Ms. Fix-it

The great thing about my apartment is that it was a shithole before I moved in, so the landlord doesn't really care if I renovate it. As far as she's concerned, she can charge more for the tenants after me.

Before moving in all my furniture, I ripped out the living room carpet, cleaned the wood floors and painted all the rooms (they paid for supplies) -- except, the bathroom.

It's a small bathroom to begin with.

For the past five months, I've been climbing in and out of the claw foot tub, only to stand on the 2'x 3' bathroom mat strategically placed over the rotting golf green turf carpeting. I had a plastic drawer setup to keep all my bathroom accessories/extra shampoos/etc., so whenever I went to the bathroom, I'd sit face-to-face with that thing.

I couldn't take it anymore, so this weekend I decided to re-tile the bathroom floor.

BEFORE:

I bought some peel-and-stick tile and a straight edge.

First, I put gloves on ripped out the turf carpet. (Who in the HELL puts carpet in bathrooms anyway.) I vacuumed and picked up some loose garbage under the tub, like an empty travel-size shampoo bottle (not mine), a plastic bowl that at some point must've been catching water, but had turned black (not mine), and an ancient-looking gold mirror compact with flowers on it (ALSO not mine.)

I went to work laying out the tiles, cutting around pipes, the toilet and doorway.

In all it took about four hours, start to finish.

AFTER:

Now I can go into my bathroom without socks and shoes on, AND taking a shower actually means I feel clean.

Restroom woes

I walked down to the bathroom today to do my business, expecting a nice 5-10 minute hiatus from the cubicle. I enter, look around and see the bathroom's empty. I go for the last stall, no one around. Perfect.

All of a sudden, I hear someone enter. Walking briskly, six other stalls before her -- she stops, slams and latches the door... RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

WTF.

I think, the public bathroom happens to be one of the more private places to retreat at work. Although there's only a 1/2-inch thick metal wall between me and the rest of the world, I'd like to think I'm all alone when nature calls. So don't sit next to me.

When guys go to the bathroom, do they instinctively gravitate toward the lone man taking a leak, while surrounded by three urinals on either side?

Why, then, would someone feel so inclined to pee right next to me?