When you're a kid, walking alone into a lunchroom full of people is always intimidating and awkward. It's funny that I've grown up, I've never been able to outgrow that. Today was a perfect example. I normally eat at my desk if I bring lunch, but I felt like I needed to get away for a bit today and thought I'd go upstairs to watch some tv. So I went up there and lo and behold, yet again, there is someone sitting in the section of sofas where the tv is - and is NOT watching tv. I hate when people do that. If you're not going to watch the tv, then don't sit there!
I'm not brave enough to go sit down next to the person and say, can I turn it on? So that's my fault. I acknowledge that. But seriously, don't hog up all the space if you're just going to sit there. Or at least just turn it on so that I can sit there and watch it with you, yet still manage to ignore you. TV is a good tool for the anti-social, or socially inept. It creates a good boundary, so that if you feel like you can chat with the person sitting there, then at least you have something in common to talk about, ie. whatever show is on. However, if you start to get the feeling that the person sitting there is a freak, then you can always keep that boundary and just sit there, eat your lunch, and pretend to be absorbed in the show. It's a win-win for all.
So then there was another couple of sections with sofas to sit in, but each of these had a person already sitting there. I didn't see one of the people at first, so I thought I was walking over to an empty section, but when I saw someone there, I thought, crap, it's too late to turn back. So I sat there. I looked at the person, but she couldn't be bothered to take her eyes off her book to look at me. So I though, great, I'm sitting 5 feet from someone who won't acknowledge me. Awkward!
I decided to leave my food there and walk over to grab a drink first. While getting my drink, I decided that this wasn't worth the awkwardness, so I went back, grabbed my lunch and went back downstairs to my desk, defeated. I just don't see the point of sitting up there if I'm not watching tv. If I'm going to sit and just eat, then I may as well do it at my desk, where I can at least surf the net, or chat with coworkers. It seems none of my coworkers eat up there anyway. Most people just eat at their desk or go out somewhere.
But yeah, I felt so defeated that I had to just go back downstairs. Lame. But it was the better option. I don't know any of these people that work on the other floors and from the times I've seen them up there, they're not people I'd have anything to say to anyway. I honestly feel that the people in my office are the only awesome people in the building. I lucked out with them. The people in the other offices depress me.
Back to my point, I hate lunchrooms and the awkwardness of it. I had one previous coworker who hated eating in a lunchroom so much that if he were alone, he would go down to his car and eat by himself. haha Yep! I think he said his reasoning was that he was so traumatized from his elementary school days that to this day, he can't eat in a lunchroom. He'll eat at his desk or in his car. And I thought I had issues. lol. At least it's not just me. But unless I have some people to sit and eat with, I think I'll just be at my desk.
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