Thursday, January 27, 2011

Are You Looking At Me???

Today was my sixth day at the Y (I used up all my free passes and had to buy a day pass for today, but I’ll get to that in a minute.) While I was on the treadmill, a guy walked in probably pretty close to my age. Well, no more than five years give or take. That in itself is slightly unusual because when I go, the place is crawling with retired people. And what’s worse is that most of them (like 80%) are in better shape than I am! If that’s not a blow to your ego, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, the guy picked the treadmill right next to mine and started walking. And, without sounding mean, he was walking slow. Now, I’m no speed demon or anything like that, but I try to get myself right up to the line before I have to start jogging. (Maybe someday I actually will jog, but that day has not yet come.) I see him glance over and I assume he was looking to see what speed I have it set at. Time passes…he peeks at me again. I increase my speed. More time passes and he keeps glancing over at me. To the point where I start feeling self-conscious! I’m thinking to myself, “Oh my god, what is he looking at? I’m not exposed somewhere am I? Pants are up, right? Yes. Shirt covering butt? Check. Chest completely covered? Yeah, it’s a t-shirt. (Not that there would be anything to see in that department. I don’t think they could fall out if they wanted to!) Please don’t let something be sticking out of my nose. Oh god, please.”

We’re both walking and I’m almost up to my max speed and he hasn’t changed his once. But he keeps pulling his shirt away from his body like he’s trying to cool off. Did he just come from somewhere else and is trying to do a “cool down” session? What’s this guy’s deal?

I was about halfway done with my walking when he turns his machine off and starts stretching. While standing on the treadmill. So yes, I haven’t been doing this long, but I’m guessing that isn’t normal. So then I start wondering, “Maybe he had knee surgery and he’s trying to loosen it up and will start walking again in a minute.” Nope. He finishes the couple minutes of stretching and gets down and walks out of the room. I never even got a good look at him the whole time he was there because I didn’t want to have that awkward eye contact. You know, when you glance at someone at the same time they’re glancing at you and no one says anything. Cause I knew sure as shit I wasn’t going to say anything! I had my earbuds in with music playing and I don’t talk to strangers! It freaks me out like nobody’s business!

But I can’t stop wondering, what the hell was he looking at?! I can only hope there was something on the other side of me that he found incredibly interesting.

Now, to back up to the part at the beginning about having to buy a day pass. This really bugs the hell out of me and it’s now the second time within eight months it’s happened.

After using my last free pass at the Y, I asked the woman working if when I came back Thursday and signed up, would my membership keep renewing on the 27th of each month. She informed me, memberships renew the 1st of every month. So I asked, “So even if I pay the membership fee on Thursday, next week when it’s the 1st, it’s going to charge me again?!” She nodded. Am I the only one who thinks this is bullshit?! What happened to prorating a month or having the day you join as your renew date? And what about the poor suckers who join without asking that very important question?! They use their free passes, join, and then get charged again. So much for the free passes! Not quite so free anymore.

15 comments:

  1. I hate going to the gym when it's all busy for that same reason; awkward encounters. I belong to a 24 hour gym and usually go around midnight when no one is there. Hmmmmm, I am now wondering if I have issues that need to be addressed.

    http://zpnotesfromunderground.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. If my gym was open 24 hours and I could get my lazy ass over there at midnight, I probably would do the same thing! Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I occasionally stretch on the tredmill...but take the starring as a compliment! He was totally checking you out!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is why I work out at home. I've got my own little bench-press in the basement. I can't say I'm not much to look at; I've had a few girlfriends. Hell, I've even bought a couple drinks for women at the bar, to no avail. lol I'd have to agree with Krystle...I know guys, and he was not staring at your speed. Love the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Krystle - Good to know about the stretching thing.

    @Lonely Suitor - I'm sure you're not giving yourself enough credit.

    And to both of you, thanks for thinking he was checking me out. I guess it's been so long I forgot what the signs were! lol! My ego just regained some of what it lost watching the retired folk kick my ass in the cardio room! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haha, don't worry too much about them. Think of them like engines: the more they rev, the faster their gas tank will run dry.

    Perhaps I am indeed not giving myself enough credit. There is not much else that nearly 2 years of being single can do to you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. WOW! You sound exactly like me. When I go to my gym I stick in my headphones and no-one can bother me. Also I have yet to "Jog" on the treadmill. (I am secretly scared I'll fall off it) I did surprise myself one day by running in the park. Well, more of a plodding jog but still... it was no mere walk! LOL!
    That dude sounded way creepy. I would have got off and done something else..LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think he was checking you, too. ;) The stretching on the treadmill simply screams it because he was trying to hang around you longer.

    I'm like you though; I put my earbuds in, and nothing short of a dump truck driving through the wall could distract me. =P

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Lonely Suitor - I was single for six months while pregnant and three and a half years after having my daughter before I met the wonderful man I married. I had actually given up and he appeared. There's someone out there for you. Just like the commerical says, "Your other half is waiting."

    @Alittlesprite - LOL! I'm terrified I'll fall off too! I actually mentioned it in an earlier post about my first experience at the Y! So glad I'm not the only one worrying about that!

    @Katsidhe - Thanks for the vote of confidence. Funny how that was the last thing I would have considered at the time!

    ReplyDelete
  10. lol!!
    I feel ya on the nothing to fall out of the shirt business :) Even as a nursing mama, when most people say their girls get HUGE, I'm still barely needing a bra. Sigh.

    As for the membership fees, that sounds a little screwy to me. I might ask to speak to a manager if I were you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lol Megan! I was the same way when I was nursing. But there "the girls" had some improvement so I loved every second of it! :)

    I'm thinking about calling someone, but I've run into the same situation but with a different business. I think it's just lazy business practice.

    ReplyDelete
  12. He sounds like a creeper! What if he tried to talk to you but you didn't know because you had your ear buds in? HAHA awkward! You just ignore him....

    I always bring a towel to cover up my screen (speed, calories burned, etc). Partially so I dont drive myself nuts looking at it and partially so other people can mind their own business ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Amanda - That would have been awkward! lol! I like to look at my time, calories, etc because honestly, I don't know what else to do with myself. I'm usually saying things in my head like, "Okay, at ten minutes I'm going to bump the speed to 4." Or I'm thinking, "Just three more minutes and I can go back to 3.8" I don't know what to think about when I'm on the treadmill. That's what makes me crazy! Thanks so much for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm positive that he was checking you out. He was also checking you out before you knew about it. He may have also been doing it after you think he left. He is a man, that's what we do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. George, thanks. It's nice to feel worthy of someone's notice.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Sit back, grab a drink and visit for while. I love the company.