Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ask the audience

Let's say you're doing a fake negotiation for your cheesy class, and you spend an hour in a room with the "other party" who is a nice but sweaty/sniffly fellow, and throughout that hour you watch him wipe his runny nose on his fingers and he picks at his face incessantly. You make a concentrated effort not to cringe throughout the negotiation. Then, you reach an agreement, he sticks out the very hand you've watched crawl all over his face for sixty minutes and says "Pleasure working with you."

What to do?

13 comments:

Jules AF said...

Pretend you don't see the hand and start to run out saying, "Oh yeah, you too! I have to run! See ya!" Hopefully all your stuff is packed up by this time, or else you're screwed.

Valerie said...

Just tell him you're immunosuppressed and can't run the risk of being touched, nothing personal. A woman in my ward actually made herself a little badge that she wears to church so no one hugs her or tries to shake hands. Of course she really IS immunosuppressed...

Or just tell him it's against your religion to shake hands. Isn't it about time that we had a new rumor floating around? Just think, you could be the one to start it!

Justin & Kamie said...

Hand sanitizer to the rescue! I say offer a limp noodle handshake and alcohol off his germs.


Ew.

So what did you do?

Erin said...

i think julie's suggestion is really smart, and i will have to remember that if i'm in a similar situation.

or you could just make some excuse about having a new baby at home? or you could lie and tell him that *you* are sick? but that seems more awkward than just ignoring the hand.

i'm kind of disturbed now though.

Jennifer said...

Say, "Oh, I'm sick, I don't want you to get it!"

But, what DID you say?

And GROSS, by the way!

Carina said...

Shake the hand, do not touch anything else, go immediately to the bathroom and wash.

ebv said...

Whatever. Pick your nose, cough on it, spit in your palm, and say "Shake on it!"

Then, if he continues to shake, you go ahead and do it, and then follow Azucar's suggestion.

Mrs. Clark said...

Eeeuuuw. I say, shake, then use the sanitizer. As Miss Manners would say, you don't want to increase the rudeness of the situation.

And I just recently realized that I am constantly holding our shared pens in my teeth at work (I am running around a store and I sometimes have to use both hands to cut fabric) and I have been doing this to my co-workers for years. Well, since we had to quit wearing aprons, anyway. Sorry, girls!

zacharoo said...

You simply say, "The pleasure is all yours." Hold your hands to your side, nod and walk away.

KT said...

Yes, what did you do?

AlliSMiles said...

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! sickening. i'd puke on his hand and blame it on post-prego sickness.

Katie said...

Have a fake coughing fit. Then say sorry, I don't want to make you sick.

Amander said...

I have this same problem! My clients come in and have horrible hygiene. I never know what to do, but your story made me laugh about it :)