Last night, I'm sitting at the boba house I always frequent, working on my novel. I'm very close to being done and had my manuscript spread out on either side of my laptop on the table and even took up space on a nearby stool with some of it. My screen had no browser up, but I was chatting with my friend Becky on AIM about a couple of paragraphs I was having trouble with. My iPod was blasting and I was very intent on working. At some point, this random guy wanders up and interrupts my music and my work, asking me if I could look something up for him on the Internet. I've never seen this man in my life and he thinks he can ask me to drop what I'm doing and look up something for him?
Uh, no.
"I'm sorry, I'm kind of in the middle of a lot of work right now," I tell him.
"Oh, really? I'm sorry. Never mind," He says, wandering off.
Oh really?
Here's a lesson to anyone out there: If a person is staring at a computer screen and has his/her headphones on, DON'T DISTURB THEM. The headphones are probably there to help block out the outside world. RESPECT THE EARBUDS!!
Of course, he then goes and bugs another guy with a computer.
About an hour later, I'm done with the major edits and talking with two acquaintances of mine who occasionally hang out at the same boba house as me. This little woman wanders up to me and asks if she can just take a moment to check her email on my computer. She tells me how she's on a business trip and had left her laptop at home and how she stopped by the Internet cafe around the corner, but it was closed despite the fact that it was supposed to be open until 1am. What place is open until 1am on a Sunday night?? (Aside from my boba house, that is!)
I politely tell her that I can't let her (or anyone) use my computer, but that there are computers at the back of the Ralph's supermarket that are rentable, but warn her that I'm not sure if they're rentable this late. She asks for directions on how to get to Ralph's and she leaves.
It just seems odd to me that people would feel comfortable asking for such things. I guess the first guy's request wouldn't have bugged me so much if it wasn't completely obvious that I was busy as hell. I guess he was just that certain that whatever he needed to look up was more important than whatever I was working on. To me, that seems rude.
Equally rude, to me, is when people ask to use your $1000+ computer. I don't worry about viruses (viri?), but I don't know who the hell this woman is. She could spaz and start pounding on my keys or something--seriously--how do I know she's not messed up in the head? I'm a trusting guy, but not with things I know I can't replace should bad things happen to them.
I guess what I'm getting at is what's up with people who just walk up to other people and impose on them? A life does not end because someone can't look up who starred in The Jazz Singer. Countries aren't overthrown because some woman on a business trip can't check her email. (Although that would make an interesting story, now that I think about it.)
The point is, relax people. It's just life. It will go on.
If what you are trying to do with my computer is so important, perhaps you should do what you can to make sure you have yours when you need it. Self-reliance is a good thing, in my opinion.
Then again, they asked, I refused and went on with my life, too. Guess I shouldn't complain too much.
Still, RESPECT THE EARBUDS!! :rolleyes:
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