'elp me, miter

[Meadhands]

This annoyed me so much that I am writing this from work with the person in question sitting not 50 feet/16 meters away in my computer lab.

Now, Miter, who I have mentioned recently, has returned to ruin yet another day, which is something she does so well. For those ill informed, just know that she is very needy, pronounces "my dear" "miter," not that it would make it better being called that, and I am "not a tutor, damn it."

Have you ever ripped music from a CD onto a hard drive? It is not a very lengthy process. It can take a minute, tops, if you know what you are doing.

Helping Miter, it took me 20. 20 minutes to tell a computer to do something for me.

How is this possible? Does this Miter have some intense time-warping powers? Can she shift reality? Is she a controlling b!&%^ ? Ah, #3 seems to ring a bell.

Our conversations usually go something like this:

Me - Compu-man
Miter - Please learn English

Me: (patrolling the aisles)
Miter: Ah, excuse me! Excuse me, miter!
Me: *sigh* (damn!) Yes? Can I help you?
Miter: Look, miter, (Insert incredibly, fantastically simple computer command that has a friggin menu shortcut) ees not wurroking.
Me: What is not working?
Miter: Look, miter, I show you.
Me: No, just tell me what is not working and I will fix it.
Miter: No, look, miter, I show.
Me: *sigh* (damn!) *sit* *hold breath a hope I lose conciousness before I starve to death*
Miter: See this (thing she is just showing off and that is completely unrelated to the original problem)
Me: That is great. Now can you please let me have the moust so I can fix your problem?
Miter: Okay *Releases mouse*
Me: *Takes mouse*
Miter: Wait! *slaps my hand lightly so I will drop the mouse* Let me show you this!

I don't enjoy having my hand slapped. I don't particularly enjoy having ANY part of me slapped. Why can she not use words like other people, instead of slapping and touching like some primal beast?

EVERYONE knows her, which surprises me. All of my coworkers avoid her, and I recently learned my boss, who almost never leaves her office, has had a run-in with her. She tells us we cannot throw her out of the lab, but I think she is getting close to changing her mind (since she found out that Miter was bothering other users).

Gonna go slam my hand in a drawer now.

Cheers.

[chainedbarista]

*slaps my hand lightly so I will drop the mouse*

ooh...*kid gloves come off* not just unwarranted contact but abusive contact?

get...out...NOW!

all said in the tone of a madwoman on the verge of explosion.

no touchy.

[IvorTangrean]

Miter: Wait! *slaps my hand lightly so I will drop the mouse* Let me show you this!

Have you tried not dropping the mouse and just showing her how to do it?

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Hand slap? That earns an "Okay, fix it yourself, then."

[Sheldonrs]

After the hand slap I would have told her "God helps those who help themselves.
You're on your own bitch".

[Gerrinson]

Slapping is technically assault. It'd probably do her good to be suspended from the lab for a short time. If she does it again, inform her that you're calling security to have her removed and file a complaint about her.

I'm glad I didn't have to put up with that crap when I worked in the lab at the college. My only big issue was the 'Where's the stapler?' question. And first timers I could understand (maybe, you'll see why). But we had the same half a dozen people asking about it day in and day out.

Hmmm..could be it's right under the 8 1/2 x 11 sign in 72 pt bolded print with a freakin' arrow that says STAPLER which also happens to be less than 12 inches away from the printer where you picked up your printouts! The stapler was chained in place, too, so I knew it wasn't going to up and walk away. How these idiots managed to get into college in the first place, I don't know.

[rerant]

I think she may be friends with this woman.
When people get to close to me I've taken to saying, "You're in my bubble!" However I've not said it to a customer yet.
Yet.

[Emrld]

Talk to you boss.
See if something can be written up that she has to sign. (If she refuses than ban her from lab)
Basically stating that in the future anytime she assualts a staff memeber she will be banned from the lab for three days.

Worth a try.

[Evil Queen]

Hand slap? That earns an "Okay, fix it yourself, then."

To keep yourself from being fired; I'd go with the above option.

After the hand slap I would have told her "God helps those who help themselves.
You're on your own bitch".

Otherwise, I'm with this guy.

[powerboy]

I would not help that person after they slapped my hands. Well not until they had learn to behave better than that.

[technical.angel]

As soon as she even so much as tapped my hand, I would have said "Excuse me" and walked away and not helped her again. I would have also called or emailed my boss to explain why.

But, of course, there's a reason why I have to have babysitters when I go to work on certain faculty and staff computers.

[Meadhands]

Wow... apparently unwanted physical contact gets responses fast...

Understandably, of course.

Actually, I did go to my boss on this one. While she cannot (or, more likely, is unwilling to) remove the woman from the labs, she has informed me that if "Miter" wants any more help, I am to merely direct her to the tutoring center and leave it at that. "I don't have to help her from now on if I don't want to," in her words.

Not my preferred solution, but probably a sight better then I would have gotten from alot of bosses.

[Andara Bledin]

Yay! No more having to put up with life stories and demonstrations that you already know won't work before she'll let you tell her what she actually needs to do.

That hand slapping was way over the line. The rest of it was annoying and a waste of time, but that can be considered one of the dangers of the position.

^-.-^

[SpyOne]

Miter: Okay *Releases mouse*
Me: *Takes mouse*
Miter: Wait! *slaps my hand lightly so I will drop the mouse* Let me show you this!

Next time you have to help her, explain to he politely but firmly that touching you is not allowed.

Also, try saying that you have other people to help, and need to finish with her quickly. But make that seperate from the, "I'll gladly help you ma'am, but I need to make something clear. Last time I helped you, you slapped me lightly on the hand to ask for the mouse back. That is not acceptable: you may not hit me. If you touch me without my permission, I will stop helping you immediately and walk away."

{edit} I see that events have unfolded so my advice isn't all that relevant anymore. Good.

[marasbaras]

Let me just say this (and, yes, it IS a double-standard) ... but, if I were the worker and Miter were female and Asian (otherwise known as "my personal Kyrptonite") ... I would welcome the hand slaps and possibly try to induce them in a cute manner.

Barring this fantasy set of circumstances: yeah, hands off.