Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Germaphobia?

Germaphobia? OK, that's probably not a real word, but we all know what it implies. I don't understand people who can't turn a page without spiting on their finger. Two instances of it today. One - I went to the library to check out a book that I read in Seattle to see why I thought the author said something to the effect that if he wasn't writing the book, he would never have attended a wrestling match. I might have the author wrong, (being wrong is something I actually enjoy, as it makes me a little more human and it's a good way of learning something new); I might be remembering it wrong, (being confused is something I don't like and it can derail me for hours as I worry about all sorts of mental defects that might come with aging); or I might not have applied my usual filter for Frenchness, (also known as negativity), and have ignored all the positive wrestling references in favor of remembering just this one negative one. The last one is the most likely. My sisters, cousins, and I have discussed this problem, since it's not just a problem of learned attitude, it is carried in a weighted vocabulary that we just take for granted since we were raised with it. Slender = skinny, statuesque = gawky, etc - go to brain and over-ride with positive words. It's a lot of work! For all those people in America who wish they were French, we would trade in a heartbeat. And we're only half. So anyway, back to the germs. If I had a compromised immune system, I wouldn't use library books because of the people who lick the pages. (In the long run, that's what they're doing.)
Second incidence - Hobby Lobby clerk licked her finger to count the papers I was buying. I had 5, but really only needed 4. So I handed her back the top, most licked one and had her ring up 4. I could tell from her expression that she didn't have a clue. The papers are a brown metallic that I am going to turn into trees for my witches to crash into on my Halloween cards. I'll have to take a picture when I'm done. They will say "Girl's Night Out". This will be for my arachnophobic friends. I really prefer the witches stuck in a big spider web, with the sentiment, "It's Going To Be One Of Those Days".

3 comments:

  1. To be honest, that licking the finger thing grosses me out and I'll just about eat off the floor! I hate to see the finger looking thing. ~Serene

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  2. Thank goodness someone agrees with me. But the eat off the floor thing? Oh Serene, please say it's the 60 second rule thing!

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  3. People who do this are unaware of it. I used to do it. I've mostly stopped, with the increased awareness these days of things like hand-washing and the spread of viruses. I was not raised by germophobes and, to be honest, there are many things that I never thought twice about. But I know a lot of germophobes (people who won't touch railings, or sit on public toilet seats), and I've learned how grossed out people are by a variety of things, so I'm trying to learn to be more considerate! Maybe others will, too.

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