"I don't remember eating corn!"
Bathroom humor, it's all I know.
Bathroom humor, it's all I know.
Whether at church or at social outings, I sometimes cross paths with my friends while we’re both in the restroom. I’m usually happy to chat with my friends, but it makes me uncomfortable when they talk to me while I’m in a stall. I’d at least like to pretend I have some privacy there. Am I being standoffish, or is this a reasonable request?
Sincerely,
Privacy Please
Dear Privacy Please,
I have thought about your question for a while now and have taken notes while visiting restrooms with friends. We stop talking. We assume a cone of (brief) silence. Sure this is a little hard for me, a talker, to drop the conversation if it's even slightly interesting, but it seems natural to allow a friend a little privacy.
So yes, this is a reasonable request. Unless you are with your sister(s). Then all bets are off.
Do you agree? Or ..do you...chat... stall-to-stall?
Has anyone ever said something really funny to you, stall-to-stall? I'd like hearing about it.
Has anyone ever said something really funny to you, stall-to-stall? I'd like hearing about it.
On the side Bathroom Story: while waiting tables at a restaurant in my youth, we had to use the customer restrooms which I hated doing when we had business. For some reason I thought it was really gross for a customer to see their waitress in the bathroom. But sometimes you have no choice. We also had to wear ugly black shoes as part of our uniform. At the end of a shift one night I headed to the bathroom, with a co-worker and friend of mine, and waited in line for my turn. When I came out of the bathroom stall I noticed my co-worker still in her stall, as identified by her same ugly black shoes. We were the last ones in the bathroom and thinking myself funny, I banged on her metal stall door yelling things like "I know what you're doing in there!! Hurry up! Let me in!", and just made a lot of loud, crazy noise. As I was washing my hands, exiting the stale was not my friend but an older, startled looking customer wearing ugly black shoes.
I tell the story better in person.
12 comments:
While I was overseas I couldn't get over how horrible the bathroom etiquette was. No one was talking to me per say but it was as if families were having conversations while in there. Very loudly I would say. This was one of those times I was thankful I didn't understand Chinese.
I hate people talking to me while I'm in the stall. When I worked at a bank an older co-worker was next to me and she said "oh, I just feel so much better. Don't you?" I didn't say anything and stayed in the stall until she left.
I used to be quiet, but then found the silence while taking care of personal needs in the bathroom to actually draw more attention to the bodily sounds. Which is super uncomfortable. So I try to gauge it to my crowd. I prefer no one hears anything in the bathroom though, and if that means I must talk so be it.
I have heard some funny things said in the bathroom, but usually it came from children. I will talk to my children but only in a helpful "hurry-up-because-you-know-how-much-mom-hates-public-restrooms" way.
I don't talk to my friends between stalls and I probably wouldn't appreciate them talking to me while either of us are doing our "business."
uhoh, just last Sunday I talked thru a stall to a friend while I washed up and she was in the stall. Looks like I have some apologizing to do.
I've never heard this story from you!! (yes you have Jana, I've told you hundred times! *sigh*)
And the corn joke was just uncalled for.
I don't mind a stall chit-chat.
Jana, I'm glad that you admit it with pride.
Would "must...have...been...the creamed ..corn" be any better? An old lady grunted that comment to me once in-stall.
it doesn't bother me, and i do it without thinking twice.
I was just bragging to your dad's cousin Rod (bugspray man, remember?)about your blog, and so I had to show him. Of course this is the one we saw and read first. Life really does go like that. Although we got some good belly laughs, I had to show him some more refined, talent-demonstrative blogs afterwards.
Actually, I would like to know either where or how you got the photo of feet in stalls, or did you take a camera and start using it in a bathroom. Now that, to me, would certainly be horrible bathroom etiquette! (Besides just creepy)
I think it 's totally appropriate to talk stall to stall, as long as you know who you are talking to. I don't however, agree with what my husband does in the men's room; where if someone makes a great noise he comments and says things like "blast off". I might say that to a close friend or a sister, but not to someone I don't know! I guess it just depends on your personality.
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