Going to the gym

 

Gyms have been sprouting up everywhere in the last couple of decades.

    There's one by the bus stop I use regularly, so while waiting for the bus, I see these people doing the treadmill:  on and on and on, I see them treading the conveyor belt.

    Each time, I think, "Why don't these people just walk everywhere?  This way, they get their exercise, as well as save money (bus/Tube fare; their gym subscription) and save the environment (energy / electricity for powering these machines)."

PS:  This blog is just a light-hearted take on the gym culture.  I know that there're all sorts of other facilities and activities they offer that are designed scientifically to produce health benefits, etc.  So put that brick away.

(2025)

Just make it up: 01 (Peru)

 

The guide book in 1986 for Peru said South Americans (or maybe just Peruvians specifically, I can’t remember now) will give you any answer rather than say they don’t know.

    We found this out first hand one day in Cusco/Cuzco when we were trying to track down a travel agency.

    The guide book said it was on Street X, which was a long road.  We walked up and down the entire length of Street X, but couldn’t see the travel agency.

    At some point somewhere in the street, we asked a local, who pointed us up the street, without any hesitation.  We were sure we hadn’t seen the travel agency on that stretch when we were there a few minutes earlier, but since the local man confidently and instantly pointed that way, we took his word for it.  Went the whole length of that stretch.  Nope, no travel agency.  

    Walked back down the street, saw a policeman at half point and asked him, who confidently pointed us down the street.  Ah, the local man had been wrong then.  Went the whole length of that stretch, but no, there was no travel agency there either.  So, even the policeman chose not to admit that he didn’t know.

    Two hours later, after having walked up and down that street n times, we found out (can’t remember how now) that the travel agency had moved to another street but the guide book had not known about the move or had failed to note it.

(Peru, 1986)

Just make it up: 02 (London)

An octogenarian student of mine (let’s call her Susan) texted to suggest going for a meal, mentioning in the next line that her daughter was visiting from abroad between Date X and Date Y (staying with her, as usual).

    I texted back, asking for the significance of the mention, wondering (in the text to her) if it meant that we couldn’t go for lunch during that period.

    No, she texted back, we could still go for lunch, the daughter had her own plans which wouldn’t affect her going for lunch with me.

    A few days later, she texted to say that she wouldn’t be going for the monthly gathering of a social club on Sunday because of her daughter’s visit.  My immediate thought was, “But she said only a few days ago that the daughter visiting her wouldn’t make any difference to her own movements.  She’s contradicting herself.”

    Another week later, she texted to say that she wouldn’t be going for the healing session on Saturday because her daughter was visiting her.  That’s the second time she’s contradicted her first text, I thought.

    I saw her for lunch the day after the daughter left, and brought this up at one point, as I was confused about the contradiction.

    She said, “Oh, it was too complicated.  We were going to have a meal with someone on the Sunday of the social club gathering, then on the Saturday of the healing session, we were doing something else with somebody else.  I decided it was too complicated to explain why I couldn’t make it to both those occasions, so I just said it was because my daughter was visiting from abroad.”

    I said, “But you did specifically say that your daughter visiting you wouldn’t affect your movements, so wouldn’t it be better to say, ‘Long story’, instead of plucking anything out of thin air, and confusing the reader because of the contradiction??”

    Ha!  I got a text yesterday saying she had felt a huge improvement in her health after the healing session, adding, “Long story.  Will tell you when I see you.”

    It is such a simple trick I’m surprised she had to be taught it in the first place.  So I wasn’t gaslighting myself then.

(London, 2025)