When faced with the majority of your office running about, preparing for a huge event of some sort or another, while you are still surfing the web, looking for something besides Gawker that will keep you entertained, it seems to me you have two choices.

1. You can be honest, admit you have nothing much to do, ask if you can help anyone and otherwise go bout your day in a normal fashion.

2. You can stay just as late as everyone else working on an imaginary project of your own. When people pop by your desk to complain about the long hours, look sympathetic, then try not to be spotted when you check your personal e-mail ten times in 25 minutes.

I have been opting for choice number 2 with a small pinch of “Can I help?”s thrown in. Really, I am not fooling anyone.