I find myself in so many awkward situations that sometimes I wonder if I subconsciously seek them out. For me, the most common problem is when you see someone walking towards you down a long, straight, and narrow walkway, but you really don't want to stop to talk to them. Unfortunately, the hospital has at least two of these: the hallway between Jordan Hall and the cafeteria and the hallway between Jordan Hall and Mulholland Lounge.
The only effective defense mechanism I have ever developed is deny, deny, deny. In this case, I just deny that I even notice the person, staring at the floor in front of me or looking at posters on the wall, until he or she is no more than 30 feet away. When I finally make eye contact, I have just enough time for the following exchange: "Hey, how's it going?" "Good, you?" "Good, thanks!" Then we pass each other and go on our own separate ways, not knowing anything more about each other than we did before. Ah, peace and harmony.
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