Surreal conversations, anyone?

[ninevirtues]

In the past, when you point-blank asked me a rude question, I'd stammer and answer it... then suffer through the ensuing discussion.

Today, in the computer lab, one of the undergrads was acting.... let's say... simultaneously obnoxious and needy. She kept trying to strike up conversation, and interspersing it with angry, ad-hoc remarks about how she was annoyed that she had no printer paper and had to go get some, Word was displeasing her, the chairs hurt to sit in, she was hungry, and the printer didn't work.

I think she wanted an audience, or a distraction, or something. I can't be sure. I did my best not to look up from my computer screen and not to provide a receptive audience for her one-sided remarks.

After asking me if I had any printer paper (no), she left in an angry huff to climb the three flights of stairs to her room to get printer paper (because here you have to provide your own). When she returned, she point-blank asked me my age. The following slightly surrealistic conversation ensued:

"Gee, that's an awfully personal question," I replied.
"I weigh 150, I'm 22, and I'm having a boob job in two weeks," she replied. "Is that personal enough?"
"Oh," I said, bemusedly.
"I mean, you look too young to be in grad school. What are you, 22?"
"Hrmph," I said, turning back to the computer.

Comments

[browse.livejournal.com]

And just think, you're embarking into a profession where you'll be talking to total strangers multiple times a day. At least some of those will make this girl look like Miss Manners. :-)

Hey, it could be worse. She coulda said you looked too old to be in grad school. (You don't, but she coulda.)

Didja manage to talk her out of the "boob job"?

laughing or crying out loud

[rose42dance.livejournal.com]

Hmm... what kind of "boob job" is she getting? Is it to make it so that she isn't one any more?

Re: laughing or crying out loud

[ninevirtues.livejournal.com]

My dear, if I'm very lucky, someday I will be verbally fast on my feet like you. Nice one!

Ya know...

[ninevirtues.livejournal.com]

It took me a few days of thinking to be able to answer this one. Yeah, I know you're teasing, but I took it seriously anyway. I know, I know. I'm no fun at all. Catch me in a different context, and I'm a great deal of fun and only slightly illegal. :-D

No, I didn't talk her out of the boob job. The objective was not to talk to her at all, remember?

As for the rest.... hmm. You are right, I've already dealt with some very whiny, nasty, or unhappy people. I've already treated someone who was wearing a home monitoring bracelet on his ankle, someone else who has tears tattooed on his face, and a third someone who's my age, but who looks and acts like a Hell's Angel (and who has a compromised immune system and several medical problems).

But. In the clinic, the ground rules are different. I am clearly there to help my patients, and they are there to get help. My objective (well, one of my objectives, anyway) is to make a connection with them, so they feel free to tell me things that might be kinda personal, but that definitely affect my treatment plan for them. And... I'm in charge, 'cause I work there. It makes the atmosphere distinctly different from the no-one's-in-charge computer lab in the basement of my dorm.

Re: Ya know...

[browse.livejournal.com]

"Catch me in a different context, and I'm a great deal of fun and only slightly illegal. :-D"
Goodness! Where does one sign up? :-)

I'm glad it's something you've thought about; you're wise to have done so. There are stats about how few Chiro school grads are still working as chiros five years later. It's a fairly low percentage. I'm sure some of that is due to people figuring out that working with the public just isn't for them.

Re: Ya know...

[ninevirtues.livejournal.com]

So has that statistic helped you make any decisions?

And actually, what talked me out of chiropractic school was the constant need for sales. I'm not enthused.

gail, politely ignoring the request for a signup list ;-)