Thursday, December 04, 2008

Bathroom Etiquette

Twice in the past two weeks, I have walked into the bathroom at work only to hear someone talking on his cell phone while on the toilet. When this happens, I try to make as much noise as possible. I cough and clear my throat, try to flush as loudly as possible (and sometimes flush twice) and wash my hands like a doctor would before going into surgery. I feel like it’s my responsibility to let the person on the other end of the phone call know that the guy she is talking to is on the toilet. Is this rude or am I doing my civic duty? By the way, I see no problem texting or playing games on your cell phone while on the toilet in a public restroom (for TMI Thursday, I used to play blackjack regularly on my old cell phone; however, this was only when no one else was in the bathroom), but I think talking on the cell phone crosses the line.



By the way, if you want an amazing bathroom/phone story, check out this post by Who Invented Roses, an outstanding blog that I wish I started reading years ago.

12 comments:

Malnurtured Snay said...

I prefer the passive aggressive response: "accidently" hit the light switch on your way out. Whooops.

lacochran said...

I am always amazed when people do this. How can the other person NOT know?

rachaelgking said...

I definitely think it falls into the category of "Civic Duty." I've talked on the phone while on the head before, but never in an office building! Weird!

Anonymous said...

Heh. Yes, it is most certainly your civic doody. Keep flushing.

Gilahi said...

Be sure to aim for the water and not the linoleum when you're.. well... you know. Other noise bodily functions are appropriate in this scenario as well.

Gilahi said...

You know what I hate? I hate seeing my own comments in my e-mail inbox and realizing that I've misspelled something.

NoisY. Not noise bodily functions. NoisY.

Yeesh.

Wonder what I misspelled in this comment...

Anonymous said...

Another example....

Yet again I shown that bathroom etiquette is just not being taught to young children and thus as adults people just do not get it. I mean why do people not show the respect that is deserved? It is mind boggling. If I walk into a bathroom that is occupied, it is out of respect and common courtesy that I turn around and find a new place of enjoyment. I mean...they were there first and are entitled to an uninterrupted stay while they are there. There is no time restriction on bathroom enjoyment. If you would like to spend 3 minutes and get out a quick one.....then that is your choice. If you, as I prefer, would like to spend 10-15 minutes of your painstaking day in the solitude of the bathroom stall, then by all means enjoy!

Yet no....I am thoroughly enjoying my time in the bathroom, with my reading materials in hand, for all of about 63 seconds when a jerk walks in and sits down next to me in the stall next to me. And yes...that is the ONLY other stall. Two of them. Who sits down next to someone in a two stall bathroom. It is not like you are Kinnick stadium and your intent is to hurry in and hurry out....that is a completely different situation. So I am left with the decision of whether to sit there and to try and enjoy my break, while hearing him blow out his O ring and smelling up the joint, or to call it a break and leave unsatisfied?!? There is ONLY one choice to be made. I mean, are you going to sit there and have both smells co-mingling? No way. When you are on your own and you know it is you...that is completely normal and somewhat enjoyable.....when you are left with smells that are not able to be deciphered, that is NASTY.

I just don't understand. It is just unnecessary impoliteness and needs to be stopped.

Sean said...

Malnurtured - That's just mean. I have a story about no lights in the bathroom, but I'll share that another time.

lacochran - I guess if they talk quietly and it's a brief conversation, the other person may not know. They could always say that they are in a bad area for cell service.

Lilu - Home is fine (in my book); public restroom, not so much.

Johanna - Thank you. I agree with civic duty. Just like voting!

Gilahi - Excellent suggestion. Plus, I'm sure I spelled something rwong in the commmments.

Anonymous - Wow, now that's a comment! If you really have to go and there's only two stalls and there's someone in one of them, I think you have to go. Now if there's another restroom down the hall, fine. If it's a block away, you have to use the stall. Since you mentioned Kinnick stadium, thanks to everyone at the University of Iowa for defeated Penn State.

Anonymous said...

Sean - did you not get my poop joke? I have been schooled at the Marc Bleckman academy of DOOKIE. Please acknowledge.

Sean said...

Johanna - I thought that you just spelled duty wrong. :)

Actually, Marc and I went to different schools.

Katherine said...

Thanks for linking me and for the compliment, Sean! And FYI, there was another Operator at it again today. I decided to pee on a different floor.

Bathroom Suites Cheap said...

love how amsuing some of the comments above are, made me chuckle reading a few of them :)