I have a small obsession with using the bathroom in public places. If there are any breaks in the ceiling tile or vents directly overhead stalls, I give pause. Too many Dateline or 20/20 episodes have lead me to believe that EVERY bathroom in America is teaming with hidden cameras, deadly germs, and peeping toms. So I am always very particular about what stall I use. It's an important decision which is not to be taken lightly. (could this be another reason why girls take longer than boys in the bathroom?)
Anyway, at my old job, I had my "favorite" stall. It was spacious and far enough away from the askew ceiling tile that I felt pretty safe in there. It had its drawbacks. The booger stuck to the wall in the corner, the questionable smell that would sometimes come up from the drain in the floor, etc. No stall is the perfect stall. The move to a new job has brought along with it all new insecurities regarding the bathroom situation. Luckily, the 9 people on my team are the only ones who really use the basement bathrooms (unless there's training going on down here), and there are only 4 girls, including myself, on the team. There are 3 stalls. Unfortunately, there are vents located directly over the first two, and the vent over the second one is such that there is a clear line of site into the third. What does this mean? There are no safe bathroom stalls. At all. I briefly thought about going upstairs anytime I need to "go," but I realized recently that I'm pretty territorial about who uses "my" bathroom, so I probably shouldn't impede on other people's spaces. I also thought about trying to "hold" it all day. But between the walk and the train commute and the fact that I drink a few liters of water everyday, I decided that doing that wouldn't work out, either.
So I've decided to use the third. Don't get me wrong. It has its drawbacks. The biggest being that it's an end stall: huge gap for passers-by to look through. And, of course, the vent issue, but that was going to be a problem no matter which stall I chose. It won me over for one reason: it's the one that always has the lid up. So either it's the cleanest, or it's the one the male transients sneak into use.
Anyway, at my old job, I had my "favorite" stall. It was spacious and far enough away from the askew ceiling tile that I felt pretty safe in there. It had its drawbacks. The booger stuck to the wall in the corner, the questionable smell that would sometimes come up from the drain in the floor, etc. No stall is the perfect stall. The move to a new job has brought along with it all new insecurities regarding the bathroom situation. Luckily, the 9 people on my team are the only ones who really use the basement bathrooms (unless there's training going on down here), and there are only 4 girls, including myself, on the team. There are 3 stalls. Unfortunately, there are vents located directly over the first two, and the vent over the second one is such that there is a clear line of site into the third. What does this mean? There are no safe bathroom stalls. At all. I briefly thought about going upstairs anytime I need to "go," but I realized recently that I'm pretty territorial about who uses "my" bathroom, so I probably shouldn't impede on other people's spaces. I also thought about trying to "hold" it all day. But between the walk and the train commute and the fact that I drink a few liters of water everyday, I decided that doing that wouldn't work out, either.
So I've decided to use the third. Don't get me wrong. It has its drawbacks. The biggest being that it's an end stall: huge gap for passers-by to look through. And, of course, the vent issue, but that was going to be a problem no matter which stall I chose. It won me over for one reason: it's the one that always has the lid up. So either it's the cleanest, or it's the one the male transients sneak into use.
Ok...as a follow up to yesterday...I was TOTALLY joking that I thought the lady's room was being used by transients - or any boys. Today, I am horrified to report that I actually DO think that the lady's room is being used by a boy. I'm forced to take action: I'm going upstairs from now on.
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