Ahoy Hoy

How is one able to deal with the cube neighbor, who seems like a nice person, but has one of the most annoying little habits? I was over in a co-workers cube today, when one of the people that work in the area asked if I wanted to switch cubes. Of course I asked why he was interested in swapping, and it turns out his future cube neighbor has some obnoxious little traits of his own. First off he uses a speaker phone, why I don’t know; second he speaks at unusually high levels – even if the person he is speaking to is right in front of him. Third, he has one of the most distracting laughs, something out of a cartoon.

I said to him, yeah but I have to deal with the throat clearer. “The throat clearer?” is all I heard in response. This person has a terrible tendency to clear his throat about every 45 seconds to a minute, totaling what must be close to one hundred times daily. For no rhyme or reason either, he isn’t about to speak, or talk on the phone. He clears his throat before he starts to type, enough to drive me nuts.

“Oh, so that is why you are always wearing your headphones.” “Yea, now you know” I reply, but they don’t do a great job. If I keep them at a reasonable level I can still hear the clearing of the throat ~ it seems to have just the right frequency to pierce what ever it is I am listening to.

So how does one broach this subject? I already feel like an asshole for bringing it up, but I have reached my limit. I don’t want to come off as a prick to this person, but I think I need to convey how disruptive this thing is, especially since it has been going on for over a month. I have a good feeling that it has to be partially psychological now, and is nothing physical due to the duration and frequency it has been going on.

Oh, and it is starting to spread – the person on the opposite side of him has started doing it. She doesn’t clear her throat as often, but the pattern has started.

The possibility of physical and mental breakdown is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride. --H.S. Thompson