Office Shower Politics
They are installing showers in my office building. As the one that bikes to work, everyone is eager to know my thoughts. “Are you excited?”, “Will you use them?”, “Aren’t you glad they’re accommodating you?”
Meh… I don’t care about the showers.
It’s only 4.1 miles to work and I can’t go terribly fast due to traffic, potholes, stop lights, and avoiding devil buses. I don’t really sweat (except for August or “wet-wipe-season.”) Turning it into a true shower-requiring-workout would be extra nonsense. I imagine a personal trainer hovering over my shoulder:
Plus, moving my shower routine to the other end of my commute would be… uncomfortable.
Yeah, no thanks. I’ll just get dressed at home.
But if they want to give me a closet to hang up my “emergency clothes” (ready in case of downpour or mud) I will take that. That and better coffee. Otherwise I’m all set.
Love it! I’m with you–why sweat if you don’t have to? I only live 2.5 miles from work; with errands/meetings during the day I may get in another 5 miles or so but in little 1-mile chunks; and it’s uphill on the way home so who cares if I sweat then? I can’t imagine having all the stuff at work I’d need to do a full work prep there instead of at home.
No guilt necessary. Think of the showers as being for the lunchtime joggers and people who go to midday exercise classes.
I only/mainly shower at work because that way I don’t have kids wanting my attention/wanting to use the toilet etc. Work provides lovely solitude in comparison (and free hot water 🙂
I agree! My workplace actually has better showers than my home….
I totally agree about the showers! I bike about 3.5 miles to work and it would be silly to go to the hassle of showering when I don’t really work up a sweat! Even if the building I work in had showers I wouldn’t use them, I’d rather have nice indoor parking or even more outdoor parking!
I bike 13 miles each way and sweat a bit but don’t use the at-office shower anyway. I just shower before I leave in the morning and then towel off a bit upon arrival.
btw, why stay anonymous? you should be lapping up the praise!
I’m not not entirely anonymous, just keeping a low profile in the age of the internet 🙂
well, we look forward to your eventual unveiling and book tour. keep up the brilliance!
Hot showers come into their own in the winter or during bad weather. I remember sharing an elevator with a co-worker after one horrendous ice storm and she was aggressively cursing her the dampness and the cold and then looked at me, and asked, “How can you stand riding in? Doesn’t it suck having to deal with wet clothes all day?”
“You know what I’ve got in my bag? Fresh dry clothes and a bottle of shampoo.”
I felt a little bad taunting her like that, but she asked.
There are, however, certain co-workers who, now having seen them in tighty-whiteys, I can no longer unsee.