Mark's Aussie friend Steph had this to say about being at the gym:
Now, I'm not a chatty person in the gym. I don't go there to socialise or meet new people, but I'm finding that there are a lot of people who go there for this exact reason.
I go at an ungawdly hour, partly to get in and out before the crowds hit, but also to avoid the chatty cathies.
No good.
The other early morning crew has adopted me, including a guy who goes because he has no other social life. He yatters incessantly! And always the same topics, same unresearched, baseless, and wrong opinions about the telecom industry and gasoline prices.
Plugging into the iPod does no good. He chats away anyway, his voice overriding the loudest setting on the pod.
Luckily, he rotates the machines he does, so sometimes he's boring the shit out of the elliptical machine crowd, sometimes the stair stepper crowd, and sometimes the treadmill crowd.
I'm thinking maybe I could find him some companionship, you know? Someone who might keep him in bed in the early morning hours? I gotta figure out his orientation, though, before I proceed.
LMAO!!! If you want, I can terll him to STFU and leave you alone. Next time yer at the gym and he starts up, call me and put him on the phone. I guarantee he'll give you a wide berth after that....
I was considering joining a gym, but it's entirely too much of a pain. I was jumping out of my skin with annoyance just having to talk to the dude wot wanted to sign me up. I'm just not a meatspace peep-person, I guess. I like doing my walks at night with Jeff.
Chatty people drive me stark-raving nuts, whether at a gym, a store, a picnic, or my kitchen in the morning. I want a t-shirt that says, "Shut up unless spoken to."
Juxtapose PJ's comment against her post today and the irony is excruciating!!!
Mark, my passion for freedom has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that if you talk to me when I'm feeling ornery, especially in my kitchen in the morning, you might end up doing that bend-over thing guys do when ... well, when someone ... um ... steps on their toe.
Did I say the irony was excruciating? Sorry - silly me, I meant to say the pain the pointed toe of your stiletto heel left in my groin was excruciating.
*doubled over, hurling*