Some random thoughts attacked my mind last night while I was at the ASU game against Portland State. I had not been in Sun Devil Stadium in more than a year, and I had forgotten about the quaint urinal troughs that are still in use in all of the men’s rooms there.

To think that games at this stadium have been the center of national attention – national championship games, a Super Bowl – and all the while the attending patrons were faced with such quaintness as urinal troughs.

On one hand, modern urinal courtesy is like an 11th commandment (Man Law?): Thou shalt not acknowledge the other guy next to you. Jimmy Kimmel made great fun of this commandment with his skit on the old Man Show, in which he would start a lengthy conversation with the guy at the next urinal. The most common reaction was disgust. Those zealots!

This may have something to with our cultural attitude about urinating outdoors, too. It violates city ordinances all around the Phoenix area, and getting caught gets a citation and a fine of a couple hundred bucks (or so I am told).

On the other hand, a more practical attitude these days is represented by the outdoor urinals in merry old England. These outdoor fixtures are found opposite the Charing Cross Railway Station in London, U.K. Identical fixtures may be found in Leidsplein Square in Amsterdam.

I have lots and lots more thoughts on this topic. However, I wanted to keep this brief and tasteful. Besides, I am getting a little sugar rush from my breakfast waffles right now, and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for any foggy-headed foolishness that I might write at the moment.

Besides, I think it is time for a nap.

All the best,

Dennis