Bathroom Etiquette Revisited

A while back we had a number of discussions and there were some blogs about public bathroom etiquette, particularly as it pertains to urinals. A recent event at work demonstrated to me that we missed a whole area of concern. All of our discussions were about what happens once you're in the washroom, but we didn't talk at all about getting there.

We ate outside at work today, and we were coming back inside. I was walkind in front, with another guy walking behind me. As we passed the bathroom, I turned to go in. He said, "That's a good idea," and followed me in.

This is clearly poor bathroom etiquette. So, I have a new rule: As much as possible, you must try to avoid being in a bathroom at the same time as someone else. This rule is more or less important depending on the size of the bathroom. However, following someone into a bathroom is a clear breach of etiquette. Both finding another washroom or waiting until a later time are the proper response.

Addendum

I forgot to mention one thing in my last post, which is purchasing all alcohol locally. I was quite enjoying Chilean and Argentinian wines, and Belgian and Dutch beers, however it takes a lot of energy to transport these to Ontario. So, in my last trip to the LCBO to stock up after our week at the cottage, I bought all local beers and wines. There's some good stuff locally if you just look hard enough.

Greening our Home

So, the fam is on a green kick. I've been spouting environmentalism for a while now, so it's time to get serious about it ourselves. Also, Melissa is leading the charge, which makes things easier as she does 98% of our purchasing. So, here's some of the stuff we're doing:

-Buying biodegradable, reusable diapers. They have a biodegradable or flushable liner, and then the rest is washable and reusable.
-Composting. We keep a container in the kitchen and then compost it in the backyard compost bin.
-Buying all our fruits and veggies from a local farmer.
-Using reusable shopping bags which we keep in the truck for convenience.
-I'm biking and rollerblading more.
-Using environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies.
-Growing vegetables in our garden.
-We were already using flourescent bulbs and recycling as much as possible.

All-in-all it costs a bit more, but feels good to be doing our part.

Euro Cup

Well, at least I got Spain right. What a fantastic final game, very enjoyable, and a great Euro tournament all around, other than the Netherlands not winning (and England not playing).

Rebel

I ate a 2-bite brownie in 3 bites.

Irony

In qualitative research, there is something we call the 'paradigm case'. This is another phrase for the perfect example. It is used when we are trying to describe a concept or a type of person and we have or create an example that perfectly illustrates the point.

A couple of years ago I made a shirt that said 'paradigm case', enjoying the intrigue that came from people trying to figure out what I'm a perfect example of. I gave away this shirt and a number of my other home-made phrase t-shirts to the health centre where I work.

Today, one of our severely crack-cocaine addicted clients came in wearing this shirt. It was rather ironic, him being the paradigm case of a crack-addict.

A little later, a client walked by wearing my 'I appreciate the muppets on a much deeper level than you' shirt. I chuckled.

Sometimes you just throw up your hands and say...

Inorganic chemistry provides the answer to life's biggest questions.

Jamie and Cam Grant

Kudos to Jamie and Cam for holding a fantastic wedding this past Saturday. The location was perfect, the schedule well put together, the toys for the kids very appreciated, and the food delectable. Hope you have a great time away and look forward to getting together with you as a fellow married couple.

I forgot when I first posted this that I wanted to include a little anecdote:

The weather was threatening all day, with rain in the morning and thunderstorms forcasted for the evening. Fortunately, it held off for the ceremony, and didn't start to rain until everyone was inside the tent for dinner. There were big, plastic walls that you could hang around the tent in the case of rain, so me and four other guys got to work setting these up. At first it was just raining a bit, so it wasn't too bad putting them up. We were carrying one of the long, heavy walls towards the tent, with me at the front, when it started to pour. All-of-a-sudden the wall got really heavy, and I turned around to see the other four guys taking shelter in the tent. As people around the edge were now getting rained on, I didn't want to stop, so kept at it while it simultaneously rained on my and poured off the tent roof onto my head. I got the wall up, but was absolutely drenched and rather chilly for the rest of the evening.