The Bathroom Files

Who knew that the bathroom could be such fodder for blogging?

When we last left off, the Lone Coyote was celebrating the fact that she had finally conquered bureaucracy and gained access to the vaunted staff bathroom. Trust me, celebration was warranted given the other options for restroom access in the vicinity. But after about a week of staff bathroom access, I have concluded that strange things can occur in hospital bathrooms. And apparently I am not alone in my observations. Three colleagues and I spend a good 20 minutes yesterday sharing bathroom stories, laughing, and feeling generally grossed out. Here are a few of the highlights:

The Hiders: the staff bathroom clearly serves as a hideout for employees who do not want to do their work. Several times already I, or another one of my colleagues, have entered the bathroom to find all of the stalls full. The feet can be seen underneath. We wait. And wait. And wait. No movement occurs. No sounds are emitted from the stalls. Even exiting and returning a few minutes later does not seem to change anything. They are on a long bathroom break.

The Toilet Paper Tsunami: by the end of the day their is always a humongous pile of toilet paper and seat covers on the floor of the stalls. They aren't dirty, just strewn about in a pile. I am not sure what the appeal is of throwing paper all over the floor, but clearly someone has a fun time.

The Beauty Salon: I also noticed that there were often large puddles of water all over the counter and the floor near the sinks. We are talking lakes here, not little splashes. According to one of my colleagues, she had wondered about the origin of the daily puddles too until one day when she walked in and found a couple of staff members washing their hair and generally "washing up" at the sinks. You'd never know there is a staff locker room with showers that can be opened with the same key card right across the hall.

All of this in just one week. And I'm sure there will be more to come.