Over on my literature burning thread, someone jokingly suggested that when the Big A comes I am going to regret not saving that paper for toilet paper..... this made me think of recent discussions my fiancee and I have had on this subject.
When we first started dating about 4 months ago, I would come to their apartment for coffee or dinner...after awhile I started spending the night. One thing I noticed was the toilet paper. Lousy one-ply. I despise 1-ply toilet paper. I won't get graphic as some may be eating a meal or drinking coffee....let's just say I consider 1-ply futile. Huh. Oh well, not my house, I will just triple folded.
A month or so into our relationship, she needed to go to the store for groceries. The list included toilet paper. She sends the men (myself and her 8-year old son) off to get toilet paper (aka "bath tissue"...what is the deal with that? Call it what it is..no one is using it to take a bath....just like no one is "resting" in a restroom, but I digress, as I often do.) Her son and I find her requested brand....lousy 1-ply. Because it is cheap and she is, out of necessity of raising two kids as a single mom, frugal, she only buys 4 packs of the 1-ply. Her 23-year old daughter hated the stuff.
Instead, I see a better brand in a 12 pack and, of course, it is my beloved 2-ply. I figure I would pay for it. When we located my fiancee she noticed the a) lack of the usual brand and b) the larger quantity and presumed, correctly c) it was considerably more expensive. What she had not considered was that per square inch, my choice is considerably cheaper than her brand, not to mention more effective at doing its...ummm...job. She never did let me pay for it. Her daughter was happy I think.
Fast forward 3 months...she and her son are moving into my house. I have enough storage room and so the bathroom closet is well stocked with toilet paper (and paper towels). When she opened the closet to put some of her stuff in there, she just started laughing... you see, I buy toilet paper in 24 packs or bigger if available. I buy the good stuff on sale and stock up. I have never in my bachelor life run out of toilet paper. She is coming around to the joys and comforts of simple luxuries such as soft 2-ply.
The other thing I don't understand.... why would you leave an empty core on the toilet paper holder? What is that about? I would go to her apartment and often see an empty roll on the holder, a full roll sitting on the hamper next to it. How difficult is it to, while sitting on the toilet doing nothing but ...one's business, to remove the core, place it in the trash next to the toilet, put the new one on the core, and voila? When the roll is down to the last 10%, I change rolls and put the nearly empty one on top of the new one. And no, I don't have one of those cute roll holders in my bathroom that holds 4 or 5 extras.....the humidity in the bathroom makes the sheets stick together...not to mention the 8 year old has poor aim...wouldnt want to see new paper ruined by a bad shot.
anyway...that's my rant on regular life today. My fiancee thought my "thing" about toilet paper was funny. However, toilet paper does not fall into the arena of "groceries." I still buy that myself. If they ever make 3-ply, I will be in heaven. lol
Oh, by the way, she does the majority of the grocery shopping now.... I hate shopping... I do the occasional shopping and the produce shopping at a farmer's market near my job....everything else "grocery" she does. We split chores otherwise...she hates washing dishes, I am obsessive about a clean sink...there are no dishes now at all. We have a washer and dryer now...she does a load every day or two...I do a load as needed. Primary responsibility for keeping the house clean falls to me....Hell, the beds are already made. I am a bit OCD about it. lol.
Snakes (Rich )
ps...yes, I have a regular job....no I am not working today...I usually work Tuesday-Saturday....but work is very slow the last couple of weeks. If I am posting about the intricacies of 1-ply vs. 2-ply toilet paper, I have waaaay too much time on my hands right now....
PSS....snap...someone does make 3-ply toilet paper. Yes! http://www.quiltednorthern.com/ultraPlush.html I did a search on their site...no one sells it within 100 miles. Damn.