Introvert Doubles Toil and Trouble

I used to supervise a biobank that stored both research samples and samples from clinical trials. The collection included everything from extracted DNA and RNA, to all manner of liquid components derived from humans, to chunks of human tissue. The freezer farm housing this stuff consisted of liquid nitrogen tanks and freezers set to -80^oC / -112^oF. To prevent mishap, the freezer farm was on a 24 / 7 monitor. I was woken up by the alarm in the middle of the night too many times to count — once, after having left that job. In retrospect, this was probably good training for search and rescue.

Advertisement

Witchcraft, Corporate America and the Subverting Introvert

What do you call a group of introverts? A gaggle? A clutch? See, you can’t do it. It’s a trick question – there is no such word. Introverts are independent sorts who go their own way and rarely feel the need to form large aggregates. While we are capable of playing nicely with others for limited periods of time, spending every hour of the day with a group of excessively enthusiastic people is impossible. Even people of moderate temperament need to go home eventually, so that we can relax and recharge in glorious solitude. This nuance of introvert behavior makes us extremely poor cult members. I was reminded of this trait as I sat squirming while reading Alex Mar’s Witches of America.