visiting a Public Restroom

Not long ago I heard on The Today Show, probably, an expert telling of when one flushes the toilet, vapor flumes loaded in tiny bacterial can leap as high as ten feet.

Back during my oldest son’s first year at the University of Georgia he bought the pass for the semester for the cafeteria. After buying the pass they took his palm print and that is how your pass is recognized, by electronic palm-print checking. Outside the cafeteria in the hallway are the two sexually segregated rest rooms. So, you can first use the bathroom, and may or may not wash your hands, then put your palm up against the thing that will recognize your palm print.

My son, a little paranoid anyway about transferring germs, so this was a good place for germs to jump off and jump back on another being. He wrote the head of the cafeteria system complaining. He got a nice letter back, agreeing with him it is a problem, and thanked him for bringing it to their attention and they certainly would give it some thought.

So, he had to give it some thought. He demanded his money back and started eating elsewhere.

Now – we find ourselves in the men’s restroom at the theater and me standing at a urinal doing what men do at urinals. And then I heard a toilet flush within a stall. I imagined the invisible vapors shooting up, hitting the ceiling and mushrooming back down.

What do I do to get clear of all that falling mess. I thought maybe if I crawl to the wash basin and ease myself, wash my hands and run the heck out. But, then someone might think I am a nut. What would give them that idea?

At the counter where you wash your hands, thankfully, all you have to do is reach for it and the electric eye turns on the faucet…. Then, the paper holder is electronic movement activated too. No problem.

Then I was leaving and saw I had to push on the door. Damn. All those little germs stooped down on their hind legs ready to spring. So, I went back and got another paper tower and used it to open the door.

Then, I find myself in the lobby holding a paper towel.