Thursday, February 26, 2009

Over or Under

So, I guess I am an "over" person. I didn't realize this to full effect until this year, though, when I was living with a person who habitually loaded the roll of toilet paper so that it fed out from the bottom. I can't tell you how much it irked my sensibilities. Okay, not that much. But it still prompted me to unload and then re-load the paper in the "over" position every time. I just felt better.

And I think about this when I go into public restrooms, too. There is nothing worse than having a full roll of toilet paper, fully visible through some plastic container, but having to dig around inside to find the end of it, shredding little bits of it in the process. No, actually, what's worse than that is getting in, and realizing only too late that there is no toilet paper. We've all had that experience. But in some ways its worse to have toilet paper you can't access.

And so with my toilet paper at home. I don't want to have to wonder where the end of my toilet paper is. If I can't see it, it's a problem. Plus, as I was explaining to someone recently, to me it just makes sense to have it coming out the top. The use of gravity makes the whole thing easier to deal with. Not that it matters, but really, the amount of time I save in the long run will probably add up to hours by the end of my life. That's hours that I didn't spend fishing for the end of my toilet paper. Time well saved, in my book.

So anyway, you probably have your own personal habits and customs when it comes to toilet paper.

I like the way this guy wrote about it here, and he also goes on to tell the history of toilet paper. Interesting stuff!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Fuzzy Touch

"The UltraTouch Comfort Touch surface is similar to what you find on today's soft handle toothbrushes, writing pens, etc."

Hm, sounds like a no-slip grip for your backside, to me.

AND they offer an anti-microbial agent, quick-release hinges, electrical heating, available in "white," "biscuit" and "almond."

Apparently, the heated seat "makes a great gift." Really, who wouldn't want to give (or receive) a heated toilet seat from their loved one on a very special day?

Lots of fun www.heatedtoiletseat.com.

(Bonus: Check out their logo of "the Thinker"...)

Monday, February 23, 2009

The Kindness of Strangers...

Here's one from Surjeet...

"I am now at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for a couple of weeks and this place is more or less in the middle of nowhere. And when I arrived at my apartment, which has all sorts of comforts like a nice study, a kitchen, a very nice bedroom and a fireplace, I found that it lacked toilet paper. Not a single roll. Apparently the nearest place where I can purchase the goods is like 2-3 miles away and without a car, thats a bit of a chore. So I actually had to walk around my neighborhood a bit to see if there were some folk who could lend me a roll - thankfully, the first person I ran into was more than willing to lend me a couple of rolls after having a thorough laugh at my expense. The question though is, if you saw a sketchy indian grad student wandering around your neighborhood looking for toilet paper, wouldnt you call Immigration or the FBI or atleast the cops? I know I would. Strange place, Princeton."



Surjeet celebrating his gift of toilet paper.

Wayward Portaloos

So here is a good one from my friends, the Wayward Wellingtonians.

On a trip across country, they found a popular brand of portapotty with the intriguing name of...

Cow Paper

I had no idea I could really make this toilet paper theme continue, but on it went.

When I was in Germany, my German Aunt (she's not really my aunt, but sort of), had read one of my posts about toilet paper. She thought it was funny, and was also a little bit confused. I showed her the sample of my purple toilet paper that I brought with me. Then one day, as we arrived at my German grandfather's house (again, not really my grandfather), she pointed to these hay bails covered in white plastic. "Look. It's like toilet paper for the cows," She said.



To see the original post, with comments, go here.

Colored Toilet Paper

To continue the theme of colored toilet paper, in the case of France, or at least in Aix, it seems this is one of their priorities. Especially when the bathroom is nasty. Let's say you have a little bathroom that doubles as a janitor's closet off the basement stairway in a somewhat sketchy internet café/bar. It's small. It's dirty in the way that it can't possibly be cleaned. There isn't any soap for your hands, nor any semblance of paper or fabric towels. There is a tiny waste basket and a hole in the wall. There is, however, a charming little wooden shelf with green leaves of painted iron. The seat on the toilet is pink, and so is the toilet paper.

This bathroom is not unique. I have seen others like it in this area, where they add little aesthetic touches to make what would otherwise be a highly unpleasant experience into something more palatable. It's like going into a dirty gas station bathroom and finding a bouquet of fresh flowers. It could happen. But in America, it's not the norm. Whereas here (in France), it seems more of an expectation. And the result of these details is, you get so charmed, it doesn't occur to you how nasty the grime is at the bottom of the toilet. Or you see it, but you say, 'It's ok, they have pink toilet paper.' At least, that's kind of how it was for me. Because I appreciate the effort. I give the toilets in this country four stars. Maybe even five. Much better than Italy, where most of the time, you didn't even have a seat, because they would be stolen.

If you'd like to read more from this post, go here.

In the Beginning

So, this is how it all began. This is the toilet paper that started it. The culprit. The instigator. The glorious, purple, scented toilet paper from France. Who doesn't want purple scented toilet paper from France?

To read the full post, go here.

Friday, February 20, 2009

In the Bathroom

This...is my bathroom. I thought I would introduce myself to you by way of the water closet, the loo, el baño. That space which is so personal, so private, and yet, where everything is revealed. I have the standard American white porcelain toilet, as you can see. I made a point of getting a nice, woven white shower curtain - tasteful, but not too much. Goes with the sort of beige wall color. There's a three-section medicine cabinet to the right, which you can't see (very exciting!). And we have a nice bird painting on the wall to the left, hidden behind the door. I recently replaced the shower head with a gentler one, which also happens to be a water-saving shower head. Yay, saving water! And the rug - funny story about the rug.

Looks like it matches the diamonds in the floor pattern, doesn't it? Well, it does match. The thing is, I went to Target, thinking I would buy a white rug, to match the shower curtain, only they didn't have any white ones with a texture that I liked. I got this color, thinking it was a lot lighter beige than it actually was. Only when I brought it home, did I realized that it matched the color in the floor EXACTLY. Kismet! Well, that's how it goes with toilets, I guess. You just have to channel their energy. Tap into your intuition. And you will never be without a sufficient and safe place to relieve yourself.

Well, so that's my bathroom at present. Pretty cosy. I like it. And I look forward to sharing with you stories of many more...