Do I Know You From Somewhere?

It doesn't take very long for me to write a blog post. I tend to think in blog format seventy-eight percent of the time. Part of the reason that I love to walk everywhere in this city, is that my walks provide me with lots of time to think, and formulate my thoughts. The words and phrases I think in my head, later become my writing material.

My very best blogs usually come from my workouts at the gym. It gets boring up there on the elliptical. So, I am left to let my thoughts wander. (Most likely to think about things that a sixteen year old girl thinks about such as; boys, and what I will wear to school tomorrow).
(An aside: I must look ridiculous while I work out. I belt out the words via lip sync to the songs on my ipod, as if no one else is in the room with me). Tonight was no exception. I was singing, partially dancing, and having the workout of my life, with my newly updated ipod. (Thanks to M. Kirschybar).

As usual, I was getting lost in my own thoughts, (and in Christina Aguilera's, Fighter), when I felt someone staring at me out of the corner of my eye. The machines are set up so that everyone faces each other while working out. It is only natural to check out your neighbors, I do it all the time. But, I could feel the stare boaring into my soul, and it was starting to make me feel a little bit uncomfortable. I tried to look away, but eventually we made eye contact. At that moment, my across-the machine neighbor spoke to me. He said, "Hey, hey you, in the gray headband...don't I know you from somewhere?"

I had never seen this human before in my life. However, I have been told that I have the kind of face that looks familiar, so I went along with him. I told him that I didn't think I had ever met him before. (Another aside: Ever notice that at the gym, no one is really talking? So, if you are talking, say over the noise of the other machines, it feels like you are screaming, and your conversation is being heard by millions?) Yes, well. Picture this conversation taking place over an immense silence, while sweating, while trying to talk, breathe and run all at the same time.

"Oh, I know!" said my across-the machine neighbor, "Didn't I sit next to you at Rachel's birthday dinner?" I have quite a few friends named Rachel, but none of them were born in October, and therefore I did not attend a Rachel birthday dinner. When I told him that he must have had me confused with someone else, he said, "No, I know that I know you from somewhere. I know, he said excitedly. I've seen you on Jdate!"

There are four things wrong with his exclamation.

1. I am not on Jdate. I'll admit it, two years ago, I was there. But, only as an attempt to appease my mom who both convinced me, and paid for me to join. However, after two bad dates with a couple of nerdy Jews, I was outta there.

2. There is nothing wrong with online dating. It is a big part of dating culture; after all it is the '90's. However, this is not something that I would want a stranger to scream across a gym filled with healthy, hunky twenty-somethings.

3. Admitting to "knowing" someone from some kind of online forum is moderately creepy in my book.

4. My across the machine neighbor was Indian.

And, so, as I told him that he did not see me on Jdate. He apologized for any trouble he had given me. My machine neighbor avoided eye contact with me for the rest of our work-out. Amen.