Monday, November 02, 2009

The bother with bathrooms


My parents have a story.
When I was a young lad, many years ago, it seemed I had a fascination with toilets. No sooner had I arrive in a new house, i would need to know where the bathroom was.
These days when I recall this information, I'd like to think it was because I always wanted to be prepared; that even as a five year old I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I'd like to think that.

Over thirty five years later, I may have to admit a deeper concern. I maybe a bathroom snob.

Today, I honestly have to say that the bathroom stall concept appalls me.
That line of stalls with the overriding concession to the cleaners, allowing them to easily mop the floors has eliminated any sense of privacy by removing the extension of the walls to the floor.

I don't know when it became ok, I wonder how this insidious design propagated, and why we sat by and created a new poop culture to cope.
See this page if you don't know what I mean.

It may be humor people - but I'm not laughing
I love my walls. I love my privacy.
And in so many ways there's a lot of that 5 year old still about.

2 comments:

Cian said...

Oh Man - I am so with you on the stalls. I am not so bad on the ones where they do not reach the floor where they still go down most of the way.

But stalls in the US leave a lot of be desired. There seems to be a shorage of wood or plastics and very often they are at knee height, you can almost look into the next one over the top, they do not reach the back wall and you can see around the door edges...

FFS - Let a man do his business in peace.

Mark J said...

Nice to know I'm not alone in this :)