Potpourri won’t help when locked in bathroom

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2017 (3409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I got locked in my bathroom and couldn’t get out. I had no phone with me and didn’t want to scream and have people call the cops. It was going to be an hour and a half until my wife got home. I started to have a panic attack.

My choice was to try to smash the door and break it open, or calm down and read the magazine stash my wife leaves in there. I read the ladies’ magazines while lying in the bathtub with towels for a neck rest until she got home and called our handyman friend.

I wonder if anyone out there knows what else I could have done. — Trapped in the Bathroom, Winnipeg

Dear Trapped in the Bathroom: OK, you’ve got me beat. Anyone out there know how to get out of a bathroom that’s jam-locked? Why did you lock it anyway when you were the only person at home? Let me guess — force of habit and a fear your wife would arrive home early and disturb you? Hmm. Write to the address below, folks.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I want to comment on the letter sent in by Tied to Big Vacation Baby from St. Boniface complaining about how weak and pathetic she claims her husband to be. I feel your advice was good for her. She does need to find someone else to travel with, especially if she’s going to berate and emasculate the person who is supposed to be her husband and best friend.

My question for her is, exactly how much fun are you to travel with? You definitely illustrated the reasons why his lack of courage forces you to seek male attention from other sources, which is beyond inappropriate and completely selfish. Shame on you for calling your husband a disgusting weakling.

My advice to you is to stop making everything about you. Perhaps because you’re so aggressive, your husband just defers to you because he knows it will cause a conflict otherwise.

This foreign language/travel fear might be a personal trait of his that he has difficulty dealing with and likely needs encouragement. Encourage him, instead of berating him. — Just My Thoughts, Winnipeg

Dear Just My Thoughts: This “big vacation baby” is a capable guy, described as a big shot in his office (where his wife met him). I advised her to travel to exotic places with a girlfriend because her husband simply hates exotic trips.

It’s possible he’s playing the helpless role so he won’t have to go on more of these trips and can settle into a nice condo in Arizona where everybody speaks English and he can put his feet up and have a drink between golf games.

There’s no reason why he can’t help with lost baggage and other little snags that come up in other countries where English is not the first language spoken. But this big shot totally collapses and just lets his wife do everything.

She has a right to be upset, but not to call him names and leave him back in the room while she checks out other men in the bar.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: The person called Upset Customer was correct in contacting the restaurant regarding their food poisoning. Food poisoning is violent and easily differentiated from an allergy. Restaurant owners can be defensive as in saying “no one else got sick.” Often people don’t report.

The second call should always be to the health department. They will attempt to find the source. In my case, it was canned whipped cream that was left out on a counter in the kitchen. There were no fines for the restaurant, just education and suggestions. — Call Me Carol, Victoria, B.C.

Dear Carol: Sorry to hear about your food poisoning. Thanks for emphasizing the two steps people should follow if they get food poisoning and the restaurant doesn’t seem to believe the complaint.

Responsible restaurants want to know so they can remedy the situation, but there are some who would prefer to convince you you’re mistaken or even lying. They’re nervous word will get around.

What they don’t realize is people stop spreading negativity when they are validated, thanked and assured it won’t happen again.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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