The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Gym

I like going to the gym. I feel great after a 90 minute run on the elliptical trainer. It also helps that I burn 1500 calories in that 90 minutes, meaning I can eat 3500 calories per day without gaining weight. Daddy liiiike...

But there is a down side to the gym. Unless it's your own private gym, you share it with others, which means exposure to their bad etiquette, or worse, disease. When I first started, I would go in street clothes, change there, shower afterward, and then leave just as clean as when I arrived...or so I thought. Two months later I had athlete's foot. I have to assume I picked it up in the shower. I now arrive in gym clothes and go home sweaty, to shower in my own, clean shower.

More recently I changed gyms (now I can walk to the gym from my house). Shortly after starting at this new gym I developed a serious stomach infection that lasted 5 days. Talking to another member of the same gym, I was informed that he too had gotten ill the same day as I, and had worked out at the gym as well. Furthermore, he had gotten sick at that gym before. No smoking gun, but enough evidence to make me decide that, prior to every workout, I would spray down all surfaces of the elliptical I intended to touch with a disinfectant and let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds before wiping it down. I have not been sick since.

Recently I have seen several things happen at the gym that makes me grateful for this almost mysophobic (germaphobic) routine. As I already said, I no longer use the locker room, which means I almost never go into the bathroom. I have used the restroom twice at the new gym: once when I did 3 hours on the elliptical, and once when I did my normal routine, but had come from being out and about, and I tend to drink a lot of water. Both times I saw men shaving. At my last gym, several times I saw men shaving their backs and arms. In my opinion this should never happen. If you use the full services of the locker room, it should not be a substitute for your home grooming. The point of a gym locker room is to allow you to arrive and leave clean. Shave at home. I don't want to have to worry about being exposed to HIV or hepatitis at the gym because you decided to skip shaving at home and cut yourself at the gym.

Another time, while I was working out, I glanced over and saw a man using another machine, and on his arms he had several lesions of some sort. I didn't ask him about it, and for all I know they were just sores from sliding into third base, but regardless of their origins, they were crusted with dried blood and lymph. Obviously they were not bandaged, and they were on his hands. Not in direct contact with the machine, but could be if he accidentally backhanded the machine while reaching for something. I probably should have said something to him, such as, "Sir, you really should bandage those wounds prior to coming to the gym, both for your safety as well as the safety and peace of mind of others." I would think, though, that such a practice would be common sense.

Finally, I would like to mention the Really Ugly of the gym: cruising. I don't have any problems with meeting someone at the gym, and if that leads to dating, or just hooking up, or whatever, that's your business. But it is one thing to see someone you think is attractive, make contact, and then take it private, and quite another thing to see someone you like and just stare them down. Repeatedly. If you don't know how to flirt, get a coach. But don't stare me down on a daily basis, or worse, follow me around the weight room. That's stalking. Get a clue: if I didn't respond to you at first, I'm either not interested or not paying attention (which means you didn't catch my interest, right? So I'm still not interested). Go away!

Okay, so that is my gym rant. The point: I like going to the gym, but remember people, it's a public place. Treat it well, so others can enjoy it too.

MTV VMAs last night

Chelsea Handler is a great comedienne, in my opinion, and I love comedy. Just ask my parents…from a very young age I have parroted my favorite comedy stand-up routines, sometimes to their enjoyment, sometimes to their tremendous embarrassment. To this day I love to watch Stand-Up…I have satellite TV specifically to get Comedy Central.

Chelsea Lately … ok, well, it’s not on Comedy Central. It’s on E! Entertainment Television. But it’s a good show. Comedic commentary on current events. I can’t say I care much for the skits she does at the end of the show, but the panel discussions are pretty good, in my humble opinion.

And I have always thought the only reason to watch any awards show is the host. Too many musical artists can’t pull off a live performance. Award winners can be found in the news the next day. Even the best and worst dressed are better the next day. If the host sucks, I see no reason to watch the show.

But last night’s VMAs just sucked. Chelsea was stiff, uncomfortable and basically lost. The writing was horrible. About the only thing that I found entertaining was LiLoh’s self-deprecating rant. “Pull it together, Handler! Do you think anyone wants to work with a drunk? Take it from me…they don’t!” If you ask me, in those 20 seconds she outshined Handler…and made me believe she might actually have a chance at getting back on top of Hollywood.

I hope Chelsea gets a chance to host another awards show. But if she does, I hope she’ll bring the writers from her E! program.

Burning the Quran

This past weekend we commemorated the 9^th anniversary of the “9/11” attacks. These attacks were carried out by terrorists who belonged to one religion: Islam. Since that attack, there has been a growing prejudice, both in American and abroad, against Muslims, culminating, in my view, with last week’s announcement by one Terry Jones in Gainesville, Florida that he would hold a “Burn a Koran day” on September 11, 2010.

On September 7, 2010 Russell Goldman of ABC News commented that Jones was “perhaps the unlikely face” of this anti-Islam, or anti-Muslim movement. But I disagree. While it could easily have been a different individual, I think whoever became the face of this movement, it would have to have been someone like Terry Jones.

I have to make a disclaimer here: I am a Christian (I’ll refrain from reporting which exact denomination). When it comes to religion, we (correctly or incorrectly) believe that we are right and (not we) are wrong. Therefore, even before 9/11 I had misgivings about Islam. But I am also an American, and as such I believe in the freedom of religion, as outlined in the First Amendment of our Constitution, and I think a lot of people don’t understand just how important and far-reaching that amendment is.

I would hate to have people associate my form of Christianity with that practiced by many others: David Koresh (of Waco, Texas fame) jumps to mind; the Ku Klux Klan; the Army of God (anti-abortion extremists); Scott Roeder; the “Hutaree” group in Michigan, as well as other Christian Militia groups belonging to the Christian Patriot movement; and while it is an ancient reference, I have to mention the Crusades (including the Children’s Crusade) in which thousands of people died in the name of Christ. Personally, I cannot remember a single example of rebellion in the United States whose leader did not claim guidance by some form of Christian God.

My point is this: crazy people exist, and they belong to all sorts of groups, including different religions. We cannot blame 9/11 on Muslims any more than we can blame sedition on Christians. “Pastor” Terry Jones reportedly frequently tours his church’s property with a pistol strapped to his hip. He sounds a bit crazy to me.

On Friday, Jones held a news conference outside his church, saying he had cancelled the “Burn a Koran Day” event, because “...the Iman [sic] in New York” had agreed to move the mosque from Ground Zero. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf responded by announcing he had neither spoken to Jones nor agreed to move the mosque. Jones then announced he felt he had been deceived, and that either the “Iman” had to agree to move the mosque or he would have to reconsider holding his “Burn a Koran Day.”

My thoughts:

1) Mr. Jones (I have a real problem calling him “Pastor”) condemns Islam and all Muslims, yet he doesn’t even know enough about them to be able to pronounce “Imam.” When all Americans hated Russia, we could still pronounce Czar. And Imam is not even that hard to pronounce: you say all the frickin’ letters!

2) He was supposedly in talks with Imam Muhammad Musri for 2 days, yet could not be bothered to remember his name (Come on! Even if you want to be an “ignorant American,” who the hell can’t remember “Imam Mohammed” ??? It would have been close enough…it’s not like he was going to spell it while talking!)

3) It seems to me that, in the lead-up to the “Burn the Koran Day,” Jones’ point was that “Islam is of the Devil.” Initially, no mention was made about the “Ground Zero” mosque.

4) If you really think Islam is “of the Devil,” why would you negotiate with them?

5) If, at any point, either initially or toward the end of the drama, a deal is offered by Jones (“Either do [thing I want] or I will do [horrible thing]”), does that not make him a blackmailer? Or terrorist? Don’t we have an obligation as a society to not negotiate with such a person?

6) Given this growing anti-Muslim and anti-Islam movement, is it possible that we actually need a Muslim center at Ground Zero? People have countered with, “Should the Nazis be allowed to build a cultural center next to Auschwitz?” I agree, the Nazis should not be allowed, but the Germans should! “Look, this was a black mark on our history, perpetrated by Germans who claimed to be fighting for the good of Germany. But please be aware: they were wrong, and we know it. Do not confuse those Germans with today’s Germans.”

Terry Jones is a nut-case. He got enough attention to attempt to act like a bully. Thankfully it appears it has not worked.

If it does end up working to his favor, perhaps I should declare a “Burn a Bible Day?”

My ravings on the matter…