Notes From Hannover

Reason #7639 why I miss home from time to time

The Fitness Company chain here typically has about 240 lockers in their locker rooms. What always happens however, is that upon arrival, when I pick a locker in an aisle and start changing clothes, someone comes out of the shower and has to get in the locker right next to mine, or above mine, or below mine, or diagonally from mine.

Likewise, when I get done with my workout and get to my locker, there's already someone getting dressed or undressed at the locker next to mine. The entire rest of the locker room could be empty, just somehow I've picked *the* spot everyone is in.

Trying to 'second guess' this system seems to be fruitless as well. I've tried different corners of the locker room, I've tried getting the one locker where all the lockers around it are already full, as well as the one where they're all empty. I've tried in the middle of an aisle, I've tried in the high traffic areas and in the low traffic areas.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not shy about changing clothes, not in the least. The problem with the closeness here is the behaviors of the people around me. There are some that spend hours rubbing lotion all over themselves after a shower. There are some that create a cloud of deodorant spray around themselves, choking off oxygen for the rest of us. Then there are some that spread their wet sweaty crap all over the bench, leaving no room for others.

When you grow up in a society so close, I'm sure this is commonplace and isn't particularly noticable. And I'm sure other gyms have a bit more room in them, but its at moments like this when I miss having space to myself at the YMCA.

Good & Not So Good

As noted above, I was good this evening and made it to the gym to do arms/back and 30 minutes on the cross trainer.

Shortly thereafter I was not so good. On the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), I ate a portion of mushrooms fried in the pan with garlic sauce and had a crepe with nutella, bananas and Grand Mariner for dessert. It was delicious, but I'm sure more than counteracted the goodness of my workout.