"Baby, I Got Your Money..."

Was following one of these on the 101 freeway this afternoon.

Damn, people in LA have too much money. Perhaps I should start reading some of these personal finance & investing books so that I can spend that kind of $$ too...

   

Fun with Etiquette: Work it Out

You know one or more of these questions has floated around in your brain while at the gym...at one point or another. "No way, " you say, "I haven't thought about ANY of these things!" Maybe...or maybe you're just not admitting it. Either way, I'm publishing it here because (a) it makes for a good read and (b) you know it's something you've heard at some point during your encounters with a gym. These questions and answers were published in the February 2010 edition of In Style magazine, in the "Life, Etc." section.

What's an appropriate amount of nudity in the locker room?
It's less about how naked and more about how long you're in the buff. This isn't your home. Do what you need to - just keep time in your birthday suit brief so others aren't uncomfortable. (*note from LA808Girl - yes, this means you, ye who walks aorund the locker room naked before AND after showering and holding fully-fledged conversations with everyone in sight!)

The woman on the treadmill near me chats nonstop on her phone. How do I get her to keep it down?
Sometimes a simple look in her direction can suffice. Or tap her on the shoulder and let her know she's bothering you. If that makes you uneasy and your club has a formal "no cell phone" policy, alert the front desk. A staffer will handle the situation. (If no such policy exists, talk to a manager about implementing one.) (*note from LA808Girl - I'm not even sure how comfortable I would be with telling someone, "Shut the eff up, I'm working out over here!" Well, a little more eloquently, of course)

I love a good workout but not the sweat someone has left behind. What's the best approach?
You're within your rights to say politely, "Excuse me, but could you plesae wipe that down before you go?" And when you're exercising, carry a towel to cover benches or other surfaces before you use them to avoid becoming part of the problem yourself. (*note from LA808Girl - oh damn, and here I was just carrying around a towel because I didn't want to catch some sort of sweat fungus or something, not because I sweat on the benches! HA HA!)

I'm stuck next to a personal-space invader during a class. Help!
Some people lack spatial awareness, meaning she many not even realize she's too close. Ask, "Would you mind if we gave ourselves a few more inches?" Deal with repeat offenders by having your instructor address zoning issues at the start of the next group session. (*note from LA808Girl - I don't know about everyone else, but sometimes the music is so loud I'd need a megaphone to "ask politely" that they step up off my shizz. Yeah, don't think that would work @ my gym...I'd be yelling, not asking nicely.)

How do I handle equipment hogs?
Most should be willing to step out of the way or alternate sets with you. A simple "May I work in with you?" is a reasonable request. (*note from LA808Girl - unless that equipment hog is sweating all over the equipment. See answer to question #3. )

I'm training for a marathon. Does the 30-minute limit on cardio machines really apply?
When others are waiting, a rule's a rule. Avoid peak hours (generally 6 to 9am, 11am to 2pm, and 5:30 to 7:30pm). Keep in mind that pros stress alternating cardio equipment to build endurance. If your time is up on a treadmill, hop on the Stairmaster, elliptical or bike. (*note from LA808Girl - there was the one lady at another gym who managed to be "using" every type of cardio machine at the same time. When you walk up to one, she'd run across from another machine and exclaim, "I'm using that one!" Yeah, right, lady. )

I swear, people in the world today...

So, I was at the grocery store the other day...

I pulled into the parking lot and just parked the car in any old spot, first one I saw. Now, if you know me, you KNOW this is not the norm - I always look for an "end" space (less of a chance to get door dings!), never in the middle. However, this time, I thought to myself, "I'm only going to be in there for five minutes - run in, run out - it will be fine."

As I pulled into the parking spot, I noticed that the passenger door of the car on my left was open. Not ajar, but not wide open either - just enough to be slightly in the space I was trying to park in. I waited for a bit, thinking the person in the car would hear my car and close the door a bit. Nope. Not wanting to block the aisle, I pulled into the spot (carefully!) after about 15 seconds.

Turning the car off, I looked over and waited for the guy to pull the door in a bit so I could get out. Strike two. He sat there, staring at me as if to say, "Well? What are you waiting for? You going to sit there all night?" Sheesh...okay, okay, fine. After sitting there for a half a minute, I opened the door and squeezed myself out of the car.

Now, for those who know me and how particular I am with my parking spots, you are saying to yourself, "DSD, what the heck are you doing parking between two cars? Were the spaces the size of Texas?" I shall explain. Since I was stopping at the store for just 2 things, I knew where to find it and knew it would only take me about 5 minutes to get in and out of there. Lo and behold, it literally took me about 4 1/2 minutes to find the stuff I needed and complete the check-out process.

I made my way back to the car, only to find the guy still ariring out his car. I approached and paused for a second, then asked, "Excuse me, could you please close your door a couple of inches, just so I can get in my car?"

Guy peers out from behind the center beam of the car, looks at me, looks at my car, then looks at me again and declares, "No, I'm good."

Uh...not quite what I asked, douchebag. You and your skinny jeans-wearing, emo haircut-ing arse can close the door, or I will close it for you! Man, some people just don't teach their kids manners anymore.

Maybe if they read my blog, they could purchase one of these fine books and LEARN some manners.

How Does "20 Out of 20 Correct" = 95%?

Created by Oatmeal

So, I took the "Twitter Spelling" quiz on TheOatmeal.com site today. When I was finished with the quiz, it displayed my score/results - out of 20 questions, I got 20 correct, yet it told me I got a 95%?!? How does THAT work? I'm no math major, but I can tell you 20 out of 20 is not 95%.

In any case, I rule at spelling. :)