Coexisting with other people

I'd forgotten about this part of going to university.  There are many many people I have to deal with every day.  Almost all the time, those interactions just happen and no one even notices.  But then there are the other times.  I think those can be nicely split into "Too bad, so sad, suck it up princess" and "Hey - ASSHOLE!" categories.  "Too bad, so sad" would be something like having a favorite computer in the lab and going to do a whole bunch of work and finding it occupied by someone else.  No one's fault, but it just kind of sucks for you.  The Asshole stuff runs alot deeper.

I want to start with bathrooms.  I don't care how people pee.  I don't care if people hover, cover the seat with TP or squat on the toilet.  But, for the love of God, leave the stall in decent shape for the next person.  If you have such a delicate heiney that you can't bear to sit on a public toilet - fine.  I really don't care.  But it's an asshole move not to wipe the bits of pee off the seat.  Same thing if you are the kind of person with a delicate heiney and weak legs who feels compelled to kill a few more trees and cover the seat with TP.  Whatever.  But it makes you a jerk to ignore all the TP falling onto the floor as you stand up and just leave it there.  Go ahead, grab a large fist full of TP before touching the handle on the toilet.  If you are decently coordinated, you can even drop that TP into the toilet before it finishes flushing.  But, don't kick the handle.  You are the asshole that breaks it.  And, if you try to kick the handle and it doesn't work in that direction, it's an asshole move to just leave the toilet unflushed.  If I go in there and it flushes easily when I pull the handle towards me, then it was just you being a gross disgusting pig.

I know we don't have assigned seats.  So - when someone sat in the seat I'd been in for the first week on the second week, I dealt with it.  But, we're now many weeks into term.  Generally, we all sit in the same spot every day.  Especially since it's a 9am class.  That makes you an asshole for sitting where I normally sit on the morning of the midterm.  It really isn't nice to throw people for a loop like that.  It's early.  I'd like to settle in and get ready.  It also makes you an asshole for sitting there sniffing through the entire exam.  You were sniffing before it started.  I offered you a kleenex (from a travel pack) and you declined. You are an asshole.

Seriously, this isn't hard people.  Don't leave your lunch wrappers on the couch when you leave!  Don't spill your pop and then not go get some paper towels to wipe it up.  Don't eat and type on the lab computers leaving gunk on the keyboards...  Those things make you an asshole.

There are a few tens of thousands of us on this campus.  Pull your head out of your self absorbed ass long enough to think about even just a few of those closest to you.