Make showers great again

I think one of the worst designs in American homes is the combination shower and bathtub. The two really ought to be separated. There is no benefit to them being in one unit, other than the obvious cost savings to the constructor.

I’m not the biggest guy out there, but even I find the width of a bathtub to be constricting when showering. I weep in joy and jealousy whenever I travel, and the hotel has a proper shower stall with enough space for my shoulders to move side to side. Keep in mind that you get less foot/floor space due to the curvature of the tub, too.

The combo shower and tub creates another problem when I want to take an actual bath. Think of all the soap scum and bodily dirt that has accumulated onto the tub surface from your (hopefully) daily showering. Well then you’d want to clean all that off before laying on top of it, wouldn’t you? I know I would, which is why I’ve yet to take a proper bath ever because I don’t want to clean the tub every time that I do.

If I were lucky enough to own my own place in the future, there will for sure be some remodeling to the bathroom. A shower stall is a must. And if there isn’t space leftover for a bathtub, then so be it. Who can afford tubs full of water in this economy anyways? Besides, rather than a bathtub, a single-person sauna box would be way more useful.

A stacked combo washer and dryer is a great space-saving design. The combo shower and tub, however, simply inconveniences both of the two experiences. Stop it, homebuilders. Get some help.

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The answer is always.

How often to wash?

I am thinking of a few weeks back when I was hanging out with a few classmates from improv class. The ice-breaking question (of which there were many) of “How often do you wash your bed sheets?” came to the table. I guess it’s a measure of how disgusting or clean a person is, depending on the answer.

My answer was once a month. That is caveated by the fact I shower before I go to sleep. That’s how I was raised. So much so that I cannot fathom going to bed without first showering before. How do you people do it? Those of you who showers in the morning, go through a whole day of work and grime, then climb into bed at night with only a change to pajamas. I would love to see a Venn diagram of people who shower in the morning, and people who wear shoes indoors.

It is because I always go to bed freshly cleaned that I can delay washing the bed sheets to once a month. If I were the type to not bathe before bed, I probably would switch the sheets out every few days. You know, just like they do in hotels. I always thought it was weird that hotels in America have a habit of changing out the bed sheets daily (Las Vegas sexy time notwithstanding). Then I realize it’s because of American culture of shower in the morning, not at night. Of course you have to change sheets more often if people go to bed all dirty and stuff from the day.

Other answers from my classmates: once a week, once every two weeks, and once every six months?! Granted, the last answer was from a guy who also showers before bed like I do. Still, six months of unchanging bed sheet is kind of… not that sanitary. We’re don’t live in college dorms anymore, you guys.

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How the turntables.

Showering thoughts

What is it about showers that induce me to start thinking ahead to the next day? Why can’t I simply enjoy the shower itself and not really think about anything at all?

Is this caused by the particular time I take showers? I do so at night right before I go to bed, so perhaps it triggers a sort of preparedness protocol and I start to get ready for the next work day. Best to not let any time go to waste, right? Get ready for tomorrow while I lather myself with suds.

This is a bad habit of mine that I prefer to get rid of, because thinking about the future takes me away from the present, and that’s always a dangerous game, not the least of which I don’t get to have the peace that the present is giving me (a shower should be a calming experience). How short-sighted is it to be thinking about tomorrow’s work when there’s still a whole night’s sleep to go; what usually happens is I carry those worries and simulations of what the next day will bring right into bedtime, which affects how quickly I can fall into slumber.

I need to just let it be.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the current situation that those of us with employment are slightly worried about how permanent it will remain. The coronavirus is still raging through this country, so there’s absolutely no predictability to the future; security one day can be gone the next. What do humans do when they feel like they don’t have control? They cling, and I reckon stressing over doing the job for the next day whilst in the shower the previous night is a form of clinging. The false impression that if I try extra hard at work, that will somehow save me from the layoff axe, should that come to be.

Even if there may be some truth to that, and that one should always strive to do the best regardless, stressing over work during off the clock hours is never a good thing. Unless that work is your life’s passion project, which my current employment definitely is not. In these times of COVID-19, having balance is crucial; those of us lucky enough to have the option, anyways.

Take care.

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Pro keys.

Showering the old fashion way

This past weekend the water boiler in our rented home failed, and with the call to the maintenance emergency line going unanswered for some reason, we were without hot water for two solid days. Everything went on as normal, except for one situation: showers.

Perhaps it would’ve been fine in a city with much warmer climes, but San Francisco’s signature chill means that taking a cold water shower is a near impossibility. I mean, I certainly wasn’t up for it; not because I can’t handle the cold, but to get a proper clean and open the pores, hot water is a requirement.

So for those two days with the water boiler out of commission, it became a throwback to my early childhood in China. Our apartment back then did not have water boiling amenity at all: to draw hot water for our showers, we literally had to boil it on the kitchen stove. Once up to temperature, it gets mixed with cold water straight from the faucet and into a bucket, and then we showered by pouring the water over ourselves with a ladle.

Primitive stuff compared to what we are used to now, but it was no less effective. I was remind of that when I had to perform the same procedure this past weekend. The clean was the same, yet I’ve only managed to use around two gallons worth of water. There’s no doubt I use exponentially more water showering the “modern” way, because honestly who doesn’t linger the extra bit longer under the stream - it’s so comfortable and relaxing.

Maybe in our efforts to save the planet, I should return to showering the (asian) old fashion way. Certainly it won’t be a big deal should the water boiler go out again in the future. A working stove and kettle is all i need.

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It’s a cool, cool Summer.