You do what? Again? November 23, 2016 7:25 AM   Subscribe

Another everyday "how do you do this" AskMe.

There have been many and now there is a new one! Facing away or toward the shower head for the majority of your shower.

I like these, it seems many other people like these. Seems like we could all use something we mostly all like. Enjoy.
posted by French Fry to MetaFilter-Related at 7:25 AM (148 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite

Heh, yes, that question is definitely the winner this month of what I find myself thinking of lately as the Chatfilter But It's Fun And Harmless And People Are Enjoying It So What The Hell Why Not grant. Chatted with taz briefly this morning about kill or keep and felt like keep was more in the spirit of where things are right now.

Which, I've been inclined to do that every now and then this year; I've talked about it a couple times on the podcast as an inclination to opt every once in a while in the direction of fun vs. strictly rules-based. Folks tend to flag these, and aren't out of line to do so in any technical sense, but it's something I like employing an occasional sliver of flexibility about at this point.

And the "You WHAT" wiki page in your second link really is a fun pile of stuff. Saw jessamyn tweeting about it as a reference for non-political stuff to non-angrily argue about over the Thanksgiving table and thought that was pretty great.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:33 AM on November 23, 2016 [49 favorites]


These threads are the equivalent of the teacher going "you know what? Let's go have class outside today!"

They a fine thing and it's nice the mods allow them every once in a while.
posted by bondcliff at 7:55 AM on November 23, 2016 [112 favorites]


Folks tend to flag these

MONSTERS (who probably face away)
posted by billiebee at 8:20 AM on November 23, 2016 [33 favorites]


Folks tend to flag these

MONSTERS (who probably face TOWARD)

FTFY
posted by cooker girl at 8:23 AM on November 23, 2016 [21 favorites]


Sometimes I wonder if ChatFilter shouldn't actually be a thing. The Blue is mostly We're All Fucked, Ask is How Fucked Am I?, Projects is a lot of This Might Help Us Unfuck Things and FanFare depends on what I'm watching that someone else is (at this point? Nothing because Westworld both confuses and bores me. Maybe should have posted a Search Party full season thing).

So, yeah. A place for shower thoughts (or the process of acquiring said shower thoughts as in here) and inanities.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:29 AM on November 23, 2016 [26 favorites]


Folks tend to flag these

MONSTERS (who probably face away)


Standing or sitting?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:33 AM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


in the shower, I mean. Everyone knows the other is sitting.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:34 AM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


It's a legitimate question.
As to the data it will generate, why...
posted by clavdivs at 8:36 AM on November 23, 2016


Is this the proper place to litigate 'Shampoo: Rinse and Repeat, or One and Done?' or should I post a new question?
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:45 AM on November 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


The pressure in my chest actually let up for a second when I saw that question. Thanks for letting it stand.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:49 AM on November 23, 2016 [14 favorites]


If we ever get a dating site, can it please cross-reference people's answers in these threads? Some of the answers would be deal-breakers (e.g. I can never un-read the comment by the guy who wiped himself with cloth rags and kept them in a bin in his bathroom).
posted by AFABulous at 8:56 AM on November 23, 2016 [19 favorites]


If we ever get a dating site

Met a Filter
posted by bondcliff at 8:58 AM on November 23, 2016 [57 favorites]


If we ever get a dating site

Me Fit
posted by Wordshore at 9:02 AM on November 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


MetaFlirter
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:03 AM on November 23, 2016 [67 favorites]


lmfsilva: "Sometimes I wonder if ChatFilter shouldn't actually be a thing. "

I wish (though not a pony request because obviously this would load the moderators) Chat had the ability to easily generate rooms that would stick around for say eight days and when you logged in you could see all the activity in the room since the beginning. Questions like this (or even really chatty things like "Name the movie you can watch over and over again and still love") could spawn their own room and the semi persistence would enable the asynchronous participation that powers web forums.
posted by Mitheral at 9:07 AM on November 23, 2016 [8 favorites]


There's surely an AskMeFi question in this picture, for another day.
posted by Wordshore at 9:27 AM on November 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


Saw jessamyn tweeting about it as a reference for non-political stuff to non-angrily argue about over the Thanksgiving table and thought that was pretty great.

I did a sprint through the wiki page this morning to add some of the other stuff from that former MeTa thread. It's a great list of things you can talk to family members about!

If we ever get a dating site, can it please cross-reference people's answers in these threads?

:D You don't even have to take a quiz!

I do see these as not-quite-chatfilter though because even if the problem to be solved is "Is my wife weird or am I?" this is important! Also I have strong strong feelings about showers.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 9:45 AM on November 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


Heh, yes, that question is definitely the winner this month of what I find myself thinking of lately as the Chatfilter But It's Fun And Harmless And People Are Enjoying It So What The Hell Why Not grant.

Thank you Cortex, it is a fun change of pace from questions on how to survive post-election.
posted by NoraCharles at 10:22 AM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I definitely hope chatfilter remains a once-in-a-while sort of thing. I'm glad that there's the occasional release valve but if there were no limits AskMe would get diluted. If you want to see where that leads, head over to /r/AskReddit.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


There have been many

where is the deviled eggs one and the is cereal a soup one
posted by poffin boffin at 10:31 AM on November 23, 2016 [8 favorites]


are deviled eggs soup
posted by beerperson at 10:38 AM on November 23, 2016 [17 favorites]


That picture a calendar one tho
posted by Rock Steady at 10:42 AM on November 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


cortex, I just want to chime in that I really love Metafilter in part because the 'active' moderation includes a very human and personal factor of decisions on what stands and not. I know that at times there are hard presses for highly objective standards for post and comment deletions, etc. The conversations are helpful, but I hope that the underlying premise remains that the mod team considers and responds as individuals and aggregate as best you all can in a spirit of what is best for all of us, even if it means a few, umm, deviations.

tldr; On this eve of Thanksgiving, Thanks!
posted by meinvt at 10:42 AM on November 23, 2016 [16 favorites]


where is the deviled eggs one and the is cereal a soup one

added
posted by Rock Steady at 10:47 AM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I also added Is Quiche Pie?
posted by Rock Steady at 10:50 AM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


NoraCharles: "Thank you Cortex, it is a fun change of pace from questions on how to survive post-election."

Dear AskMe: How can I possibly show up at Thanksgiving dinner when I know my smug uncle will be there who faces away from the shower and puts forks handle-side-up in the dashwasher?
posted by Plutor at 10:51 AM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


the leg washing one is so weird, someone was all "oh, your legs don't sweat!" like really? i just. i question as to whether or not that person even HAS legs, i bet they are a secret snake.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:53 AM on November 23, 2016 [34 favorites]


OMG, poffin boffin, I just came here to say the same thing about the leg washing. If they DO have legs - they are scaly as all get out..... how do they exfoliate?
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 11:21 AM on November 23, 2016


Actually science tells us that snakes are all leg.

The 'head' is actually the foot
posted by beerperson at 11:29 AM on November 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


So what does a snake wearing pants look like?
posted by zombieflanders at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


A squirrel in a bow tie.
posted by clavdivs at 11:38 AM on November 23, 2016


So what does a snake wearing pants look like?

Here I drew a picture

______________________o <-- snek
posted by beerperson at 11:44 AM on November 23, 2016 [22 favorites]


Sometimes I wonder if ChatFilter shouldn't actually be a thing.

I've wished for this for years. Or maybe like, "SillyAskMe".

I can't even imagine how many inane/weird/etc questions that have gotten nuked i'd love to read semi serious responses to.
posted by emptythought at 11:45 AM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


How do you even drink a shower beer if you're facing toward?
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:14 PM on November 23, 2016 [31 favorites]


...wait, is that how that works? I'd just assumed y'all shower beer people were a bunch of weirdos who liked hot shower water diluting your beer for some reason.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:16 PM on November 23, 2016 [16 favorites]


MCMikeNamara: "How do you even drink a shower beer if you're facing toward?"

Camelback.
posted by Mitheral at 12:20 PM on November 23, 2016 [14 favorites]


The question confused me at first. So I guess most people's showers are like this, instead of like this? Mine is more like this (Europe, right? 'Royale with Cheese,' right?), but my husband made an overhead thingy for it to click into, so it's more like the second. So, in other words, I don't face away from or toward the shower, I'm just *under* the shower, or else less-under if I move sideways while applying shampoo, etc.

So, basically, for several hours, I couldn't figure out if I was an Away or a Toward. Then I remembered visiting my parents, and it turns out I'm about 70% toward, 30% away, or possibly 60/40. I'm more of a natural toward, but rinsing the back of longish hair requires awayness.
posted by taz (staff) at 12:22 PM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


looks inside.
realises this isn't a callout.
grumbles and walks away.

and you wash your legs when they have mud on them.
posted by andrewcooke at 12:24 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


So what does a snake wearing pants look like?

Ridiculous
posted by byanyothername at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2016 [6 favorites]


I just send myself out to be dry cleaned.
posted by jonmc at 12:53 PM on November 23, 2016 [10 favorites]


You people with your fancy plumbing. If a dirt bath is good enough for God's other creatures, it's good enough for me.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:08 PM on November 23, 2016 [5 favorites]


As I type this, I'm waiting to get an MRI. I assume all they'll find is snips and snails and puppy dog tails.
posted by jonmc at 1:15 PM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


if you've never had one before, the trick is to pretend you're going to some weird experimental music concert. the only thing that actually hurts is the injection for the contrast (and that not much - it's just a normal injection thing). good luck.
posted by andrewcooke at 1:27 PM on November 23, 2016 [6 favorites]


are deviled eggs soup

Cream of Yolk Soup in an Edible Bowl
posted by Kabanos at 2:01 PM on November 23, 2016 [15 favorites]


Looking through the list, there's only one which made me shout out loud to say "Are you people crazy?". Is this about the normal ratio?
posted by ambrosen at 2:13 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


the trick [to getting an MRI] is to pretend you're going to some weird experimental music concert.

Yes! I really enjoy MRIs for this very reason. The whoop…whoop…whoop of the helium pump is sooo relaxing, then the bass drops and the robot-sex noises commence.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:19 PM on November 23, 2016 [27 favorites]


So I guess most people's showers are like this, instead of like this?

I'd dearly love to have a shower I could stand under. But I have yet to see a shower stall (in any house I can afford to rent, anyway) with enough headroom to rig a shower that 6' me would be able to stand up under. C'est la vie...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:28 PM on November 23, 2016


Metafilter: and the robot-sex noises commence.

(already a dating site.... for androids)
posted by sammyo at 2:29 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


Has anyone's heart been changed by one of these questions?

I used to be a "shoes on until bedtime" person because thats just what I grew up with, I guess. I'm not totally squicked out by the thought of outside shoes on my floors, and as someone who has had various foot issues I'm vehemently against insisting people remove their shoes if it's not the local norm* (like here in SoCal) BUT! Now I'm a mostly shoes-off person when I come home so my tiled entryway, which leads to my tiled kitchen, is a little easier to clean. So I've been swayed a little.

I have a friend with CP who uses crutches, and another with MS who uses a scooter, and I occasionally wonder if hardcore shoes-off people makes exceptions in this kind of case since crutches and tires are obviously as dirty as shoes.

*Because unexpected stinky feet exposure is humiliating.
posted by Room 641-A at 3:00 PM on November 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


I'm a shoes-immediately-off guy, not out of fear of dirt or germs, but strictly for comfort. Gotta get those dogs out of feet jail!
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:30 PM on November 23, 2016 [7 favorites]


Is this something I'd have to get out of my bath full of like $200 worth of Lush products to understand?
posted by Sequence at 3:43 PM on November 23, 2016 [7 favorites]


What if the shower head is on the ceiling or better yet, the floor.
posted by clavdivs at 3:52 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


What about the best (or maybe second-best) of all those worlds: a handheld shower head on a flexible hose, with a clip on the wall (or the ceiling if you're lucky) to hold it for hands-free washing.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:58 PM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


Has anyone's heart been changed by one of these questions?

Yes.
posted by bondcliff at 4:59 PM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Heh, yes, that question is definitely the winner this month of what I find myself thinking of lately as the Chatfilter But It's Fun And Harmless And People Are Enjoying It So What The Hell Why Not grant.

I do see these as not-quite-chatfilter though because even if the problem to be solved is "Is my wife weird or am I?"


It never would have occurred to me to call this question chatfilter for that exact reason! I think of them as calibration questions. Unlike "what's your favorite movie?" these questions tell you if you are an outlier or not. You learn what's average/typical and what's governed by unspoken rules or local custom. Learning "there are basically two ways to do this" or "there are a lot of ways to do this that are all mostly fine" is useful!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 5:10 PM on November 23, 2016 [14 favorites]


I hate electronic music, remember? :>

The MRI went OK. Jeez, it's hard to be so still for so long.
posted by jonmc at 5:13 PM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


The tequila question is a litmus test.
posted by fixedgear at 5:27 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I fell asleep during an MRI once. The tech had to wake me up. I don't remember if it was weird or not.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:28 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'd dearly love to have a shower I could stand under. But I have yet to see a shower stall (in any house I can afford to rent, anyway) with enough headroom to rig a shower that 6' me would be able to stand up under. C'est la vie...

There's a hotel we stay at every so often with shower heads mounted in the ceiling of the shower area, basically a big perforated area that sprays downward very gently. I really like it because it's a novel experience having the water hit my head instead of the middle of my chest. Someday I will have that kind of shower in my own house.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:32 PM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


Also, this question would segue smoothly into "shower or grower?" which would also help to set the stage for the long-promised dating subsite.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:44 PM on November 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


Metafilter is already (kind of) a dating site.
posted by jonmc at 7:58 PM on November 23, 2016


jonmc, I hope the results of the MRI are also good.
posted by lazuli at 8:26 PM on November 23, 2016


I remembered that there was actually one that changed me! I seriously would not have previously considered using a duvet without a top sheet without other people saying it was totally okay. As someone who has been tossing and turning since childhood, sheets have always been more of a mortal enemy than a comfort. I still might switch back at some point because I keep lusting after a particular very expensive duvet cover, but in the meantime my bed has gotten so much simpler and it's glorious.

So in general I actually do like these questions. I'm not really going to change my bathing habits, but there's a lot of other things that I'm very much open to changing my habits. My family's ways of doing lots of things have proven to be dumb, over the years, and there's no reason I should keep them up just because of habit. The hard part is that most of my life is so habitual that I wouldn't even know what to ask about doing differently.
posted by Sequence at 8:40 PM on November 23, 2016 [4 favorites]


jonmc, I hope the results of the MRI are also good.

It's an MRI of my right foot, the same one that had me sidelined for a few months 8 years ago (I remember because it was near Obama's first inauguration. My foot may be key here). The week off has been nice and my job's atmosphere has been toxic due to this and some other factors, so I'm not sure what I want the results to be. Anyways, I'll keep you all posted.
posted by jonmc at 8:44 PM on November 23, 2016 [3 favorites]


The week off has been nice and my job's atmosphere has been toxic due to this and some other factors, so I'm not sure what I want the results to be. Anyways, I'll keep you all posted.

:/ Sorry, and good thoughts your way, in whatever direction is best for you.
posted by lazuli at 8:48 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


I fell asleep during an MRI once. The tech had to wake me up. I don't remember if it was weird or not.

i occasionally sleep with my eyes sort of half-open, especially when i am in an unfamiliar place. i also get extremely, freakishly cold in my extremities when i am in an aircon environment AND i'm half sleeping in a sort of hibernatey way. so basically what happens is MRI techs call out that they're done and nyoom me out of the tube but i'm not moving and my eyes are a little open and the usual parts of me they reach for to shake me awake (hands, arms, etc) are icy cold and their day is almost very very ruined.

the most recent time the guy took my limp icy dead hand and whispered "oh god" when i didn't immediately respond, and then i opened my eyes all the way and turned my head towards him really fast in a misguided effort to be quickly reassuring and he shrieked like a tiny frightened child.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:14 AM on November 24, 2016 [123 favorites]


Poffin boffin, I am trying to surreptitiously cry with laughter at my desk right now due to your mri story and I might have to fake an asthma attack/get my inhaler out because I'm not being very successful with the surreptitiousness right now.
posted by halcyonday at 1:18 AM on November 24, 2016 [6 favorites]



Yes! I really enjoy MRIs for this very reason. The whoop…whoop…whoop of the helium pump is sooo relaxing, then the bass drops and the robot-sex noises commence.


I'm the same but last time I had an MRI the technician put on a playlist that included Fairground by Simply Red three times. Ghastly.
posted by threetwentytwo at 5:11 AM on November 24, 2016


Last time I had an MRI they let me bring in my own music and select my own lighting. So I set the lights all blue and brought in a daft punk heavy soundtrack and I imagined I was having something very cyberpunk done.
posted by French Fry at 5:56 AM on November 24, 2016 [18 favorites]


But I have yet to see a shower stall (in any house I can afford to rent, anyway) with enough headroom to rig a shower that 6' me would be able to stand up under. C'est la vie...

My husband and I live in an 80 year old house and while we've mostly done restoration and repar, we ended up having to completely gut and replace the bathroom. Because my husband is 6'4" and I'm 5'8", I asked the plumber if it was possible to move the shower head way up the wall. He was skeptical at first, but because he is an awesome plumber, he figured it out.

And the AskMe reminded me how nice it is to shower without crouching or getting sprayed right in the face and to be thankful for my great plumber. Thanks, AskMe!
posted by Squeak Attack at 7:14 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


... how do they exfoliate?

As I attempted the explain in the original thread, the water runs down their legs and softens the dead skin and then the towel rubs it off. My legs are no more scaly than my arms.
posted by Bruce H. at 7:26 AM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


Your towel, however, is growing your evil clone.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:45 AM on November 24, 2016 [9 favorites]


As I attempted the explain in the original thread, the water runs down their legs and softens the dead skin and then the towel rubs it off. My legs are no more scaly than my arms.

So it happens after everything else?

Guess it's better to exfoli-late than never
posted by dismas at 8:26 AM on November 24, 2016 [9 favorites]


Meanwhile, on Pets.Ask.Metafilter.com:

When you bathe yourself, do you face your human, spread-eagled without any shame? Or do you face away, and just cast furtive glances over your shoulder when your loud slurping catches their attention?
posted by Kabanos at 9:45 AM on November 24, 2016 [13 favorites]


The Blue is mostly We're All Fucked

Glad I'm not the only one who has noticed.
posted by Ber at 5:45 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


I can't believe that there are bath people who proudly proclaim it. You are stewing in your own filth!

Is a bath soup?
posted by Literaryhero at 5:52 PM on November 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


I can never un-read the comment by the guy who wiped himself with cloth rags and kept them in a bin in his bathroom.

....what
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:59 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


Has anyone's heart been changed by one of these questions?

I used to be a stander. I kind of feel bad about this because it's what my mom taught me, and sitting is so obviously superior that I feel like I should bring her the Good News, but...no, though.
posted by invitapriore at 10:44 PM on November 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


Is a bath soup?

Depends - is your name Stew?
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:15 PM on November 24, 2016 [5 favorites]


BTW, I step into the tub on the shower head side, my partner steps in on the side opposite. Who knew?
posted by klarck at 6:03 AM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


My partner and I went down the list on the YouWHAT wiki yesterday just to make sure we were on the same page on everything. We're already pretty bonded but it was a great bonding experience just aggressively agreeing about highway merging and laundry intervals even though he believes in a thing called a "zawich" (two slices of pizza pressed together on their topping sides) which is basically a sandwich and I do not.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:25 AM on November 25, 2016 [13 favorites]


Buzzfeed quiz:? Do you eat things weird?

Things I eat weird: sandwiches, pizza (wtf flat eaters?), ice pops, and string cheese.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:57 AM on November 25, 2016


even though he believes in a thing called a "zawich" (two slices of pizza pressed together on their topping sides)

Tell that monster he is no longer my birthday twin.
posted by bondcliff at 7:23 AM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


Depends - is your name Stew?

Cf. Clem Chowder
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:31 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


even though he believes in a thing called a "zawich" (two slices of pizza pressed together on their topping sides)

I sometimes fold a piece of pizza in half longitudinally, which is functionally the same thing as his zawich, though I've never given it a name.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:37 AM on November 25, 2016


That's a zaco.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:48 AM on November 25, 2016 [15 favorites]


Buzzfeed quiz:? Do you eat things weird?

What's up with you fancy people and your apple-slicing and cheese-peeling? Ain't nobody got time for that.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:53 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


Or you can just roll the whole pizza up into a zurrito.
posted by Kabanos at 8:41 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


missionary or clan of cave bear ?
posted by y2karl at 8:46 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


It's not quite the same, but this thread feels incomplete without the eternal AskMe topic of what to do with worn but still clean clothes, where the poster is like, "I end up just making a pile on a chair/my dresser/some other object in the bedroom/the floor, but this system kind of sucks. Surely there's a better way?"

And then basically all the answers are either (a) I put those clothes back in the closet, where they belong; (b) I put those clothes in the dirty laundry, where they belong; (c) I do the reasonable* thing and use a series of hooks or a valet stand designed for this very purpose; or, overwhelmingly (d) I also pile worn clothes on a chair/my dresser/some other object/the floor, doesn't everyone?

*I mean, I personally am in camp (d), but I can't say those other options don't sound reasonable.
posted by gueneverey at 9:59 AM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


he believes in a thing called a "zawich" (two slices of pizza pressed together on their topping sides) which is basically a sandwich and I do not.
One of the frozen pizza brands that sells around here has a pizzaburger. Each box has four halves of a pizza toppings on a hamburger bun.
It's as expensive as it is passable. Quoting Rachel, very.

I sometimes fold a piece of pizza in half longitudinally, which is functionally the same thing as his zawich, though I've never given it a name.
"McGuyver's Calzone"
posted by lmfsilva at 10:30 AM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


I can never un-read the comment by the guy who wiped himself with cloth rags and kept them in a bin in his bathroom.

....what
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:59 PM on November 24 [+] [!]

This is called family cloth and it is even more granola than our actual recent ancestors, who used waste rags, waste paper, corncobs or anything else they wouldn't have to lay eyes on again. I didn't realize there was somebody here who practiced it, but, I suppose, everyone needs a hobby.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:05 PM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


My wife gave me a small hamper for my worn but still clean clothes. And then had the presence of mind to say "and the other one is for socks...and poo-poo undies". Love that gal.
posted by Ber at 1:06 PM on November 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


In the interests of scientific research, I've just spent an hour looking at pictures of people in the shower. Some data:

Facing
Bobby Ewing
Dana Scully
Kang Ji-wook
Lisa
Patrick Bateman
Marion Crane

Away
Khan
Jovie

Strongly, this shows that facing is the predominant mode of showering.
posted by Wordshore at 3:01 PM on November 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


This is called family cloth

I assume they put family in the name for the extra ick factor.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:48 PM on November 25, 2016 [4 favorites]


it's because "the cloth that we will speak of to no one outside our family for fear of being shunned as weird shitcloth bucketers" is a little too wordy for something you use to wipe your butt
posted by poffin boffin at 11:11 PM on November 25, 2016 [12 favorites]


>Buzzfeed quiz:? Do you eat things weird?

What's up with you fancy people and your apple-slicing and cheese-peeling? Ain't nobody got time for that.


I think the problem is the phrasing. It asks "what is the best way". The best way to eat %FOOD% is the more-complicated way in many cases, but we all probably eat it the less-complicated way because life. Peeling the strings off the string cheese is fun and awesome and the reason it's named that way, but probably I'm too hungry and I'm going to eat it in three chomps.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 11:22 PM on November 25, 2016


this shows that facing is the predominant mode of showering

When trying to film it in a non-salacious manner. I mean, I'm a wall-facer and believe people who aren't are just showing how they're dangerously unmoored from all social mores when peer pressure is removed, but still, the constraints of filming people showering might mislead people as to how many of these people walk among us.
posted by ambrosen at 6:23 AM on November 26, 2016 [6 favorites]


Alas, being ancient I have no choice but to use a gym as a regular thing to keep the ravages of elder age at bay a while longer. My current gym has just installed new power showers and I'll get to try them today post- rowing machine and instruments of sweat and pain. Though my modus operandi is that if it's good enough for Bobby Ewing it's good enough for me - and the six year growth of beard always means I have to face the showerhead for some period of time else I end up with drying shampoo in it - after reading the AskMe I'm going to try various noted positions and manoeuvres to judge their effectiveness. As the mantra goes, try everything in life except hard drugs and line dancing.

If I don't report back, I've probably been arrested.
posted by Wordshore at 9:14 AM on November 26, 2016 [3 favorites]


I mostly shower after swimming.

I sit down facing the shower controls. The shower handle is on the left. I grab it to rinse off, turn off the shower. Then shampoo above and soap below. Then shower in hand again and make all the foam go away.

I'm prepping for the dry apocalypse.
posted by Jesse the K at 2:52 PM on November 26, 2016


This is called family cloth and it is even more granola than our actual recent ancestors, who used waste rags, waste paper, corncobs

CORNCOBS?!
posted by crossoverman at 1:00 AM on November 27, 2016


That's where the phrase "rough as a cob" comes from.

And I say this as someone who has wiped his ass with rocks.
posted by stet at 1:22 AM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


>I can never un-read the comment by the guy who wiped himself with cloth rags and kept them in a bin in his bathroom.

....what


And more importantly, did he sit or stand?
posted by sebastienbailard at 2:21 AM on November 27, 2016


What about the best (or maybe second-best) of all those worlds: a handheld shower head on a flexible hose, with a clip on the wall (or the ceiling if you're lucky) to hold it for hands-free washing.

AFAIK this -- showerhead on a hose, with a height-adjustable clip mounted on the wall (e.g.) -- is the norm in the UK. Definitely everywhere I've lived, as well as almost all of my friends' houses that I've showered in, had them. I associate fixed showerheads with gyms, cheap hotels, campsites, etc.

Are showerheads fixed to the wall the norm in the USA? Isn't that massively annoying for everyone who isn't the exact height the builder had in mind?
posted by metaBugs at 4:22 AM on November 27, 2016 [3 favorites]


Am I the only person who reads things like this and feels the urge to make up things that are totally odd?

"I've been dating someone for a few weeks. Yesterday I was at their place and they offered to make me a sandwich, but they brought me a slice of bread between two slices of ham. They say this is the way their family does it."

The trouble is I can't think of anything reasonable.
posted by cardioid at 6:03 AM on November 27, 2016 [4 favorites]


Are showerheads fixed to the wall the norm in the USA? Isn't that massively annoying for everyone who isn't the exact height the builder had in mind?

Yes, and yes.

At least, "fixed to the wall" is the norm in older homes. However, most hardware stores sell showerhead-on-a-hose attachments where you can unscrew the shower head itself, leaving the pipe and mount in place, and screw on the attachment. They come with a clip at about the same height as the pipe; unfortunately you can't adjust the placement of the clip, but the clip does tend to set the showerhead a little higher. And they're easy enough for a non-plumber-but-can-still-follow-directions type to do (I had to do that after breaking a foot, and I was facing 2 months of sitting down in the shower).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:19 AM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


Obviously the function of showering is cleansing; and therefore whether one should face, or face away from, the showerhead depends entirely on how the dirt, scum and/or gunge to be cleansed was originally applied. In other words, we must examine how each of us interacts with the constant shower of shit that is contemporary life. Do you face it head on, with grim and determined courage; or do you turn from it, not even wishing to give it the respect of your gaze? Either attitude is, I think, entirely justifiable, and hence facing either direction in the shower is also just and righteous. Because such differences do not divide us, but rather demonstrate the complexity and rich diversity of human experience, which we all cherish and value.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:14 AM on November 27, 2016 [11 favorites]


I guess this means I should be spinning around in the shower.
posted by Dr Dracator at 11:57 AM on November 27, 2016 [1 favorite]


And always twirling, twirling, twirling toward freedom!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 12:01 PM on November 27, 2016 [6 favorites]


I guess this means I should be spinning around in the shower.

Actually, this sort of describes my habits - I'm either facing toward or away, depending on what part of my body I am trying to wet and/or rinse. And I suspect so does everyone else (y'all shower-facers aren't walking around with soap suds on your back, are you?).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:11 PM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


Yeah, I told my wife about this thread and she became deeply troubled and began repeating "YOU WASH BOTH SIDES OF YOUR BODY" in a very insistent tone of voice.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:52 PM on November 27, 2016 [17 favorites]


yeah I really don't get the adamant "towards!" "away!" cabals. my body has 2 sides. there's the face side and the hair side. they both need to get wet and then need to get rinsed. and I wash my damn legs too. sheesh!
posted by supermedusa at 3:53 PM on November 27, 2016


Also let's be real if you're able to tolerate having the same side of your body facing the water for more than a minute, either the water isn't hot enough or the pressure's too low.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:22 PM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


In the interest of science, I tried showering facing (not my natural direction) this weekend. I felt like I was drowning the whole time.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:09 PM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


Sometimes I wonder if ChatFilter shouldn't actually be a thing. The Blue is mostly We're All Fucked, ...

Hey! The deadly 1919 Boston Molasses Flood was cheerful.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:33 PM on November 27, 2016 [2 favorites]


... there's the face side and the hair side.

I'm bald and I have a beard - my face side IS my hair side!
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:44 PM on November 27, 2016 [4 favorites]


Hell yes corncobs! And a damn sight softer than pages from the Sears & Roebuck catalog. Plus corncobs have a built in handle and smell nice (before being used).
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:48 PM on November 27, 2016


I don't necessarily face toward or away from the showerhead. I face toward Jerusalem, so it's very dependent on the orientation of each specific shower. In my current home my left side faces the shower, which will partially balance the previous five years of my right-front quadrant getting most of the attention.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:07 AM on November 28, 2016 [3 favorites]


"Anal cleaning can be carried out in various ways according to local customs and climate, including with water (using a bidet, for example), leaves, grass, stones, corn cobs, animal furs, sticks, snow, seashells, and, lastly, hands.
During the Greco-Roman period, a sponge fixed to a stick (tersorium) was used to clean the buttocks after defecation; the sponge was then replaced in a bucket filled with salt water or vinegar water. Another technique was to use oval or circular fragments of ceramic known as “pessoi” (meaning pebbles)."

BMJ: Toilet hygiene in the classical era.
posted by Kabanos at 7:17 AM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


and I wash my damn legs too. sheesh!

When I was a child, I stopped washing/using soap for the most part because there wasn't any visible dirt and decided just rinsing with water was good enough. I never had an serious side effects, was never called stinky, etc. I did start using soap because I developed a severe case of KP. At the time I thought was because I wasn't using soap, but turns out I just lost the dice roll in skin genetics department.

I still occasionally wonder, when showering, why I bother to scrub my legs.
posted by INFJ at 11:21 AM on November 28, 2016


I don't necessarily face toward or away from the showerhead. I face toward Jerusalem, so it's very dependent on the orientation of each specific shower. In my current home my left side faces the shower, which will partially balance the previous five years of my right-front quadrant getting most of the attention.

I used to have that problem before the new place. It's also a good way to hide from solicitors and process servers - they can't knock on the front door if it's faster than they are.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:37 AM on November 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


the new place

A rotating house sounds like a recipe for a nasty tub-slip accident.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:55 AM on November 28, 2016


For small-r, low-rpm houses you just build in few degree tilt to the bathroom floor, especially if you're one of the less adventurous types that only runs the house at constant speed. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) And it's a nonproblem with large-r and high-rpm houses as you spend most of the time pressed to the wall of the shower by centripetal acceleration.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:17 PM on November 28, 2016 [6 favorites]


This morning, while in the shower, I found myself thinking of this thread.

And I faced sideways, with my left side towards the showerhead, just to mess with y'all vicariously.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:48 PM on November 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


So what does a snake wearing pants look like?

Twitter is ON it.
posted by maryr at 8:57 AM on November 29, 2016


It sounds like a lot of people in that thread keep the water running throughout the entire bathing process.

Am I understanding this correctly?
posted by wonton endangerment at 2:15 PM on November 29, 2016


> Last time I had an MRI they let me bring in my own music

When I got one the tech asked me as I was getting in what kind of music I like, so he could put on a relevant Pandora station. I was there with a head injury and could not think of a single musician or even style of music (despite having worked in a record store for four years). The tech looked so disappointed in me.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:20 PM on November 29, 2016 [1 favorite]


MRI Update: I Got Bursitis.

Geez, I'm old.
posted by jonmc at 3:26 PM on November 29, 2016 [4 favorites]


It sounds like a lot of people in that thread keep the water running throughout the entire bathing process.

Unless you are living on a sailboat or in a place with severe water restrictions, yes, leaving the water running for the duration of the shower is normal.

Personally I take very quick showers (because after I have soaped and rinsed, what else is there to do?) but first having roommates and later living with partners has taught me that most people prefer to take long showers, water use be damned.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:06 PM on November 29, 2016 [2 favorites]


Many people seem to regard showers/baths as a hedonistic luxury to revel in. I consider them just another dull annoying part of the morning routine; and since I'm emphatically not a morning person I prefer to get my grooming chores over with using the minimum required time and effort.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:41 PM on November 29, 2016 [3 favorites]


Probably because of the ADHD the shower is less "cleansing device" for me and more "magical time portal to 30 minutes from now no matter how long you actually intended to be in there" but I'm working on it.
posted by en forme de poire at 10:13 AM on November 30, 2016 [12 favorites]


en forme de poire: The first time I took ADHD medication I got in the shower, got clean, and got back out. Astounding.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:15 PM on November 30, 2016 [2 favorites]


Then how do you come up with the perfect comeback for all the arguments from the previous day?
posted by zombieflanders at 12:20 PM on November 30, 2016 [5 favorites]




Then how do you come up with the perfect comeback for all the arguments from the previous day?

I have a staircase I use for that.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:40 PM on November 30, 2016 [9 favorites]


I have a staircase I use for that.

That's the spirit!
posted by ambrosen at 4:17 PM on November 30, 2016 [9 favorites]


I was gonna say "that's the spirit!"
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:20 PM on November 30, 2016 [8 favorites]


Wait, I had something for this....
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:28 PM on November 30, 2016 [5 favorites]


"showerheads fixed to the wall"

This is a truly monstrous concept. How do you effectively rinse the undercarriage and various crevices if it's not detachable with a hose?
posted by walrus at 8:46 AM on December 3, 2016 [2 favorites]


Manually.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2016


Barbarians.
posted by walrus at 11:28 AM on December 3, 2016


Nobody likes to admit it, but with some things you'll get the best results if you just do it by hand.
posted by Dr Dracator at 1:06 AM on December 4, 2016 [3 favorites]


I think of it as artisanal rinsing.
posted by maryr at 2:42 PM on December 6, 2016 [3 favorites]


you don't do handstands?
posted by andrewcooke at 3:49 PM on December 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


This is a truly monstrous concept. How do you effectively rinse the undercarriage and various crevices if it's not detachable with a hose?

Even more important than the basic undercarriage rinse is the waxing, or more recently, a good ceramic over-coating. Products come in variations which allow the undercarriage to be treated as well as your paint work, glass, and trim. It's a liquid that goes on in stages, in layers. I mean, you need to work fast because once you start, you have eight hours before whatever you applied cures and hardens.
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:40 PM on December 6, 2016 [3 favorites]


Two more aspects of showering which haven't been addressed:

1) Do you turn the shower on before or after entering the tub/enclosure?
2) If you use a tub, do you enter on the showerhead end or the correct end?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:10 AM on December 10, 2016


1. Before, or you'll get surprised with cold water.

2. Showerhead end. Gives your body more time to adjust to the water temp instead of jumping in all at once.

(I wonder if there's an introvert/extrovert or Type A/B correlation here.)
posted by AFABulous at 12:58 PM on December 10, 2016 [2 favorites]


Then how do you come up with the perfect comeback for all the arguments from the previous day?

I have a staircase I use for that.


Mine is for forgotten things, which I stumble over an hour, a day, a week or so later.
posted by y2karl at 1:13 PM on December 10, 2016


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