If you choose an elliptical or treadmill on the far left side of Planet Fitness, you will find yourself staring at CNN.
On the far right side, you get Fox News.
So give PF credit for being, um, politically correct. I guess.
(Oddly, if you plant yourself dead center you’ll see Drew on your right and the Cooking Channel to your left. I don’t know what the hell to make of that.)
I have, for the last several years, been a more or less faithful three-times a week PC gym rat. Usually dividing my time there pretty much equally – half aerobics and half, um, muscle toning machines.
For the record, I do not like the gym.
I find my time there repetitive and boring. Plus, it’s the only place in the known universe where time itself slows down and actually begins to creep backwards.
I only manage it because guilt is the main motivating force in my own particular universe.
To lessen the tedium, I listen to books while occasionally staring at CNN (never Fox News) on the far left side of the PF divide.
Frankly, I’d much rather be off on my bike, aimlessly meandering the not so mean streets of GNV.
So how to explain the fact that, this week, I visited PF six out of seven days?
I’ll let The Associated Press answer that.
Americans are increasingly feeling a personal impact from extreme heat, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
According to the survey, U.S. adults are more likely to say extreme heat has had either a “major impact” or “minor impact” on their travel or vacation plans, electricity bills, their sleep, their family’s outdoor activities and more parts of their day-to-day life than in July 2024.
As a lifelong cyclists, you can put me down on the “major impact” side of the extreme head ledger.
It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love with my bicycles (yeah, I have more than one, call me a cycling polygamist if you must).
Listen, during our July sojourn to Canada I logged more than 150 miles under peddle. It was glorious!
Canada aside, I suspect that before this year is over, I will have ridden fewer miles than I have in years.
Why? Because I am no fool.
Again, as per AP:
The recent scorching weather has played a role in thousands of heat-related deaths — killing more people every year than all other weather-related events. It impacts wildfire risk, strains public infrastructure, devastates agriculture and wreaks havoc on gatherings such as sporting events. Now, the poll shows how extreme heat is reshaping Americans’ daily lives.
If you listen to our Gauzy Guv those of us who believe in climate change are religious zealots, captives to some sort of death cult. Our Mad King Prez says CC is a leftist lie. And to prove it he gleefully undid Biden era job protections for workers who must toil under the summer sun.
Because the surest way to debunk the death cult of climate change is to throw legions of blue color workers on the griddle.
See! Not all of em died!
And it’s not just The Sunshine State that is suffering from an excess of sun and humidity. Large swaths of Spain and France (not to mention Oh Canada) are on fire. River cruise ships have had to be evacuated because the great rivers of Europe are drying up.
Hell, the Danube is so low that the bones of ships sunk during WWII are popping up to surface again.
But what do I know? I’m only a religious zealot.
Plus, now, a reluctant gym rat.
Oh the humanity!
FreeGNV 