Thursday, August 11, 2005
Blow steam, blow
I spent today engaged in administrative tasks. My own, this time: registering for school & TA work. I expected it to be frustrating, and I wasn't disappointed. Particularly by the profs & secretaries who get offended when you ask them questions. But then, I suppose I'm like that at work, as well.
Anyhow, to rachet myself down a notch, and because this is the last day of the work week, I'm sharing two disparate, cultural phenomena:
1) It's International Year of the Book in my city. There are big, book-related photos on boards down the street, including one of a man breathing through an oxygen tube & reading. The caption says: "John Smith is waiting for a lung transplant. In the meantime, he literally breathes words."
Um, he's literally breathing oxygen. An event dedicated to reading & writing uses hyperbole, and mixes it at that? My language sensibilities are offended.
2) Skidders. Or skid-marks. I learnt this term yesterday. It designates the permanent brown streak on the crotch of men's underwear.
Underwear - no matter how good you look in it, it takes proper maintenance
Apparently this is common enough to spawn its own pop-culture word. Which disturbs me. This isn't a male thing; women are built the same way and don't have this problem. It's a guy thing. Masculinity means not wiping your ass.
When I first started at this workplace, I had to put up signs in the men's toilets, saying "Flush!" in big letters, and listing reasons. Because no one was doing it. That's basic sanitation. These weren't people used to non-flush toilets, these were geeky guys who didn't think they had to bother. Apparently that extends to not using toilet paper.
You can bet that, if this was a girl thing, there'd be whole sitcoms devoted to it. Since it's a guy thing, it goes unnoticed, or is suffered stoically by women. Please, guys, masculinity already has a lot to answer for: emotional deadness, roadrage, wars, etc. Please don't add shitting your pants to the list.
I don't know if I feel better now. But sometimes the truth has to come to light, no matter how difficult.
Anyhow, to rachet myself down a notch, and because this is the last day of the work week, I'm sharing two disparate, cultural phenomena:
1) It's International Year of the Book in my city. There are big, book-related photos on boards down the street, including one of a man breathing through an oxygen tube & reading. The caption says: "John Smith is waiting for a lung transplant. In the meantime, he literally breathes words."
Um, he's literally breathing oxygen. An event dedicated to reading & writing uses hyperbole, and mixes it at that? My language sensibilities are offended.
2) Skidders. Or skid-marks. I learnt this term yesterday. It designates the permanent brown streak on the crotch of men's underwear.
Underwear - no matter how good you look in it, it takes proper maintenance
Apparently this is common enough to spawn its own pop-culture word. Which disturbs me. This isn't a male thing; women are built the same way and don't have this problem. It's a guy thing. Masculinity means not wiping your ass.
When I first started at this workplace, I had to put up signs in the men's toilets, saying "Flush!" in big letters, and listing reasons. Because no one was doing it. That's basic sanitation. These weren't people used to non-flush toilets, these were geeky guys who didn't think they had to bother. Apparently that extends to not using toilet paper.
You can bet that, if this was a girl thing, there'd be whole sitcoms devoted to it. Since it's a guy thing, it goes unnoticed, or is suffered stoically by women. Please, guys, masculinity already has a lot to answer for: emotional deadness, roadrage, wars, etc. Please don't add shitting your pants to the list.
I don't know if I feel better now. But sometimes the truth has to come to light, no matter how difficult.
