After cleaning up the aftermath of having our floor repaired, I needed to get out of the house for awhile to breath some fresh air and shake off the sawdust (which is everywhere), so I went to the gym again. I was having a pretty good workout, minding my own business as usual, and sitting in a weigh machine facing the big windows on the south side of the building. I was looking at the Highland Park apartment building across the street, when I notice someone opening a door and stepping out onto one of those tiny balconies cantilevered out over Irving Street. The man took out a large SLR-type camera with a hefty lens, and aimed it directly into the gym, and apparently directly at me! I watched him for a bit, while conflicted thoughts raced through my head.

Normally, I'm a strong supporter of photographer's rights, in our post-9/11 security paranoia. On the other hand, I don't want any photos of myself posted on upshortsflabbywhiteguyspumpingriron.com. I pointed out the photographer to a gym manager, and he took me over to the windows and assured me that they were coated with a one-way screen, so we could look out but nobody could look in, except for a strip of plain glass at the bottom. I thought briefly that the photographer was a foot or calf fetishist, but then I thought that maybe he was just getting some cool shots of the building and the streetscape. Who knows, maybe it was a wide-angle lens. He was probably aiming at the attractive blond woman on the elliptical trainer behind me. I suppose the gym is a public place, so privacy from photographers isn't guaranteed, but for a minute there it freaked me out.