Second-floor soundtrack

While the “bones” of the second floor men’s room may be uninspired, the potty powers-that-be her at 1160 Battery have added a number of personal touches that raise the bar on this particular business chamber.

* A full-size scale just like your doctor’s office!

* A basket of bathroom supplies on the sink counter!

* A personal can of air-freshener AND a book of collected essays in the stall!

But the single most distinguishing feature on the second floor is the music. A speaker system that has been piped into the hallway outside of the restrooms and then…two speakers strategically placed INSIDE each restroom.

(This was actually a reader’s suggestion at potty blogger’s last place of employment. But here, the dream is a reality.)

The source of the music is not some canned Muzak service, but somebody’s eclectically-stocked iPod. The identity of that “somebody” is a well-guarded secret, but their tastes range from classical to heavy metal to the day’s top pop hits.

The effect is, depending on the soundtrack, delightful…or disturbing. To potty blogger’s taste, being forced to perform a delicate drop-off to the driving guitars of speed metal is nerve-wracking.

But the right song? The right song is magical. It masks the more disturbing “soundtrack” of the co-worker conducting business in the adjacent stall. Although it does make the likelihood of a "call and response" scenario more difficult, it does tee up the possibility of somebody creating their own symphony in perfect sync with the background track.

Keep making your beautiful music, friends.