I’ve been reading Chile’s archives as my role as a bean stalk :) (thanks Chile!) and was reminded of some challenges that were presented last year. Specifically, Crunchy’s no TP challenge.

Now that its been a year since I began blogging, I should probably write about why I chose to blog anonymously (as anonymous as one can be online anyway).

I had been looking for a blog that discussed two main topics that I am somewhat obsessed with: money and environmental issues. And I wanted to read detail. I wanted salary info, grocery tabs, tips, online articles, etc. I didn’t find that blog, so I started the blog I wanted to read. And quite frankly, I like reading my blog very, very much. 

When I heard about the no TP challenge I wondered if I ought to admit that I didn’t use TP or even cloth wipes. One of the reasons I didn’t admit anything was because I still had mental scars from my initial days after I immigrated to the U.S. and was still open and vulnerable to criticism. As a new immigrant, I used hankies for snot (no matter how thick the snot was). I used my bare hand to wipe my bottom (with some water). Because that was how I was taught to clean up after doing my business in the toilet (which in my family was referred to as "london". There is also an open sewer in Madras that is referred to as Buckingham Canal…but this is getting a bit off topic).

So when I blew my nose into my hanky, I had to listen to the "ewws" and the "gross" comments. And since I was lonely and depressed and trying to fit in, I slowly switched to using tissue for my nose. It was a slow process because I couldn’t figure out how to use facial tissue. The material was flimsy and I often wound up with snot in my hands, and if I forgot to empty my pockets my clothes would be covered with a fine film of tissue particles. And I was very afraid of the Mr. Bean effect: a dangling bit of tissue hanging out from one nostril. But eventually I got the hang of using tissue for my nose and got into the habit of tossing it out after one use.

But try as I could, I could not figure out how to use toilet paper to wipe myself. Especially after #2. It was way more messy and I thought it was gross to not use water to wash up. And its a good thing that there were no judgemental people watching me clean up after myself, because that would have been too traumatizing. 

This non-tp use wasn’t a problem for a while. But then I started to make friends. Which led to invitations to spend nights or weekends over. Which led to panic attacks. Will they ask questions if I take a bottle or mug to the toilet with me? How do I explain this? So what did I do? I turned down the invitations. Not using tp was my dark dirty little secret.

Until I started to run across these online environmental bloggers. And note that while I am not a very affectionate person, I wanted to reach out and hug these people wanting to get away from TP usage.

Anyway…personally I think cloth wipes for #2 are a bit gross. Knowing how lazy I am, if I used wipes they would probably lie around being stinky and grossing me out. I like using my little bottle of water. Its most comfortable for me and I think the most hygenic. For first time users, you can always hop into the shower for a better clean if you don’t trust your left hand to do the job well.  

However….growing up in my parents house we had a bidet. It was only when I went over to grandma’s that I had to use the water-hand method.

As for me trying to fit in and be liked…I gave up on that idea a while back. I was very weird when I was growing up, and I am weird today. So I was pleasantly surprised to encounter all these people online blogging about stuff that I think about and used to be too scared to talk about for fear of alienating even more people. Sometimes I almost want to hug everyone, but then I remember my issue about touching people and the fact that I don’t actually know any of these bloggers. But I’ll give a little online *hug* to everyone on my blogroll, for making me feel really warm and fuzzy inside (the sangria I’m drinking now has also contributed to that feeling).

Its probably weird to be giving thanks to my bloggy friends in a post about toilet habits…but if all this peak-oil/sky-is-falling people are right, we might have to get close and intimate with our poo. And I guess environmentalists will be leading the way.