Gym Laughter

So I was at the gym last night, kinda getting into it although it was quite hard work. And I'm thinking no this is good. My routine is still hard work, but I'm gradually adding a few more reps every week and increasing the weights I use, and my gym kit is fairly normal and...and...and this girl who works at the gym looks at me and starts laughing. (I'm about two thirds of the way through my session by this point, so I know I look a sweaty wreck.) And by way of explanation to her boss the manager of the gym, she just points at me and says "It's him" and laughs again.

Now a few points on this. 1) Isn't there some sort of people who work in gyms code about not laughing at the client? I know they all have pretty perfect bodies etc., but isn't it just a bit, well, rude to laugh at people/me? 2) Okay. I get that we don't need to be too serious at the gym, and it should be fun and friendly. But laughing? And then telling her boss it was me she was laughing at? Bit harsh 3) Obviously, I reacted to it in a really grown up and cool way by finishing my routine and then doing half an hour on the exercise bike as fast as possible to try and impress on this woman that I 'deserved' a place in the gym and was/am - despite appearances - actually rather fit. (The bikes are at the far end of the gym from the men's changing room, and I did the bike a bit too fast, so had to stumble all the way from one end of the gym to the changing rooms looking like someone had just stuffed a pole up my ass. Impressive, huh?)

I retired to the steam room for 10 minutes to recover, only to be questioned about my routine by one of those perfect bodied gym bunnies who's physique just makes you want to go and buy a lazy boy chair and take it home and sit in it eating four fried eggs and a family sized chocolate swiss roll. All rather distressing, especially as I thought I was beginning to be thought of as one of the normal people at the gym, rather than the one they whisper about keeping an eye on in case I break the running machine or something.

Speaking of food, I had a dream last night that I was sitting at my desk trying to work out what to have for lunch and someone emailed me some food. I told you it would work.

In other news, mrs househusbandnot and I worked out last night that if you spend no money at all your debts get smaller. Genius, huh? (Now all I need is some Brian Enoesque lateral thinking equation - it was him after all who suggested that they should use all the power being used on machines in gyms to generate electricity - re exercise and food and money, and everything will be okay. Ah, the stuff of life.)

PS My legs still ache this morning from the cycling. If you see a middle-aged man on the bus looking like he's just been rodgered by a buffalo, give us a seat.

PPS Just discovered Google Image searches. Hence the cracking new quality of the pictures on hhn.