Posts Tagged men’s room
What Would Keep You from Leaving the House?
There are many reasons for playing hooky from work. Super Bowl Monday. Your birthday. The first 80 degree day of the Spring. Also, a legitimate illness. But what if you didn’t want to go into work strictly because of your appearance? What would keep you from showing your mug in the office?
I ask this because of something that I did to my face. I tend to pick at scabs. I know, it’s a disgusting habit, and I should know better. Anyway, the area under my eye became infected, and swelled up to a massive, ugly boil. Massive, is in, it should have had its own zip code. Ugly, as in, small children would probably run screaming at the sight of it. I was an evil, heinous-looking thing. Luckily, the worst of it occurred over the weekend, and only my poor loved ones had to witness it. One of my buddies, who’s seen me at my worst many times in the past, remarked, “Well, it is a ghastly-looking carbuncle. But you’ve looked more repulsive when you’re drunk.” That gave my wife little comfort. She suggested this solution:
So, having spared my coworkers from gazing upon Quasimodo, I thought back to my past, and the freakish sights that I’ve seen at work. A director that I reported to early in my career once got too close to a poison ivy patch, and it broke out all over him, including his face. His swollen visage resembled some kind of African death mask, and the mere sight of him made my eyes water. My buddy Ed put it best when he said, “Jesus Christ! He shouldn’t come to work looking like that! Doesn’t he have any sick days coming?” I wondered the same thing.

Photo by jonrawlinson
Others have come in with everything ranging from bad perms to black eyes. At least one black-eye case was due to a nose job; I can’t imagine what caused the others. We had a guy who tore his Achilles tendon that used to take his shoe off in meetings and massage his foot (I shit you not). Another lady stayed too long under the tanning lamp, and got a nice sunburn that blistered, oozed, and peeled. She was quite the sight for a couple of weeks.

Photo by Bekathwia
My “shiner”, as one of my buddies at work refers to it, has healed considerably. It’s still kind of puckered-looking, like an asshole, though no one dares call me “ass-face”. At least not to my face. And if we weren’t in the middle of layoff season, I’d have probably taken a couple days off, and escaped the scrutiny altogether. But like I’ve said before, someone always is worse off than you are…

Photo by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker
This morning as I was heading to a meeting, I passed an engineer that I know. His face was a mass of scrapes covered with Band Aids. He claimed that he fell off of his bike last weekend. He looked like he had been dragged face down behind a truck, and then beaten with a tire iron! At least now when I look in the mirror in the men’s room, I won’t be the ugliest of them all anymore. There is finally someone more heinous-looking than me.
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When Good Hygiene Goes Bad I was stuck in a series of day-long mandatory training sessions this week. Thankfully, today was only for half the day. Because much of the material was a rehash for me, my mind, and my eyes, tended to wander. And what my eyes saw wasn't pretty. The trend in......
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September 2009 Recap

Photo by LeSmou Imperator
September was a good month, if you’re a New York sports fan. The Bombers clinched another division title, and the Giants are undefeated. Now, if A.J. Burnett can get himself straightened out, and the Giants don’t suffer any more injuries, October should be even better!
Here are my favorite posts from the past month:
Earn Your Street Cred Like 50 Cent
Dexter’s Code for the Non-Sociopathic
Did you like any of these? If you did, why not subscribe? You can receive The Corporate Barbarian either by email or RSS feed. Subscribe here
Or, follow me on Twitter: CorpBarbarian
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Men’s Room Etiquette

Photo by amy_b
Ladies, you can skip this post. Really, this one is not fit for your eyes. My wife thought the subject matter was disgusting. It’s for the benefit of my brothers out there in the corporate world. It also has nothing to do with personal finance, but everything to do with corporate culture and basic human decency. It involves that scary place of bad smells and strange noises known as the Men’s Room. Unlike the Executive Washroom of 1960s movie fantasies, these places have all the charm (and cleanliness) of a gas station bathroom
We men live by a code: What happens in the Men’s Room, stays in the Men’s Room. Unless, of course, someone holds the door open for too long, and everyone gets a whiff of the toxic gas that permeates the place. Corporate bathrooms are especially toxic, as they are usually large affairs designed to accommodate numerous employees. We men are dirty, smelly pigs. Many don’t know the proper etiquette of the Men’s Room, so I’m going to lay it out for you guys. Here are some suggestions that will help you straighten up and fly right:
Don’t talk to me about anything while I’m at the urinal - I don’t care where you stand on Project XYZ, or how your son’s Little League team is doing. It stinks in here, and I’m trying to get done as soon as possible. I’ll see you outside in a few minutes, anyway. And watch the heavy breathing, buddy. You shouldn’t be that winded from taking a whiz.

Photo by arvindgrover
If there are several free urinals, don’t pick the one right next to me - It’s tight enough in here. Leave some room. Or I’m throwing elbows.

Photo by Elsie esq.
Watch your aim - I mean, Geez, you’re inches away from the urinal. Don’t piss on the floor. I don’t want to step in it! I know one guy who was put on the layoff list because of this. True Story!

Phot by alanwoo
Don’t talk to me from the stall, either - Whatever you have to say to me can wait until we get out. You may find yourself talking to an empty room.
Don’t talk on your cellphone when you’re in the stall, either - Dude! Look at what you’re doing. Are you going to wash your cellphone when you’re done? Put the Crackberry away.
No loud noises from the stall - Sounds made by bodily functions can’t be avoided. I’m talking about vocal sounds. I don’t care how many sliders you ate at White Castle last night. Keep it down, will ya? Some guys sound like they’re in labor in there. There was less groaning in the maternity ward when my wife gave birth to my kids.
Two words: Mercy Flush - After you’ve serenaded those of us trapped at the urinals with your strange evacuation noises, don’t leave your deposit marinating for all of us to smell. Like George Carlin used to say, it’s not the smell, it’s the burning of my eyes! Flush the toilet. I beg of you.
Tell me you’re not eating in there - I swear to God, some guys start and end the digestive process in the same place. That’s gross, man. No wonder you have diarrhea. Leave your chow and coffee at your desk.
Don’t sleep in the stall - Your snoring is distracting. Get back to work before your boss finds you.

Photo by -mrsraggle-
Don’t use my newspaper for your toilet reading - I might have wanted to read it, but not anymore. It’s yours now. Buy me a fresh one. After you wash your hands.

Photo by denniskatinas
Wash your freakin’ hands when you’re done - Especially if you work in the IT department, and have to touch my computer or phone. Yuck. Remember what your hands where just doing.
Better yet, also use the Purell dispenser - Belt and suspenders, you know what I mean? You can’t be too clean.
Clean up after yourself - Don’t throw paper towels on the floor, or toilet paper, for that matter. This place is gross enough. Police your area.

Photo by Lars Plougmann
I hope that this post will help make your next Men’s Room visit a positive experience. Why not do your part by forwarding it to your friends to help spread the word? Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Thanks.
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