Sarah breaks the bathroom rules...and this happens.

Good morning!

Those of you who know me know at least two things about me:

1)  I LOVE movies.
2)  I have issues when it comes to using public restrooms. Not that I'm against using them, I just wind up with a story every time I step into one.

So today, let's gather around and find out how these two things in Sarah's life collided...literally...to make up a blog.

It all started last Saturday, the Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving. That's the day when you're supposed to SHOP SMALL, you know, shop at small local stores that aren't Wal-Mart.  Hey, I did my part.  I went to Rogan's Shoes, as I've done every year for the past however long I can remember, and I picked up Bob & Brian's year end CD.  the proceeds from the sale of these CD's go to the Hunger Task Force here in Milwaukee AND the MACC Fund.  So not only was I buying something at a local shoe chain, from local radio people, I was supporting charity!

Yes, I know. So far this story is without tragedy and therefore without humor. Keep reading.


Since we were on that end of town, I suggested to Hubby that we stop at my very favorite store in all the land...MEGA MEDIA EXCHANGE.

I don't know if MMX is a big chain and honestly, I don't care.  I love that store. It's loaded to the RAFTERS with used movies, CDs, and video games.  I could spend HOURS in there, the way some people spend time in a library. This is my library..except it's all movies and prices range from under a buck to maybe $15 on really rare Criterion stuff.

I just wanted to check and see if they had "Against all Odds" because someone sang "Take a look at Me now" on "The Voice" and I realized I'd never actually seen the movie and neither Hulu nor Netflix has it.  (Seriously, the original stuff is great, but how about putting a few more movies on your movie streaming services???)

Well, just stepping foot into that place is dangerous for me, and it got worse because they were having a Black Friday weekend sale!  TONS OF MOVIES FOR $0.75!!!!!!!!

Hubby knew I was not just going to check the A shelves for "Against All Odds."  We were in it for the long haul.

Now, this is where stuff starts to go sideways...literally.

You know how they say travel sort of slows your digestive system down?  Okay, what they say is travel constipates you.  I was trying to be polite.  Anyway, the week of November 13 hubby and I took a vacation.  We went to Cleveland for a week and had a blast.  Then, on November 22 we headed across Wisconsin to spend a few days with his mom.  Basically, from the 13th to the 26th I'd had access to my personal restroom three days.

My system was slowed to a halt.

We'd driven home that morning from La Crosse just to get the CD so we hadn't even been home that day.  Which means that about the time I was really getting into a serious classic movie hunt, my system set out the warning bells.  There was no waiting, this was a code red!  (What, you thought I would say code brown? No, that's gross.)

Now, the rules at MMX regarding the bathrooms are simple:  Go to the front, get a key, go to the bathroom, use it, bring the key back.  There was no time for that on this day. HOWEVER I was lucky...the men's room had been left open.  since it was one of those bathrooms where it's just a simple room, not a row of stalls, I felt no issue using it.  I slipped in, locked the door, and allowed my body to make up for lost time.

Oh, BTW...no TP in the men's room. So...yeah.  Good thing I always have tissues or something for such an occasion. 

But I'm a rebel.  Or at least I was that day. I wasn't going to let a thing like the RULES or no TP bother me!

I finished up and went back out to the store, ready to rejoin my search for MORE USED MOVIES.

That's when this happened:

It started as an odd squeaking sound behind me.  I looked around, I was actually in the row alone.  there were people up front, but no one near me.  The squeaking turned into a creaking.

The creaking turned into a bang.

The bang turned into more creaking, more banging and...the unmistakable sound of shattering glass and one more very loud bang.

Then silence. 

It was that cold, hard silence you get when you're in a group of strangers and something's just happened and you're all holding your breath waiting for the injured to start screaming.

Only, there was no screaming.  

People started moving around and Hubby came up to me and said, "well, I know it wasn't us."

We headed up to the front of the store (As did everyone else) and there we saw the result of a domino effect.  Somehow, one of the tall wire racks containing video games had tipped, knocking into another wire rack, which in turn knocked into one of the glass cases containing electronic devices. That case knocked into a second case, which knocked over a six foot tall spinning rack full of movies and CD's.  That spinner rack had fallen under the glass case and was leaning precariously against a third glass case, this one containing expensive gaming systems. That case was unharmed, but special care would have to be taken in clean up so that the spinner rack didn't slip and crash through the glass panel, destroying what systems inside.

In short, the place was a mess and no one was claiming any responsibility.

Employees moved quickly to pick up movies and CD's. Some of the shoppers, Hubby included, helped out. I held one of the rolling carts steady so they could stack cases quickly and easily.  Two employees started cleaning up shards of glass. Two others tried to check out customers as quickly as possible.  Customers coming in to this scene thought the better of it and left right away.

By the time we left, the worst of the broken glass was cleared up and the employees were starting to talk about how to move the fallen racks and cases to minimize further damage.

We purchases our movies and left without much conversation.  

Now here's the thing, because I haven't admitted this to anyone.  I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for the accident at MMX.  

Why?

Not because I knocked over a rack. I don't do video games.  I wasn't anywhere near the domino of death.  Nope, has nothing to do with.

But I broke the rules.

I broke the bathroom rules and my favorite store in all the land was harmed.

I will never again use a men's room.  (Not that THAT was something I planned on doing over and over again.)  And I will never NOT get the key when I'm supposed to...no matter how desperate the situation is.

I've learned my lesson!


Oh, a couple other things:

1)  Yes, I did get "Against all Odds."  Watched it last night.  Decent movie I guess.  

2)  Best public bathroom I've ever been in?  The Westin, Downtown Cleveland, the lower level bathroom just outside the hotel gym.  Yes I used the gym.  And yes, it's worth driving to Cleveland and using a hotel gym just to use this spotless, quiet, clean, beautiful oasis of a restroom.