toilet seats.

the topic came up when i noticed that dmac, who is still squatting at our apartment -- and, incidentally, is one of the most considerate house guests we've ever had -- appeared to be quite, well, what north american society would prescribe to be 'well trained' in the art of putting the toilet seat down. apparently, though he lived in a household of three males and one female, the habit of putting the seat down is now so engrained, it's automatic.

my sweetie, on the other hand, has no such inclination, though also having grown up in a household of three males and a single female. it's a coin toss whether i'll find the seat up or down when i walk into our bathroom.

courtesy or etiquette, it seems, dictates that a man should always put the seat down after he's done taking a leak. i've never been a huge believer in this, just because i think it's just as fair for a woman to have to put the seat down if she needs it down as it is for a man to put it up if he needs it up.

so why has this seat issue been made into the stuff of crappy sitcoms? why is the down position considered the default, anyway? is it because women always need it down, and men sometimes need it down; therefore, it should be down most of the time?

yeah, there had been times of grogginess early on when i'd wandered into the bathroom and sat down, expecting there to be a seat and instead finding my ass treated to an ice-cold ceramic bowl...which is why now, i always check if there's a seat before i sit. i figured it much easier to train myself to check rather than train someone else (i guess it'd be my dad at that point) to put the seat down.

point is, i have absolutely no idea why people make such a big deal out of this. men never ask for directions. men don't replenish the toilet paper. men never put the toilet seat down.

well, women never put the seat back up.

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you, reading this. yeah, you. weigh in on this, would ya? i haven't gotten comments in a long time, even with what i considered quasi-compelling content (and requests for help, you fuckers). hence, i offer drivel in the hopes of evoking some responses.