Drown it out

[clevermanka]

I just realized what is currently bogging me down in my job (I was doing great there for a couple weeks, but not so much now). It's listening to the other secretary chat incessantly (seriously, for hours a day) in the hallway, close enough to my office that I can follow the conversation with ease. I'm very capable of tuning things out, but her voice is so clear and the fact that she spends so much of the day just chatting (while I seem to pick up more work every semester) irritates the fuck out of me and I can't ignore it.

My solution: I'm going to wear my earbuds in both ears so as to be able to ignore her. If someone complains, I'm gonna tell them exactly why I'm doing it. I need to get my ass in gear here, I'm having a hell of a time doing it, and I have a possible remedy for what's keeping me from effectively doing my job. Anyone has a problem with it, they can find me a different solution (like eliminating the fucking problem) or they can take a good, long look at my middle finger.

Detailed thoughts about Tim the PT guy and my conversation with Star coming soon. Quick synopsis, though:

Comments

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Not being able to focus due to loud coworkers is annoying- I write this as my next door neighbor and his postdoc, neither of whom have indoor voices, are having a strategy meeting. I'm lucky enough to have a door that I can close, but the earbuds are a good compromise. They're subtler than noise-cancelling headphones at least.

Ooo, I quite like your synposis...

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

"the fact that she spends so much of the day just chatting (while I seem to pick up more work every semester) irritates the fuck out of me"

With good reason. That is some serious BS.

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

GRRRAAAAAAHH. I feel your pain. I work with a squad of loud people in a room with no acoustic baffling. It gets nightmarishly loud in there. I figured out that one of the things I really needed for myself was time when it was just quiet. And quiet doesn't mean silence - it means stuff that doesn't require active listening, like white noise and music. So yes, absolutely wear your earbuds. Do it for your own sanity, even if there is no other benefit.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Man, if she were just a chatty sort at her job, THAT would be annoying enough, but she's chatting out in the hallway?
FFS.