no man is an island...sadly

I used to be one of three people in a pod of four cubicles at work. The other two have left and been replaced by people located in Melbourne. I can't count the number of people who've commiserated with me on how 'lonely' or 'quiet' it must be. As if every person working there wouldn't want their own office if they could get it. And that being the case, why do they feel the need to have these inane conversations with me about it? Seriously, everybody commented on it as they walked past the pod for at least two weeks. Other people sit five seconds walk away! Not only that, but I am near the break room, so I see people all day long as they walk by and they often stop to chat.

Before I went to Adelaide I was told that I needed to move four pods away to sit next to Haigh (which I did yesterday). He wasn't too happy about it either, as he's had a two-cube pod to himself for a few months now, but we get along okay, so it doesn't completely suck to work next to him. But then the new round of comments began ~ people wandering by and feeling the need to express how nice it must be now, to be with everyone else and not all alone in my 'distant' pod. The truth is, the new location is a lot noisier and I have less space. I'll get used to it and soon it won't seem so busy, but again, I just don't see why they feel driven to make comments they don't even believe. We currently have two other people working in pods on their own and neither of them has given the least indication that they want to move. In the near future they'll need to, but they won't like it any more than me.

I could have it worse ~ I could be this guy (watch no.1). But it's still frustrating. Is it just that other people are more into small talk? Am I complaining about what is really just social grease? I know what they're saying is pretty harmless. Still, can't they just ask me if I've seen any good movies lately and leave it at that?