Comments on: The Bathroom Talker http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/ Ridiculous Pursuits, Solemn Matters Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:34:28 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-870 John Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:23:33 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-870 <a href='#comment-856' rel="nofollow">@maggie, dammit</a> - I don't know if you just made up "guilt-silly." (<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22guilt-silly%22" rel="nofollow">a Google search</a> on the phrase turns up a lot of occurrences of expressions like "Don't feel <em>guilt, silly</em> person!" but not the compound adjective.) But I can tell you I LOVE the phrase. There are so many occasions for using it in my everyday life; you have no idea!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('870','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('870','John','<a href=\'#comment-856\' rel=\"nofollow\">@maggie, dammit<\/a> - I don\'t know if you just made up \"guilt-silly.\" (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=%22guilt-silly%22\" rel=\"nofollow\">a Google search<\/a> on the phrase turns up a lot of occurrences of expressions like \"Don\'t feel <em>guilt, silly<\/em> person!\" but not the compound adjective.) But I can tell you I LOVE the phrase. There are so many occasions for using it in my everyday life; you have no idea!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @maggie, dammit – I don’t know if you just made up “guilt-silly.” (a Google search on the phrase turns up a lot of occurrences of expressions like “Don’t feel guilt, silly person!” but not the compound adjective.) But I can tell you I LOVE the phrase. There are so many occasions for using it in my everyday life; you have no idea!
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]]> By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-869 John Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:18:07 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-869 <a href='#comment-853' rel="nofollow">@Sarah</a> - I know, I know. You're probably right about the borderline disorder. And normally I'd bend over backwards to factor it in before passing judgment. But sheesh, he does get under my skin. Oh, and as for his hanging on: we're <em>municipal</em> employees, which even in these parlous times in Florida gives us a bit of an edge. :)<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('869','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('869','John','<a href=\'#comment-853\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Sarah<\/a> - I know, I know. You\'re probably right about the borderline disorder. And normally I\'d bend over backwards to factor it in before passing judgment. But sheesh, he does get under my skin.\r\n\r\nOh, and as for his hanging on: we\'re <em>municipal<\/em> employees, which even in these parlous times in Florida gives us a bit of an edge. :)'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @Sarah – I know, I know. You’re probably right about the borderline disorder. And normally I’d bend over backwards to factor it in before passing judgment. But sheesh, he does get under my skin.

Oh, and as for his hanging on: we’re municipal employees, which even in these parlous times in Florida gives us a bit of an edge. :)

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]]> By: maggie, dammit http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-856 maggie, dammit Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:08:23 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-856 “DO YOU WEAR YOUR HEARING AIDS WHEN YOU GET YOUR HAIR CUT?â€

oh man I am laughing so hard I can’t unclench my gut.

(and I loved your postscript. I’m sure your original wasn’t that bad, but I would have done the same guilt-silly thing.) :)

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]]> By: Sarah http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-853 Sarah Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:35:07 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-853 I knew some strange people when I worked at a public university- marginal people who continued to hold a job because it's very, very hard to fire a State employee. So the fact that this guy hangs on intrigues me. I also think it sounds like he has some kind of personality/social disorder- somewhere along the Asperger's continuum, perhaps. He'd make a great character in a story- imagine trying to write from his perspective!!!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('853','Sarah'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('853','Sarah','I knew some strange people when I worked at a public university- marginal people who continued to hold a job because it\'s very, very hard to fire a State employee. So the fact that this guy hangs on intrigues me. I also think it sounds like he has some kind of personality\/social disorder- somewhere along the Asperger\'s continuum, perhaps. He\'d make a great character in a story- imagine trying to write from his perspective!!!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I knew some strange people when I worked at a public university- marginal people who continued to hold a job because it’s very, very hard to fire a State employee. So the fact that this guy hangs on intrigues me. I also think it sounds like he has some kind of personality/social disorder- somewhere along the Asperger’s continuum, perhaps. He’d make a great character in a story- imagine trying to write from his perspective!!!
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]]> By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-845 John Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:41:14 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-845 <a href='#comment-844' rel="nofollow">@cuff</a> - Yeah. I wonder if it's a guy thing. A popular Seinfeld episode's Elaine plotline revolved around getting some spare toilet paper from somebody in the next stall, when your own dispenser was empty. The women in the episode were outraged one way or another that (a) someone wouldn't offer the spare paper, handing it under the wall; or (b) someone would ask for the spare paper in the first place. All I could think was, <em>Cripe -- they actually TALK to one another from their stalls?!?</em><div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('845','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('845','John','<a href=\'#comment-844\' rel=\"nofollow\">@cuff<\/a> - Yeah. I wonder if it\'s a guy thing. A popular Seinfeld episode\'s Elaine plotline revolved around getting some spare toilet paper from somebody in the next stall, when your own dispenser was empty. The women in the episode were outraged one way or another that (a) someone wouldn\'t offer the spare paper, handing it under the wall; or (b) someone would ask for the spare paper in the first place. All I could think was, <em>Cripe -- they actually TALK to one another from their stalls?!?<\/em>'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @cuff – Yeah. I wonder if it’s a guy thing. A popular Seinfeld episode’s Elaine plotline revolved around getting some spare toilet paper from somebody in the next stall, when your own dispenser was empty. The women in the episode were outraged one way or another that (a) someone wouldn’t offer the spare paper, handing it under the wall; or (b) someone would ask for the spare paper in the first place. All I could think was, Cripe — they actually TALK to one another from their stalls?!?
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]]> By: cuff http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-844 cuff Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:25:15 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-844 I like how he combined the hearing aid and haircut question. That was really clever of him. I have been mainly fortunate to avoid any close encounters with office creeps, although bathroom talkers of any sort -- unless they're your very very very close friends -- put me off.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('844','cuff'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('844','cuff','I like how he combined the hearing aid and haircut question. That was really clever of him. I have been mainly fortunate to avoid any close encounters with office creeps, although bathroom talkers of any sort -- unless they\'re your very very very close friends -- put me off.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I like how he combined the hearing aid and haircut question. That was really clever of him. I have been mainly fortunate to avoid any close encounters with office creeps, although bathroom talkers of any sort — unless they’re your very very very close friends — put me off.
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]]> By: John http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-838 John Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:28:44 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-838 <a href='#comment-836' rel="nofollow">@marta</a> - The Missus has reassured me, repeatedly, that some people are just beyond reach. And you know what's weird? If I were still living up in the NJ/NYC area, I don't think this whole 14-year saga would bother me nearly as much as it does. But living this far south, I've acclimated to the idea that it never hurts to be civil. Anymore, for me to walk past somebody I see almost every day w/out at least nodding in recognition is really, <em>really</em> difficult... I don't know, sometimes the matter doesn't bother me and on other days it makes my skin crawl. When I woke up yesterday morning w/this guy in a <em>dream</em>, even an inconsequential one, well... the blog was there, and my fingertips and keyboard were here, and one thing led to another. I doubt that that laugh makes you a bad person; I wrote this thing pushing hard on the aggressive-comedy button, after all. (Even if I did regret it, by the end and in retrospect.) It does make you a good audience. But I kinda think I knew that much already.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('838','John'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('838','John','<a href=\'#comment-836\' rel=\"nofollow\">@marta<\/a> - The Missus has reassured me, repeatedly, that some people are just beyond reach. And you know what\'s weird? If I were still living up in the NJ\/NYC area, I don\'t think this whole 14-year saga would bother me nearly as much as it does.\r\n\r\nBut living this far south, I\'ve acclimated to the idea that it never hurts to be civil. Anymore, for me to walk past somebody I see almost every day w\/out at least nodding in recognition is really, <em>really<\/em> difficult... I don\'t know, sometimes the matter doesn\'t bother me and on other days it makes my skin crawl. When I woke up yesterday morning w\/this guy in a <em>dream<\/em>, even an inconsequential one, well... the blog was there, and my fingertips and keyboard were here, and one thing led to another.\r\n\r\nI doubt that that laugh makes you a bad person; I wrote this thing pushing hard on the aggressive-comedy button, after all. (Even if I did regret it, by the end and in retrospect.) It does make you a good audience. But I kinda think I knew that much already.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @marta – The Missus has reassured me, repeatedly, that some people are just beyond reach. And you know what’s weird? If I were still living up in the NJ/NYC area, I don’t think this whole 14-year saga would bother me nearly as much as it does.

But living this far south, I’ve acclimated to the idea that it never hurts to be civil. Anymore, for me to walk past somebody I see almost every day w/out at least nodding in recognition is really, really difficult… I don’t know, sometimes the matter doesn’t bother me and on other days it makes my skin crawl. When I woke up yesterday morning w/this guy in a dream, even an inconsequential one, well… the blog was there, and my fingertips and keyboard were here, and one thing led to another.

I doubt that that laugh makes you a bad person; I wrote this thing pushing hard on the aggressive-comedy button, after all. (Even if I did regret it, by the end and in retrospect.) It does make you a good audience. But I kinda think I knew that much already.

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]]> By: marta http://johnesimpson.com/blog/2008/10/the-bathroom-talker/comment-page-1/#comment-836 marta Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:48:20 +0000 http://johnesimpson.com/blog/?p=1396#comment-836 Who hasn't experienced the office creep? I don't think your rude--just human. I mean, it isn't like you told him to take a flying leap the first day you ever met him. Maybe this makes me a bad person but I laughed at the question about taking your hearing aids out when you get a haircut. That just proves how weird he is about your hair.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('836','marta'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('836','marta','Who hasn\'t experienced the office creep? I don\'t think your rude--just human. I mean, it isn\'t like you told him to take a flying leap the first day you ever met him.\r\n\r\nMaybe this makes me a bad person but I laughed at the question about taking your hearing aids out when you get a haircut. That just proves how weird he is about your hair.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Who hasn’t experienced the office creep? I don’t think your rude–just human. I mean, it isn’t like you told him to take a flying leap the first day you ever met him.

Maybe this makes me a bad person but I laughed at the question about taking your hearing aids out when you get a haircut. That just proves how weird he is about your hair.

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