Deanaland

Saturday, September 17, 2005

True Confession #3

I'm sort of a germ freak. Not like Howie Mandell, though, who refuses to shake anyone's hand. I think that's just rude. But, if we're at a potluck or huddle and somebody says "Everybody join hands and we'll pray!" -- well, it bugs me. Do we HAVE to hold hands? Why? I love these people just as much without making physical contact with them. When the prayer is over, I sneak away and wash my hands AGAIN before eating. It's not that all the other people are gross. It's just my germ thing. We had someone way worse than me in the youth group whose name started with an "F." She's off at college now... probably washing her hands a whole heck of a lot.

Anyway, I have this question for you. Let's say you use the restroom before going to the kitchen to prepare food. Do you:

1) Wash your hands in the bathroom, then proceed to the kitchen and prepare food
2) Skip washing your hands in the bathroom and just wash your hands in the kitchen
3) Wash your hands in BOTH the bathroom and the kitchen.
4) Be completely disgusting and don't wash your hands at all.

I choose #3. Option #1 would transport bathroom germs to the kitchen. (From the towel, which was hanging there when I flushed, which sprayed invisible germy stuff all over the room.) Option #2 would transport even MORE bathroom germs to the kitchen. I don't even want to talk about Option #4.

So is this weird? Is double-washing a sign of psychosis?

9 Comments:

  • At Sat Sep 17, 06:32:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    D-NA? Where is my roomie? What have you done with her?

    Does it gross you out to think of our bathtub in Sikes? Remember when it clogged up? Didn't you stick YOUR hand in there and fix it so I wouldn't get in trouble?

    Your supportive friend,
    cp
    BTW I wash my hand both times too.

     
  • At Sat Sep 17, 11:51:00 PM, Blogger Mae said…

    Not only am I a germ freak, but anal retentive as well, and darn tootin' proud... My friends have often joked that I have OCD. However, I checked them DSM IV and it specifically lists the guidleines, one of which is the obsession and / or copulsion taking at least an hour each day to perform. Not me... it may take 59 minutes and 59 seconds but NOT an hour. :) Definitely #3!!!

     
  • At Sun Sep 18, 06:41:00 PM, Blogger Deana Nall said…

    Oh, but Carol, you had just been horribly abused by the members of Alpha Theta Chi Omega. I would have anything to help you in your time of need -- and to protect you from the wrath of the Mrs. Hazel Fillmon.

    Besides, my germ thing didn't kick in until later, in case you couldn't tell by the way I lived in college!

     
  • At Sun Sep 18, 07:45:00 PM, Blogger Gem said…

    I am of the "germs make your immune system strong" school of thought. I would wash my hands when I got done in the bathroom, probably not dry them, just shake them off and dry them in the kitchen. Or just wash them in the kitchen when I get there.

     
  • At Mon Sep 19, 06:27:00 AM, Blogger Deana Nall said…

    Paige -- maybe around the time your husband updates his. :)

     
  • At Mon Sep 19, 02:58:00 PM, Blogger sarahdawn said…

    I recently watched an episode of Mythbusters on Discovery. They were trying to find out if having your toothbrush close to the toilet did indeed increase the risk of contamination. I'd like to share with you that it did not increase the risk. What they found out was even worse. They found "fecal calliforms (sp?)" - this is a term I've heard recently regarding the water in New Orleans as well - on EVERY toothbrush. Even the control brushes that they kept in the kitchen in a closed container. What does this mean? In their words..."there's poop everywhere." Just thought I'd share.

     
  • At Tue Sep 20, 01:24:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I fear that with antibacterial everything out there, we are raising a nation of OCD freaks!!!

     
  • At Fri Sep 23, 05:23:00 AM, Blogger Jana said…

    I'm a double-washer and choose option 3. Glad to know there are a few other people like myself who understand the whole transfer-of-germs-predicament!

    Have fun with your pals in Waco.

     
  • At Sat Oct 01, 08:33:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Deana,

    I feel the same way you do about germs and yes, I think twice about holding hands too. Think about this...men using the bathroom at church...not washing their hands...and partaking of the communion crackers, which we all share! My mother mentioned this to me several years ago. Totally grossed me out! Ha!

    Debbie H.

     

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