knock knock

There is a restroom in the hallway near my desk. It's a one person restroom. As one would hope, there is a lock on the door. I suppose out of politeness, though, people often knock before going in just to make sure they don't surprise the person on the inside in case they forgot to lock it.

It's quite nerve-racking, however, when you're on the inside and someone knocks. This happened yesterday. Someone knocked, and I didn't know what to say. Your initial reaction when someone knocks on a door is to say "Come in!" ... but that's not right in this situation. Other options include "Yes?" ... but that begs an answer from the person on the other side, which just makes it even more complicated and awkward. Another variant includes "There's someone in here!" But it's hard to say that without sounding panicked and shrill.

My reaction? Stay silent. The person tried to open the door, but I had the prescience to lock it. And that was that. One person restrooms should have little signs like the airplane lavoratories have. When you lock it, a sign outside says "Occupied." Who would ever knock on an airplane lavoratory door? Simple solutions to simple problems, people.

So now as I ponder the asinine topic of restroom etiquette, I am remembering the strangely fascinating bathroom at Peep, a restaurant loved and often frequented by my friends during our heydays in New York City. (Heydeys? I must research this phrase. Do words ever strike you as strange only when you see them written down? Or is it just me?).

Anyway, Peep. Their bathrooms have one way mirrors - you can look out, but people can't look in. However, everyone knows that you can look out and see them, so it becomes a bit of a psychological game. Let me illustrate: once while eating there, I had to use the restroom. The restroom was situated literally behind the table where my friends were sitting. So in the stall, I could see everything they were doing. But they knew I could see them, so they started waving at the wall and making faces. I mean, I knew logically that they couldn't see me, but it still made me very uncomfortable and rush the hell out of that bathroom.

Woohoo, it's Friday! I have a lot of work to do this weekend - work work, applications work, laundry. So what am I going to do? Leave it all unattended and go to NYC, of course! I wonder if Peep has space for dinner tomorrow.