Gadgets in the bathroom
Two girls (let’s call them Delila and Jemima) I know take their laptop computers (MacBooks — yes, these two girls are Mac users) in the bathroom.
It freaks me out.
Delila takes it in there and will continue to do work and IM friends while sitting on the toilet. I don’t know what Jemima does with her laptop, but possibly the same thing as Delila.
I never bring any gadgets in the bathroom. Especially not my MacBook Pro. I’ve been known to have my iPhone in my hand as I enter the bathroom, but as soon as I’m in I put it in my pocket or put it on the edge of the sink and cover it with a towel. Water and electronics do not mix!
The fact that Delila uses her laptop while sitting on the toilet made me have a mini mental breakdown the other night. Seeing “im on the toilet (4:42pm)” in my IM window wasn’t anything I ever wanted to see.
You may think I’m taking this too far; c’mon, Derek, using a laptop on the toilet is productive; multitasking. No. I may be slightly more concerned about germs than most people, but I’m not taking this too far.
I actually have been pondering the wash your hands after using the toilet rule1. Have disease and germs been spread via the direct act of not washing your hands? I mean, if you’re sitting down and you wipe with toilet paper to not get urine and feces on your hands, then are there any harmful germs on your hands (or any part of the exposed skin on your body)? I digress.
The fact of the matter is, you shouldn’t be taking electronic devices in the bathroom. Spend a couple of minutes to do your business, wash your hands, and then get back to work on your gadget of choice.
And for all the people that spend 30 minutes on the toilet reading a magazine or newspaper: stop being unproductive and get back to work. Unless you’re pooping your lungs through your anus, then you shouldn’t spend any more than five minutes on the toilet.
Thanks.
Update: After reading this I realised that my obsessive compulsive hand washing must be one of the reasons I am rarely sick.
