So I'm sitting here, trying to work on embedding links in an earlier post, and this guy who works here first comes around and just slams the chair next to me into the table, not seeming to notice that it's loud, then does the same thing with the rest of the chairs that haven't been pushed in here across the computer lab. He then sits down across this divider from me and starts going on and on and on to the guy next to him about a sandwich he got and whether it was a 6-inch sandwich or not, and something about cheese steaks and how great those are. After that, he starts talking about pro wrestling and how, "If you can't beat 'em, go with 'em...if you can't beat 'em, go with 'em," repeating that glorious gem of wisdom and probably nodding. Thankfully I couldn't see him past the ugly, time-stained Dell monitor he was sitting behind.

Soon he's going on and on about someone who's "leavin' on Sunday...so-and-so's gotta do blah blah on Sunday...catchin' up..." in this horrible old-man voice he's got on him, despite being rather young.

I hate people, especially the kind of people you find in the computer lab. I'm here because I figured I could waste some time posting before going over to get luncha—I can afford the leisure, 'cause I don't have class again until 2 p.m. today. So yeah, I'm quiet, don't bother other people, don't talk to random people over people's heads like so many in this lab do...Shut up! No one cares about your paper! It's not interesting, and you don't really find it interesting to talk about—you just want to show off the fact that you can cobble together random facts at the last minute and sound all impressive "debating" stuff. But you're not debating anything, as a debate implies two sides. What you're doing is comparing notes, comparing facts, and showing off that you know about something that no one's at all interested in and that you'll forget long before you get out of here.

You know the tone of voice that the guy's boss in Office Space talks in? "We-ell...you know, we can't do that..." That ingratiating simper? This is where these kids start to develop it. It's the business-school mentality that pervades even the natural sciences here—gotta sound like an expert, gotta sound old and jaded, gotta be the "go-to" guy, the guy who knows it all. That's right, kid, roll your voice in your throat. You'll need that practice for when you're older.

"I dunno, I'm gonna take off..."

"Do you have Praxis today? I have a seminar from 7 to 10 tonight...need to write my paper..."

"I'm gonna fail blah blah..."

"Yeah, I know, [me too], but nobody knows anything about this shit anyway, only about 50 people in this school something something..."

"Alright, dude, I'll see ya around..."

"Alright...later, man."

Yay for stupid, gross generalizations. Yay for that goddamned electric stapler that's louder than the chair that guy slammed into the table next to me.

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