I've posted a few times about a co-worker--let's call her Cat--who I find to be just a little odd. During meetings, she tries to finish everybody else's sentences, and usually gets it wrong. She can get very talkative when at her desk, but she will barely make eye contact with anyone she passes walking down the hall. Stuff like that.
In a meeting this week, she was getting frustrated because she didn't think the rest of us were listening to her. Truth to tell, we weren't, for the simple reason that her comments had nothing to do with the problem we were trying to discuss. So her interruptions were getting a little louder and almost angry. Somebody said something, and she interrupted again.
Cat: No, because. Because! BECAUSE!
Paul (softly): Because of the wonderful things he does. Hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm.
I started laughing. So did Paul when he realized I'd heard him. Cat stopped talking. Everyone else looked at Paul and me, so we had to explain, and for the next minute or two, we made Wizard of Oz song jokes.
Later that afternoon, I heard a strange electronic voice coming from Cat's cubicle. Apparently, she'd downloaded some language-learning app and was trying it out... without headphones... in a quiet office setting. And it's one of those where you're supposed to listen to someone speak a sentence in the language you're trying to learn and then repeat it. I tried to ignore it, but she had it really loud, and I think she missed the point of the program.
Language App: *Something in German*
Cat: Oh. Hmmmm...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Uh...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mmm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mm-hm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Um. Oh. Uhh...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mmmmm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Huh.
And so on. I've learned that she often doesn't want to talk to me, which is fine, so I didn't try to point out that she will have a hard time learning a language if she doesn't actually try to speak it.
Just weird, is all.
In a meeting this week, she was getting frustrated because she didn't think the rest of us were listening to her. Truth to tell, we weren't, for the simple reason that her comments had nothing to do with the problem we were trying to discuss. So her interruptions were getting a little louder and almost angry. Somebody said something, and she interrupted again.
Cat: No, because. Because! BECAUSE!
Paul (softly): Because of the wonderful things he does. Hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm.
I started laughing. So did Paul when he realized I'd heard him. Cat stopped talking. Everyone else looked at Paul and me, so we had to explain, and for the next minute or two, we made Wizard of Oz song jokes.
Later that afternoon, I heard a strange electronic voice coming from Cat's cubicle. Apparently, she'd downloaded some language-learning app and was trying it out... without headphones... in a quiet office setting. And it's one of those where you're supposed to listen to someone speak a sentence in the language you're trying to learn and then repeat it. I tried to ignore it, but she had it really loud, and I think she missed the point of the program.
Language App: *Something in German*
Cat: Oh. Hmmmm...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Uh...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mmm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mm-hm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Um. Oh. Uhh...
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Mmmmm.
Language App: *Same thing in German*
Cat: Huh.
And so on. I've learned that she often doesn't want to talk to me, which is fine, so I didn't try to point out that she will have a hard time learning a language if she doesn't actually try to speak it.
Just weird, is all.
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