I think I'm finally learning to find some balance in my life. Last semester was just insane with being the first semester back in school after, well, a lot of years, plus getting used to Providence, and meeting new people, etc. But this semester, yeah, I'm a total pro. Sort of.
Part of this new found balance is me finally finding time to go to the gym. I don't love going to the gym, but I see it sort as the necessary evil in my life. You know, in a not-getting-any-younger-and-that-layer
-of-insulation-just-won't-leave kind of way. Also, going to the Brown gym is free, so really, I gotta go.
So this morning, I'm working out and that girl shows up. You know the one: she looks like she woke up at 5.00 am in order to spend 2 hours getting ready to go the gym. Perfectly polished, and wearing the latest trend in workout wear. Actually, this whole thing doesn't really bother me, whatever, right? Except that she must have bathed in perfume before she came to the gym. Flower scented perfume. I was about 6 feet away from her and couldn't smell anything but perfume. I thought that I would press on, you know? Finish my cardio and get out of there. But after 5 minutes of every breath I took tasting like perfume, I stopped early. It took 2 hours before my eyes stopped watering.
The gym is full of interesting people. That girl for one. The beatnik who comes to the gym in street clothes (a sweater and cargo pants), gets on the treadmill and proceeds to work out while reading his paper and drinking his coffee. The 45 year old with the gigantic gut who struts around like a rooster, looking around to make sure everyone is watching how much he can lift. The guy and girl who are sitting on the weight machines, flirting, and not working out.
Oh and the most disturbing to me personally. One of my older male professors...known, not so affectionately, as "the Letch". Yeah. I gave a little wave and kept on walking.
Ah. The gym.