Virgil

I do wash my hands, but sometimes I forget the soap when it just smells too weird. Almost steaming hot water should do the trick
There's one thing I do wonder about: when you first turn on the crane, then wash your hands and then turn out that same crane - don't you transfer the germs back to your hand? When I get in a germ-free mood I do the "switch the crane off" with my shirtsleeve or paper towels And don't forget the knob to the outside door: especially when somebody who did not wash her hands goes out there, I tend to open it with a towel or elbow or such :biggrin: I'm not very consistent in this though

I never refuse to shake people's hands though.

I totally agree with you on this one, Virgil. I have to wash my hands after using the toilet, even though in public toilets I never actually touch anything. But I'd feel strange leaving the toilet without washing my hands.

As for other people, well, I don't think I'd openly refuse to shake hands with a person I know doesn't wash his or her hands afterwards - but I'd definitely rush to the nearest washbasin the minute they let go.

This co-worker of yours is obviously mentally ill. What a weird thing to do.

Personally, I handle feces, urine, and blood regularly, and have handled cultures of everything from Salmonella typhi, to flesh eating Staph. aureus. So, I'm not that squeamish about such things. The important thing to remember is to avoid touching your eyes and mouth after handling stuff.

I also wash my hands a few times an hour usually, work policy.

Nice writing in this one Virgil -- I love the build up to just the "just a paper towel" option.

Thanks guys.

Although this isn't strictly apropos your deliberations, it reminded me of this joke:

Two men were peeing at adjoining urinals, when one turned to the other and said:

"You're Jewish, aren't you?"
"Yes, said the other.
"And you come from Montreal?"
"Yes, how-?"
"And you were circumsized by Rabbi Caltoun?"
"That's remarkable, how - ?"
"He cuts on a slant. You've just been peeing on my toes."

Awesome awesome blog entry. This is the best laugh I've had all week.

That's a good one Prince. I'll have to use that on my Jewish in-laws.

Glad you liked it Shal.

yes you're a little OCD Virgil. Handwash or not, you're picking up all sorts of stuff all of the time. Think about the handwashing experience itself. You turn the tap with your germy hand. You press the soap dispenser with your germy hand. You wash your hands. You turn off the germy tap with your clean hand and make it germy. You wipe with a handtowel. You open the door with your now germy hand and which other people with germy hands will have pushed and go out and feel...clean? How?!

I am thinking of starting an anti-antibacterial campaign. People are going a bit mad. Love bacteria. Bacteria is our friend. Without bacteria we would be dead. Think of that

Anywho, handshaking is pretty unhygienic. Hands are just germy breeding grounds. I remember watching something once on TV and they proved how we should all kiss cheeks like the French do, rather than the more stoic handshaking. It spreads less germs. So you could just kiss your crazy colleague instead. Mwah, mwah

I am a germ freak at this age too. I don't recall being so paranoid when I was younger unless in short intervals. My own bathroom adventurers could fill a huge volume; not to mention my dirty bathroom paranoid dreams - just had one last night - so bizzare. I guess subconsicously I think often of where to relieve myself and so it gets into my dreams.

I went to my library one day to be horrified when using their not too clean bathroom - no soap and no papertowels. After than I whiped my hands with antibacterial whipes if I had to use computers or handle those sticky covers - DVD's from another library are really gross - sometimes they look like they are wearing last night's snack or meal. I finally complained about the bathroom situation and made enough noise about it that they accomadated with soap and towels. Before that they only put a small bottle of antibacterial junk on the counter outside the bathroom - hardly sufficient.

On the flip side - if this guy doesn't have any diseases urine is sterile. I learned that on Dr. House but it's true - I researched it. One can even drink their own urine to survive if need be. I think I would just die before I could do that, don't you Virgil?

Fifth - That is just too funny. I know I pick up germs all the time. That's why I have anti-bacterial hand cleanser around and I try to open the bathroom door using the papertowel I just wiped with.

Janine - I would never drink my own piss, and especially not anyone else's.

It is true - you can safely drink pee. If you're ever in a wilderness situation and you run out of water, you can drink that to survive. I once watched part of this show where this guy was being filmed on some hike and it was really hot and he was out of water and he drank his pee and he was talking about how bad it tasted. I was just wondering why there wasn't more water on hand. There was a camera man there - was he drinking urine as well? I doubt it. Seemed fake to me.

Hey, Virgil, what do you do when you change diapers? You must be dying. They keep baby whips near Brooke's dressing table. Still sometimes that's not enough...not with poopy diapers. I can just see you....freaking out about those. I luckily (being a grandma) only had to experience a few so far.

I've gotten the habit of changing diapers. I wash my hands afterward. No biggy. Now drinking pee as Shalot says we can, I don't think I could ever do that.

I wanted to write a blog about "bathroom Decorum" for so long. Working in the Airport i see so much gross stuff in bathrooms, and it cringes when i see people walk out of a cubicle that they havent flushed and head right out the door.

Originally Posted by Niamh

I wanted to write a blog about "bathroom Decorum" for so long. Working in the Airport i see so much gross stuff in bathrooms, and it cringes when i see people walk out of a cubicle that they havent flushed and head right out the door.

Oh airports must be horrid. Though as I think about it, the ones I've been in haven't been bad. Now railroad stations or highway stops. I bet you're used to women's bathrooms. I bet men's are always worse.

If you want to talk about horrid bathrooms, today in some moment of insanity, I used a public washroom in the subway. The thing was the size of a small closet, filled with a cloud of flies, and the water in the toilet was some sort of sickly grey. Thankfully, I just had to pee.

Edit: I don't really want to know where the flies were coming from.

Urrgh, sounds horrid O-P. I'm sure the smell in there couldn't have been pleasant.

It's hard to believe that someone can just leave the toilet without washing hands, but this guy... ? I don't know maybe talking to you he just forgot to wash his hands, we do things automatically and maybe this was the reason he wiped his hands, just forgot to wash them before. Anyway I wouldn't go close to his desk, nor would I touch the things he touched before.