[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7707955]
Maybe it’s a regional thing; around here it’s what most people do at parties to repel BORES. The horse subject is irrelevant; if you don’t want to spend your time with a person you have no interest in talking your ears off (on company time), make it clear to them that you’re really not into it. Major rudeness not required.
BTW, only on COTH have I ever encountered a group of women who are so hamstrung by “feelings”–theirs and everyone else’s. I seldom encounter anyone who obsesses over that in real life; most people simply don’t have the time, aren’t aware, or don’t give it much thought.
Office Bore = Dismissed! The rest is drama mongering.[/QUOTE]
Um, those sound like…fun…“parties.” You understand that there are polite ways to change the topic or to exit a conversation, right? And that having a conversation about something that is boring to you is just something that adults have to do sometimes?
ETA: You also seem stuck on the “having discussions on company time” issue. First of all, most companies do not militantly prohibit social discussion of any kind amongst employees. In fact, it is usually encouraged. You know, because people that get to know each other become a better team. Also, not all jobs are the same. Not everyone is paid hourly, you know.
Now if you will excuse me, my assistant just returned from vacation, and I can hear her chatting with someone about it in the hallway. I need to go chase that person away because they are both on “company time” and I need her to slavishly devote herself to her work. 
