Since I was a teenager going to the gm, whether at school or out in the wide world, has been a source of anxiety. Maker knows I need to, on a regular basis, but that need hasn’t always managed to overcome the dread I have of entering the locker room. What began initially as a media driven fear of shenanigans has over the years given way to a reality-based exhaustion with the bad comedy that is my local 24 Hour Fitness.
“My” locker room is a too narrow strip of benches, floor and double stacked lockers that is home to some of the weirder people I encounter each week. And all the more weird since I get to encounter them in various states of undress, mine and there’s.
Today I want to tell you about the one I used to call “The Old Guy” up until a few days ago. He’s an elderly Chinese gentleman whose main characteristics seem to be an ability to take the entire time I’m at the gym (first change to work out to shower and back to street clothes) just to put on his pants. And man is he comfortable without pants. He’s one of those guys who likes to put his shirt on first when he’s getting dressed, proud to show off his 70-plus year old junk to the rest of the locker room for as long as he can.
I used to call him “The Old Man” until I eavesdropped on his conversation with this younger cat about China. They were trading stories and it came up that he is in fact from Guangdong province, just outside of Hong Kong.
Guangdong.
You can’t make this shit up.
Of course this entire conversation took place between the two of them while TMFG was stark naked. And no, I didn’t stick around to get the details. Maybe its just me, maybe I’m too squeamish, but I just don’t find it appropriate to stand around in the buff trading travel tales.
