First off, Happy Birthday to Debbie and Charity today and Happy Birthday to Ruth yesterday! (thanks Kris, I stole Debbie’s picture from you.)
I shared a drink with Debbie last night and then moved on to share a few with Ruth, but let me just say that eating only a salad during the day, having a few vodka tonics, and getting home at 1am does not make for a fun 7am XGym workout. Argh.
Onward. I discovered something about myself this week. Whenever I use a public restroom, I do the usual checking out of each stall to find the cleanest one WITH toilet paper. Okay, nothing strange there. What I realized though is that from there on out, if I return to the bathroom multiple times that day, I always return to the same stall. First I thought, well maybe I like the idea of minimizing the number of new germs I expose myself to, but we all know that this is not just an unavoidable bathroom conundrum, but most women also know that we run by the rule of “Hover, Cover, or Go Home.”
I have a lot of friends who fret when there aren’t any toilet seat covers (someone’s genius idea of a top notch paper protection plan). I also have a few friends who simply won’t use the restroom in public at all (you know who you are). But I follow the Hover plan. The way I see it, the only exercise I get sometimes is hovering over a toilet seat. It’s my very own version of squats. With this in mind, the only thing I touch is the door to the stall and the toilet paper. I use my foot to flush and I always wash my hands after (Kris likes to shatter my crushes on people by telling me who does and does not wash their hands, so beware).
You’re probably wondering what this gripping tale has to do with my neurosis. Well, I just find it peculiar that I pick a stall or a single person restroom and stick with it. Not just on that day, but any time I return in the future. At work, I always seek out the same restroom and stall. When in a new section of the building, I find a new designated spot. I won’t go so far as to walk all the way back to my original bathroom if I’m far away. I’ll just stake claim on another one in the new area.
When I was at Western I remember someone telling me they wanted to use every stall in every bathroom on campus before graduating and I thought that sounded kind of cool. But on further reflection I realized that I form a special bond with my stalls, as if to say, “Hey, missed ya, thanks for being there for me.” As if we share a special secret, my commode and me.
So here’s to all the toilets who have been there for me.
�The second stall at “The Garage” on Broadway
�The first stall on the first floor of Miller Hall
�The Team 2 handicapped single bathroom on the fourth floor of the South building at Central Group Health
�The second stall in my high school humanities hallway where I once cleaned up all the stray paper by setting it on fire
�The foyer bathroom of my parent’s house when I was in 6th grade where I would soak my short hair in the sink and slick it back so it would feather just right by the end of the day
�The yellow bathroom at home as a kid where I was potty trained.
�And numerous other toilets that I’ve cradled in sickness and in…well, unnecessary drinking induced sickness.
My sister just told me she has chosen a stall at work that nobody uses because the door was damaged a bit from the last earthquake. This makes her feel as if she has her very own clean untainted stall.
So be honest folks, how about the rest of you?
If the choo-choo train is on the way and I have to drop the kids off at the pool, pretty much any port in a storm will do, as long as it’s not wet or crusty.
What happens when you go to use one of “your” stalls and it is the only being occupied at the time? Do you wait?
Also, how do Ruth, Charity, and Debbie feel about sharing their blog entry with you talkin about toilets? :O)
I always go for the handicapped stall, because it gives me a little more breathing room to do my bidness… also, I like sitting up a little higher like I’m driving an SUV… but i do tend to agree with Scott.. any port in a storm 🙂
Fun fact..the very first stall in the bathroom is always the cleanest. Research as been done that folks like to be as far away from the door or the sinks for more privicy. Thus..the first stall is used less and hence has fewer germs. Just a fun FYI!!
Well first to answer Jenna’s question, I will use a different stall and not wait if mine is taken, but my instinct is to go to the same stall. But to Johnny, I was once in a bathroom when someone went into the handicapped stall. A woman in a wheelchair came in and screamed bloody murder about how it should only be used by the handicapped. That was uncomfortable and now I’m self-conscious about it and try not to most of the time.
And to Joey, I love that tidbit of info and will use it now to determine new stalls to use. Thanks!
mmmmm. You are just sooo hot.
I love you Katie but your a freak. There are drugs you can take for that sort of thing. So…I read somewhere at one time in the not too distant past that the stall with the least germs is the first stall since everyone skips it assuming that everyone else uses it. Personally I use which ever one isn’t completely wrecked.
KT, every time I think you can’t possibly get any weirder, you prove me wrong again. Your most-beloved bathroom stalls? What’s next, an ode to your favorite boogers? “Phlegm: A Reminiscence, by Katie Toft.”
Anyhooo, you asked, so here goes: I did have a favorite bathroom at BMGF. The handicapped stall in the downstairs bathroom, across from the receptionist area. I never used the bathroom in Trainer Alley, too much danger. No one ever used the downstairs one, so you could head down there in the morning with the newspaper and a cup of coffee. Peace and quiet, and no need to worry about courtesy flushes.
Best of all, since it was so secluded, you could always successfully leave the bathroom without having to run into another trainer, who would then associate you with that godawful stench and–
Whoops, I said the quiet part loud again.
Lordie lordie lordie. You took a page out of Peelio’s book, didn’t you? Talkin’ about poopin’ stalls. Gross. Yeesh.
But, to answer your question: remember Trainspotting? Yeah, I always look for one of those.
Happy Birthday to the girls, and I hope you find YOUR favorite stall too! I live so close to work, that if the need arises so to speak, I will just come home and do it in the privacy of my own train-squatting.
Ok so first off, I think this issue has a slightly different (read: grosser) meaning for the boys. Us girls have to use a stall for we lack the capacity to pee in a urinal so no ribbing KT for being gross! Having said that, I actually am with you on this one Katie. In our department I always pick the same stall if it is free. I can’t explain it any better than you, but I do it every time. I also avoid the handicap stall whenever possible for the same reason; you never know when someone who HAS to use that stall will come in.