Don't Mess With a Popular Blogger
No, not me, silly. Joelle (a/k/a Tenth Muse). Here are excerpts from something that she posted on Wednesday. I encourage you to read the entire post, but here's the Reader's Digest version:
And, around 10:30am, I...hit the 24 Hr Fitness in Santee — the same gym I've been working out at since we moved out to this area....
[W]hen the girl at the counter scanned my card, she informed me that I would need to upgrade in order to workout there. I didn't realize it was a "Sport" gym, which is apparently one step above the ghetto membership I have — the "Active". I apologized for the misunderstanding and asked if I could just workout that day....She told me I'd have to talk to someone about an upgrade, but that they would more than likely just write me a pass. I agreed and she called someone to help me.
I stood there for 15 minutes before this gigantic bald muscley man who looked like a caricature of himself catches me out of the corner of his eye and asks, "Have you been helped?" I told him the brief run-down and he says, rather bluntly, "Well, that's too bad. All these other people paid and look at their bodies. It's not fair to them for you to workout here for free."...
I tried to remain calm and said, "I've been working out here since October and no one even mentioned to me that I might be working out in the wrong location. I apologize for the miscommunication, but I don't think you realize how hard it was for me to get here today. May I please just have a pass for today and I'll sort out the upgrade later? I really need to get back to work."
He looked me dead in the eye and said, "There is no pass. It's $20 a day if you want to workout here without being a member. There are no free rides, ma'am." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. I told him that it's not free, that I pay my dues and have for well over a year, just like everybody else, just like all those people inside with their bodies. He just stared at me and said, "Twenty dollars. Sorry."...
Of course, then I realized that Barry (that was his name) was a testosterone-filled, juice-loaded, pious, territorial, discriminatory asshole that doesn't want "my kind" fattening up his precious gym and that he can go....
I think you can fill in the rest of Joelle's thought at that moment. Well, although she didn't purposely mean to target the particular location, she had mentioned that she was "helped" by Barry at the 24 Hr Fitness in Santee. Well, some of Joelle's readers took action, despite Joelle's urging them not to do so:
Eeek! Maybe I shouldn’t have posted the name and location. lol. I’m not looking to start a blogosphere/barry smackdown, though I appreciate the rallying. I’m just afraid that he’ll just say he never said that. There was no one around to hear, the girl was over in the shop area folding t-shirts or something. It was just the two of us…
I didn’t tell him off because… well, I don’t know why. I was stunned and shocked and I felt like an unworthy piece of shit.
Ok, so there it is. That’s why I didn’t tell him off.
comment by Joelle on 02.23.05 at 01:32 PM
Yeah I got the little dicked bastard.
Hahahaha! Just called. Asked for Barry. No worries I was very professional. He seemed UN-nerved. I asked him the name of the manager there,
“Why??? What’s wrong???”
“Oh Barry… I just need to talk to your manager.”
“Why did you call and ask for me???”
“Because I knew Barry, that I could get that info from you.”
“The manager’s name is G… What happened??????”
He is at this point losing his shit.
“Good bye Barry.”
*click*
Psychological warfare works well.
Love ya Jo! No one talks to my friend like that!! Especially after she cleans up my drunken puke from her car!
comment by raven on 02.23.05 at 01:35 PM
Wanna really twist barry’s gnat nuts?
I called and just asked for the Regional Manager’s name.
The girl answering the phone said out loud, “The REGIONAL managers name???”
Barry was in the background. I could hear his voice -totally recognizing him from the previous call earlier.
“Wait a minute! Wait a minute!”, he said in the background, “Tell them to hold on. Hold on!”
Darn cellphone lost signal. Oh well. He got the idea.
Off to go have a cocktail.
comment by raven on 02.23.05 at 02:07 PM
I normally lurk here but I’m inspired to comment. I feel the need for prank calling Barry the Gym Rat Bastard.
comment by Dacia on 02.23.05 at 03:44 PM
Thank you for your support everyone.
A letter is being written and it’ll be taken care of. Thanks so much. No prank calls necessary. hehe.
comment by Joelle on 02.23.05 at 03:46 PM
Thank you, everyone, for your well-wishes and kind words. I’m going to close comments on this now, as I think 60 is more than enough. lol. if you want to add to this, though, you can reach me via email, if you like.
But thank you so much!
comment by Joelle on 02.24.05 at 07:50 AM
So, the lesson for Barry at the 24 Hr Fitness in Santee - remember that EVERY customer has friends.
Heh.
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