Put down your cell phone

I took a study break on Saturday afternoon and went downstairs in our building to run on the treadmill. Mrs. Bubba and I are studying for the PE test which we will be taking in April. It was still a bit too chilly to run outside, plus if I run on the treadmill I can watch college basketball while I run. I know that our apartment "gym" is not a real gym, but we have some nice equipment. I went in to run and there was one other guy in there doing free weights. He was wearing cargo shorts and flip flops. Flip flops, while he handled free weights. Ridiculous.

Then another girl came in talking on her cell phone with a big bag and the entire Saturday New York Times. She hung up the phone and got on the treadmill next to me. She then called her girlfriend back and talked while she was walking. The newspaper she had, why?, then fell onto the treadmill and off the back so she had to stop, get off, gather her newspapers so she could put them right back where they were when the fell. She caught them as they fell the second time. She then speed up the treadmill so she was walking fast, but had to jog a few steps to keep up every so often. All while she analyzed her date to her girlfriend.

We need some gym rules. No cell phones, proper gym attire required. Why are you even bothering doing this if you are going to talk on the phone the whole time? You are just going through the motions and you aren't doing yourself any good. You aren't taking your exercise seriously if you think you can combine it with your paper reading and phone talking. And damn it, can't any one do anything by themselves anymore without having to talk to someone all the time. You live a sad life if you are so co-dependent that you can't exercise by yourself, you have to be talking on the phone while you do it. Cell phones are not bad things, but I think they are destroying people's ability to enjoy being alone. Alone time is important, leads to self discovery, observation and helps you appreciate those that are around you.