OK. So this may some frivolous, but I did give it some thought and for better or worse, I’m going to share. As I mentioned in a tweet the other day, I recently had a bathroom experience that gave me pause for thought:
Many men will be familiar with the generally unspoken ‘three urinal rule,’ which holds that urinal spots should be occupied so as to maximize distance from other guys (i.e. always leave some space if you can help it). Let me be clear that at least for myself, this is not an issue of homophobia; it’s a personal space thing. I prefer to maximize my breathing room in any situation, and to minimize the danger of occasional splashback (I’ll not digress).
graphic courtesy of Jeff Flanagan's "nerdsville"
So one can imagine that I was understandably confused the other day when a large, wheezing man entered the bathroom and instead of making for the farthest stall, sidled up right beside me and proceeded to relieve himself to an accompanying soundtrack of wheezes and relieved groans. When he was done, he turned to me and passed some kind of remark about how great it was to be done and then promptly made his exit, leaving me feeling like the butt of a joke in a police academy film.
So what gives? Am I just hung up about bathroom etiquette, or was this weird? Was I simply being ‘messed with,’ or am I neurotic. Curious to know if anyone else has any similarly strange experiences. Feel free to comment.
Here’s a link to another posting on the topic.
Posted by joshfreeman 
Posted by joshfreeman 
Posted by joshfreeman 