Sentence:  He also had , at times , an uncanny <WSD>absent-minded</WSD> air like a sleepwalker ; he would look right through you while you were talking to him , and if you said , `` For Christ's sake , Donald , you 've got Prussian blue all over your shirt '' , he would smile , and nod , and an hour later the paint would be all over his pants as well . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  lost in thought; showing preoccupation