Fangs for the memory Soba! also, FIRST!!!

Hmmmm.... that's better than the boss with the dragon breath I used to have, though. But flossing in front of people should be outlawed. Not pretty!

I think so many people are so engrossed in their own lives, they just don't ever stop to consider others around them.

It sure is hard trying to teach that to my kids.
Think about those around you...

I do not brush my teeth at work. After lunch I chew a piece of sugar free gum (my favorite: Ice Cubes, Spearmint flavor) for that fresh-mouth feeling. Some others do the brushing thing in the ladies room and I agree with you, it seems out of place somehow.

Wow, Soba moves! That last pic was awesome.

If that's Opal wool you're knitting with (sure looks like it), you may not know that it comes from sheep right here in lil' old New Zealand, just down south from where I live. It's sent over the Germany where it's processed into faux Fair Isle yarn.

Do people with braces get a pass on brushing their teeth at work? Because otherwise my orthodontist will want to have a few words with you. :)

I have a hard time brushing my teeth in a hotel washroom let alone a true public washroom. I'll admit to tweezing my eyebrows in the car on the highway and having my husband tell me when a car is passing by! I am so with you on the Rolly bags. It's almost as bad as bumping into someone who has stopped walking to try and text message someone!

OMG.... there are a ton of ladies who brush their teeth in our shared bathroom. I am all for dental hygeine (no cavities in my mouth!) but I keep a triple pack of orbitz in my desk for more descrete cleaning. I could never feel clean in a shared place where someone is trying to have or desperately needs a private moment. UGH.

I used to work for a company where everyone (well, a lot of women, anyway) brushed her teeth in the ladies' room and played golf. I did neither of those things. (Remember the flossing scene in Pretty Woman? It must take a very secure woman to floss her teeth in front of millions of people, even if she is an icon of gorgeosity.)

How many delegates does La Soba have? I think she could give Fluffy a run for her money.

This cracks me up because at work today I saw a toothbrush in the pants pocket of one of our DOCTORS!! Ew! Can you brush your teeth with a lint-covered toothbrush?

I only brush my teeth at work if I have a dental appointment after lunch. I guess it doesn't bother me if other people do it on a regular basis, but our bathroom IS kind of icky!

The roller bag thing pisses me off to no end! I travel a lot, and I ALWAYS carry my bag by the handle until I'm out of the way of other travelers. It amazes me how self-absorbed people are...

i love your cats.

and, yeah, i know what you mean about people doing private stuff in public. i once saw a woman clipping her toenails in a bus once. eew.

I prefer not to brush at work; it is a little too personal for me.

I usually bum a piece of gum from a coworker!

Great kitty pics! As for RBCs - I can testify that stepping to the side is 1) not that difficult and 2) not at all time consuming. I step to the side all the time when I have a roller bag. My personal pet peeve (from years of working in a mall) is people who suddenly decide that they should, without looking, flip a U-turn with their stroller. I had more bruises on my ankles and shins than I could count due to this maneuver.

P.S. Have you ever tried to brush any of your cats' teeth? I am too much of a wuss to even try!

I once saw a lady clipping her nails on the bus. I almost vomited.

I agree! It totally weirded me out to see people brushing their teeth at work. We even had a "dresser" so each woman on the floor could have her own drawer for toiletries.

Although checks for food stuck in your teeth are probably a good idea. No one will listen to you if you have spinach in your teeth.

Is that Lucky Bear with Soba??

In the last month I have seen two separate people cutting their nails on the subway. Not using an emery board on a ragged edge but full-on clippers, both hands, bits-of-nail-flying around, nastiness!

And office toothbrushing involves my #1 Pet Peeve - Public Spitting. Ewwwww!!!!

I'll admit to brushing my teeth at work sometimes, but I'm never comfortable doing it. I always have the sugarless gum and I prefer that route, but sometimes my teeth need more.

Of course, I wait until there's no one in the ladies' room. I don't even like my cats around when I brush my teeth at home!

I support the move toward good hygiene, I just don't know why it icks me out at work but it does!

Ok, I'm commenting on the people who stop the flow of traffic when they get off whatever transportation they have chosen - I hate that! Also, what about people who get off the escalator in a department store and stop and start looking both ways! I swear some day I'm just going to plow right into them instead of turning sideways to get around them so I'm not trying to backtrack back down the escalator. Ok, I got that off my chest. As always, love the kitty pictures.

You know what I am WAY more grossed out by? The co-worker from the office next door that insists on talking on her cell phone while sitting on the pot. Once, she was even on a business call. I flushed the toilet three extra times that day hoping that the person on the other side of the phone would wonder what the hey was going on.

I definitely brush my teeth at work. I have braces though, a good excuse I think. As much as my brushing at work may gross out someone out, I have to think that they'd be ten times MORE grossed out with me walking around with half my lunch still stuck in my teeth.

Jen, I agree I agree I agree-- to all of it!

I am a teeth brusher at work. Oh.The.Shame.

that shit drives me crazy. people do it a the bottom of escalators too and then you can't stop and you end up doing that stutter step to try to avoid running into their ass.

I have a roller bag story. Sort of. I was flying home from DC once and I had my carry-on bag which was rolling. I was standing in a VERY long security line and the person behind me was rude as heck. She was complaining out loud about everything in the airport. She then kicked my bag on purpose to knock the handle out of my hand. It rammed by bag into my leg, cut my leg, and the bag fell to the floor. When I bent over to pick it up, she cut in front of me in the line.

Then there were two elderly men in front of her talking (they had been in front of me until she kicked my bag). They were standing about 5 inches behind the person in front of them and because they weren't right on top of them, she said something rude to those men. One of them said "if you're in such a damn big hurry and are more important than we are, then by all means, get in front of us". She then managed to convince a security agent to let her get out of line and go in front of everyone to the scanner.

I cracked up when I got on the people mover bus thing at Dulles and she was on the same one I was on. She cut in front of 100 people and still didn't get to her gate any quicker than I did.

I don't mind the brushing/flossing at work, exactly. But I DO mind the leaving of the foamy spit in the sink and the (gagchokepuke) little flossing bits on the mirror. We have both of these at my office.

Bevvy -- OMG. Seriously!

When I was doing the tour thing I saw all sorts of funny behavior. Oh that reminds me of a funny airport story, I'll have to write it up for tomorrow. Thanks!!! You inspired me!!

My work-space mate flossed her teeth daily *at her desk*, five feet from me. I told the office manager, and we devised a plan to get her stop, or at least do it in the restroom. It embarrassed her, but she did stop.

I once worked with a woman who would pull-out the floss and go to work AT THE LUNCH TABLE where we were all eating. THAT was gross.

Nope but I sure wish it was Friday.

Oh, my pet peeve related to the RBC syndrome is when people get to the top of an escalator, step off and STAND THERE not moving. Hello? There is an active stairway behind you pushing people in your direction. Move.
Or how about people who try and shove their way on to the subway car before letting the people trying to get off out? Um... 'cause you see, you can't get on until I get off. So, MOVE.

You are so timely! I was walking up the left side of the escalator from BART (San Francisco's subway) this morning when this woman cut in front of me from the right (stand & ride) side and then STOPPED so that she would be next to her rolly bag when she got to the top of the escalator.

Tanya....YES! I thought of the stroller people too when reading about the RBC's! I have had stroller people ram my heels when I'm in front of them and turn abruptly and run over my feet. You have three feet of cargo in front of you! Try to remember that. (oh, and the grocery cart people can be added to the mix as well....)

the brushing of the teeth bugs me too.

Soba looks wonderful in her first stop-action showing - that is very cool! Long ago a comedian used to lament that the world did not have 'stupid stickers'. These would be little kiddie-toy suction cup arrows, with 'stupid' flags, that one would zap onto a dumb driver's car or in this case, the oblivious RBC...can't you just see the RB toodling (sp?) along with little suction cup 'stupid' arrows all over it. LOLOL. Oh well, probably start a riot, so that's not a great idea...but funny.

The people with the rolly bags are just a small subset of rude people everywhere.

A lot of people who don't even have the excuse of a bag go through a door and stop.

Or worse yet make a turn (in their car) off of a street into a parking lot and then stop, leaving a line of other cars waving out in the breeze where they're lucky if they don't get hit. This is particularly obnoxious when they and the people behind them have just made a left turn because of a light that allows a left turn when there's no traffic. Once you get out in the middle of the road, the traffic is sure to appear.

Some people just STAND in doorways.

And cut in front of others.

And generally prove that they may have gotten taller but they haven't matured past the age of two.

I was in a class once and saw a co-worker flossing with a strand of her hair !!!

My sister-in-law used to pass out dental floss to her kids before bedtime and the whole family would all start flossing their teeth wherever they happened to be. Gross.

Umm... yeah I sometimes brush my teeth at work. Before I go to the dentist. And seeing as I've been to the dentist 7 times already this year, I guess it happens a lot.

I don't like it a whole lot, but the alternative is worse.

Um...whatever happened to PERSONAL hygiene? It's not very personal if you're doing it in a public place. I'm totally with you....it's weird and icky to do stuff like that in the office loo. I mean, who knows when they last gave it a good cleaning?

On the topic of roller-thingies: you can also add strollers to that list. Sheesh! Have you seen those commercials for some insurance company where they say, "Courtesy starts with you"? I want to ask, "When?? When is it going to start? 'Cause I'm SO ready!"

I'm too grossed out to brush my own teeth in the ladies' room (eww!) but it doesn't bother me when other people do it, as long as they clean up.

There are so many gross things going on in our bathroom here (seat tinkler, must you?? why??) that teeth brushing is the least of it.

Oh yes! Cecilia. That was George Carlin. He said that once a car got too many stupid stickers, the police could pull them over for being an a$$hole.

Gotta love the Soba - kitty breath and all.

I totally agree with the boobs that stop at the end of the escalator. I'd like to add to the list the goof balls that have yet to figure out we walk on the right hand side of the sidewalk, hallway, and/or skyway. It's like driving people - get on the right side. If you must move at a snail's pace, get over to the side so others can pass you! Some of us only get an hour for lunch! And no, you and your three friends cannot walk 4 abreast down the hallway/skyway.

Geez Laurie, this is great - like therapy! These cats don't make me sneeze either!

@Marilyn - My favorite Carlinism is his observation that everyone driving slower than you is an idiot, everyone driving faster is a maniac. I face my own thoughts in that regard every morning during my commute.

The teeth brushing doesn't gross me out at the whole logistics of the thing. I'm not coordinated enough to hold my brush, my paste, & my bag, work the water (which of course would be the kind you can't leave on), without dropping something. And i am NOT putting my toothbrush down on that counter. No way.

Ugh! This post made me remember being in a training class at work and the guy next to me took off his shoes and socks and clipped his toenails! I had to get up and leave. Even now it makes my stomach sick to think about it. Shudder.

I admit, I used to brush my teeth at work. But not in front of people. Definitely NOT. I also was overzealous about cleaning the sink, wiping the counter, and just respecting that others had to use that space.

Now that I watch people do drops (as in drug testing) all day long, public bathrooms are just plain nasty to me on all levels. I suppose I have been scarred for life!

A good piece of gum can do wonders. I suppose, though, that we should be grateful for people not grossing us out with some funky breath.

These are the same people who stop when they get to the top of the stairs and the same people who stand on the escalator to the very tippy top (always on the left side, too). Walk a few steps off the end, won't you please??

That said, I brush my teeth at work. As quietly as I can. And I spit as discretely as I can. But sometimes one MUST brush her teeth--you know?

It icks me out at work, not of others to do it, but for me to do so. Not only because we have 18 women on my floor who have to share a two sink - two toilet bathroom! ( yeah!) But this in itself has hygiene issues written all over it and so in the infinite "property management wisdom' they addressed one "hygeine" issue by having auto on auto off faucets. Meaning there is no cold water - warmish-tepid only. I'm sorry but I only like two temperatures of water in my mouth "icy cold" or "coffee".

We are several thousand miles apart, and yet seem to have shared the same journey today. Were escalators involved in yours? I particularly relish the whole stopping/dropping/checking-as-if-unfamiliar-with-the-luggage-in-question/unfurling exercise when carried out by the person just in front of me at the top of a moving escalator. Particularly when accompanied by the sounds of a busker playing a harp (no, honestly), and even more so when that harp is playing a plinky-plonky version of Celine Dion's theme tune from "Titanic" (still not kidding; Green Park Tube station, London, UK; 6:35 this evening).

Thank you. I feel so much better now.

I totally agree about not wanting tooth brushing happening in a public place. And then, adding insult to injury, they insist on talking to you through all the foam. Makes me gag!! While I'm at it, I'll complain about showing toothbrushing in movies and tv--not the commercials--the episode!
Why is this? Are they trying to demonstrate casualness or intimacy or something? Let them have sex! and forget the toothbrush! Thanks for letting me vent. Marlyce in Windsor, Ontario.

My boss flosses his teeth and clips his nails at his desk every day. I can hear the clipping from my desk and I've walked into his office and "caught" him flossing his teeth. Yuk! Now I always say his name as I approach his office so he can stop before I get in there. Gross!

I do not brush my teeth at work. I chew gum after my lunch is eaten.

One of my pet peeves is the lady who soaks herself in perfume in the next office. Gives me a headache! Or how about the office partner that runs his hands across the top of your desk shelf as he walks by and then because the mail is not perfectly straight in the outbox, he stops to arrange it to his satisfaction. He also is one of those people that repeats the same sentence several times to emphasize his point...ALL THE TIME!

I don't brush my teeth at work... I agree with you, it just feels wrong... don't know why... just does.

Roller Bag Derby... this is why I learned the art of walking, undoing the handle and dropping my bag without missing a step. I've actually had people ask how I do that. I just say I'm type 'A' and can't help it. :-)

Bevvy... we must have run into the same woman... I wasn't as nice as you... I purposely took extra long getting my shoes, belt and coat off and oh no... wouldn't you know it... I forgot to take out my liquids so had to come back before she could go through.

I know... just horrible. :-)

Usually a lurker but...

I once had a co-worker who would just sit and chew on a toothbrush for an hour after lunch (right across the cubicle wall from me) Talk about disgusting. He also wore Birks with no socks and poor toe hygiene...

Ok, another random pet peeve - people who walk down the middle of the parking lot aisles instead of to the side so you are reduced to driving .5 miles per hour. It's not a sidewalk, people!

These are the same people who drive thier grocery carts right down the center of the aisle when they get into the store. Mostly men do this, I've noticed.

Also people who are realtors, but cannot pronounce the word "realtor"

I'd better quit, I'm getting the agita....

People who get one of those huge Lowe's carts, overload it, and come to an abrupt halt in the DEAD CENTER OF THE AISLE to consult their memories, at length, as to whether they've gotten all they came for. (A semi couldn't carry all they already have, btw.) Love the Soba! Love the teddy bear. Thought my Jack, age 10 months, was the only cat with his own teddy. He carries it around the house. Tomorrow's Friday--hold that thought.

Here's another gross one...there is a lady in our office that washes her coffee mug in the shared bathroom sink. Ew, Ew, Ew! I shudder every time I think about it.

btw...watching the Soba video made me yawn - I bet lots of others did too. LOL

Yeah the teeth brushing in a public bathroom with all those bodily functions and smells going on is just a bit barfy to me. Of course I may be a bit extreme on this as until recently I didn't like to get a glass of drinking water from the bathroom (at home) because it seemed too germy. I've only overcome this fear because of the roll-around dishwasher needing the exclusive use of the kitchen faucet for hours at a stretch.

Ack! Grocery carts! I live in a college town and those kids, let me tell you, they have not learned how to grocery shop. They park the cart in the middle of the aisle, unpassable on either side, and wander off to talk to someone, talk on the cell phone, lord knows what.

(Aside: then when they get carded at the checkout they take off and leave all their crap sitting there on the conveyor belt.)

September is the worst grocery shopping month of my year.

Parents, PLEASE teach your kids grocery store etiquette before they leave home! Thank you.

So I just read the post from the person who had the rude lady in line who got to cut in front....I think I met her at customs coming home from Australia at LAX. We had been travelling for at that point what seemed like 2 years but was 15 hours and she was in line complaining about everything. She then looked at everyone ahead of her - Me and My sister as well - and said we should have to show when our connecting flight was and if her connecting flight was sooner we should all get out of her way...My flight wasn't for four hours, but after that there was no way I was moving.

I must confess that I both brush and floss my teeth in the shared bathroom. I don't have much choice -- my teeth are prone to decay and I have to do everything I can to keep them healthy.

I loved the photo effect! Awesome.

And so right about RBCs and such. Ahh well, what can a girl do if she accidently kicks the bag when her foot stumbles (proper shoes required)?

I'm not keen on public flossing and brushing. But what REALLY gets to me is public nail clipping. I sat behind a guy once at a big conference - you know, rows and rows of chairs. He's in front of me clipping his nails (bad enough) but then he's depositing the clipped nails in the empty styro coffee cup down by his feet. Ack. Ugh. Barf. Grody!

Yes! Rolly Bags, or as I call them "trip hazards"... argh! They're so often tiny and really can't be heavy enough to need wheels, dammit.

i tripped over a one of those wheely thingamabobs at the airport and landed on my knees on the sidewalk. rang my bell, it did. my fault, i wasn't looking for the three foot extension behind the lady.

dang. that hurt.

On the topic of RBC's - maybe it's me, but I am not sure I can tell the difference between the two options presented. Aren't they both saying to move to the side? Which, of course, is what they SHOULD do but never ACTUALLY do. I have learned to tap into my enlightened self and let it go - no sense getting all aggravated about it because in the end, I just annoy myself for an hour. The RBC is totally unaffected and going on about his/her day.... though in Bevvy's case that very rude airport line cutter was obvy not the easy going type...she prob has an ulcer the size of the Atlantic...

I do brush my teeth at work but usually take a bottle of water with me to rinse the brush and my mouth.

Oh and how about the public trans people who refuse to remove their backpacks!

I was *that* person at an airport once. It was 2 days before Christmas and I was going home for a funeral. My flight was late and if I missed my connection I would miss the wake. I announced this in a shaky voice to a plane full of disembarking passengers. They all let me through and I made my flight - I am sure they were afraid of setting off the crazy lady

This just made me laugh...out loud even!

I had this same ick conversation today with a lady I worked with. She was heading in the bathroom with her cute little green toothbrush. Made me gag, unknown people poop in there ya know.

Umm, yes. And, nearly.

Oh Laurie, I can do you one grosser... I used to ride the number 2 bus down Sunset every day and one day I got on and it was smushy standing room only, but I got a lucky seat. I discovered it was really the unlucky seat because a very high and crazy guy was sitting behind me brushing his teeth on the bus! with an electric toothbrush! for 25 minutes! (it's a wonder he still has teeth) and every so often he would take the toothbrush out of his mouth and spit would fly around the bus! I got out of that seat really fast. Everyone anywhere near him on the bus was shooting daggers into him with their eyes (because they sure couldn't move their arms), and finally when he got off the bus he mooned everyone!!!!!!!! THIS IS NO LIE! It's definitely my best bus story, but omg I had to get spit on me to get that story and it was so not worth it.

I have always thought that carry-on should mean carry-on, not roll-on. If it is too heavy to carry, it ought to be checked. But who listens to me. bev-- love your blog, longtime lurker.

Ok, um, ick.

And I thought I was having some sort of episode when the picture of Sobakawa started moving around...must get sleep...

I'm going to have nightmares of a saber-toothed Sobakawa tonight.

No gross bus stories, but a nasty telemarketing company story.

I used to take telephone orders for all that "seen-on-tv" crap...err...fine products that they are...and there was this guy named Tim who worked there.

Summers were bad when Tim was working. Because Tim NEVER BATHED. I dont mean, he only bathed once a week, but for the entire four years that I worked there, Tim NEVER BATHED.

I have scent allergies to perfumes that will make my eyes water and give me hives, and I'd rather put up with a bunch of people wearing a few dozen clashing perfumes and colognes than have to smell the stench that would roll off of Tim (and see the slime slide out of his hair onto the floor)

The day I got fired, I went back to my seat to get my backpack full of crochet projects, and to say bye to my friends. Tim was sitting about 5 seats down from mine. As security was escorting me out and I was passing Tim's spot, I looked directly at Tim, and told him "take a f*cking bath! PLEASE!!"

The security guard was still laughing as he walked me to my car. He apparently agreed with me. When my friends I worked with heard that I told Tim to take a bath, they informed me that he did not take my advice.

I swear, he had green mold growing on his elbows, and I'd swear that he gave everyone within a 3-5 seat radius fleas.

I've seen Tim out in the non-working world since then. You can still smell him before you see him...and he's always still wearing the same clothing that he was in in 2001 when I told him to take a bath. (the green stuff on his elbows is thicker too...ewww!) Either he has no access to toilet facilities, or he's got an extreme water phobia.

I've gotta speak up for us rolly-bag users. It doesn't matter how far I try to get away from the bus carrying my bag once I've gotten off, the jerks I go to school with will just plow me down as they get off. There's a good 10 feet of sidewalk, and I'm the farthest from the bus you can get without being INSIDE the nearest building. And yet, I'm the one who gets the dirty looks, like, how dare I not carry a backpack slung over one shoulder, or a giant purse that has all my textbooks in it.

Then there are the kids who see you carrying the bag, so they jump in front of you in line! So there are a dozen people waiting for the bus, you're near the front, but you're stuck next to the door holding the bag because everyone just files in front of you. So, you're the last one on and you have to stand up and wrangle the bag with your legs while Jock-Face-I'm-On-My-Way-To-The-Gym-With-My-Shorts-On-In-An-Illinois-Winter can sprawl over two seats.

Amazing, these college kids, I tell you.

Oh dear. Did we have a bad experience with the whole commuter with a rolly bag this morning? Net time just floss your teeth at them.

I live in South Korea and it is common practice to brush one's teeth after lunch. I work at a school and every day I see kids and teachers lined up at the sinks, brushing their teeth. Korean food is spicy (and all elementary kids - at my school at least - eat at the cafeteria), so brushing your teeth is important to keep smelly breath at bay. I actually like the idea of brushing your teeth at work... I'd like to import the idea back to Canada. I've started to do it because I was worried that I would be looked down on if I didn't - I must confess that I am happy with my decision!

I see nothing wrong with using a rolly bag if you're in school along with work, or if you go to the gym and have back problems (would you be going to the gym if you had back problems?), or if you have a legitimate reason like that, but I see many women who drag a huge rolly bag AND a purse full of stuff into work every day. How can you possibly need so much stuff for eight hours, and if you really do need it, why can you not keep it at work instead of taking it to and from work every day? Laptop bags are one thing, but these women look like they're carrying a full PC, monitor, keyboard, diaper bag, two lunches, and a quilting project to work and back. Apart from inconveniencing the rest of the traffic on the street and bus, isn't that just too much trouble to lug around every day??

@ Bevvy - what the guys in front of you did, I do to people all the time. Everyone in my town seems to have this disease where they stand four inches behind me, so I can feel them breathing on me, and sometimes I turn around and just say "Would you like to go first? Please." and gesture. They usually back off. In airports, people are always trying to "sneakily" cut in front of me by moving sort of perpendicular to my luggage, and I do the same thing. It always shames people. It sounds like the lady you encountered was pretty shameless, though, if she actually injured you in order to cut in front of you.

Oh gosh, I don't like it when people brush their teeth at work. But on the other hand, they are doing it in the bathroom and hey, I bet they have better hygeine than me.

What drives me NUTS is when people cut their nails at work! And you can hear every little click! Click! And I can just picture their nails flying all over the place and over the cube walls.... gahhh!!! Or maybe they are cutting their toe nails over there! Gross!

I'm ambivalent about the at-work tooth brushing. I do it before dental appointments and before I have to interview a faculty researcher for a news release. Once while I was interviewing a faculty researcher, however, he clipped his fingernails while talking to me. I wasn't offended (though perhaps I should have been) as much as I decided I had to theorize about his overall hygiene practices because he was a medical doctor who treated people with infectious diseases!

I only brush at work if I have to go to the dentist. Otherwise, it creeps me out, too.

And the rolly bags don't bother me nearly as much as the rolly tennis shoes that everybody's little darlings seem to have these days. Those stupid things drive me crazy!

I hate those RBC's, too. In other news... I saw your book at the book store yesterday. I felt special.

When I was living in Tokyo I noticed that all the Japanese "office ladies" (as they're called there) lined up like ducks in a row at the sinks in the ladies room after lunch where they spent at least 10 minutes brushing their teeth. It looked like some kind of ritual, and especially made me wonder if there was an informal contest to see who could brush the longest. Despite all that brushing, most people in Japan have very discolored teeth (and often times asked me why Americans are so obsessed with white teeth!). I told them it was because Hollywood set the standard for beauty.

Thank you Laurie and all the posters! I thought I was the only one who hates the rolybag thing. I took mom to a craft show one time that was *packed* with people, and I don't know how many times I tripped over those idiot bags. I spent more time watching my feet than looking at the goodies. A pox on rolybags.

We have a private bathroom in our office (no multi stall shared potties for us), so several of us brush after lunch. But we all have the agreement to rinse out the sink VERY well when we are done.

What's so public about a bathroom?

Isn't it the most private place you can go? (Except for the stall itself, but that *would* be gross.)

I think Brainiac (sort of like a British version of MythBusters) once showed that the cleanest/most germ free place in an office was actually the bathroom...

What's so awful about seeing someone have the courtesy to avoid blowing bad breath into your face?

Sorry. No apologies from me. I brush my teeth every day at work. People do other things in the bathroom, I can certainly brush my teeth. I acquired this habit after having braces. I suppose I could have left the gunk in my teeth and shared with my coworkers. Now, not washing hands after a toidy break...that grosses me out and I see quite a few people doing it.

I must admit that I do brush my teeth in public restrooms. I hate doing it, because it actually feels a little ick to me, but I have braces, and the consequence of not brushing after every meal & snack is getting cavities & other assorted nasties that are only discovered a couple of years down the road when the braces are removed.

I brush as quickly & discretely as possible & then get the heck out of there... I will definitely be limiting my dental hygeine routine to the comfort of my own home as soon as the braces and retainers are gone!

I have been known to brush my teeth at lunch. But I quit when I realized there was no sanitary place to set down my toothpaste and or toothbrush while I rinsed. Because those counters? Really not sanitary!

EVERY day I want to kill the people who use the roly bags, especially the back pack type - it's a backpack, put it on. They totally impede the flow of traffic and make me CRAZY. It's a good thing it is Friday!

Love the kitties.

I don't mind at the gym. People using the sinks to brush their teeth (I mean, the gym I go to provides mouth wash, so they expect some of this usage) isn't too weird, but one time I went to the bathroom at work around three to find one of the cafeteria women changing and not in a stall either.

Long time lurker, first time commenter...

I have to rant along with the rest of you. All this discussion about airports brings me to my pet peeve... those people who jump up and run to gather or stand in line the very second the gate opens for boarding. And the "gatherers" are just so darned desperate to fight their way into the line just prior to or the second their seating group is called. Seriously people, do you think the plane is going to leave with out you?

I admit to brushing my teeth at work...but only because (a) it's a very small office so we're more like family than random strangers who work together and (b) we have a private kitchen with a door I can close. I always carefully rinse the sink afterwards.
If we didn't have the kitchen, then no, I would not be able to brush my teeth in a public bathroom. For some reason, I always think the water in bathroom taps is less clean.
I know. I'm weird.

Hm, I've never found the brushing of teeth in a public restroom particularly gross. I personally haven't seen it much but I guess as long as they clean up after themselves. I've done it a time or two before a dental appt but I mostly try to schedule the appt first thing in the morning.

What an awesome motion photo of Soba! Too cool!

I love the pictures of your cat, Soba. I recently had my cat, Zipper's, teeth cleaned. I felt so sorry for her because the vet had to put her to sleep. Good thing we as humans don't need to be anesthetized