Starting to wonder how weird I really am.

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There's a guy that started working in my department this week. I don't work directly with him and I've only spoken to him once when my manager was introducing him to everyone.

Yesterday a coworker who is on my team told me he was talking to the new guy, asking how he liked it there so far. Apparently the new guy already thinks I'm "weird". I didn't hear any specifics of the conversation, so I don't know how\ why I got mentioned, nor do I know in what way he perceives me as weird. I would have liked to have asked him more about the conversation, but I find it really hard to ask things like that. I just said "He wouldn't get any arguments from me on that point."

I don't really care if people think I'm weird, but now I'm wondering how people who just met me perceive me. I didn't think I was odd enough for someone to think there was something different about me just by being around me without talking to me. Now I'm also wondering what my coworkers who have been around me for years think of me. I wonder if any suspects that I'm on the spectrum. (this has happened once before. A coworker asked if I had aspergers.)

No real point to this thread, just wanted to write about it.

It's interesting. I actually didn't know about some of my social-interaction quirks until I disclosed by AS suspicious to a coworker/mentor, nor did I realize that I came across as "different." (Before all that, said person also told my former supervisor that she wondered if I was "a little autistic.")

I can relate to this thread, though. Sometimes I can tell when people think I'm weird, like when I refer to myself in the 3rd person or work nonstop for hours without taking breaks or maybe saying something "off", something not considered normal.

I can't tell all the time when I'm being weird, though. Sometimes I'm taken by total surprise when people say I'm weird. I actually have to ask why because I don't know what I said was so abnormal. Anyway, I'm a little too old to care what people think now. I'm weird. I guess I'll just have to deal with that.

Not understanding how others perceive us is a part of being autistic.

I've spent my whole life trying not to be weird in public. I've gotten pretty good at it; but, it takes a lot of energy and I can only do it for so long. If I'm not certain something I'm going to say or do isn't weird I just censor it. I've gotten much easier on myself as I've grown older. I use to be so anxious that I would repeat each sentence I wanted to speak in my head, editing it before I would let it out. I'm often seen as aloof; but, I'm really just hiding

What gets me is that I can do the things that I (at least think) I'm supposed be doing - like asking questions about their interests, but not asking so many questions that it's intrusive. Just being light and pleasant, and they still think I'm weird. I can see it on their faces. I'm talking about like a 3 sentence conversation. I don't get it, but I've given up hating myself over it. It just is what it is, maybe one day I'll figure it out though. I talk way less then I used to though and when I see people trying to avoid eye contact with me like they're afraid I'll talk to them, I make a not to never say anything to them again beyond Nice Weather or something that innocuous.

In social situations, I use scripts which follow set algorithms. I can't take being called "weird" anymore. I don't like it.

I know I'm weird, I'm glad I'm weird.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

I consider 'weird' to be a compliment.
'normal' is the unappealing thing. I avoid those people.