On Mathematicians...

My husband works for a bus company compiling timetables and schedules in London. It is a very maths based department involving long formulae and calculations, although not degree level, as well as general arithmetic. His office of 9 people is an all male environment. It is a very intriguing mix of personalities.
There is the boss. He is a womaniser and constantly telling stories of the times he had whilst on the bus stands at the end of routes in his driving days. Jail bait and Two-bagger are frequently mentioned.
The deputy lives miles away and leaves home at 4am to catch the train to the office for about 6am. Why? So he can leave at 3pm and be home by 4ish.
Then there is Mr Negative, The Silent Terrorist,  Thingy the MCP, Mr Smelly 1 and Mr Smelly 2, The Manic Depressive and 1930's Geek. They all have one thing in common. They are weird in their own sweet way and all use maths in their work daily.

I've been studying Maths courses with Open University for the last 6 years and met some incredible people. Some students and some lecturers. OK, so it is Maths and whenever anyone asks what I'm studying their faces contort into poses that would challenge any gurning champion. Yet if they met some of the people I have shared rooms with at tutorials then they would be picking their jaw up from the floor. They are either smelly with hair that hasn't ever been washed and their laptop intravenously attached to their chest, or the women in the trousers that are too short and traditional maths teacher jumpers. There are the people who sit, listen and go home, seeming quite normal. Then there are the ones who query everything the lecturer says and delay us from completing the work we should in the time allocated.
If I take anything from any of the 11 courses I'll study for my degree it will be a comment made by one of my lecturers that had absolutely nothing to do with our course.

"All mathematicians feature on the autistic spectrum disorder."
This is so true. I've achieved  distinctions in all my level 2 courses and distinctions/grade 2 in my level 3 courses so far. And yes I am including myself in this group. Mathematicians cannot socialise. They prefer their own company. They are perfectionists, as maths is either right or wrong and in life mathematicians have to be right or they aren't satisfied. I have seen enough people involved in maths to wholeheartedly believe this.

So beware, look at dating a mathematician and you know what you're going to get!

DOC