[nycfem]

I did 35 minutes on the stairmaster: 5,4,3,2,1 x 2 min. x 3 "sets", then cool down for six min. at 3,2,1,2,1,1 x 2 min. The 54321 is a fun routine, pretty rigorous.

Then I did 25 min. of weight lifting and stretching, and some core and ab exercises.

I ran into the same gym member I did yesterday in the locker room, Taylor. I may have mentioned her before. She's a petite house manager in her mid-thirties, very pretty, straight, and she has an edge to her. She works in a billionaire's big building that he lives in alone.

We originally met next to each other on stair masters, and she was immediately conversational at that time. When I told her I was married to a woman (in the context of an immediate personal conversation), she soon put her arm on mine to emphasize a point or highlight a laugh as we continued to talk, which I saw as a sign of, "I am not put off by you being a lesbian." Like a sweet liberal gesture. Also a little weird. Especially because we were still on stair masters.

So today we chatted about this and that. Then as she was about to leave, she did what we therapists call "a doorknob confession." She saves what's really been most on her mind for the very end, just as we are concluding. She told me that she had a falling out with another gym member, Ali. I don't know if I know Ali but I do know there a lot of crazy bitches in the locker room. She said that she and Ali had exchanged numbers as they became better friends but that Ali would text her like 15 times a day. She said it was annoying and that unless she was having sex with someone, she would not want to receive that many texts.

But that was just background, maybe to set me up not to like Ali. She said that when she and Ali would make a plan to do something that sometimes she (Taylor) would have to cancel because of work. She said that Ali would say, "I'm so sorry you have to work." And Taylor would say she didn't mind, and Ali would say, "But you don't sound genuine saying that." She said they had that exchange a few times, and it always annoyed Taylor.

Taylor said that Ali doesn't work and has a boyfriend who pays for everything for her. Taylor said she doesn't have a boyfriend or kids, and that her job is her life, that she's been on her own since she was 17, and she feels happy and grateful about her job. So Taylor confronted Ali about this, and how the exchange made her feel bad every time they had it. Ali became defensive, and Taylor asked if their friendship was over, and Ali said yes. Taylor was a bit concerned about still seeing Ali in the gym and also looking for validation from me. I validated.

Taylor I see as having a bit of a personality disorder. She both unnerves me and intrigues me. She's sort of interesting.

No Judith today.