Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Becoming self-aware

At my new job I share a large office space with a very awesome fellow engineer. We are both brand new and work on the same team. We've split the office by putting up very high backed desks. This way we have privacy...and at work I revel in privacy. So much of my time is spent jumping from meeting to meeting that when I sit at my desk I really like to feel a bit alone.

My office mate is a cool, courteous guy...which I RELISH. We both put on headphones to listen to music, we both speak quietly on the phone.

However, with this politeness come a few drawbacks. The office is almost too quiet. The silence has produced in my an abnormal neurosis about a few things:

1. I sneeze more than your average person. I probably sneeze about 10 times a day. A DAY people! I cannot control it. And the fact that my awesome office mate is the only one who hears this constantly it must be driving him bonkers.

2. I used to love to bring carrots to work to munch on in the afternoon. No longer. Do you have any idea how L-O-U-D crunching carrots are? Too loud, that's for sure.

3. I feel bad leaving my banana peels in our shared garbage can. For some reason when I look down and see that flaccid empty peel it grosses me out to think of him having to look at it. I'm sure he wouldn't care at all, but I just can't do it. I carry it out and deposit it in the large community can.


See....strange, huh?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't worry so much. He is a guy. Just ask him if things bother him. Believe me, he will tell you.

Morgan said...

He's wearing headphones, so he probably doesn't even notice the sneezing and wouldn't notice the carrots. As for the bananas, if he's anything like my husband, he wouldn't even think about it.

Lady Susan said...

o.k. word flaccid here kind of grosses me out.

I agree with Anon. Guys will tell you if something bothers them. This from a person who shares an office with one.

erinannie said...

I think you sound like an awesome office mate! You actually are concerned about what the other person has to endure and experience.
And I'm with the others, unless he's a neurotic, OCD guy who dusts his desk daily, and keeps everything at right angles, he probably isn't going to notice the banana peel.
And I'm with you on the sneezing. I sneeze in sets of threes- ALWAYS. Sometimes sets of fives, which really scares people. (Especially when it invariably happens in the middle of sacrament.) My old coworkers thought my sneezing was cute and funny (I don't know why), and actually recorded it. One day I sneezed particularly hard, and they threw a box of kleenex over top of my cube.
Oh and you are probably allergic to the fire retardant material in the ceiling panels above you. That's what makes you sneeze!

made sweet said...

haha. this is so funny. i love it.

Anonymous said...

I taκе pleasuгe іn, reѕult іn I discovеrеd exactly what І used to
be lοoking foг. Yоu've ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye

Feel free to visit my site; irving tx taxi