C/D?: Work Talk

but another one of my coworkers (who is generally okay, has decent taste in music, but is over-eager and always in a good mood) keeps inviting me out to movies with her friends, who all have the scent of burning man and rocky horror on them. i've taken to just acting like a dick in the hopes that these invites will stop.

Yes, other people's work stories are like other people's dogs. No matter how much you tell that that you fucking hate and despise canines, they will encourage Rover to lick and climb all over you in an attempt to persuade you that this poochy is cute and special and different.

SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DONT KNOW

My screen saver at that point usually consists of a small loop wherein I repeatedy stab someone in the neck with a pencil screaming, "SHUT THE FUCK UP."

On the rare occasions when I talk with other people about their work I am fascintated.

I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DONT KNOW

This is me now!

There are two kinds of work people : Analogues,for whom personal life and work is a continuum, and digitals, who see work and their'real life' as entirely separate. Analogues socialize a lot with colleagues out of hours/wkends etc and often get very upset when things go wrong for them at work, which they see as a reflection on themselves. Digitals are more likely to shrug off a bad day at the office as soon as they get home.

I am so far over on the digital side that they ought to invent a new category for me. I am literally *someone else* at work.

On occasion Ive bitched about workmates with other workmates also, which is great, but becoming a problem in my team as we have a nasty social schism at present thanks to personality clashes and a real "us and them" thing has emerged between those of us who work hard but keep our work and social lives seperate (me and those I like), and those people who socialise in and out of work, and seem to do nothing but stand around talking about social shit all day long. And yet call other people "slack bitch" over msn. God theyre horrible, horrible people.

If it wasnt for the few sane friends I work with I'dve quit long ago.

she talks about people I've never met as though we were intimate confidants

I know someone who gives me regular updates on the love-lives of her old university friends, none of whom I have ever met nor really want to:

"Oh yeah, I forget to tell you about Sheena, haha so funny, she split up with Paul, you know the one who's mates with Graham who I went out with in my second year? No? He's got brown hair, quite tall..? No? Anyway she rang me up and she told me that her friend Danielle had seen Paul round at Andy's an..blahblahblahblahblah"

Sometimes I wonder if this is down to delirium because this behaviour isn't reserved especially for me. Now if me or my friends think she's about to go off on one, it's:

Her: "Oh yeh, you know Georgia? The one who went out with James..?"
Me: "Yeh I know'em"

*stunned silence*

Her: "You know the..?"
Me: "Yeh, I don't like'em."

-Are you doing your essay Ronan?
-Yes I am.
-Aha how's it going? Only 2 hours left!!!
-Not bad, I'm getting through it, it's ok.
-*stands, reading essay, forcing me to flick and read my emails until such time as hint is recieved*

It also can be similar with writing work. "How's *name of magazine* going, I have an interview with the 5th beatle tomorrow!!!"

It's like what? No "how are you Ronan"? Oh wait I forgot you don't actually want to talk to me you just want to tell me how much work you're getting.

I know what you mean about wanting to keep work and non-work lives separate, but I spend so much time here if I didn't get along with at least a portion of my co-workers I'd go mad. I am lucky to have made some good friends through work, and we do quite a lot of fun extra-curricular activities together. However a lot of the people here are recent-ish graduates and are 'used' to meeting new people - not like I've started working in a team full of people twice my age or something.

We're also all young, mid-twenties types with similar interests (FIVE of us in this 17-strong company are going to Glastonbury) and I count some of the people here, past and present, as among my closest friends, have been on holiday with several of them, socialise regularly and am considering moving in with one ex-colleague.

Mostly its been fine, and with the exception of one nasty situation earlier this year which is thankfully over now, its improved my worklife immeasurably - if you know you're going to see your friends that day it makes going into work more bearable.

I've no idea why this happened, maybe everyone just clicked at the right time (the World Cup, mostly), and newer colleagues don't seem as much part of it as the Class of 02, most of whom don't work here any more.

Despite this, hardly ANYONE talks in my office these days, but office layout is partly to blame for that. We're moving soon, maybe that'll shake things up.

I work from home a lot - which might seem like a way of blurring the home/work divide, but it's really the opposite - the tasks come home, but they people don't.

and i made friends with another new person at work, he ended up moving in with some of my best friends, and so he's part of 'the gang' now. but we don't talk about work that much when we hang out. (yes, this is also the person i dated. i am a clever girl)

there are several other cool people at my office, but we don't tend to hang out socially...except on friday, when we have an awayday on a canal boat and we're spending all day drinking together. should be interesting!

SHUT UP, WE HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO DOMINATE OUR LIVES FOR LONG ENOUGH. Thank goodness I only have essays/assignments this year.

It's like what? No "how are you Ronan"? Oh wait I forgot you don't actually want to talk to me you just want to tell me how much work you're getting.

One friend in particular is *so* all about this right now.

Like Matt said, having friends at work makes getting up and going there less harrowing. If the work is dull at least you can talk to interesting people.