Locking the Stall

not sure why, but for some reason today I got thinking about locks.  not locks of hair.  not locks like they have in Scotland where the Nessie monster is swimming around.  not padlocks or bicycle locks.

no, i got thinking about bathroom stall locks.

yeah, i'll keep going.

seems like there are a whole bunch of types of these things out there.

ones that rotate (as shown above).

and similar to the ones above... the locks you kinda grip and turn, most like the motion made with a keyed lock.  (I figure these are the most popular type.)

ones that slide, left to right (or right to left, if you're in an odd stall).

then there's old school, like you'd see in... well... an old school:

my favorites....

ones that have a bar that rotates around to secure the door, similar to how Mr. Ingalls secured his little house on the prairie.

how fun would it be to see one of these in a stall?

get back on track Matt -- this is an important subject.....

ever stop to consider how nasty and germ-infested those bathroom stall door locks likely are?  yuck!  i mean, people have just.... you know.... and before they get to a sink where they can (hopefully) wash their hands, they are touching that lock.  yikes!  

do you think janitors regularly disinfect there?  my guess is that they are focused on the potty itself, and aren't too worried about the lock.  i'm guessing it's nastier than the remotes in hotel rooms, which studies have proven to be really, really germy.  blech!

and really, how much security is that little lock really giving you?  if someone wants your stall, or you, they are gonna be able to bust right thru in all likelihood.  it's as if the lock was made like this:

bathroom stalls.... not a safe place to be.  maybe private (except for someone peeking thru the crack or from underneath), but not very secure.

heck, i remember the stalls at my high school didn't even have doors.  not secure.  and i was in a bathroom one time where the walls were only about 3 feet high, allowing for conversation with one's neighbor.  definitely not private.

i think i'll stop there before this evolves into a discussion on what i've seen written and drawn on bathroom stall walls.  yeepers!

out for now.

Matt