"monk"

If you've watched the TV show, "Monk," you'll understand my reference. If we were to be assigned as characters of the show, I would be Monk, and my best friend would be Natalie, Monk's personal assistant and friend. One time my friend and I went to Starbucks to hang out. She brought along her game of Bananagrams. There was no way I was going to play Bananagrams on the dirty Starbuck's table. She whipped out a bottle of hand sanitizer and poured it all over the table. We wiped it down, and viola! played Bananagrams. That Natalie is a Genius.

sandwich artists

I stopped going to a few local sandwich shop because the artists did NOT wear gloves while making my sandwiches. Once, the employee was the only one in the shop so she was also collecting money from customers as well. I did not ask for "extra money or hands flavor" in my sandwich. In fact, I am not even sure if she washed her hands prior to making my sandwich. I never went back to find out if she used gloves the next time. I also watch the sandwich artists very carefully to see how they put on their gloves. What's the point of wearing gloves if they're just going to touch it all over with their dirty hands?

a travel tip

I always bring Clorox wipes with me when I travel. The first matter of business is to clean down the hotel room the moment I step through the door. I wipe down the door handles, faucet handles, bath handles, tv remote, room phones, and anything else I or other guests may touch. I am sure housekeeping doesn't wipe down these things, so there are plenty of bacteria and germs crawling all over them.

ignorance is bliss

A friend once asked if I had ever really thought about the plastic containers (ie for salad dressing, sides) included INSIDE my take-out boxes. I hadn't. He then proceeded to clarify that people touch those plastic containers before placing them inside my to-go box. Since then whenever I see those plastic containers inside my box, I have to stop and take a deep breath. The food service employees putting together my food could have touched money, scratched their nose, blown their nose, etc. the list goes on... Here's a visual. Notice how the mashed potato container is touching the chicken and biscuit. Side note: the biscuit was SO good. I may just order a box of biscuits next time.

Ignorance is bliss. If I can't see it, like a waiter touching my fork before I arrive, I usually don't freak out.

band-aid in my soup

I've found many undesired items in my food served in different places, ranging from fast food to five-star restaurants. Here are just a few experiences: On two separate occasions I found plastic wrappers in my salad at the same popular fast food chain. At a five-star restaurant I found a HUGE spider in a dumpling. At another five-star restaurant, I found a worm in my plate of vegetables. I found a cockroach mixed into my potato salad at a popular cafe. Unfortunately the potato salad was a takeout order so I couldn't scream loudly for the rest of the patrons to hear. I've also found a band-aid in my soup at another restaurant. My most recent experience involved a silverfish inside my burrito... I've had too many of these experiences; I don't know why I continue to eat out...

waiters

A lot of things bother me about eating out, but most recently I witnessed something worthy of a post. It always bothers me whenever I see a waiter digging their fingers into my glass of water/drink, clean bowl, or clean plate. I want to gag whenever I see them touching my utensils with their fingers or placing clean forks on the dining table. I wish they would leave their fingers out of my cups and plates as well as place my utensils on a clean napkin that they didn't run their fingers all over!

Merry Christmas!

sushi boat

Tonight I dined at a sushi restaurant that had an enclosed sushi boat conveyor belt, which was probably one of the most amazing things I, as a germaphobe, have ever seen in a restaurant. The entire conveyor that moves the sushi plates along was enclosed! There were doors with which to open, reach in, and grab your sushi. What a brilliant idea! No need to worry so much about people sneezing or coughing onto the sushi plates passing by! I wish I had taken a picture.

sharing food

One of a germaphobe's worst nightmare is sharing food with others. I ate from a community platter only to find out five minutes later that others, one of whom was sick, were using their saliva-laden forks to dig into that very platter. I hope I survive the night.

clean toilets

I'm not quite sure why people are so preoccupied with cleaning their toilets in anticipation of my visit. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I swear I'm not checking toilets during my visits!

donut holes are synonymous with dentist

The best part about going to the dentist is visiting the donut shop right next door. Mm.. donut holes..

There has been a lot of air time about the security measures taken at the airports. Prior to my flight I researched how people were dealing with the pat downs and body scans. I hoped that I wouldn't need to have either but thought about which I would choose should I be so unlucky. My friend said, "You have three options. Get the pat down, the body scan, or just scream 'Don't touch my junk!'" While the last option seemed incredibly tempting, I also didn't want to miss my flight. On the way to the airport, I heard a radio segment about the security measures. The reporter said that the TSA agents did not change their gloves when searching different people. This was very disturbing to myself and the reporter because the reporter went on to say that TSA agents had to reach in certain areas, oftentimes under clothing, and all that touching meant transmittal of germs and bacteria. I made a mental note to ask the TSA agent to put on a new pair of gloves. In deciding the lesser of the two evils, I concluded that I would probably choose the pat down versus the body scan. Who knows how much radiation results from the body scan? When you get an x-ray at the dentist, the dentist puts on that big heavy blanket to shield the radiation, but you walk through this body scan completely exposed to all the radiation. While the pat down seemed equally horrible and violating, at least I could avoid the radiation. Thankfully I didn't have to make that decision this time! I can only hope to be so lucky next time.

smells on airplanes

I've noticed a lot of different things during my flights, but my most recent flight proved to be a battle for my nose. I have a very sensitive nose. Combine this sensitivity to a relatively confined space with no true air circulation and I've got problems. In a perfect world everyone would have the courtesy to shower or at least slather on some deodorant before a flight! On my flight to my destination, the person sitting in front of me had  empowering and engulfing body odor. I hid in my jacket the entire flight. On my return flight, the person sitting behind me had a musty smell, the smell on wet clothing or wet towels. My companion described it as "musty three-day old sweat on a t-shirt." Once again I hid in my jacket for the duration of the flight.

the beginnings of a germaphobe

People like to ask me about the core of my germaphobia. I think I can pinpoint it down to a certain period in my life, and the story isn't very exciting. It actually started when I worked for a hospital. My coworkers warned me about the germs and bacteria floating around the hospital and consistently reminded me to take safety precautions. They also set by example. Touching a doorknob, an object crawling with germs and cold viruses, without a paper towel or napkin of some sort was taboo. When I got to work, I was reminded to wipe down my desk, phone, and keyboard with wipes. I took their teachings to heart and have been vigilant about germs to this day! Prior to my stint at the hospital, I was clean but not hypervigilant. I grew up in a tidy and clean household but the level of cleanliness and germaphobia has reached a new level.

This blog isn't just going to be all about germs. Sorry to disappoint those who were looking for daily germ quotes but this blog WILL consist of the ramblings of a germaphobe.