And we wonder why communication is complicated

I flew 14 hours straight yesterday for a client workshop this week in Latin America. 

In 14 hours on one airplane, I will read anything and everything in print.  At one point as I stood rather dazedly in front of the toilette waiting my turn, wanting to brush my teeth after our second meal, my third movie and my fourth attempt to read more than 100 pages in my book, I noticed something:  the sign printed on the toilette door said in German, "it is not allowed to smoke in the toilette."  In English it said, "it is not allowed to smoke in the lavatory."

And I asked myself, what is a lavatory?  Had I ever in my American life (Boeing printed this wall) used a lavatory?

I don't think so.  It sounds like a word my father would have made up right along with our family favorite: swedge.  (One of the least used references ever to appear in the dictionary.)

And right below the no smoking in the lavatory sign, I noticed something else affixed to the wall was labeled:  Aschenbecker (an ashtray)

Jet lag or irony?

:-)