#342 Finding good reading material in someone else’s bathroom

Neil Pasricha

Bathroom readers of the world, unite!

It doesn’t matter if it’s an old issue of Reader’s Digest on top of the tank, yesterday’s crinkly newspaper lying on the floor, or a dog-eared comic book sitting on the bathroom counter. Nope, all that matters is now we don’t have to read the back of the shampoo bottle over and over again.

Fellow bathroom reader, thank you for heeding the call, thank you for keeping magazines in the stall, and thank you for being so absoflushinglutely

AWESOME!

Photo from: here

36 thoughts to “#342 Finding good reading material in someone else’s bathroom”

  1. They even make books specifically to be put in the bathroom!

    Back when I lived on campus, a few friends and I would tear out magazine pages and sheets from various page-a-day calendars and tape them up on the back of the stall doors (and around the mirrors by the sinks). That way no one had to tote reading material down the hall (obvious) and could read what was there for them (subtle)!

    1. The book of awesome does make EXCELLENT bathroom reading material..

      This post should definitely make it into a future book, and then I’ll leave that book on my guest room toilet and doggy-ear this page..

  5. I visit this site every day and rarely make a comment, however I just had to write today! Two things…first off, I am so relieved to discover that I am not the only person who reads the back of the shampoo bottle nine million times. Secondly, my mother-in-law has the BEST trashy magazines in her bathroom…US Weekly, People, all the good ones that I only get to read at her house or the hair salon. I swear my in-laws think I have irritable bowel or something, but I’m really just in there reading about my boy Ryan Reynolds and ScarJo. ;)

  6. You ever the bathroom reader book? they have about 20 already. Each one is a few hundred pages full random facts and interesting news made specifically for the bathroom.

  7. That part about reading the back of the shampoo bottle was PERFECT!!!! I always do that when there’s nothing better to read :)

  8. Yes! Thumbs down to reading shampoo bottles or trying to open the cupboards really quietly to see what they’ve got. Bathroom reading material for the win!

  10. I am absoflushinglutely giving this post, a great big fat *tick*!

    Then, I will note that my mom has taped to the wall beside her tp dispenser various inspirational poems and instructional sayings. For example, “You can CHOOSE your CHOICES, but then the CONSEQUENCES of your CHOICES turn around and CHOOSE you.” Thanks, mom, you’re right, I totally shouldn’t have chosen to eat that cheesecake, knowing full-well about the lactose-intolerance.

      1. Yay for a *tick*!

        Those are some pretty funny words of wisdom.. rather than lactose intolerance, I was picturing her pasting that up there after one too many nights of jdurley praying to the porcelain gods after a wild night out.. “CHOOSE YOUR CHOICES, jdurley!! CHOOSE YOUR CHOICES!!”

  11. I used to read the Maxims and Playboys in my male friends’ bathrooms until one day it occurred to me what they might be doing in there with those :/ I don’t mind reading the shampoo bottles.

  12. I love finishing a crossword my mother-in-law has started ina book next to the throne.
    #1: I am pretty good at crosswords.
    #2: I am pretty sure she planned on finishing it herself, so….heh, heh, heh. Gotta passive-aggressively get back at her when I get the chance.

  13. That part about reading the back of a shampoo bottle over and over again was so true hahahaha!!!
    Bravo to this post :)

  15. Years ago I heard about a college that posted the instructions for CPR on the inside of bathroom stall doors, about eye height. They did a random test of students and found out that most of them had a really good grasp of the technique, thanks to countless readings of the only available material.

    1. My college used to put all the university help numbers, as well as different responses to disasters on the back of all the stalls. By half way through freshman year, everyone knew the difference between the emergency and non emergency public safety numbers as well as the most ideal steps to get home safetly when lost..

  16. Its nice one.. because still i am using like that only.. initially i am also feel its ugly but when i was used read in bathroom its amazing… same time we got new ideas and informations..

  19. Thanks to a whole drawer full of novels and magazinens, my sisters think the bathroom is theirs. I NEVER get in when I want to.

  21. YESSS!! I do read the shampoo or the toothpaste.
    I even carry a small pokect book with me, in case of emergency!!!

  22. Hahahahahaha! My bathroom rack is full of old issues of Archie comics, Reader’s Digest, and random novels. But when forced in a foreign bathroom with no reading material, YES! I read shampoo bottles, the back of facial cleansers, lotions, toners, moisturizers, etc. Hahaha!

  23. Just read the Reader’s digest article of your book and your website. Well done! I will visit this regularly and share awesome things as well. Actually, getting to know one such website is AWESOME.

    By the way, we don’t really keep any reading materials in the bathroom, it might get wet and no one will dare to touch it anymore :-(

  24. Problem solved !
    After reading Shampoo, toothpaste labels etc for countless number of times, now I carry my mobile phone to the bathroom, browse the net and read on how ever long I wish !!

  25. totally agree! I thought “awesomeness” when I found Charles Bukowski’s book in my best friend’s bathroom when I was highschool student. and we are still best friends!

  26. Pingback: 1000 Awesome Things: All the food that comes out of a pig! « Culture and Cake Blog
  28. Pingback: 1000 Awesome Things - Evan's Blog

  31. I always read the daily blog post on the App of Awesome when I’m on the pooper. Can’t go without it!

Comments are closed.