to help me in the long run.  The difficulty inherent in this personal Introverted challenge is that I really cannot do much right now from my laptop other than a detailed review of work that has already been done.  This is only the case due to the nature of the seasonal project/s in question.

Unexpected social contact that is not necessarily productive for all parties involved creates a source of tension for your Introvert.  It isn't insurmountable, but you can definitely see your Introvert twitch a little when it happens.

I made sure that the super-nice Help Desk staffer knew that it wasn't a problem to be in the space.  After all, I need my computer, monitors, and printing to work before I can fully assist my students.  However, it was clear to her that I was uncomfortable and distracted. 

Breathe, little Introvert, breathe!

Ah well...onwards and upwards.  Time to review some cases to make sure that my work this morning would hold up to a second round of scrutiny.