[Poll] Potty Polling

[thefourthvine]

Best Beloved recently attended a meeting. (This is not the unusual part of this story; there is apparently a strict policy where she works about the percentage of one's total working time one must spend in meetings, and they do not let you slack on that.) This particular meeting was held in a location that her colleague, S (I think you will see soon why I am avoiding revealing any personal information about her), particularly hates, and during a break, S told BB why she hates it so much:

When they have meetings there, S ends up peeing behind a dumpster.

And, yes, there are totally perfectly acceptable bathrooms at the meeting location. S (who is a middle-aged professional woman with a highly responsible position, dignified and at all times well-dressed) is peeing behind dumpsters on the way to the meeting, because in the early morning, she has to pee every hour or so, and the meeting location is about an hour and a half away from her house. So what happens is, S gets to the hour mark, really really has to pee, pulls off the freeway, and finds herself in a profoundly sketchy neighborhood. (Locals: Compton. For serious.) She finds a gas station, is told they don't have public restrooms, and pees behind their dumpsters.

This has happened three times in the last year.

S shared this story with BB in the sort of mildly amused tones most people would use for relating the story of how they got all the way to the meeting and realized only then they'd left their shoes at home. (True fact: BB once did this. She put a pair of socks on over her hose and went to the meeting that way, and no one noticed, or at least no one said anything.)

BB was horrified. BB, before we had the earthling, had very strict policies about potty privacy that included, for example, a hermetically sealed door even if she was alone in the house. ("What if burglars came in?" she asked me, when she revealed this policy. And she was right! I absolutely did not have a special plan for dealing with a sudden home invasion while I was peeing.) Now, of course, we have a small child, so privacy is one of those things we sort of vaguely recall, like the mornings we slept in until ten. BB, remembering how I mocked her for the locked-door-home-alone thing, thought maybe she was the weird one, so she came home and related this story to me. (I am never going to be able to meet this woman now, for the record, without a real risk that I might blurt out, "Hi! We don't have a dumpster, but the bathroom's right over there!")

I wasn't exactly horrified, but I was definitely surprised. What I focused on was the three times thing. Once, okay, desperation, needs must, whatever. I have never peed behind a dumpster, or indeed at the side of a road, but I can envision circumstances where I might have absolutely no choice. But if it happened once, I personally would take steps, like finding a McDonald's along the route and making sure to stop there. In short, I would do whatever I could to keep my chances of peeing behind a dumpster in a sketchy neighborhood to an absolute minimum. (It's a pity I didn't hear this story a few weeks ago. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but this seems like a fruitful topic for one.)

But maybe we are just weird. Maybe it's totally normal to view peeing behind a dumpster as a relatively reasonable working hazard. Obviously, it's poll time.

Poll #5702 Peeing

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 485

How often do you need to pee?

ALL THE TIME.
28 (5.8%)

I know where the restrooms are in every place I visit regularly, let's just say.
143 (29.5%)

I would say I am well within one standard deviation of normal, in bladder terms.
203 (41.9%)

Oh, you know. Couple times a day, maybe.
105 (21.7%)

I am a sloth.
5 (1.0%)

Have you ever peed in public? (In this case, behind a dumpster or similar counts - we're talking about extra-restroom urination, here.)

Sure! All the time. It's very freeing.
1 (0.2%)

From time to time, but only in, like, remote wooded areas, that kind of thing.
241 (49.8%)

Yes. And I've done it even in built-up areas, where people were around.
58 (12.0%)

Are we talking only about sober behavior?
47 (9.7%)

Once. Or twice. No more.
133 (27.5%)

Never.
85 (17.6%)

Let's say you've been in S's situation once. Your policy, going forward?

No big. Sometimes you gotta pee behind a dumpster if you wanna make it in the working world today.
50 (10.4%)

I would do my damnedest to be sure I was never in that situation again, I'll tell you what.
432 (89.6%)

And what would your stance on sharing this story around be?

I definitely wouldn't tell my colleagues. What if it became the topic of an internet poll?
348 (73.3%)

I would totally tell my colleagues. 'S funny!
127 (26.7%)

Comments

[dzurlady]

None of that story is something I would do myself, but I can understand why she did.

BB, before we had the earthling, had very strict policies about potty privacy that included, for example, a hermetically sealed door even if she was alone in the house. ("What if burglars came in?" she asked me, when she revealed this policy. And she was right! I absolutely did not have a special plan for dealing with a sudden home invasion while I was peeing.
Reading this, I suddenly felt concerned when I realised that I too lacked such a plan. But then I realised that I also have no plan for sudden home invasion when I am not peeing, and for some reason I am therefore no longer alarmed.

[thefourthvine]

None of that story is something I would do myself, but I can understand why she did.

I can, too! ONCE. But after that - seriously, I would DO WHAT IT TOOK to avoid being in that situation again. I would not blithely accept that every time we had a meeting at a specific location, I would end up peeing behind a dumpster in Compton. I just - no. That's not my life plan.

Reading this, I suddenly felt concerned when I realised that I too lacked such a plan. But then I realised that I also have no plan for sudden home invasion when I am not peeing, and for some reason I am therefore no longer alarmed.

See, yeah, that's what impressed me there. BB is one of the calmest, least-worried people I know - we balance each other extremely well in that department - and she of COURSE has no plan for regular home invasion. But if it happens while she's peeing, well. She's got THAT covered, of course.

[giglet]

But after that - seriously, I would DO WHAT IT TOOK to avoid being in that situation again

Except, if it were me, the thought would be driven out of my head once the situation was past, and if I thought about it at all, later, I would not be in a position to check for a better place to pee, or I'd go, "of *course* I won't have to pee on the trip next time!" Mental blocks and ADD, for the lose.

[libitina]

So is it now time for the comments to fill up with fun peeing stories. One time, at college...

I am particularly amused because I totally posted a thing about my peeing on my journal today.

[thefourthvine]

I am particularly amused because I totally posted a thing about my peeing on my journal today.

...Now I'm REALLY CURIOUS.

[libitina]

have granted you access

It's also worth noting that the house in the city I am in the process of buying comes with an alleyway. One of my very first planned purchases will be a light to shine in the alley to deter peeing (and any other unsavoriness).

[exceptinsects]

If it happened once, I might tell my colleagues. But three times?! That's just crazy.

[thefourthvine]

Yeah. I keep coming back to the three times thing. I really, really want to believe that the future doesn't hold three rounds of peeing behind a dumpster for me.

[innocentsmith]

I assume we're not counting in "in the ocean, as a child"?

I just feel sorry for the service people who have to use that dumpster. I mean, I'm sure they've encountered worse, but still.

[thefourthvine]

I assume we're not counting in "in the ocean, as a child"?

Well, if we are, I'm going to have to switch my vote over from "never." Peeing in the ocean is just what you do when you're little!

I just feel sorry for the service people who have to use that dumpster. I mean, I'm sure they've encountered worse, but still.

I'm hoping this is one of those dumpsters that gets emptied without anyone ever touching it. Really, really hoping.

[innocentsmith]

I'm hoping this is one of those dumpsters that gets emptied without anyone ever touching it.

Yeah, but...I mean, what about the employees and people who actually make use of the dumpster? Granted, when taking garbage out one does try to avoid any mysterious pools of liquid underfoot, but...and someone's got to hose that shit down at some point. If you're homeless and nobody's going to let you in to use a bathroom (hence the "no public bathroom" laws) then fair enough, or if you're drunk and not thinking too clearly, or even if it's a one-time, super-serious emergency, I'd give it a pass. But this just kind of seems...inconsiderate.

[torachan]

I'm sure homeless people have peed there already.

[innocentsmith]

Yeah, very possibly. But when I was a shop assistant who had to hose down the area around the dumpster in a downtown alley once a week, my minimum wage ass would've been thinking much fouler thoughts about the office lady who couldn't be bothered to plan ahead than about the homeless people who nobody would let into a clean bathroom.

[copernica3]

I like hiking. When hiking, peeing in the woods is something you just deal with, because if you don't drink enough water you get dehydrated and feel terrible. The water has to go somewhere, plus there are nice scenic rocks and whatnot to hide behind. So technically outdoor peeing is a hazard of one of my hobbies. But! A dumpster? In an actual city? I don't think I'd be too comfortable with that.

[thefourthvine]

See, yeah, hiking, I totally get that - peeing in the woods is just part of it. But this is in a city, and in a neighborhood where there are always people walking around. At rush hour, no less. The mind seriously boggles. I mean, I can see having absolutely no choice, but I would be hugely uncomfortable, and you bet I would make sure it didn't happen it again.

[winter_elf]

I do admit to peeing on the side of the road (behind a bush! in the middle of no-where in the desert!)

As for finding somewhere where you can use the restroom, I can probably understand the ladys frustration. A few years ago, in SF, a group of us took the bart into town. We were with a group of kids. It was 4th of July. It was a huge amount of people heading for the pier. All the restrooms at the train station were closed (security reasons). All the restrooms in the area (including McDonalds) had big signs on the door - NO RESTROOMS EVEN FOR CUSTOMERS. We were like - WTF?!?! Hell, I've gone into a fast food place and bought a drink/snack to use the restroom. Or even paid a few quarters. But no where in the area was there a restroom! It was like freaky. We eventually found some porta type ones, but lets just say, there were only a few and miles away.

[thefourthvine]

Maaaaaan. No restrooms even for customers? WTF? That is just inhumane, in my opinion.

[starwatcher]

.
I live between two towns (30K and 10K), and work in the smaller. I used to try to shop for groceries in the smaller town -- my salary comes from their tax-base, after all. But the grocery store (there's only one) has recently stopped allowing customers to use the restroom.

I drink the bulk of my daily liquids before 2PM. (Approx 24 oz water, sipped over the morning, then 24 oz Pepsi during and after lunch.) Consequently, from 2:30 to 4:30, I need pee-breaks every half-hour.

From town, it's a 20-minute drive home. My body is insistent, so I can no longer do major food-shopping in that store. One or two items only, then dash out the door to head home.

Yes, I could go back to school, or stop at an Allsup's on the way out of town, but that means all the hassle of parking, going in and through, maneuvering through a second parking lot to get out, etc, and I resent that idea. And it's the principle of the thing -- if they won't let their own customers use the restroom, they don't deserve my business.

I saw Julian's comment below, that restaurants under a certain size are not required to provide restrooms. I've never met such a place, and it would be a deal-breaker. Restaurant-eating is a break in the day; if I don't have pee before I eat, I certainly need to do so afterward. As you say, no restrooms for customers in inhumane.
.

[cesy]

Isn't "no restrooms even for customers" illegal? I have a vague memory it is over here (UK).

[julian]

For the US, it depends on the number of seats in the restaurant. Under a certain number, they're in the clear.

[vass]

It's illegal in Australia.

[winter_elf]

yes, but they got around it by announcing it was "for security reasons" AND because they placed the sign outside the restaurant/fastfood place on the window (so you know before you went in), then they were 'legal'. It was very frustrating, because every place on all the streets near the train station did that.

[tevere]

Oh man, SF is the city I STILL REMEMBER as the 'city of no bathrooms'. I vividly remember a very uncomfortable long walk through the middle of nowhere the suburbs, on the way to Golden Gate Park, and there was not a bathroom to be seen in any of the cafes, small restaurants or tourist attractions in the area. Peeing while hiking, no problem. Peeing on the side of the road during a long bus trip in a developing nation, I can do! (Secret: always carry a sarong as portable privacy shield, for places where bushes are in short supply!) But peeing in the open (or even behind a roadside shrub or dumpster) in suburban America? No.

[minim_calibre]

Oh, man. I had one of those semi-under-the-table jobs that I only did ONCE, because a: semi-under-the-table; and b: I was doing landscape clean-up work for 8 hours in the cold with NO FREAKING FACILITIES. I had no cash, so I couldn't go somewhere and use their loo, and it was at a REALLY PUBLIC location (where there was NOWHERE I could drop trou and piss), so at some point, I managed to find a large paper coffee cup in the detritus of my car, hide my lower half under my coat, and find sweet, sweet relief that was a LITTLE TOO CLOSE to that line from that Crowded House song.

NEVER AGAIN.

I mean, I'll pee in the woods, but in the city? HELL NO.

[minim_calibre]

And wow, this was SO MUCH URINATION TMI.

[thefourthvine]

OMG. That sounds like a total nightmare. I mean, seriously, that kind of IS my nightmare.

NEVER AGAIN for real.

[rachelmanija]

I put "never," because I was only counting my adult years. I peed by the side of the road a couple times when I was a child.

A couple years ago, I was driving to Mariposa when I realized that I really had to pee. Just then, as I was looking for a turn-off, traffic stopped dead. I was on a lonely, two lane country road. (I later found out that a semi had overturned across it.) My car was stopped, with cars lined up in front and behind, for four hours. I contemplated getting out and finding a bush, but the road was lined with barbed wire fencing, and there were no bushes. I'd have to pee within three feet of stopped cars, out in the open.

Let me repeat: jammed for four hours. And yet, I DID NOT PEE.

[thefourthvine]

I think childhood falls into a different category, yes.

And, oh god, JAMMED FOR FOUR HOURS. When you already needed to pee. That's - pretty much my definition of hell. (Before the first time we went to Disneyland together, BB told me about a distressing incident on one visit; she had to go to the bathroom, but, well, the ride was RIGHT THERE and the line was short, so she figured she'd wait. And then the ride got stuck. For two hours. She probably shouldn't have told me, as on that visit I grimly went to the bathroom before basically EVERY RIDE and just dared her to say anything about it. Especially since on that visit we were cursed and could not get on a ride without it breaking. I just had to be sure.)

[eli]

Let me repeat: jammed for four hours. And yet, I DID NOT PEE.

OMG, been there. On the Jersey Turnpike going south where they merge what always feels like 12 lanes of traffic into 2, and some idiot somehow missed that and tried to share a lane with another car. Anyway, the point is, I held it!

[keerawa]

I'm fairly blase about peeing behind a dumpster, and my partner and I never bother interrupting conversation for anything so petty as a need to urinate. But I wouldn't want to do it in COMPTON. I mean, there are probably some scary people in those alleyways! That could be someone's bedding I'm peeing on!

[thefourthvine]

For me, the deal with doing it in Compton would more be the foot traffic issue. Sure, some areas are totally devoid of people, but in general there are lots of people walking around. I - I already don't want to pee behind a dumpster. I really, REALLY don't want to pee behind a dumpster with people five feet away from me.

[tesserae]

Yes, and really, the last thing Compton needs is *more* people peeing behind dumpsters!

[melannen]

For a long time I literally *couldn't* go anywhere but a toilet (and not a public toilet, either.) I mean, one Girl Scout Camping trip, I held it from Friday afternoon to Monday morning because the toilets did not meet my standards.

Now I am older and my bladder is less forgiving. Some days, *considerably* less forgiving. And there was that one time the bus was two hours late and I had a UTI and I was tempted to just GO THERE. But I agree with the people up above: I will pee in the wilderness and the wasteland, but I have known too many folks (including, occasionally, myself) whose job was to clean up after people who are inconsiderate with their body waste to be willing to pee anywhere that means someone else will have to deal with it.

...mmmaybe once, in an emergency. But doing it when you had the opportunity to plan around it is just inconsiderate and entitled.

[thefourthvine]

I am kind of horrified by the tale of Girl Scout Camping Trip Retention.

...mmmaybe once, in an emergency. But doing it when you had the opportunity to plan around it is just inconsiderate and entitled.

I can see that. I mean, emergencies happen, and the first time out, the only option either party had was for the gas station people to let S use the facilities. But in the future, yeah, planning ahead seems best for all concerned.

[fox]

I am kind of horrified by the tale of Girl Scout Camping Trip Retention.

Me too! Bladder, hell, what about your kidneys?!

[avendya]

This! I have held it for a very long time - admittedly, not days, but my Girl Scout camping trips were shorter or much, much longer (~ two weeks) - to avoid peeing in public. Or even admitting to someone that I had to pee.

... er. I have all the neuroses?

[shrift]

THREE TIMES? In Compton?

I mean, I likes me some contingency planning, which is why I always use the bathroom at the office before I get on the subway after that one time I had dinner with a friend and did NOT use the bathroom even after drinking two margaritas and then got trapped on the subway forever and ever because a drunk guy jumped on the tracks after one stop (and even THEN I managed to waddle the half mile to my apartment, not pee behind a dumpster, and I guess I should clarify that the drunk guy was fine?), but even for normal people who don't get all whackadoo with the planning, this kind of thing should only happen once. Right? After that, you either moderate your fluid intake or find a convenient stopping place. Right?

Due to the nature of my job, I often have absurdly inappropriate conversations at work, but man, even we don't discuss public urination.

[thefourthvine]

Three times. In Compton. S is clearly made of different stuff than I am.

And, yes! Exactly! Right! I mean, I am the queen of Just in Case peeing, to an extent that drives BB crazy (but better to go than not go and REALLY REGRET IT, is always my feeling), but I would think that anyone would plan ahead after the first time. Of peeing behind a dumpster. In Compton.

Due to the nature of my job, I often have absurdly inappropriate conversations at work, but man, even we don't discuss public urination.

Librarians are very special people, I find.

[shrift]

That she has done this three times apparently uninterrupted suggests to me that S is secretly a ninja.

Librarians are very special people, I find.

I review content, and that means I can stray into What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen territory at any moment. And compared with other departments, I don't even have the worst of it, but I still have plenty How Is This My Life? moments when I'm talking about porn with my boss. Or that one day where I was exposed to a foot fetish in a whole new light.

Every time they move my desk, I have to decide if I'm going to warn coworkers ahead of time, or let them come to some interesting conclusions about my surfing habits.

[starwatcher]

.
the queen of Just in Case peeing

Hee! Me, too. My mom never let us kids leave the house until we peed first, and it is so deep into my psyche that I can't not -- even if I went only 10 minutes ago.
.

[blushingflower]

My medication contains a diruetic, and many mornings I also drink a cup of tea en route to work. I also try very hard to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. I have to pee a lot.
I know where I can find restrooms when I need them (and have, in face, used my gym membership simply to get in and pee).
I also take precautions such as peeing when I have the opportunity, in case I might need to when I don't. (I'm a tour guide, and you can't excuse yourself in the middle of a tour, and I've worked for companies where tours could be two hours long. You go before you leave.)
So, in this situation, I'd go before I left the house, make sure to plan a route that had somewhere with a bathroom on the way (McDonald's, Starbucks, something). And probably leave extra time so that I could also go when I got to the meeting before it started.

I think the only time I've ever gone in what could be called "public" I was very very drunk in an alley. Fortunately I was wearing a skirt and no panties and it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 AM.

During snowpocalpyse I was in the car with friends. They got out to help push cars, and left me in charge of the vehicle. I had just about reached the point of figuring out a way to go in the McDonald's cup that was in the car when they returned. (This is something I still don't know how to do. Esp. without getting out of the car.)

[thefourthvine]

(I'm a tour guide, and you can't excuse yourself in the middle of a tour, and I've worked for companies where tours could be two hours long. You go before you leave.)

Interesting! Do you do, like, walking tours, or bus tours, or museum tours?

So, in this situation, I'd go before I left the house, make sure to plan a route that had somewhere with a bathroom on the way (McDonald's, Starbucks, something). And probably leave extra time so that I could also go when I got to the meeting before it started.


Exactly! I definitely know where the bathrooms are pretty much everywhere I go, and I would take all these precautions, especially after the FIRST unfortunate peeing incident.

I think the only time I've ever gone in what could be called "public" I was very very drunk in an alley. Fortunately I was wearing a skirt and no panties and it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 AM.

...I feel sure that there is an interesting story behind all this.

During snowpocalpyse I was in the car with friends. They got out to help push cars, and left me in charge of the vehicle. I had just about reached the point of figuring out a way to go in the McDonald's cup that was in the car when they returned. (This is something I still don't know how to do. Esp. without getting out of the car.)

Extreme weather is definitely one of those pee-in-a-cup-in-a-car situations. And it's one I've never had to face; I mean, I live in Los Angeles, and it is entirely possible for us to have truly terrible traffic jams that sort of amount to the same thing, but snow? Not unless climate change gets a LOT worse.

[blushingflower]

Interesting! Do you do, like, walking tours, or bus tours, or museum tours?

All of the above. I started working for one of the hop-on hop-off companies in DC. I've also worked at a few different historic sites, and done outdoor walking tours. I'm hoping to eventually start my own business doing private tours, but that's a way down the road.

[musesfool]

Dude. This lady should just get herself a portable lady urinal for emergencies and/or long trips. Then she wouldn't have to get out of the car.

While I have never peed in a public place, I was once in a limo with someone who had to go so bad after we were stuck in traffic for three hours that she peed into someone's big gulp cup. We were all like, thank god M. stopped at 7Eleven before we left! (Funnily enough, it was not the person who'd drunk the big gulp who needed to pee.)

[thefourthvine]

True!

Then she wouldn't have to get out of the car.

She'd still have to get off the freeway, though. If you stop ANYWHERE on the freeway at rush hour, you get either a cop or, more likely, the metro tow truck people showing up to see a) if you need help and b) WHY YOU HAVE STOPPED AT THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. (Not. Okay.) I - I would not want to be peeing and have a friendly face looking in the window going, "Lady, do you need some help?"

While I have never peed in a public place, I was once in a limo with someone who had to go so bad after we were stuck in traffic for three hours that she peed into someone's big gulp cup.

Obviously, limos should come equipped with portable lady urinals!

[tevere]

I was once in a limo with someone who had to go so bad after we were stuck in traffic for three hours that she peed into someone's big gulp cup

The one and only time I've been in a helicopter, one of my fellow (female) passengers had to pee into a Coke bottle. I mean, I can't even pee and aim into that little cup for urine testing, let alone manage a Coke bottle in a moving airborne vehicle, gosh.

[neery]

It hasn't happened to me yet, and I don't anticipate three rounds of the same dumpster, but there's probably going to be some outdoor peeing in cities in my future. Both my mom and my older sisters have weak bladders, and this is a country where not every small town has a gas station or McDonald's within walking distance, so sometimes when we're in a strange city on a Sunday, finding a bathroom at regular intervals can be a bit of a problem.

I sure as hell wouldn't tell anyone about it when not on the internet, though. I can barely look people in the face while asking where the bathroom is.

[thefourthvine]

I sure as hell wouldn't tell anyone about it when not on the internet, though. I can barely look people in the face while asking where the bathroom is.

I am sort of surprised that a quarter of poll respondents would tell colleagues about this. I mean, it means S isn't as unusual as I thought, and yet - wow. The internet? Sure, why not. Best Beloved? Yeah. But, no, I cannot imagine telling my CO-WORKERS about something like this.

[megaptera]

I hate movie theatres because it's cold and movies are long. Even if I don't get the gigantic bucket of caffeinated soda I still have to pee. The last fifteen minutes of Apollo 13 were made even more anxious by the fact that my bladder was about to explode like that oxygen tank did.

You know what -- there's this thing that women can use to pee standing up. It's this plastic tube with a flanged end that you put over your cooch. Then you pee into it. It's like a plastic penis. If I had one of those and I could not find a clean bathroom I would totally find a corner and pee because all I'd have to do is unzip my fly and stick the thing in there. Otherwise? Peeing outside involves pulling pants down and making awkward contortions. I feel very vulnerable when I do that, even in the woods.

[thefourthvine]

I hate movie theatres because it's cold and movies are long. Even if I don't get the gigantic bucket of caffeinated soda I still have to pee. The last fifteen minutes of Apollo 13 were made even more anxious by the fact that my bladder was about to explode like that oxygen tank did.


I always just wander out and take a bathroom break. I don't mind missing part of the movie. (And, in some cases, I will take extremely extended bathroom breaks just so that I can miss part of the movie. Titanic comes to mind - I kept leaving to go to the bathroom, and I'd come back and the water would only have risen two centimeters. I just wanted everyone to DROWN so the movie would be OVER. Oh, and Vanilla Sky. I disengaged from that one so thoroughly that the posters in the theater hallway were FAR more entertaining.)

Peeing outside involves pulling pants down and making awkward contortions. I feel very vulnerable when I do that, even in the woods.

S, the co-worker of BB's, wears skirts. Which helps. But, yeah, I'd want one of those point-and-go things. (Although I remember one person on my friends list pointing out that if you just put the fly lower, or made it longer, women could go without taking off their pants. A thought!)

[megaptera]

Yes. It did not occur to me that my fly doesn't actually go that low. D:

[everysecondtuesday]

The reason of having to pee in semi-public (i.e. not a proper restroom with doors and locks) is why I have never been tempted to go on a three-day rafting trip down the Grand Canyon again. Seriously, if I had been told the vacation involved peeing in the great outdoors, I never would've gone. I only realized when the guide told our group the official policy for taking care of business why every other member of my family but my dad didn't go.

[thefourthvine]

I am right now trying to decide if I would consider a trip down the Grand Canyon worth peeing outdoors. Maybe? It's supposed to be pretty amazing. On the other hand - yeah. I can see your point, there.

[axelrod]

For the last question, it would depend so so much on my pre-existing relationship with said colleagues. Like, my fellow student-workers, at my work study job, who I ended up friends with? Yeah, sure, we'd LOL.

The full-time workers, almost certainly not. Maybe A, if somehow she and I ended up hanging out; S, very likely, now that we aren't co-workers. Definitely not B, she was uptight and not shy about getting all uptight at you.

tl;dr imo you need more options for that one question!

Also, the only times I can recall not using a toilet were when I was camping i.e. I was not expecting there to be a bathroom. And once when I was going for a walk in a wooded area and I was 20 minutes from the car.

[azurelunatic]

Agreed: there are people I'd never ever tell, and people I would tell, though I'd take care to do all this such that the gossip circles didn't make it absolutely inevitable that it get back to the OMG NEVER folks.

[thefourthvine]

The thing is, S and BB are friendly, but they definitely don't have any relationship outside of work, and they don't work together, so - this is pretty much like you telling the full-time workers. Ideally, ones you only see once a month or so.

tl;dr imo you need more options for that one question!

But then we wouldn't have the lovely statistic that 25% of respondents would definitely tell their colleagues about unfortunate peeing experiences, and that is something I am glad to know!

[azurelunatic]

At some point I should probably write down the utterly humiliating 'how I got a ticket for being a fire hazard by peeing in the woods' tale.

[giglet]

That sounds awesome and hilarious (in the retelling, at least)!

[thefourthvine]

I really, really want to hear this story. A lot.

[kellyfaboo]

I have some caveats

1) I know the location of every restroom not only for the pee thing. Though I do drink lots of water and my bladder can be very silent until it really, really needs attention.

2) I NEVER have peed in public, but I have been tempted. One night I had to sleep on 80-94 in a blizzard. I think I did my bladder some damage that night, but luckily I was in the front of the traffic so when they started to clear/the semis got out of our way my little car was able to make it to the gas station at the first stop on the other side of the state line. Now I make sure I have a bottle with a large neck in the car. JUST IN CASE.

[kellyfaboo]

Oh, though I have never done it, I do consider peeing in the woods when you are hiking/camping/on a multi day raft thingy not in public per se. And I have thought about getting one of those pee standing up things before I decided I wouldn't need it for that trip.

[thefourthvine]

One night I had to sleep on 80-94 in a blizzard.

OMG. The stories of extreme weather are freaking me out! (I live in Southern California. Extreme traffic we have, but extreme weather, not so much.)

...Now I am tempted to put a bottle in my car, too, just out of paranoia.

[lapillus]

"Never" for a value of "Never" = "never since puberty."

And if nothing else I'd keep these in the car: http://www.amazon.com/Travel-John-66911-TravelJohn-Disposable-Urinal/dp/B000NV878S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295682983&sr=8-1

[thefourthvine]

I had no idea that even existed. Now my reaction is, one, maybe I should buy some. Just in case. And, also, I wish there was some way to get word to S about this product, which would save her a LOT of stress.

[lapillus]

Get a box,stick most in the car and wrap one up with the instructions, have BB quietly hand it off to her at some point?

[cadee]

I have concerns about this. I do not understand how one can pee and not get the clothing wet by accident without some serious disrobing that I would not want to do in a sketchy neighborhood. Or, in fact, in any public local.

As a child I vaguely recall having to pee so badly that my parents pulled over on the side of the road and let me go. I wore skirts all the time as a kid, so no issues there, really.

I don't even like peeing in public restrooms.

[lilacsigil]

You can do it if you crouch like using a squat toilet. That way if you have a hip-length jacket or any kind of skirt, you can pee without showing anything at all.

TMI?

[giglet]

It is also possible for women to pee standing up -- use one finger on either side of your urethra to tilt it forward. To avoid dripping on clothing, you need to keep the pressure up and stop before you're really done. And I tend to put a wadded tissue on my panties, just in case.

It requires some practice. I learned so I could pee during winter camping trips while disrobing as little as possible.

[thefourthvine]

She was wearing a skirt. I'm assuming - although I am pleased I don't know for certain - that she took her panties and hose off in the car, squatted, peed, wiped, and went back to the car to get the hose and panties on again. Although if you have any practice using a squat toilet - I have just a tiny amount - it's actually fairly easy to keep your panties on, and even your pants, while squatting and peeing. It just takes some coordination. (You basically have to keep everything bunched right around your knees, where nothing will get splashed or in the way.)

[copracat]

Is that the Compton we are, as the poet says, straight out of?

[thefourthvine]

Indeed! And apparently it's famous for more than just that, although oddly famous; people who aren't from around here talk like you'll die if you stroll into Compton. It isn't that dangerous! Sketchy, especially in places, but I've spent loads of time lost there, and also in East LA, and nothing bad ever happened to me. Mostly it's only dangerous if you live there. The real problem with peeing outdoors in Compton or East LA would be all the people around.

[st_aurafina]

I want to mail that poor woman a she-pee. Poor, poor thing.

I have to know where the bathrooms are, for my mental health, because I worry about being caught in exactly that situation for shame. It's never actually happened, but for shame! I would die. And I'm with BB about the hermetic door vs burglars.

If I were S, and I knew I was going to this place? I'd stop fluid intake the night before, pre-operative style.

*frets*

[thefourthvine]

I am learning so much about urination technology from this post! I just wish there was some way to get this information to S, who clearly REALLY NEEDS to know it.

If I were S, and I knew I was going to this place? I'd stop fluid intake the night before, pre-operative style.

Me, too. Seriously, there is no such things as too cautious on this topic.

[lilacsigil]

Poor woman! The problem with disability accommodations is that as soon as you ask for them, *you* become the problem rather than the actual condition!

My aunt had this issue - peeing at least every hour - and had an hour-and-ten-minutes drive to work. She would always stop and pee in the bush half way along, because then she could pee in peace with only koalas watching, whereas if she risked trying to make it to the end of the trip, she'd be caught in town. Eventually, it turned out that she had hundred of tiny kidney stones too small to see, and this was only diagnosed when she got a big kidney stone. They broke them all up with ultrasound and then she was fine.*

*Well, she still has to pee more often than most people, because of the permanent damage to her bladder, but not every hour.

ETA: I've peed behind a tree many, many times while camping, but also lived in Japan with squat toilets, so I have great crouch-and-pee skills. I also live in a fairly remote area. I am unafraid!

[vass]

*winces, crosses legs* Your poor aunt.

[thefourthvine]

Oh, god, your poor aunt.

I've peed behind a tree many, many times while camping, but also lived in Japan with squat toilets, so I have great crouch-and-pee skills. I also live in a fairly remote area. I am unafraid!

You know, I actually predicted to BB before I posted this that Australians would be more blase about peeing outdoors. I am pleased to see that hypothesis supported in the comments!

[killing_rose]

...Huh. I guess Americans not from rural areas have more of a taboo on the peeing thing? At the very least, this is the conclusion that could be reached from these comments.

[Although, I must admit, from age 2 until 7, I lived in rural Alaska, often in areas that didn't have much in the way of running water. And even these days, the highways to other areas of Alaska...well, on the 2 hour drive from Anchorage down to Seward there is exactly one place that has a restroom. That place is fifteen miles out of Anchorage. It is a 125 mile trip.]

...Yeah. I don't really care where I pee. Though, if I have to, I'd prefer to do it in rural areas rather than in urban areas. That is how one ends up with a public indecency charge. (True fact: one of my father's coworkers' husbands actually did that in Texas one year. His justification when the cop handed him the ticket: "I was behind a bush! There was no one around!")

[julian]

I'll pee in the woods, sure. Camping and such. I've managed to avoid ever having to pee somewhere less, um, hidden, though.

I can also see telling a co-worker, but only under specific circumstances, perhaps whilst sharing some grape of the vine, and like. Not treating it as /normal/...

Speaking of which, this does enable to me to tell the story of the time, oh, three MONTHS ago, while I was engaging in my normal everyday commute, and hanging out at the train station, waiting for a bus. 8 p.m. or so, this was, and I was off behind the ATM, because there was a place to sit and there was some privacy. This dude wanders over behind it, turns his back to me, and then notices me.

At which point he /asks/ me if I mind if he pees. (Well, he said pissed, but you know.)

I blinked at him, and said, "Well, maybe you could kinda," and waved a bit somewhere further away from /me/.

He explained, earnestly, that that was more visible to the public at large.

So I muttered something ("Oh, well, privacy, sure") and then exited the premise post haste, whilst he relieved himself.

Sooooo drunk, I cannot tell you.

[thefourthvine]

That is an awesome story, and I seriously hope the dude remembered that after he sobered up, because, wow, talk about an argument for not getting quite so drunk. (One morning, I encountered a frat boy type wandering around in just shorts, which, fine, it isn't like there's a local dress code. Except he was very, very drunk, and apparently he had an itch, and he decided the best way to deal with the itch was to drop the shorts so he could scratch more effectively. I got to see WAY more of that guy than I wanted to.)

[julian]

Oh, ew. At least I managed not to see his area of concern.

(And yeah, I hope he remembers too, because I would like not to have more of that happening.)