Hrm. Just got dinged by my boss for not attending a meeting in person when I am actually in the office. Fair cop. I just wanted to work through it. Being in the office means I get to grab people at their desks. I don't actually want to sit in meeting rooms, especially smelly ones. Caught on the spot, I didn't tell the smell thing to everyone on the meeting call. I feel pissed being put on the spot, because my boss knows I'm avoiding the bulk of the construction smells.

Work advice: I have a coworker who touches me. She walks up and pokes me in the arm, or puts her hand on top of my head when she comes up behind me and I'm sitting at my desk. This is NOT ON as far as I am concerned, but I think she sees it as friendly affection (we are fairly friendly). She's 30, and a librarian. Yesterday she took to pulling my ponytail. I asked her not to when I was sitting at my desk, and then said "stop it" fairly firmly when she did it again after sitting down next to me at the conference table as we started a meeting. She apologized. But today she walked up to replace me at the desk and poked me in the arm. Argh. Is there anything to be done?

coworker flinging Trebuchet?

Yeah, that's hard. I have a touchy coworker who I like, but yeah, no.

I'm sorry, I probably should have mentioned earlier, I don't really like to be touched. I think that's what I'd say.

"Please don't touch me."

For all my conflict-avoidance at work, if someone did it repeatedly, I think I'd just up and say it. It's so fucking inappropriate. Pulling your hair? Seriously?

That would make me nuts, flea! I think the only thing that will work is DJ's response. Very cut and dry.

I have a rash and it's contagious.

When I saw CK I didn't know anything about it. At the end when Rosebud was revealed, I said, "That's it? It's a dang SLED?" I was annoyed that it was so mundane. I guess I missed the whole longing-for-childhood thing, or whatever it was.

A co-worker pulling my hair? Oh, hell no. Glare of Death! One co-worker/friend tugged one of my curls once and said "Boing!" as it bounced back, which was amusing, but also annoying.

I don't like it either, but I do know when the kids were little, I could tune it out, because I was so constantly being patted and clutched or whatever.

One day we were at an office lunch and I was talking to a friend. I realized someone else had been pulling my sleeve for probably five minutes, and when I finally looked at her, she said, "Wow, you really are a mom, aren't you?" (NB: She kept doing it because I didn't react, not because she was annoying or usually like that.)

Pulling your ponytail is ... inconceivable.