The Sound of...

You're missing my musings about the gym, aren't you? I can tell.

I was there today. I've been sick for awhile, so my attendance has been spotty the last two weeks. But tonight I ran and it felt good. I went to sit in the sauna for a bit afterwards. I was sitting in there, and another woman was in there, and it struck me that we both hadn't moved a muscle and were just staring off into space. And I thought that was really fascinating, because there aren't many places where you just sit motionless and silent. You are trapped in a tiny room and there is no entertainment. And you aren't supposed to talk.

I love the silence and the time to reflect. Most days I don't have any quiet time. None. I wake up and am with the kids and Chuck...talk to my mom on the way to work...people in and out of my office all day, meetings, running around the museum...talk to friends or family on the way home from work...at home with the kids and Chuck...bed. I choose to fill my days with people and conversations. I love it. But I do like a bit of quiet time.

So I'm sitting in the sauna loving the quiet time. And in walks another woman. She has on all of her workout clothes still, which has nothing to do with my story, I just don't understand how people can do that. I mean, it's so friggin' hot in there. How can you sit with yoga pants and a shirt and socks and shoes? Ick. I am all for the swimsuit. She also (relevant to the story) has an iPod. As she opens the door, I can hear sound coming from the headphones. She sits down and I'm already annoyed because she is trampling on my sound-free zone. But then I hear the music.

"You can't hear it...

It's electric!"

You've got to be kidding me.

"You gotta know it...

It's electric!

Boogie, woogie woogie!"

Now, I can do the Electric Slide with the best of them. I can bust out two different versions, even, depending on the people I'm dancing with. But I DO NOT want to hear that song in the sauna. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. She didn't even turn it down.

"And I'll teach you, teach you, teach you

I'll teach you the elec-tric sliiiiii-de."

No you won't. I had to leave.

I'm going to write a book of etiquette at the gym.