Potty Rules

I was in the bathroom at the School of Nursing today, and I'm ashamed to admit it, but I tooted.

In the bathroom.  Which is... where you're supposed to toot.

So, I wasn't even a little embarrassed about tooting at that point.  I peed, tooted, wiped, left.  For all of you that are men, this is normal procedure for women in the potty.  Normal.  Believe it or not, sometimes we toot.  My toot happened to be silent, fairly benign (or so I thought), and I shrugged it off as normal toilet procedure.

Then I'm at the sink, innocently washing my hands.  Another girl was in the stall next to me, doing her thing, and she joined me at the sink to wash her hands.  She was, as I was, acutely aware of which stall either of us had used, because the bathroom in question had only two stalls.  A third girl walks in, just as I'm grabbing the paper towel to finish my toileting experience.  She walks in to my stall, the one I had just been in, and says, "Ooh!  Stinky stinky!", and walks out to use the other stall.

Devastating, that was.  Insulting and frustrating and humiliating.  I mean, all I did was toot!  And my sense of smell is coming back since my wintertime illnesses, so I don't think I made the bathroom rank!  I said something sheepish, like "Oh, yeah, it is a little gross in here today", but I'm pretty sure the whole situation called to attention that Liz Beckman has icky toots.

So here's the rule.  Men - you may ignore this rule and go back to your own rules of never looking at and assessing the length of anyone's penises while you're peeing (as I understand it, that is also an icky and freakish habit).  I'm sure gas-passing is a little more celebrated in a men's bathroom, so do congratulate each other if necessary.  Women, however, pay close attention.  If a restroom stall is smelly when you walk in, especially if you're in nursing school and are expected to be able to handle it, just pee and get over it.  Announcing your issues with smell is strictly prohibited, especially if there are people at the sink washing their hands.  Most people don't enter restrooms unless they have to 1) do their business, or 2) wash their hands.  These said people should be able to accomplish their tasks guilt-free, even if those tasks involve a tiny toot.

Thank you.  Enjoy your day.

- Liz