cardio-theater

The massive remodeling and expansion project at the vaunted Canandaigua YMCA is completed, although it was just significantly enlarging the exercise-gym and installing new equipment.
Replaced are all the ancient Nautilus machines with new machines of a different brand.
They’ve also added a slew of cardio-machines: treadmills, ellipticals and exercise-bicycles.
Also added are two virtual bicycle-machines you have to steer, lest you plow headlong into a virtual tree.
They’ve also installed a gizmo that can replicate just about any leg-motion: running, a step-climber, cross-country skiing.
They’ve also installed an arm-bicycle, but only one.
All the new cardio-machines have cardio-theater, a small flat-screen TV on the machine.
Linda and I both went there yesterday (Monday, December 10, 2007); first time for Linda in about six months.
She never got to see the hourlies dumping broken masonry on a tarp because the mindless management minions couldn’t supply a dumpster.
Or hear the ratta-tat-tat of noisesome airguns chipping that masonry.
It also was the first time since her cancer diagnosis, and first time since the “cemo” started.
She was only able to crank 2.2 mph on the treadmill — a slow walk. I crank 3.6 mph (not 152).
So here we are cranking away on new bicycle-exercisers with the cardio-theater.
We turn it on and all it got was Channel-4; A blank screen.
Linda was adjacent and hit a keyboard-button after the Home screen.
VIOLA! Drew Cary and Price-is-Right.
So I hit Channel-13 and got the Whoopster interviewing somebody for The View.
No sound yet, but UGH!
I don’t think I could stand watching TV while I work out.
But it does have input selection and an iPod dock, so I guess I could watch 765 on the New River Train.
La-dee-dah! I still don’t think I could stand watching TV while I work out.

“Linda” is my wife of nearly 40 years. She has lymphatic cancer. (It’s treatable.)

“Cemo” is how is how my blowhard brother-in-Boston noisily insists “chemo” is spelled.

RE: “152.....” —My brother-in-Delaware bragged that his turbocharged Volvo station-wagon was capable of 152 mph.

“765” is a restored Nickel Plate railroad steam-locomotive, that my brother and I video-taped in 1993 in New River Gorge in West Virginny. They run it like the dickens — an awesome sight.