PDA

View Full Version : A visit to the ladies room



chickwhorips
01-30-2007, 08:19 AM
Visit to the Ladies Room...

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance."

In this position your toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance." You reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!"

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you say, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too. At this point you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women, still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've got to be kidding!!). It explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

DebW
01-30-2007, 08:55 AM
Anyone remember the person running for President in about 1976 on a platform of banning public restrooms? Oh well... he wasn't elected.

Haudlady
01-30-2007, 08:58 AM
Teehee!!! That's funny.

This reminds me of the first time my niece encountered an automatic flush toilet. She kept setting it off (she's pretty little), and thought it was hilarious! She was laughing so hard that she couldn't pee! At least she didn't think it was scary. The joys of being three!

Dianyla
01-30-2007, 09:34 AM
Oh man, I hate automatic flush toilets!!!! Hate them hate them hate them!!! :mad:

BleeckerSt_Girl
01-30-2007, 11:34 AM
I hate them too- they always seem to flush like 3 times by the time I leave the stall- what a waste of water!!! :mad:

chickwhorips
01-30-2007, 11:36 AM
i always wait to see if its going to flush, then it doesn't so i flush it, and as soon as it gets done and i turn around to open the door, it flushes again!

SouthernBelle
01-30-2007, 12:33 PM
I well remember the first time I ran into one. Scared me!

Does anybody remember the old SNL skit, "The Ladies' Room"?

Duck on Wheels
01-30-2007, 02:58 PM
And it's no wonder there're no seat covers in the dispenser, because the automatic flusher always flushes as you're turning around after putting a seat cover down.

doc
01-30-2007, 04:31 PM
My daughter was absolutely terrified of the automatic flush. This created a LOT of tension at airports with lots of jumping up in the air mid-urination. I finally figured out the trick: I put my hand directly over the eye and then she can pee in peace. It won't flush until I remove my hand.

Ugh, and that lovely mist it sprays on you while flushing.....

RoadRaven
01-30-2007, 05:18 PM
LOL @ "The Stance"

We have coined the phrase "upholstering or hovering"

I always "hovered"... always in a rush, I wanted to be in and out asap... however, pregnancy meant I became too heavy to successfully "hover" so I became a diligent "upholsterer", carefully laying TP on the seat...

whippetgirl
01-30-2007, 06:04 PM
I've been there....I guess I never thought to put my purse around my neck, though (good idea!!!) I usually make my daughter hold it or something.
How about "the stance" in portapotties? that has to be the worst of all.
Especially on a hot day!

Kitsune06
01-30-2007, 06:05 PM
Seriously.
For all those times you go to an outdoor venue and theres pee (or worse) all over the seat, the floor, etc etc forever and ever amen...
http://www.travelmateinfo.com/
HANDY. then just carry a little bottle of water/alcohol (or everclear/151 if it's one of THOSE venues) and rinse after use. Wipe dry. Stash in a plastic baggie. Done.

...but practice first. :eek:

doc
01-31-2007, 02:59 AM
Seriously.
For all those times you go to an outdoor venue and theres pee (or worse) all over the seat, the floor, etc etc forever and ever amen...
http://www.travelmateinfo.com/
HANDY. then just carry a little bottle of water/alcohol (or everclear/151 if it's one of THOSE venues) and rinse after use. Wipe dry. Stash in a plastic baggie. Done.

...but practice first. :eek:

Have you used this item? I am intrigued.

missymaya
01-31-2007, 08:23 AM
The new gym at the school I work/study at just added the autoflush toilets and even if you flinch, they flush! So they end up flushing about 10 times before your done doing your business. And they're very random too and can be quite surprising:eek:

DebW
01-31-2007, 08:29 AM
There is also this method (http://nbtsc.org/~ganimede/stp.html) using only fingers. The learning curve is pretty steep. I haven't mastered it, but I haven't practiced all that much. Squatting in the woods seems quite natural to me, nothing to clean up, and hands stay clean if you don't wipe. Could be useful in public restrooms, though.

lph
01-31-2007, 10:12 AM
Ok, now I'm going to gross everybody out. I sit down on the seat (hey, somebody has to provide those germs), don't know if it's because my mother never told me not to or I just don't know any better :p I don't think I could do "the stance" to save my life, I'd probably end up with a mighty cramp in both legs, unable to ever straighten up again.

But maybe Norwegian restrooms just aren't that awful? No wet seats, and rarely out of paper.

Kitsune06
01-31-2007, 08:43 PM
I *have* used the travelmate, but there *is* a learning curve.
DebW- I found that link awhile ago, that's what started me on that. I can do just fine either way, maybe better 'freehand', but just can't do it with someone watching. Shy bladder. :eek:
The keys to success are- strong start, sudden finish, and manage not to drip on your feet! :eek: :D

Wahine
01-31-2007, 09:58 PM
I have no problem with sitting on a public toilet seat. My skin is healthy and should be able to ward off any germ just fine.

Now, if you're in China, you don't have to worry about a toilet seat because you're likely to be squatting over a pit in the floor. The technique:

1) Roll up pant legs prior to entry into stall (if you are lucky enough to have a stall and not just several pits in the floor with no privacy) to avoid having pantlegs dragging in nastiness on the floor when you squat.

2) If you have a stall this is a good time to enter and close the door behind you. That is, if you have a door.

3) Most of the pits are a type of basin in the floor and some have a Pee shield, that goes to the front when you squat.

4) Most North Americans are large than your average Chinese person so you probably want to have your feet wider that the suggested foot pads on the ground.

5) Squat and pee

6) pull toilet paper out of purse - because there is never any in the restrooms and wipe.

7) drop used toilet paper into the basket with everyone elses used toilet paper at the side of the pit. Chinese plumbing can't handle TP.

8) Leave stall, fix pants and hope that you have water to wash your hands.

My travel companions and I developed a rating system. the person who went in first would rate it and report and the others would decide if they should hold it depending on the rating. Believe me, some of them were that bad.

crazycanuck
02-01-2007, 03:54 AM
Wahine-I've heard about the toilets in some parts of China..:eek:

The ones at the train stations in Japan were similar but cleaner. I could never get the squat toilets down pat...makes for some exciting moments

Now the best thing about squat toilets is when you're in the middle of the doing your thing & there's a spider crawling around...:eek:

Prior to visiting Malaysia, I wasn't aware of the toilet situation. As it's a muslim country here's more info. I was confused when i saw the bucket & cup beside the toilet at first but then realized..ah..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_toilet_etiquette

c

bmccasland
02-01-2007, 04:44 AM
I've done field work in wilderness areas, including Grand Canyon National Park, where we had to pack *all* solid wastes out. So we had a bucket with a liner and a lid, but then got in an arguement with our helicopter pilot - a substitute because our regular pilot was out on medical - that *the bucket* should most definitely NOT be in the cabin of the helicopter, it should be in the cargohold. This poor flyboy was used to flying big whigs around, not scrappy biologists and their stuff.

We were *civilized*, we did have a toilet seat that balanced on top of the bucket, and in another bucket was the toilet paper, a package of lime, and some tabloids for reading. Each bucket had a lid to protect or contain the contents. This humble toilet was on the edge of camp behind some shubbery. We went to "commune with nature."

lph
02-01-2007, 05:39 AM
yep. I think my most memorable toilet visits were during summer field work on Spitsbergen.

We dug a little hole 200 m away from our tent camp (well, scrabbled aside as much as we could before we hit permafrost) and erected a small dry-stone wall around. Our toilet seat was very civilized, thin plywood with a layer of cork nailed on :)

So you'd grab the toilet paper, the matchbox to burn all dry bits up with afterwards, a rifle, and go sit gazing down towards the ice-berg laden fjord for a couple of minutes, which also was the direction any curious polar bears would come strolling from.

Frequently checking across your shoulder in case they didn't... :D

And no, we never saw any.

DebW
02-01-2007, 06:19 AM
I've got a sealed package of 2 Travelmates I'll give to anyone who wants them. When I bought it several years ago, the company got behind on orders, and to make amends, they DOUBLED everyone's order. So I ended up with 4 instead of the minimum order of 2. And didn't like it well enough to use it anyway. PM me is you want them.

Aint Doody
02-01-2007, 03:58 PM
This is fascinating. I can hardly wait to get into the shower to try it out!

Kitsune06
02-02-2007, 06:04 AM
shower is *the best* way to practice (who doesn't have to pee in the morning??) first get so you can do it, then get so you can reliably hit the drain. I'm out of practice, but when I was really doing that often (between the Fair and weekend hiking trips...) I could argue with dh that I had aim as good or better. ;) :eek:

CyclChyk
02-20-2007, 06:31 PM
Ok - here is a simple way to pee standing up for women

http://www.urinelle.biz/html/en/Howtouse.shtml?src=overture&OVRAW=pee%20out%20tube&OVKEY=pee%20tube&OVMTC=standard

Still won't let me write my name in the snow tho...........:(

Zen
05-31-2007, 09:27 AM
That last one reminds me of the song "Detachable Penis".

When I was in the Army and working in the motor pool we had no immediate facilities and I had to walk to another motor pool that did. My sergeant, having done time in "Nam informed me of the method the Vietnamese women used with the thumb and forefinger. From then on instead of telling him I was going to use the toilet I just made that "L" sign.

Python
05-31-2007, 04:01 PM
This is fascinating. I can hardly wait to get into the shower to try it out!


Me too.

Anyone ever seen the British comedy film "The Full Monty"? In the opening scenes one of the women shows she can pee standing up (to the delight and amazement of her friends).

It's a film that if you haven't seen it, it is well worth getting hold of:D

extra-vert
07-02-2007, 09:58 PM
I was on a business call with a client once and I really had to pee - so i thought, 'what the hell he'll never know, I'll pee quietly. Course then I completely forgot about that stupid automatic flush thing - DOPE!:D :eek:

glamgurl36
10-04-2007, 07:23 AM
ive seen this before, it's so true....hahah...i hate those things..when i was in spain,hardly any of them had seat covers it was basically just a bowl..needless to say, i had strong thighs when i got home haha:eek:

KnottedYet
10-04-2007, 08:51 PM
Zen - Explain!!!!!!!

Knot-has-things-to-try-tomorrow-in-the-shower

(and how much of this can I use with my pelvic floor patients?) :D

And let's all sing "If I had a Penis" by Uncle Bonzai. (that screaming fan you hear in the background? That's yours truly at Bumbershoot.)

indigoiis
10-05-2007, 08:02 AM
There is also this method (http://nbtsc.org/~ganimede/stp.html) using only fingers. The learning curve is pretty steep. I haven't mastered it, but I haven't practiced all that much. Squatting in the woods seems quite natural to me, nothing to clean up, and hands stay clean if you don't wipe. Could be useful in public restrooms, though.

I learned to do this, using the instructions on this website, in the shower.
but, I have not yet used it in a public restroom.

KnottedYet
10-05-2007, 07:13 PM
I tried it in the shower. Umm... I need practice.
(and I wanna be a hot-patootie pelvic floor therapist?!?! Dang, I'd better work on this one!:D )

New goal in life: I wanna be able to pee neatly standing up!

(we're hoping to work with trans and peri-surgery gender-reassignment patients from two of the docs in our clinic, so if I might be teaching someone how to pee standing up I'd dang well better be able to do it myself, eh?)

crazycanuck
10-06-2007, 02:59 AM
Knot-you're one coolio chickie :) I'm sure the folks will appreciate your hard work!

C