we prick you

I have a new colleague, who started 3 weeks ago. He makes me feel better about my social ineptitude. I share a large office with my line manager. This new guy (a programmer) has moved in with us.

The reason why this guy makes me feel better is because he has less!! social skills than me. Well, to be precise he has different social skills to me. He almost never talks. On the day I sat weeping at my desk (when I had an argument with my boss*) he did turn around, and asked me a work-related question. That was the first time he'd spoken to me. Up until that point I didn't know he had an accent, even though he'd been there a week. [He is Norwegian.]

I want to share a couple of funny (odd) things he's done.

1. We went to a lunchtime seminar last week. After it ended the attendees shuffled our chairs together to discuss the seminar. There were about 10 of us. We created a little circle. My new colleague (G) had been sitting at the front of the room. He didn't turn his chair around and instead stayed facing the front of the room. So the rest of us were in a circle of chairs behind him. He stayed like that, looking to the front of the room, with his back to us, the whole time. Roughly 40 mins. He didn't say a word.
   
   
2. Let me set the scene of our office. I sit at the back of the room, near the window (my back to the window) looking into the room. G's desk is about 10 feet away, and he sits facing the wall, with his back to me. On the rare occasions when he does talk he completely swivels his chair around, faces me directly and just launches into a monologue. I respond to him as required. Then he suddenly swivels his chair back around at a point which would normally be regarded as a comma or a semi-colon if it were a written conversation. I'm expecting him to turn back around and continue. But, no, nothing. That was the end of the conversation. So me being ever the neurotic I end the conversation for him by taking the responsibility fir ending it and saying Oh, OK, I should get back to work. Or some such waffle.

[Boss fell down some steps on the weekend. Was knocked unconscious, and had stitches to her head. Suffered concussion, and hasn't been at work all week.]