I'm "that guy"

Today at work I had a triumph and an "AS" moment all in one. We have a mailing distribution list for "off topic" emails such as jokes, funny videos etc. I've always fancied myself as a bit of a comic and if I can blow my own trumpet a little I think my contribution to the list is rather well received. Of course I don't post many e-mails, I find no humour in just "passing on" something I've found, but my responses to other e-mails and the like have not gone without note.

For background information, there is someone at work who seems rather well liked by the ladies and if I put my "AS" hat on, I'd say it is a combination of him being flirtatious, as well as him being engaged. I think women respond favourably to men who are attached as they can indulge in "harmless" flirtation themselves. Maybe it gives them an even greater boost to know that they can still turn the head of someone who is engaged to be married, to flirt and cause them to flirt back. He is also very keen (scarily keen) to share his flaws with others and I think that's something women might be responding to; someone "in touch" with themselves rather than just touching themselves. Whatever it is, it's certainly not his looks and I'd love to drink a bottle of it.

Well there is a girl in particular at work that I've noticed he has a bit of a relationship with that a man who is engaged should not really be having. Nothing is "going on", but I can tell the flirting is just something more than flirting. Well today was most unfortunate for this woman, as she responded to an email he had sent to this "off topic" list obviously intending it to go directly to him, but she had sent it by mistake to the distribution list instead. The mail wasn't "terrible", but for a man who prefers to read between lines more than on them, the language used betrayed this hidden relationship of theirs that I think they have. More so I feel that maybe they are verbally acknowledging this relationship to each other in secret. Feeding off it.

Now a man has an option of simply ignoring the mistaken email to hide the embarrassment of all involved. He also has an option of responding to the distribution list highlighting the mistake in a cleverly worded fashion for comic effect… I'm not completely without a conscience and my finger did hover over the "Send" button for a moment while I told myself, internally, that if I didn't have Asperger's I probably wouldn't be sending the e-mail I was about to send. But on the other hand it was f**king hilarious. So I sent it.

The reaction was fairly instant with stifled laughter being heard around the office, I could even hear in some corners my very name being mentioned; "Did you read AS4L's email?" Responses came to me direct with all manner of grandiose exclamations of how funny it was and how much they had enjoyed it. Yet not a single, solitary person sent to the distribution list that they thought it was funny…the replies all came directly to me. Directly in a way that said "I've always thought there was something up between those two, I'm just glad someone came out and said it, and I'm glad it wasn't me who was that guy."

Turning off

Since I've started my new job I've been almost over-stimulated mentally and I'm finding it hard to switch off when I leave. It's not just when I leave either; I often work through a bit of my lunch too. It's like I'm so focussed on what I'm doing and what the next step is, that I just want to get to that step. Usually I'm lifting my feet up for the cleaners while everyone else has gone home, just wanting to do that little bit more. When I finally leave I just can't turn off and what I need to do the next day just goes around and around my head.

In the evening I usually send an e-mail from my home account to my work account detailing what I have to do the next day and in it I make any notes about things I need to check, things I need to make sure other people are doing and so on. It seems to help me and I do go down a gear after I've sent the email, almost like it's the full stop to the working day. It can be worse on Friday as I have the whole weekend to mull things over before I can get back to it!

I'm sure it's partially just the novelty factor and it'll wear off, but I've obviously had jobs before and don't remember ever being like this. It's good in a way as it shows I am focussed…but it's bad because no-one wants to come home and be plagued with thoughts of work - you want to relax.

Something else I'm having to deal with is the meeting culture. I'm rubbish at multi-tasking and switching tasks. I like to do one thing and see it through, but when there are meetings set up left right and centre you just have to stop what you're doing to attend. It isn't just you but other people have all resolved to get together at that time and you need to attend there and then.