Mike Finlayson

I'm not perfect but you look hilarious

There’s something beyond free weights and fitness machines that draws Mike Finlayson to his health club.

“I go there and I watch people,” he said. “You’re on a cardio machine for a half hour or 45 minutes and there isn’t a whole lot to do besides listen to your iPod and watch people.”

So Finlayson hops on an elliptical, plugs in his headphones, watches the people around him and laughs.

“The gym is actually one of the funniest places in the world,” he said. “Not only do I enjoy working out and taking care of myself, but it’s one of the funniest places you’ll ever see people. One, a lot of people are self-conscious about themselves and won’t do things or do things incorrectly rather than asking for help. And two, fashion is out the door.”

It isn’t just the gym, though. Finlayson said he gets a kick out of people-watching, laughing at their mannerisms and expressions.

“It’s amazing how funny people really are and they don’t realize they’re being funny,” he said.

“There are all kinds of people who have their own little world they think they’re in and they’re kind of oblivious — not that I’m perfect or anything — but they either don’t have enough understanding to realize they’re being nonsensical or rude, or they don’t realize how unbalanced they are. But you need those people, otherwise life would be pretty boring if you think about it.”

— Andy Hamilton

Iowa City Press-Citizen -- March 12, 2009