The End of the World {as we know it} ~OR~ TP: A REALLY good thing to buy while people are shopping elsewhere!

BUG-IN WITH ROMANCE BLOG EVENT – Yes, you are in the right place.

Earthquake, flood, tsunami, alien invasion. What do all these things have in common? Our sense of survival. We all have it ingrained into our beings. But what has been done about integrating the more modern conveniences like:

Toilet Paper?

First let’s tear off a bit of history of something that, let’s face it, we all take for granted every day.

 – Rumor has it that in late 14th Century, Chinese emperors used 2-foot x 3-foot sheets. The material isn’t specified, although I would venture to guess that they used silk.
 – The ancient Greeks used stones and pieces of clay.
 – Ancient Romans used sponges on the ends of sticks, kept in jugs filled with salty water.
Middle easterners commonly used the left hand.
 – In the American old west, it is said that corncobs and pages torn from newspapers and catalogs were commonly used.
 – In 1857, a man named Joseph C. Gayetty of New York started producing the first packaged toilet paper. It consisted of pre-moistened flat sheets medicated with aloe and was named “Gayetty’s Medicated Paper.”
 – Rolled and perforated toilet paper as we’re familiar with today was invented around 1880, although early paper production techniques sometimes left splinters embedded in the paper. (Ouch!)
 – In 1935, Northern Tissue advertised “splinter-free” toilet paper.
 – In 1942, St. Andrew’s Paper Mill in Great Britain introduced two-ply toilet paper.

America experienced its first toilet paper shortage in 1973.
 
I don’t know about you, but I could not stomach any of the above ancient substitutes for toilet paper. So when the end of the world begins on Dec 21 this year ( 😉 ) with what will you wipe your bottom?

I’d say it’s time to stock op on the TP! (in Ziploc baggies would be your best bet in case of flooding.) When everyone else is shopping for canned goods, I predict they will forget about modern necessities like TP. Once you’ve cornered the market on those lovely little soft white squares, you may be able to use them as currency. You never know!

This has been a tongue-in-cheek message from historical romance author, Genella deGrey.

CONTEST! If you leave a comment AND like my facebook page, Genella deGrey Books, you will be entered into a drawing to win an e-copy (or print if you prefer) of Genella deGrey’s, “Oasis of Eden.” Winner will be chosen on December 22, 2012!

Next in the BUG-IN WITH ROMANCE Blog Event: Holly Roberts’ Multi-purpose Bug-out bag: The BDSM emergency 48-hour pack – all the things you can use for sex, torture, and also survival.  Find it on November 26th at:  http://www.clubeldiablo.blogspot.com

~ by genelladegrey on November 26, 2012.