A random look at the life and times of Jim Rising recovering radio addict and newspaper columnist.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Bathroom Manners

I. took a job quite a few years back at a radio station that will remain nameless for the purpose of this narrative. It was a station that was in probably the oldest facility I have ever worked at and the joint had only two bathrooms. The Ladies room was near the lobby and the Men’s room was all the way in the back, but near the sales offices. You know there are lots of things they don’t tell you when you start a job at any office but what I didn’t know was the sink in the Men’s room was routinely used to fill the coffee pot for the sales team, many of which has no business being in the Men’s room. If you get my drift. The protocol which I was not privy to (pun intended) was for female coffee makers to knock on the Men’s room door before entering. I was blissfully unaware of this while doing my business at the urinal when I heard a knock at the door. Not thinking and done but not buttoned up I turned towards the door and showed my shortcomings to a very flustered sales girl. My next stop was the General Mangers office where I opened the conversation with “I just exposed my self to a sales girl. Am I fired?” We all had a good laugh. But the other day was not nearly as funny. I was done with my workout and stumbling to the locker room. Went in and passed by the couple in the sink area on my way to the shower. Wait a minute. A couple in the Men’s locker room. Man and woman. And in an embrace. That seemed, well, wrong. I walked back over to confirm what I saw and was greeted with cold stares. As though I was intruding. I really didn’t know what to say so I said nothing.
It’s worth noting here that that the guy part of this little incident was the same one who unplugged my treadmill while I was going full tilt and was to put it mildly, less than apologetic. So we already sort of knew each other. I went back the shower area and sat down to consider my options. I could wait. I could continue my routine. I could suggest to them that they get a room.
In the end they solved the problem for me by leaving. Maybe they went in the ladies room. Some countries have unisex bathrooms. I never want to go there. Or then again I could be wrong

No comments: