Tales from the Towers: A challenging day for working out

We had a lively New Year's Party which started at 7:30 and ended around 10, exactly at the time when other people start to celebrate. It's just that at this time of our lives we should avoid too much food in the evening and we should remember that we don't need much alcohol to get tipsy, just a bit of wine can make us long for our beds.

Nevertheless the short party was fun, Nehama turned out to be a perfect arranger of games, and poor Hanni sat exhausted in a corner, she had done all the preparations. "I don't even have enough energy for a New Year's speech!" she claimed.

 I usually avoid getting into arguments and fights unless it is for a worthwhile cause. Who decides what is a worthwhile cause and what isn't? I myself of course, but my decisions are such that in the end I am sure that nothing is worth the aggravation. Not so last week, one day at the gym. There is one man who always wants to watch soccer or basket ball or any other sport on TV while walking the treadmill.

I believe that exercising is enough, I don't have to watch others do it on TV as well !!

So that day I simply had enough, I took the remote and changed the channel to one of music. He then got off the treadmill, grabbed the remote from me and changed channels back to car racing. So I did the same and switched back to the music channel. There we stood, facing each other, fire shooting from our eyes, he six feet plus, me 5 feet minus, me a bit on tiptoes to reach height and dignity.

"That woman", he started to complain to our trainer, "that woman simply drives me crazy! This is a place for sport, so sport should be on the TV as well!"

It was good to know that I could drive a big, brawny and aggressive guy crazy!

Our trainer didn't interfere. She was just amused and hoping it would end in a fist fight. I was not sure about the outcome of a fist fight so I let things slide! It appears that I am not the only one intimidated by this guy, because much later when he had left already, the others, those cowards, told me as soon as  he was not around anymore:

"He is terrible! We all hate him! And we love you!"

If they really loved me, wouldn't they join me in my fights for justice in this world?

I am getting some new neighbors next door and their apartment is being renovated. The noise is deafening, seems that the drill is joined by several hammers and I don't know what other instruments as well. It's good to know that by noon it will stop but what until then? I put on my bathing suit and decided to go down to the pool, I may spend an hour or two there. Next to the elevators I find several people, most of them upset.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Two of the elevators are out of order, the others are crowded, and whoever wants to go down, has to go up and the other way around!" I was told by my neighbor. When I finally find myself at the entrance to the pool, I am told:

"The pool is closed now, it is Wednesday, and you know that on Wednesdays the pool is being cleaned!"

I wait again in front of the elevators and stop in the lobby where I find some fellow-sufferers.

"You know", tells me one woman, "at least you are getting some nice neighbors, I know those people, they are very pleasant! A bit of noise is a small price to pay!"

So it was one of those days…I couldn't even go for a walk because the wind was blowing from the east, a sure recipe to give me a headache!

May God save you from apartment renovations, elevators which are out of order and headaches which come with the wind!

Lucca