Things We See Everyday And Never Notice

So this model/painter chick from Wales crashes at my place from time to time when she's in town doing whatever painters who look like models do; drink lattes, buy canvas and not eat, I suppose.

Well, this chick schooled me to the most amazing thing even I had overlooked my entire life: that little slit in the back of your medicine cabinet.

I had always sort of peripherally known that slit was there; its one of those things you sorta see but never think much of. Kinda like those bizarre green buttons on the street lights which assume the illusion that madly pressing them will somehow make the light change so you can cross the street faster. I really don't these things have ever worked.

Its things like this that have become so woven into our everyday surroundings that we don't even notice them; sorta like when you search and search for something before realising its right under your nose; hidden in plain sight.

























So anyway, if you live in a pre-war house, which there are a lot of in the boroughs, check out your medicine cabinet. If its an original recessed cabinet chances are very likely that you've got the little slit in the back. And do you know what its for?

Razors. Used razor blades.


To back up my girl from Wales' claim, I found this on some DIY home remodeling site:

"If you want surprises when it comes to medicine cabinets, wait until you remove one from an old home and see all of the discarded double-edged razor blades that are waiting for you behind the plaster!

Those of us who grew up in older homes can still remember the tiny slit in the back of medicine cabinets where razor blades were placed instead of garbage cans. Razor blades in garbage cans can be very dangerous, so medicine cabinet manufacturers of old thought it was a great idea to place the dull blades in a wall cavity where no hands could get cut."

Even though razors aren't allowed on planes anymore and I don't know who the fuck would ever really wanna shave on an airplane, they still employ the same sort of thing as the old medicine cabinets. Next time you're joining the mile high club, look over your girlfriends shoulder and check out the area just above the sink and there will probably be a little slit for razor disposal like this...













Heres another little thing I found on some DIY home renovation site:

"I've gotten the bathroom gutted and repaired the rotting, sagging subfloor, the joist the plumber cut(!?!) when the toilet was installed....

I've saved the toilet and the old steel medicine cabinets for reuse. Scary moment - when I removed the drywall, about a hundred old double-edged razor blades fell out!

There's a slot in the middle of the old medicine cabinets that you used to just toss your old blades into."