Close Calls and Potty Shrapnel

So a guy sitting on the toilet in Carl's Jr. has his handgun fall out of its holster, and the weapon discharges. The bullet hits and shatters the toilet(luckily missing him), and in a story that could have been much much worse, he took shrapnel in his arm (which is funny and very fortunate, that it was to his arm only).


I've sat on a cactus before, and had to drop my drawers in front of all my cousins so my mom could get the needles out, which I remember to this day as a pretty traumatic thing for a shy little kid, but this guy could very easily have suffered much worse. And I can tell you that the pain of just a cactus in the bottom is bad enough.

Forrest Gump comes to mind, Lethal Weapon's toilet bomb, Everybody Loves Raymond (poor Robert with that bull), and now the fortunate (all things considered it was really fortunate)guy at Carl's Jr.

I couldn't let this pass story pass by without some kind of post. :)
The picture and story details are taken from The Deseret News.

At the Heart of the Issue

Almost every affliction, disease and tragedy has its host of suffering children to pull my heart strings, but that only heightens for me, rather than diminishes my sense of the present needs. Call me sentimental, but if I see a child suffering, all my core emotions are immediately elicited. (And people know that works too. Those ads about children going hungry get me every single time. I'd feel so manipulated if I didn't believe that was actually going on in the world)

Quite simply, children should not have to endure this kind of suffering.

What am I talking about? Let me explain.

My own bout with the disease, Ulcerative Colitis, has seemed to run through for now. It hit me with full force (out of the blue) while I was in my Senior year at the University of Utah(which at last I'm finishing up), at age 24. I am obviously required to take extra care with my diet now, especially where drinking liquids has been forced to the foreground of my activities. No more nuts (yes that includes a certain hunger satisfying candy bar, and its yellow chocolate M&MMMM counterpart) or popcorn, or almost anything with seeds, etc., and a constant awareness of where I am in proximity to a restroom(hence the Restroom Rater blog came about).

What really gets me now though, is when I see children that are so young having to confront these vicious diseases that just ravage their bodies and lives. These children are too young to have to come to grips with the harsher realities of life.

The following short little video recalled to my mind just where the real need lies in regards to this and all other afflictions present on this rock of ours(earth, that is). Take a look, and see where some of the heart behind this blog lies.


This video was uploaded to francisskipper's youtube channel.

Keeping with Culture

The Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Fine Art is still up until February or March, and it is amazing! We're talking huge, gorgeous altar pieces by one of the most beloved artists of Mormon (if not necessarily mainstream Christian) culture. These are some of the images you grow up with in the LDS church, and to suddenly see the originals in their majestic scope is breathtaking.

You enter the exhibit and before each altar piece there are chairs set up so you can sit and just take in each image, where each is given a separate dedicated section for contemplation.

Despite having seen these images all my life, I felt with each one like I was actually seeing them for the first time, to the point of making me actually pause in awe of the work.

Of course, I passed later through another Museum of natural sorts, and this is the rating..



The restroom was really nice, recieving a clean great rating, and it wasn't busy at all, despite a fairly busy day at the Museum. If you have a chance to make it out there, get online and reserve tickets (free) for a certain time, and enjoy!

I'd go all effusive over the Tissot exhibit downstairs, which was on par with Bloch as far as our experience there, but since that exhibit is now over, I won't torture you with what you missed. :)

(They requested that no pictures be taken of the actual exhibit, so you really will just have to get down there.)

Muses That Follow Us Everywhere

Some people go to libraries, studies, offices, or ponds, but wherever it is, when finding ourselves outside of the humdrum rhythm of our lives, we contemplate, ponder, or whatever, on whatever profound or meaningless thought happens to flit through our minds. Interestingly enough, the privy is just such a place for me.



I grew up in the habit of reading whenever I could. Bathrooms were no exception (I know this is a controversial topic. Please bear with me). It obviously does me no good to have that time in the bathroom suddenly doubled, or tripled due to the issues with colitis.

There are two poems for inclusion here, but I am close to chickening out with both of them (you could say I'm gutless). I don't want to offend. One poem I wrote. Another was contributed by a reader. If you may be offended by light literary treading over the business of bathrooms, please just disregard this post. Both are offered in a playful spirit. I hope you enjoy. :)

This first I wrote in 2007 in a creative writing class.

Porcelain Sanctuary

Stately seated upon icy throne,
Cold porcelain kissing skin.
Whirling hum breeds muffled tones
To distract from life’s mad din.

Settling in, closing eyes,
Breathing great, deep sighs.
Slight exertions (of the mind),
As soft those mind birds fly.

Far from noise this fanciful flight,
To ponds as smooth as glass,
Yet all the while I here remain,
Seated upon my bottom. (like I would really say it)

Reluctant stand, and wash my hands,
Then open up the door.
One longing glance, then shadows dance,
In my sanctuary once more.

The next is contributed by a reader, who will remain anonymous for the sheer brilliance of the work. It is a Christmas poem about going to see the lights set up on the trees, like at temple square, for example. I believe he captured the idea, despite the slight missing of the mark as far as details go. (Trust me, I won't be going into detail here)



We'll call it a piece about divergence.

You may come
for lights on trees,
I have to check out
where to pee.

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed. If you have any to contribute, email them to me at author@nathanmeidell.com, or just post them in the comments.

A little late, but Happy New Year everyone. I hope you find your bathrooms close and clean when you need them!

To the Square!

In case you didn't make it, or haven't gone before, and if enough of the residual spark of seasonal nostalgia is left for you to enjoy the sights, here are the images and the restroom rating of my visit to temple square this holiday season.


We saw the lights...




enjoyed the food of the Nauvoo Cafe (which is convenient, and tasty, if not amazingly inexpensive food)...



and of course, I took leave of our companions for a short venture to the restroom of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (which is also gorgeous)...



No, this isn't the restroom.



Here's the restroom...




and here's the rating...

The privy was a great one. You can even see the sheen, although being an out of the way restroom on the lower floor, I'm assuming there would be nicer ones on the main floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building... maybe. This one felt a little confining (if I were to get picky).

But anyways, the lights are always a favorite for the holiday season, and we enjoyed the company of good friends.

For next time, we'll have a special post on lyrical restroom pieces... Exciting!