Tuesday, November 08, 2005

The Other Woman

There's this woman that I run into maybe once a year, because we have sort of overlapping research areas, so we often end up at the same kinds of meetings and attending the same kinds of sessions. She is one of several recurring characters in my cast of work-related semi-acquaintances.

She really, really rubs me the wrong way.

She is extremely predictable in the following way: she will always sit at the front of the room during oral presentations; she will always look bored and contemptuous; she will always ask a question, and it will always be negative and accusatory. UNLESS the speaker is one of the "big guns", in which case: her expression will be one of enlightenment and interest, and if she has a question, it is more likely simply a veiled complement.

No joke. She could be a drinking game (take a drink every time she lets out a big sigh, take a drink every time she starts a question with "did you just ignore . . . ", etc.).

I don't understand her at all. Is she very, very insecure? Or just a really angry person? To tell the truth, I don't really try to understand her either, because it's simpler just to dislike and avoid her (because I have, honestly, on occasion seen her in a room and decided to find another session to attend).

2 comments:

Ms.PhD said...

She's probably completely oblivious to the world. People like that usually are.

The upside is that they're usually fantastic scientists. The downside you already know about.

What you need to do is not let her get to you. If she has bad karma coming, she'll get her due in good time.

Anonymous said...

Nah, people like her are not necessarily great scientists. Yes, I believe she can be insecure and immature. Highly critical people tend to project on others to feel better...