why my social excitement revolves around my office

i have always joked about how my social excitement revolves around my office...even though i usually work in there alone. but i always leave the door open, and when people walk by they look in, and if they know me they stop to chat for a minute. usually people who don't know me don't stop.

until yesterday.

i was calmly clocking out at 9:54, getting ready to go to my 10:00 class, when all of a sudden a 50-something man jumped into my office and said, in about 300 miles an hour talking speed, "can i ask you a question?" i said yes, and he quickly asked if i knew an undergrad who is studying arabic and who applied for the casa program. it just so happened that i did (we had a class together last semester), and when i told him, he said, "great!canijustinterviewyouquicklyabouthimiamfromthegovernment(and here he flashed his card for me)andhehasappliedforoneofourprogramsandiamjustrunningaquickbackgroundcheck
doyouhavethreeorfourminutesthaticanaskyousomequestions?"

he said it that fast.

unfortunately, i told him that i was about to go to class and did not have even four minutes to be interviewed.

"greatnoproblemiwilljustfollowyoutoyourclassandicaninterviewyouontheway!"

he then proceeded to follow me to my american literature class, quizzing me about this student all the way.

"doeshehaveanypsychologicalproblemsthatyouknowof?(it was one class!)howdoesheperforminarabic?whatishispersonalitylike?"

it was quite possibly the strangest thing that has ever occurred to me.

then, as we were parting ways when i got to my class, he asked what class i was going to. when i responded that it was an american literature class and that i am an english major, he looked at me accusingly and said, "whatwereyouuptherefor?" (in the arabic/hebrew department)

after telling him i know hebrew (and arabic, but he already knew that) he said as he was departing, "thatwastheshortestinterviewihavehadyet!"

i didn't feel too bad about it.