Observation

There is a small yet in some ways significant difference between North Carolina and California that I have heretofore neglected to discuss. It’s the kind of thing that, when confronted with it, I think to myself, “I should totally blog about this,” but then when it comes time to sit down at the keyboard, I have long forgotten about it. I am speaking about none other than toilet seat covers. Or rather, the lack of them here in the Tar Heel State. Every public bathroom in California has them, but here, not so much. I’ve probably seen them once. I’d always taken them for granted. I figured it was one of those modern-day givens, something that came into common use years ago and is here to stay. But apparently it’s not as common as I assumed. It’s peculiar how something so basic can be ubiquitous in one state and completely absent in another. It makes me wonder: are people in California that much more concerned about germs and cleanliness? At what point does the tide turn and merchants/office building managers feel compelled to provide this courtesy? I guess I have to tally this oddity in the “culture shock” column, although like everything else, it’s not been so much a shock as an “all righty then.”