The gym where I work out is very entertaining.

I finally witnessed one of those "America's Funniest Videos" moments at the gym the other day. Someone actually fell off the treadmill. It was one of the Ole Miss sorority girl types I've mentioned before. For some reason peculiar to her type, she was working out in a t-shirt, athletic shoes, and a denim miniskirt. I don't know if this is a new gym fashion trend or if she just forgot her shorts, but that alone was pretty funny. She started the treadmill, so it was running at around 4 miles per hour, but she had her feet on either side of the moving part so she could stretch. Another entertaining part was that she really couldn't reach her feet on either side of the treadmill very well because her skirt was so tight. So she stood on one foot, ostensibly so she could pull her other foot up behind her to stretch, but she lost her balance. Her foot came down on the moving treadmill and shot off behind her, spinning her around. She managed to keep her balance enough to not fall down, but she spun around the little rail on the one side of the treadmill and tipped off the side, knocking over a big oscillating fan that was standing next to the treadmill. It was hilarious. She was so embarrassed that she left the treadmill running, went and got a drink of water at the water fountain, and then picked out another treadmill at the other end of the room. I don't think she was blaming the treadmill; I think she was moving away from those of us who had been working out around her, since we were all snickering about the whole thing. There's a reason I don't run on the treadmill; I have a fear of doing exactly the same thing. Not the skirt part, but the falling off part. I don't run in a straight line, and I'm afraid I'll put a foot down too far to one side, and zippppp...

Then yesterday, my husband witnessed another interesting event at the gym. A fight broke out. Not on the basketball court or in the racquetball court, or anywhere you'd think there would be competition. No, it broke out on the track! There were a number of people jogging around the track. No one really noticed what started the fight, but everyone looked up to see a middle-aged gentleman, graying, possible mid-forties, and a much bigger, much younger guy, probably mid-twenties, duking it out in the middle of the track. Their shirts were torn, they had lacerations on their faces and were bleeding everywhere, and they didn't break it up until a few other gym patrons and the trainers got up there and separated them. Who knows what started it? It's possible that they knew each other outside the gym, and had some personal or family grudge to settle. But I'd like to think it was simple competition that drove them to it. One guy probably ran faster than the other guy. Maybe some comments were exchanged as they circled the track, things like "Hey, move out of the way pops, make way for the faster guy" or "Whoa, gettin' lapped by the old guy, huh?" Anyway, it's lucky they were on the track and not on the main floor where they could have heaved weights at each other. Or in the pool where one could have held the other one down until the bubbles stopped coming up. Eek. I know there's a lot of testosterone at the gym, but really.