Bathrooms and buses

In this busy world everyone needs to relax one way or another. I already wrote about a way of relaxing in this blog. Talking to some friends made me think about different places where people can really relax. I figured out there are quite a few we agree about, but there are two places that are outstanding.

The first is my favourite place in a house or an apartment. This is most definitely the bathroom. Don’t get it wrong, it’s not my favourite room in an apartment because I would hang around in there for hours at a time putting make-up on. I do this in a couple of minutes. The thing is that over the years the bathroom became kind of a shelter for me. I still remember crying in my bathroom when my first boyfriend left me. My friends came over and they just had to sit with me on the bathroom floor for hours.

Another time when I had problems with my ex-boyfriend I was crying in the bathroom again and I remember that at one time I thought “When I’ll own an apartment or a house I want a giant bathroom, not a tinny little hole like this one!” I still want a giant bathroom with a shower and a bath inside. And a sofa or a comfortable chair… or both.

The thing about the bathroom is that I come out of there fresh and reborn. Not just on rare occasions when I pour myself a hot bath, light some candles and relax. Even if I just wash my hands it makes me feel better when I come out of a bathroom.

Another place that I get totally relaxed in is a bus. I got to university by a city bus, usually it takes me about 15 minutes to get there. I worship those minutes. On a bus station I usually stand where the bus stops so I can go in the first and I can get a place to sit. I really hate standing on the bus since bus drivers here in Ljubljana are crazy and drive like they’re race car drivers or whatever.

So I try to be the first one in line and get a place to sit. Then I look through the window, I watch out for cars that I like and try to imagine why some driver is looking so annoyed or what is a couple (at least I think they’re a couple) in the other car fighting about. Sometimes I watch people on the bus, try to imagine their stories. But please, don’t think I'm a stalker or a freak who stares at people. It’s just my way of relaxation – I let my imagination do it’s magic and I shut everything else out.

But there are some things which can totally ruin my perfect bus ride. The biggest problem is probably if an odd person sits next to me. I don’t mind sitting with total strangers on a bus as long as they don’t smell weird, don’t try to chit-chat with me or do anything out of line. I don’t care if you sit next to me, but for the love of god, sit still, don’t move and don’t do anything annoying. All sorts of strange things happened to me on a bus including some stoned idiot trying to convince me to take him to my place where he would stay for a couple of days. He was a total stranger and I was very afraid but then I politely asked him if he would stop talking to me which he did but then he stared at me. Luckily he went off the bus before I did.

Another irritating thing on a bus is when someone is talking too loud. I don’t care if someone talks on the phone or with someone else, but it’s nice if they don't do it too loudly. Last week some girl was explaining to another about her boyfriend and she was so loud that the whole bus heard her. I can tell you her life story if you’re interested; I heard everything even thought I didn’t want to…

One of my friends' favourite spaces in the house is the kitchen and another ones' is the living room. Some people see mountain hiking as relaxing and some do yoga. I don’t care what other people do as long as they don’t try to convince me that their way of relaxing is better than mine. As long as someone doesn’t ruin my perfect bus ride, everything’s all right.