Do You Have A Permit To Use That iPod?

Okay loud talkers, you know who you are and it’s time that you start realizing that the whole world doesn’t want to be a part of your conversation.  It first started with people just having loud conversations in restaurants.  With the growth in technology, the next step was people talking too loud on their cell phones.  Evolution included those who believe that shouting toward their cell phone’s ear bud is the only way to have a conversation.  Now technology has once again caused loud talkers to step it up.

Just a few weeks ago I was at the gym trying to enjoy my miserable half hour of intensity on the elliptical machine when I was so rudely interrupted by not one, but two loud talkers.  Let me set the scene so you can truly get the full picture of my frustration.  They are renovating the basketball court at my gym.  Theconstruction noise is loud.  On top of that, the air conditioning wasn’t fully functioning due to the construction.  Now picture me, 9 elliptical machines down from two of the most obnoxious loud-talkers I have met to date.  While sweating my butt off, I was being forced to listen to a conversation of complete absurdity.

Looking to my right I saw two girls, obviously foreign to regular gym visits based upon their physical appearance, who were shouting a conversation back and forth.  Were they shouting over the construction noise?  No.  Was it to be heard over the music in the gym?  No.  It was because, while they were on an almost negative number setting on the treadmill, they both had their iPod headphones in their ears with their own music turned up so loud I could hear it from 18 feet away!  With their own music blaring over that of the gym, and surrounded by plenty of others who clearly take their workouts quite serious, these two girls decided to have a catty discussion at the top of their lungs.  Despite all of us glaring at them, these two girls continued on talking about a classmate of theirs in full detail.  I learned two things that day: 1.) I am still frightened for the future of our country and 2.) The classmate they were discussing clearly needs to see a medical professional to have the situation in question check out.  Ewwww!