I thought, watching the gym drama unfold. My local gym was packed, and I’d finally scored an empty bench near the dumbbell racks. Unfortunately, a woman had claimed the adjacent bench, not for lifting, but for her elaborate recording setup.
She’d propped her camera against the rack, filming herself lifting weights a few feet away, completely oblivious to the fact that she was obstructing everyone’s workout. I was fuming, especially since I kept ending up in her shot, and I had no desire to be part of her fitness vlog.
Before I could complain to the front desk, a man walked directly in front of her camera to return his weights. She paused her recording, shot him a dirty look, and restarted. Undeterred, the man deliberately walked in front of her camera again.
This time, she snapped. “Could you not? You can see I’m recording.”
The man, with a perfectly straight face, replied, “Could you not? You can see people are trying to actually work out.”
The tension was palpable. Yet, she resumed her recording, seemingly determined. That’s when the real show began. People started intentionally walking between her and her camera. I couldn’t resist. I joined in, adding an overly sweet, “Excuse me,” and a wide, innocent smile as I passed.
The woman’s frustration grew with each interruption. Finally, after a few more people “accidentally” wandered into her shot, she stormed out of the gym, looking like she was about to have a full-blown meltdown. “Recording Yourself At Home Is Free,” I repeated to myself, finally able to use the bench for its intended purpose.
