At the gym, each of the cardio machines is equipped with it's own video screen, which receives about 30 channels of programming. There are the usual local broadcast channels, sports channels, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and several music channels. You plug in your headphones, and can channel surf as you wish while working out. The stressful part about it, for me, is that everyone situated behind you can see what you're watching, and in my mind, they're judging me by it. I know, I'm being paranoid and neurotic - blame it on my parents.

I usually watch CNN and MSNBC, and my number one rule at the gym is to never, ever watch Fox News channel. Not only are they a right-leaning mouthpiece for the loathsome Bush administration, their cheesy graphics and lurid headlines shout out "misinformation." Once, as I was channel surfing by, I saw they were doing a story of diverticulitis, which my brother has, so I watched it for a few minutes. As I was exercising, I looked around frantically, as if to say "I don't normally watch this!"

I have a whole set of rules for watching the music channels as well. If I had my druthers, I'd watch some cheesy 1980s videos, but if one comes on that's too embarrassing, I feel compelled to change the channel. And I really, really dislike rap music, but feel the need to pause for a second on the Rap channel so I don't look like some kind of old fart who doesn't "get" hip hop. Also, if any music video comes on that features sexy, bikini-wearing women gyrating around on the screen, I immediately change the channel so nobody thinks I'm a letch or horndog!

As if to prove my own thesis, sometimes I glance around to see what others are watching on their video screens. I've noticed that some, mostly women, gym-goers watch those celebrity and entertainment-oriented shows, like Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, and stuff on VH1. Yuck. I actually have seen a couple of people watching CSPAN, confirming their political nerd status, but I've never seen anyone watching Fox News. My wife reports that she once saw a woman wearing a Bush-Cheney '04 tee shirt who was watching Fox, and that everyone was staring at her like she was insane. Hee hee.