You'd have washed your hands, too.

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

I work at a college as a student tech support person (a "T-Watcher", as in Terminal Watcher, from when we called them terminals), and it's end of the year panic time.

SETTING: The computer help desk. An unusually busy Sunday-afternoon shift, with students milling around and panicking.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Kate, a solitary student manning the Computer User Services help desk.
Disheveled Guy, an older student with a disheveled, outgrown beard, ratty blue sweatshirt, and various hemp bracelets.

~~---~~---~~

[Kate, sitting at her computer, looks up as Disheveled Guy approaches rapidly, clutching a dirty iBook.]
Kate: Can I help you?
Disheveled Guy: [mumbles]
Kate: I'm sorry?
[Disheveled Guy opens his mouth, pulls out a spit-covered yellow chew toy, sticks it in his sweatshirt pocket, and wipes his fingers on his sleeve.]
Disheveled Guy: Uh! Yes! I hope so!
[Disheveled Guy scurries around the desk and plunks down his computer. Kate swivels her chair to follow somewhat more warily.]
Disheveled Guy: [opens up his computer, leaving noticeable damp spit marks from his fingers on the trackpad] I, uh, can't connect to the server! I don't know what I'm doing wrong.. uh...
Kate: Yeah, this is actually quite easy to fix-- here, I'll show you.. [Kate walks Disheveled Guy through changing his Appletalk settings, then loads his connection to the student server when he finishes.]
Disheveled Guy: Woah, that was amazing! You're like, a magical T-Watcher!
Kate: if.. you.. say.. so..?
Disheveled Guy: No, seriously, say it, you're a magical T-Watcher!
Kate: Uh... I'm a magical T-Watcher.
Disheveled Guy: [slams his computer shut, jumping up to go] Yes! Thanks! Uh.. bye!
[Disheveled Guy runs off extremely rapidly. Kate watches, rather perplexed, then goes to wash her hands.]

Finis.

Comments

[inahandbasket]

*scratches head*

I know people are wierd, but yeesh.

[vortex.livejournal.com]

What makes that even more funny is that maybe Kate, just helped out a future "The Next Warren Buffet", or "The next Bill Gates"...

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

Nah, he was a humanities major. None of us are ever going to make real money.

[ex-deliveryboy.livejournal.com]

Worst. Stalker. Ever.

[trazan.livejournal.com]

You seem to have a weird sense of what a stalker is. First of all, there's nothing in the post that says the guy is stalking her, and second, there are far worse stalkers out there, like violent and threatening ones. This guy just seemed weird.
Wombat

[ghostdandp.livejournal.com]

Time to go to the store and pick up a sense of humor.

[genjutsu-01.livejournal.com]

what disturbs me most is why he was trying to eat a chewtoy?

and whats a T-watcher?

[turningallblue.livejournal.com]

And if he were eating the chewtoy, surely he would have had the foresight to remove it before trying to speak.
Maybe it was a retainer?

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

It was definitely a chewy plastic toy-- I linked in the original post to the most similar example I could find online. And he really didn't remove it until his first try at speaking didn't go so well. Very bizarre.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Possibly on Ecstasy. Quite a few of the more interesting recreational drugs cause jaw clenching, which is relieved by chewing or sucking. Same with anti-depression meds.

/used to teach high school

[foobarintel.livejournal.com]

Dude got a crush on a techie

[greylady.livejournal.com]

May I recommend keeping a supply of wetnaps around... it sounds like college students are much like babies - you need to worry about them picking up mono from putting things in their mouths...

[spiker-uk.livejournal.com]

Ok. so I've seen... uhm... students (and staff) be rather gushing with their thanks before, but that kinda takes the biscuit. (And yeah, the wash-hands thing... hell yes...!)

[rev-thumper.livejournal.com]

We keep a giant bottle of antibacterial gel with a pump dispenser at our help desk it for just this reason.

(Well, we told the community it was to prevent spreading germs during cold and flu season. But it is there all year round.)

[canray.livejournal.com]

You need something stronger than that.

I suggest 307 Ale (http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/307_ale.htm). ;-P

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

My (former, her current) boss is paranoid about germs, especially around the end of year crunch. So there are several bottles around, but still...ew.

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

They were empty on Sunday, unfortunately-- hence the washing. But they've been refilled over the weekend.

Besides, just neutralizing the germs doesn't really make me feel better about having touched a spit-covered trackpad. I'd like the other person's spit off my hands altogether, thanks... *sigh*

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, it was empty that afternoon. Our desk is right outside the computer labs, and a lot of people disinfect their hands after using the lab computers-- for good reason.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha end of the year is the crappiest time ever. Was he a senior?

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

I think so. The Word document he had open was in some version of Word running in Classic, though, so the title was so small that I didn't get a chance to see whether it contained "thesis". He was certainly crazy enough.

[shifuimam.livejournal.com]

The most disgusting computer I ever worked on was an old Compaq Presario desktop running Windows 98. The monitor was covered in greasy fingerprints, and the keyboard was sticky and filled with hair, crumbs, and God knows what else.

I was trying to keep from gagging as I was typing on her keyboard. I couldn't imagine how she could use that machine herself without getting sick from the utter mess.

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

I am glad I don't have to deal directly with the public.