Stalked in the lab

When I am the new person in a lab, I am acutely aware of the fact that until I know, at least to some degree, what the hell I am doing and where in the hell everything is located and how things run from day to day, that I am going to be a burden to someone. However, there is really know other way to learn all this information, so I try to ask different people for help instead of constantly bothering the same person. I find that most people, myself included, are pretty willing to help a new lab member adjust, but only to a point. After several days of questions it gets hard to not let the constant interruptions get on your nerves a little, and if you are already having a shitty day, it’s even more difficult not to let it show.

To avoid this problem, or at least to keep it to a minimum, I say spread the questions around. Although some inquiries can only be answered by specific lab members, almost anyone can provide you with a common protocol or show you where a reagent is located. I assume that most people take this approach, but our new post-doc apparently does not subscribe to this philosophy. In short, the new post-doc is stalking me.

Every single, cotton-picking question is directed at me, even when multiple people are available to choose from. I’ll give the person some credit, at least they don’t interrupt me right while I am in the middle of something, but it seems like every time I turn around from the bench, there they are, waiting to ask me something. Today, I found this person just watching me. They didn’t have a question, they weren’t looking for anything, they were just watching. It's creepy.