Turn it down, please

Today was the first day of Spring and we woke up to a snowfall.

Big, heavy flakes coated my car in the driveway. Our street was slushy but passable and the main roads were clear. My wife let me sleep late but she got up early, took her car out of the garage and went to her exercise class, muttering that had she known the weather was so bad she would have stayed in bed. Many of her fellow classmates did stay home.

No matter. I, too, went to my gym later in the morning and it also was well below the usual occupancy. I have a pair of noise-reduction headphones for my iPod and thank heavens (actually my son) for that. The TV sets in front of the aerobic machines were blasting. Normally I would get the remote and turn them down, but today some people seemed fixated on what they were watching and I didn't want to start a war over sound levels or subject matter.

What is it about TVs in gyms? Why do they always seem to be tuned to the most inane programming at a high decibel count? Insipid questions by fawning interviewers and raucous laughter seem to permeate mid-morning TV programs.

I try to switch the set nearest me to a news channel when I can and even then I keep the volume down. Usually the video will tell the tale and the crawl at the bottom of the screen keeps me up to date on the major developments.

I find that when you're attention is captured by a compelling story the time seems to fly by and you've completed your exercise regime before you know it.

If you go to a gym on a regular basis you pretty much get to know the regulars and what to expect on the TVs. It's a delicate balance to maintain cordiality and sanity on a regular basis.

But we try.