Bathrooms as Photo Galleries?

I need your help understanding something.

I'm not incredibly old, and I work with teenagers every single day, but sometimes, I'm totally clueless to their behavior.

Of all the places to capture photos of yourself, the restroom? It makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Three times this week while using the restroom, I've noticed female students standing in front of the mirrors, snapping shots of themselves for what I can only assume will end up on Facebook or MySpace.

A. I'm never letting students go to the bathroom again, because now I know why they ask, and it is most definitely not to go potty.
B. How appealing can it be to have a picture of yourself, trying to look sexy, with three toilets in the background? If that's sexy, then I have failed.

I thought this was the new fad in northern Idaho only, but I just logged off of my own Facebook page and saw four...count them...FOUR other bathroom profile pictures from my own friend list, which includes mostly mid-westerners.

I'm lost. The bathroom is the last place I want to snap a picture of myself.

On a side note, this week I had a team meeting with the cranky mother who sent me on an early spring break. The four male faculty teachers in attendance surrounded me with their presence, one of them declaring he would absorb a punch if the meeting should come to that.

When the mom entered, my blood pressure sky-rocketed. I had an instant migraine from the pulsing blood in my brain.

The loner the meeting went, the more tense I became, but I was vocal. I truly do want to see the student successful, so I wanted my voice to be heard.

The longer the meeting went, though, the stranger the facial expressions of the men sitting around me.

They each cocked their heads a bit, their eyes grew slightly more narrow than usual, and they looked confused. It wouldn't have caught my attention had they not all been making this face at me.

At the tail end of the meeting, the mother did apologize to me in front of everyone, but at the same time, she told me to get over it. Let the past be the past. Move on! Let bygones be bygones. I'm sorry, but if someone chews you out, tells you you're a horrible teacher, then hangs up on you, saying, "Let the past be the past" is the very worst way to indicate remorse. Then she actually said these words: "You should be glad I hung up on you. I felt cuss words coming, so I did what I had to."

In my brain, I was having my own conversation.

"No. Being cussed out is one thing, but being hung up on infuriates me. I hate it- it's the ultimate sign of disrespect in my book when dealing with other adults."

"I'd rather be cussed out, because at least the other person is willing to get the frustration out and then move on to productive conversation. At least I get my say. Being hung up on severs communication. As nasty as being cussed out is, at least communication is still going on."

Again, cue the narrow eyed, head cocked, confused look from the other teachers.

The meeting ended, I grabbed my things, and speedily walked down to my classroom. Another teacher followed me in, and I said, "Okay- what is it? Do I have a big booger on my nose or something? Am I covered in sweat???!"

My teacher friend looked at me and said, "Ashley, you are covered in hives!"

My body betrayed me!!! I was trying to look so calm. I was breathing deeply- I was tightening muscles and letting them relax. I was doing everything I could think of to appear calm.

Curse you, hives!

Now I know, to preserve and document moments like those, I need to walk down to the restroom, snap a picture of myself, and then upload to this blog.

What was I thinking?!