Random Kibbles & Bits

Collection of some gym-related observations and thoughts:

A few days ago, while in the locker room at my gym, the large man next to me turned to me in his underwear and asked, "Did you used to live in the Brandywine?" (The Brandywine is a rando apartment bldg in Van Ness on CT. I moved out in June) "Yes..." I responded. The man the informed me that he recognized me from the building's fitness room (which is about the size of a closet on any episode of Cribs), but that he moved out of the building over 6 months ago.

This encounter was slightly uncomfortable. First, I'm generally not friendly to people I don't know. It's a combination of the fact that I'm 1) not always friendly in general and 2) shy / hesitant around people I don't know well or feel comfortable with. Second, this large man was standing in his underwear, standing over me like the eye in LOTR. I'm sorry, but I am not Frodo (despite Dale's tendency to call me a gnome when he's had one too many of my bitch pills). I was very polite, without being inviting, and the conversation ended almost as quickly as it began. Third, this gym is downtown (as opposed to the uber cruisy gyms in Dupont), and while I don't think this guy was trying to pick me up, are random conversations in the locker room not a little unsettling to anyone else? Whenever I'm in the locker room, I feel as though most guys are trying to get in and get out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Such an atmosphere does not encourage small talk. Neither does the fact that many guys feel very uncomfortable or possibly vulnerable standing around a bunch of other half / completely naked men.

Another gym-related issue. There's this guy, who upon entering the gym, goes immediately to the elliptical machines. Keep in mind, he's in his work clothes. He opens his gym bag, places roughly 7 or so towels on the machine as well as a CD, and then heads to the locker room. Sidebar, you should see him on the elliptical, talk about intense! While I do not feel guilty about warming up on the treadmill, leaving my stuff at the machine, going to stretch, and then immediately come back, I feel as though calling "dibs" on a piece of equipment before you're ready to use it is a bit much. Granted, this guy generally arrives at the gym before it gets too crowded, so he's not reserving the last available machine, but I simply don't understand this behavior.

On a final note, WSC has decided to open a 24-hour facility in the Washington area! I was notified of this decision a few weeks ago, and while I have no problems getting to the gym during regular hours, I was excited by the news nonetheless. This week, I discovered which gym was selected as the 24-hour location. Any guesses? If you said "Glover Park," you were right! I went over to Metro's web site to see how I could go about arriving at the Glover Park WSC (which is on Wisconsin, btw). Who wants to guess how many different buses I would have to take to get there from Dupont? 3! Despite it's lack of impact on my life, I'm really curious as to any theories readers may have regarding WSC's selection. I've got some half-baked ideas, but I will refrain from sharing for now.

P.S. This is how Dale greeted me this morning (over IM):
Dale: you were in my dream last night
Dale: you were trying to shoot me
Dale: but it's ok you ended up dying later on