Are You an Innie or an Exie?

Two blog posts in two days?! What is the world coming to?

My coworkers and I were having a discussion about introversion and extroversion the other day. It was prompted by this article, which was featured in The Atlantic in 2003. Oh gosh, I just realized that was eight years ago. Now I feel old.

Anyway...

In case you didn't read the article before moving past that link (it's really short, I promise), the basic idea is that introverts and extroverts are practically two different species: while extroverts get energy by being around people, introverts are drained by social situations and need time to recharge. On this count, I definitely agree with the author.

Almost all of my friends are extroverts, and while I love them all, I just...need a break every once in a while. Many of them cannot comprehend the fact that I actually enjoy being by myself. I'm not by myself because I don't have anyone to hang out with; I'm by myself because, after a day of interacting with my coworkers for eight straight hours, I don't have the energy or the desire to be around other people. All I want to do is sink into my chair and watch Netflix movies. Is that really so strange?

I loved almost everything in the article, but I did have a problem with one assertion: the idea that extroverts are easy for introverts to understand. Maybe the author meant that extroverts as people are easy to understand -- they often wear their hearts on their sleeves and are not shy about expressing themselves -- but I took it more as an assumption that extroversion as a concept isn't hard to figure out, which I do not agree with at all.

I just don't get it. How in the world can a person spend every waking moment with other people? I have friends who, during the summer, would just hop from group to group. The only time they would spend at their own houses would be the eight hours or so that they needed to sleep, and the only waking minutes they would spend by themselves was the time it took them to arrange another outing. I never understood how a person could do that, and I probably never will.

So, while I agree that extroverts will probably never understand introversion, it's also pretty hard for us introverts to wrap our heads around how you extroverts do what you do. Maybe we can all just make a pact to be a bit more understanding of one another. World peace and all that jazz. Because I'm certainly never going to change.

My Life, In Numbers

Quite the eventful week this week:

One surgery avoided, thanks to my negative MRI results.

Two computer monitors that are all mine. My new dual system has exponentially increased my productivity, which was the whole point, I suppose.

Three different burrito places visited for lunch. We're on a quest for the best burrito. We will not stop until we find it.

Four(th) hockey class missed. Looks like I'm officially out for the season.

Five new projects at work. The next few months are going to be fuuuun.

Six-month anniversary at my first real job. I've now officially broken my previous employment record. What. Up.

Seven sodas enjoyed over the past seven days, despite my intention to "cut back." No sleep + no caffeine = zombie. No sleep + caffeine = productive zombie. I'll have to work on that.

And, I couldn't think of anything for eight, so I guess this experiment is over.

It's almost the end of July, and I haven't even gotten a chance to enjoy my summer yet. I want to go to the aquarium! And the zoo! Have to go to the zoo.

Serial (Comma) Killer

Dear Oxford University Press,

I was about to sit down and type up a missive on my love of the Oxford comma, but then I discovered that you were absolved of this oh-so-heinous murder. So, my apologies. I should never have doubted you.

But there goes my brilliant idea for a blog post.

Things in my life are about the same as usual. However, I have this overwhelming feeling that a storm's a-brewing. I haven't decided if it's a good storm or a bad storm, but I can definitely feel the rumbling. And yes, that was oddly vague.

In other news, I'm currently in love with Bruno Mars' album, Doo-Wops and Hooligans. Maybe it's just the name - or the fact that I can't get enough of his Rockabilly style - but I've had it on repeat for days.

Sorry for the drive-by, but I have warm weather and cool tunes. Can't get much better than that.

Happy summer!