OT: Things that amuse me

Most of you know what I think of the 21st-century phenomenon of being glued to one's cell phone. Having gotten my first smart phone last year, I do understand the addiction somewhat. But I think there are times when one needs to detach from the damn thing for an hour or two.

Case in point: the gym. You're there, presumably, to exercise. Not to sit on the equipment that others are waiting for while you text. Not to conduct a conference call on the treadmill, walking 1.5 miles an hour. Not to stand in the middle of a packed exercise class, shouting into your phone to be heard over the music and the instructor's count.

I figured the one place where people couldn't text is in a class. You're holding weights a lot of the time, so you don't have free hands. After last week, I can no longer say that.

About halfway through last week's class, we finished the standing work and then lay on our mats to do floor work (leg lifts, sit-ups, etc.). A young woman next to me started texting while we were doing leg work, busily pumping one leg and then the other while she tapped at her phone, never breaking stride. I marveled at this, since I suck at multi-tasking.

Then the instructor had us go into a forearm plank. Ah, I thought. Surely she can't text now. For those who aren't familiar with a plank, it's when you prop yourself up on your forearms and your toes, with your body in one long, straight line (the plank). It looks like this:

If you think it looks easy, it isn't. Assuming the position is easy, but holding it for a minute or more requires core strength to keep your body rigid like that. Your butt wants to drop down, or thrust upward.

Anyway, I watched as this woman got into position, and, with her phone lying on the mat in front of her hands, continued tap-tap-tapping onto the screen. I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. She looked up and smiled, and I said, "I wish I had a camera right now."

After class, she told me she texts because it distracts her from the pain of the exercise. Well, whatever works. If I'd tried to text while exercising, I'd end up in traction.

Speaking of planks, I'm reminded of years ago, when I was crushing on my personal trainer, and we were doing planks in one of his classes. I hadn't quite mastered the form yet, and he called out, "Erica, much as I love looking at it, get your butt out of the air. You're not a TV aerial."

LOL -- and what a dated reference that is, huh?