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February 22, 2006
In new job news, my latest workplace challenge is deciding which stall I like best in the bathroom.
At my last job, there were four stalls in a row, and though all looked the same they had very different characteristics.
The stall farthest from the door and sinks offered the most privacy and the most flushing power. Using it could be risky, however, because other people had discovered the strength of its flushing power, and often left foul odors lingering behind.
The stall closest to the sinks also offered some privacy, but it had virtually no flushing power and was known to overflow out of spite from time to time.
In between were two stalls that provided no privacy and moderate flushing power. The lingering odor in those stalls was OK at some times, awful at others. It was a crapshoot.
It took me a year and a half of observation and experimentation to settle on my favorite stall at The Daily News, and now I have to start the investigation process anew.
The bathroom at my new office is a rare breed.
The sinks are bright orange, the stalls are marigold yellow, the tiles on the walls are muddy green with rusty paisley patterns. I would almost consider the room a tribute to the '70s, except that I think all the fixtures are original and more than 30 years old.
So far I've ruled out one stall for future use.
All of the stalls have important warning signs at seated eye level, warning employees not to leave behind newspapers or magazines on the floor after flushing. It's a safety risk -- someone could trip!
For some reason, one of the stalls has two of these warning signs. There's the standard laminated print out, taped to the inside of the stall like all the other signs. Then there's a second sign, printed in white on a heavy block of gray plastic and glued haphazardly to the door. The glue is strong on this second sign, which was posted at a disturbingly jaunty angle.
Every time I have seen the off-kilter sign, I have tried to nudge it into better alignment with the stall door and its other surroundings -- to no avail.
I don't need this kind of stress in my life, and so I have decided to avoid that stall from this point forward. Exceptions will be made in the case of a potty emergency.
With one stall eliminated from the running, that leaves me with three more stalls to evaluate before I determine my workplace toilet of choice.
Ah, the joys and challenges of starting a new job.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at February 22, 2006 06:54 PM