KirstenL4W

There’s a few things on my mind today that I’d like to rant about. So, here goes:

Public Bathrooms

I can only speak about these from a one-sided point of view, as I have never been desperate enough to use a men’s restroom, and I most certainly have not spent enough time in one to notice the peculiar habits that men have when using the restroom. So, this rant will apply to the ladies restroom only.

Why is it that women are soooo concerned with putting the little paper on the seat before they sit down? Even then, I still hear the grunts from women trying to balance as they hover over the seat, trying their darndest not to touch it with their ass. I know what they’re thinking. They’re afraid of germs. In some public bathrooms this is a valid concern - gas stations and a certain bus station in upstate New York that I once used out of sheer desperation and bad timing. But in most public restrooms, this isn’t a big deal. If there are droplets, just wipe them with some TP before sitting down. But a toilet seat is by far NOT the germiest thing you’ll come across in your day to day life. Ever wonder what’s hiding in your kitchen sponge - the one you clean baby’s highchair with?

Now, these same women who are so concerned with germs that they cannot let their bare asses touch a tissue paper covered toilet seat lest they be stricken ill with a mysterious, deadly disease are also the same women who faux-wash their hands when they are done. I can tell. I sit inside the stall and listen to you run the water for 3 seconds. Wetting your hands under cold water is not the same as washing them. I know you want out of this dirty, dirty place, but come on now. Use some fucking soap, and wash like your Momma taught you how. No wonder you all use a paper towel to open the door. Since none of you actually used soap to wash, the germs are all on your hands. At least you got that idea right - but you wouldn’t need to use the paper towel at all if everyone washed their hands properly.

Pet Causes

I’m not talking about causes for your pet. I’m not even talking about causes that people believe in for legitimate reasons. I’m talking about being obligated to support a cause. Why does something have to become my cause just because someone close to me was affected?

My Mom recently was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. She’s doing fine now, and as far as I know she will not need any further treatment besides more frequent screenings of her remaining bewb (she had her left one replaced with a faux bewb). I know my mom has been a bit upset at what appears to her to be a lack of concern, but Mom, nothing could be further from the truth. It scared the shit out of me. I dealt with it in my own way, but that way was not and is not plastering pink ribbons all over the place and trying to convince anyone who will listen that this is THE cause to be involved in. First of all, I hate pink. And I hate proselytizing. People aren’t going to become more aware of an issue just because someone else says so. They become more aware because they or someone close to them has been affected. So I make sure I get regular checkups and do my monthly self-test, which Boyfriend is more than happy to help out with.

Also in the same vein, having a cousin and a foster brother who are autistic does not make me want to put a multi-colored puzzle patterned ribbon on my car. WTF is that? Were all the other colors taken, so Autism Awareness just used them all? I’m aware of autism, and I’m aware of how both my cousin and my brother have very different needs. No one knows with any certainty what causes it, so all we can do is be aware. But again, people aren’t going to be aware unless it’s something that affects them personally in one way or another. As for other people who come across my cousin and brother, we just explain to them on an as needed basis (as in, not to every freaking person they come across) why they aren’t the same as you and me.

September 11

Today is the anniversary of the attacks. I suspect in a few more years it will be known as “World Trade Center Day” (totally forgetting that other locales were also affected), much in the way that December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day. But why oh why do I need to have television programs about that day on tv for a week before and after? Why is there nothing else to watch? They tell us not to forget. Believe me, I never will. The events of that day were seared into my brain with a branding iron. By why do I have to get all nostalgic and sad every September 11 for the rest of my days? Why the hell can’t I just live my life and have a decent day? If I want to go to a movie and laugh, what’s stopping me? Memorials are one thing, but every tv station showing documentaries about it and being looked at like I’m a terrorist because I don’t stop for the requsite moment of silence isn’t doing anyone any favors. It’s been impossible to forget on the other 364 days of the year. Going about my business as usual on this day doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten. It just means that I’m not letting it get the best of me.

The Hours in the Day

There just aren’t enough of them to go around. Seriously, 24? Is that all? Whose crummy idea was that? And who the heck came up with the 5 day workweek? Because it seriously cuts into my personal time.

Now that I’ve wasted your time, you can now return to your regularly scheduled programming, which has been pre-empted for the latest 9/11 documentary.

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