Now you guys have gone and done--you've given me a complex and implied that I'm a lousy housekeeper!!!!! Why, because I DO NOT have a penis and it never occurred to me not to keep the strainer in the drain hole. I never even knew anybody who took their strainer out and kept it on the counter. Must be a city thing. Ruth At 5:25 PM -0500 3/8/03, Ralph Walter wrote: In a message dated 3/8/2003 4:10:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Another common sexual stereotypical use related issue is about the strainer in the sink, a device that has cause considerable consternation to the various sexes that populate my places of work and home. The men say "Why is it that women always leave the thing on the back of the sink counter when it is beautifully designed (probably by a man) to be in the drain hole to look nice and keep their rings from falling in so their men will have to take stupid time to open the plumbing and retrieve them." The women say "Why is it that men always leave the thing in the drain and never finish cleaning up after themselves." cp (always putting it back) in bc Cuyler, I believe your observations in this matter are entirely correct. However, I have no idea why this should be the case. Nor am I at all certain whether to be consoled or profoundly distressed to learn that this is evidently a common trait among the Penis-free People. Mrs. Ralph is forever filling the kitchen sink with garbage (which should go into the garbage can two steps away, but noooooooooooo), without putting the damn strainer in, or with the strainer half in, which still permits broccoli stumps and other debris to go skittering down the drain. The drain line gets clogged, or is slow, and guess who gets to clean it out? Humor, Accuracy, and Plumbing Czar -- Ruth Barton [log in to unmask] Westminster, VT -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>