Occupational Weirdness

I'll admit it, the professorly lot is a strange one.  My building houses the English, Sociology, History, and Family Life bunch.  I try to be friendly and am amazed at some of the responses.  Perhaps it is because I am a lowly "Instructor," and not a true "Professor" that it somehow shows in my countenance. 

Anyway, I have gathered a few amusing stories over the past few years.  A recent encounter:

As I was walking down a very, very long hallway toward a tweed-clad male with, yes, leather elbow patches, I pondered the appropriate approaching-a-stranger body language and verbiage.  The "Where should my eyes focus?" "Do I give more than the simple nod?" "Would a verbal greeting with a mention of the weather be the way to go?" and "Is it noticeable that I have gleaned the necessary information to group this guy in the yes-for-sure-him-be-a-geek category?" questions all crossed my mind in the early dawn hours of this happentance of meeting.  We were totally alone in the massive expanse of space and obviously had seen each other, or so I thought.

As he approached, I'd made the decision to try the friendly technique once again.  But (this is not a lie) when I got to the point where it is customary to give the greeting, this guy pivoted at an immediate sharp right angle to face a bulletin board that apparently had information of huge interest to him giving him the necessary out so that he wouldn't need to speak.  I allowed the out and remained silent as I passed.

However........as I glanced over my shoulder to see the information that would cause such an amazing maneuver, I saw that the bulletin board was COMPLETELY BLANK!  He stood there, nose not 6 inches from the surface, staring with fixed amazement at NOTHINGNESS.  I actually got quite an inner giggle fest out of it at the moment, but later concluded that I go to work in the dark, spend my hours in the basement in an apron, and leave in the dark.  What might one expect in such a setting?