I’m not much of a social creature. I do have a group of great friends that I see now and then. But when it comes down to day-to-day interaction at work I tend to keep to myself.

This includes lunching.

I have friendships also with most of the guys in my department, so lunch with them isn’t something I turn down often. Beyond them, there’s one woman at the office I’d really call my friend, and that’s it. I’ll go out somewhere tasty to eat with almost anyone every now and then, but beyond that, I’d much rather eat alone.

I tend to do that in my office, at my desk.

There’s a little conference room I have to pass to get to my office, and people often eat their lunches in there and watch the big screen television.

I try to scoot past unnoticed but it doesn’t always work that way.

If they spot me, I get hollered at. “Come sit in here with us!”

Saying, “Sorry, I’ve got work to do,” doesn’t cut it, because then I get the, “But you should stop and take a break at least to EAT for God’s sake!”

So I am then obligated to stop and eat with them.

I try hard not to ever be rude to anyone. Blunt? Yes. Rude? No.

Office politics make it so that it would be seen as rude, a snubbing, if I say, “No, thanks,” and then go eat alone in my office.

It’s not that I dislike them… well, some of them… I just really don’t want to sit in there and watch re-runs on the television with them, listening to them jabber. I’d much rather sit alone at my desk, a little music going in the background, reading science journals and webcomics.

-sigh-

Is that too much to ask?