What does grok mean? I’ve seen it a few times, and just never bothered to ask before.
Dnooman, I believe that “grok” (at least in this usage) means “to understand” in a general sense.
Litoris, I haven’t worked with someone who was that prejudiced, but I did work with a person for a short while whose eatings habits literally made me want to vomit. [sub]I’ve never met anyone else who could make loud, disgusting smacky noises while eating in my life. It was as if she were both chewing cud and having sex with her food. Blech![/sub] I have, however, worked with a handful of people who were so blissfully ignorant of everything outside of their own church that they came up with some preposterous ideas along the same vein. Heck, I still work with people who think I’m bizarre because I like to read and I eat different ethnic foods, sometimes with chopsticks.
ladybug teehee. It is very effective – tends to just shut people up right then and there, even Serina.
levdrakon – ok, on Skippy’s list, one of them is “If thinking about it makes me giggle for more than 10 seconds, I should assume that I am not allowed to do it.” So, your suggestion made me giggle for closer to 15 seconds.
dnooman – Grok - wiki it’s a Heinlein reference.
nashiitashii I am most definitely the weirdo at my job for many of the following (this is sooooooooo not an all-inclusive list):
[ul]
[li]I eat with chopsticks[/li][li]I eat foreign (Greek and Indian most notably) food[/li][li]I read. Stuff not written by Danielle Steele. Worse than that – I have never read anything by Danielle Steele gasp[/li][li]I am not xtian, and I don’t pretend to be[/li][li]I actually know something about other religions (such as not being confused by the concept of Purim and am able to suggest Chanukka alternatives)[/li][li]I own a couple saris (and have worn them in public) as well as a couple of Mandarin collared dresses[/li][li]I have dressed my son in Sherwani Kurta with pajama pants (in public) – of course, I guess that makes him the wierdo since he asked for the outfit![/li][li]I like my kids and they gasp like me[/li][li]I despise Bush – and I vote[/li][/ul]
to be honest, one of the reasons I like my job is that it is a never-ending source of stupid hilarity. Ya know, on a side note, I did get a giggle from a customer yesterday who said “Do you take American Express?” I said “yes, ma’am, we do” and she replied with “oh, ok, let me give you my Visa number then.” 
I think those collared dresses are called chongsam.
You don’t even need an MP3 player. Just the headphones. The end can get neatly tucked into a pocket. Who’ll know?
Oh, they probably won’t. And I really wouldn’t want to have to go through with all the hassle either.
Pretty much the way I see it, I’d make the initial fuss, give them a view of how much trouble the entire mess can be, then make an offer.
“Look, drop the write up and say something to her about her behavior and I’ll drop the whole thing and try not to say anything more to her. But she’s driving me nuts and if you don’t do something about it, someday she’s going to say something like this to a customer…or worse.”
Sometimes people need a solid kick in the ass to see how serious things are.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
Get a pretty little trinket box, the more eyecatching the better. Put a pair of earplugs inside. When Serina starts spouting off, get out the box, making sure she sees it. When she remarks how pretty it is, make a big show of opening it up, taking out the earplugs and putting them in your ears. Then put the box away and go back to your newspaper. Give her the Death Stare during the whole process but don’t say a single word. Hopefully, if she doesn’t get a clue the first round, the second time will embarrass her into shutting up for good.
Heh heh. I got to thinking that it would be funny the second time she starts blathering away if you said in your best stern parent’s voice, “Don’t make me get out the box.” Might or might not stop her in her tracks but it tickles me to think of what her face might look like at that moment.
Tikki – you made me laugh out loud with the last post. My next-door cubicle neighbor (whom I like) asked what was so funny. You know I couldn’t tell her! That would be funny to do, though.
Savannah – lol, I was thinking just let the cord to the headphones dangle in the breeze and when she tries talking to me, just point to the headphones (making sure the cord wiggles around free for her to see) and say, “sorry, can’t hear you, listening to music.”
DataZak – thanks! I had no idea what they are called, but when I wore the first one I made (I made the ones I have) to work, everyone commented on 1) how pretty it was, 2) why was I “so dressed up” and 3) did I buy it at some Oriental store at the mall. Blah. I have this one kimono-style shirt that I wear sometimes and it gets commented on all the time – it’s a shirt for cryin’ out loud. A shirt I bought in a store (I think it was Wet Seal, no less) at the mall. It’s not like it’s an actual kimono. Sheesh. I swear, one day, I am going to wear a full Kimono – Obi and all – to work, just so these people can be confused. Of course, interestingly enough, I can’t wear my saris to work, since they expose the mid-drift.
Heathen.
I’m really sorry, but I can’t help myself. I have no self control.
It’s midriff.
Great rant, though!
Hahaha, sorry, force of habit. It is listed as mid-drift in our dress policy so I always refer to it that way in derision – and it backfired on me this time!
Actually you can be black and albino… it looks real, real weird!
Litoris, I’ve had quite a few of those conversations. But at least with most of my relatives I at some point managed to make them think. This thing seems to subscribe to my worst relatives’ notion that thinking will shorten your lifespan.
No, it’s mid-drift when your waistline is getting too big for exposing one’s midriff. 
For an OP that specifically stated no advice was required, this one sure contains a lot of it.
IMHO, I suggest that you all . . . ., oh wait. Never mind.
Litoris, one question.
Who’s Ward Beaver?
Hahahahaha, uhmm…it’s a typo. Everyone else knew what I meant! I am not old enough to make the reference well, so shaddup!
Nava, are your relatives from TN by any chance? Sometimes, honestly I think you’re right – some people truly must believe that thinking will decrease their lifespan or libido or something.
Sadly, I will admit that I could even deal with the whole racist/homophobic thing if it were a situation where I honestly thought that she felt that she had a reason to feel the way she does, as opposed to just having been told to think that way. Someone did make an interesting point the other day, though, that I will have to follow up on at some point. When I mentioned her comments, this other co-worker said “well, what do you expect? Her preacher is a convicted murderer.” :eek: Apparently, this guy murdered someone, did his time and found Jesus in jail and became a preacher. That does explain a lot.
There is Coke Zero everywhere.
Just carry a voice recorder with you. Every time she says something, pull it out and ask her to repeat it. If she asks, just say you need the evidence. That should quiet her down a bit.
Not that I know, no. The ones who actually think about their words once you manage to hit upon some sort of magical sentence are from all over Northern Spain - the ones who are terribly good at lying to themselves and who somehow seem to think that this transfers to being good at lying to others are from Barcelona. After a display by my aunt at a recent family meeting (she’s an alcoholic as far as we can tell, yet she was claiming to never have drunk a drop in her life), my cousin and me reached the conclusion that our mothers are like little kids… they think that if they pull a napkin over their own head, you can’t see them. That’s the same aunt who once was making such racist remarks that her daughter told her “you’re making me want to go out and hook up with the first black guy I see” and Gramps respond “I know a few black guys, want me to get their phone numbers?”
You know, instead of all the innuendo and stares and all that crap why don´t you simply state that you consider her a throughly, terminally annoying person and have no desire to hear her babbling under any circumstances?
Now, if that doesn´t get through her thick skull you may have to try other methods, like taking her to the nearest artillery range and ask the grunts to fire a few rounds and check for effect.