At my 2nd home, the gym

When you're unemployed, which I currently am, you have to find ways to fill the day.
It's also good to build in some easy successes since applying for jobs involves so much seemingly wasted energy and straight up rejection.
That's why I spend a lot of time at my gym.
It's not that nice (someone who shall remain nameless called it "too ghetto", forever causing a black X to appear over her face when ever it surfaces on my consciousness) but it's cheap and has good equipment and isn't to crowded except at after work hours.
I also like it because it has a weird and perfect cross section of of Downtown Oakland.
(cont. below after Oakland montage)











I know, I forgot Tupac, but I feel he's become more associated with So. Cal rap.

Anyway, the gym today was weird.
Or, I had a lot of strange interactions with my fellow Downtown Oakland 24hr Fitness members, some of which were in my head (not the people, the interactions).

1. Some dudes were fixing the wiring in the women's locker room when I got there meaning, sorry, but we have to change in the damp bathroom stalls that don't even have purse hooks.
Now I know I might be more laid back about such bumps in the road than others since I have nothing to do and no where to go, at no o'clock today, but some bitches were seriously stressing.
I thought unnecessarily, I mean come on, some perspective people.

There was one woman in particular, one of those early forties, unfortunate outfit, I work from home with my cats and if I don't get home in an hour to take my scrunchies out of the wash they're going to shrink and you know you can never get that mildew smell out of a wet scrunchie kind of women.
She probably goes to the gym for the same reason I do, to break up the day.
Anyway she was being a total bitch to the desk guys who do not have jurisdiction over what get's wired when.

2. In a bit of deja vu I saw this guy at the gym who I had seen yesterday on a bike by my house. Why would I remember him? Well first of all he was wearing the same black and red spandex outfit (or an identical one?). And secondly he had the most ungodly ridiculous body and that almost caused me walk out in to traffic to get a better look.

Sorry but girls notice that kind of thing too, even if it's wrapped in black and red spandex.

The weird thing was was that at the gym it was basically me and him in this side area, not a stretching area but an area with a bunch of machines and some bikes and stair steppers. Unconcerned with conventionality he was doing the most crazy ass stretching I have ever seen. It got totally Circe du Soleil, and I am so not lying.

Yes, he did this exact move

He was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and watching him back bend on to the ab machine was a VERY confusing experience. Was it gay, was it hot, was it all a show for me and the people on the stair steppers? He was wearing wrap around sun glasses and I did't want check out his face too much because I couldn't tell where he was looking, so I don't know if his face was hot or not.
Really weird.


3. When I was done with my work out and went back in the bathroom stalls to change into my street clothes I was accosted by a tiny, giggling, at least 70yr old Asian woman in a towel and flip flops, only. English, not so much, but a few more minutes of pointing and giggling and I figured it out. She wanted me to go into the locker room where the wiring guys were, go in to her locker and get her clothes so she could change in the relative privacy of the bathroom stalls.
Where in the locker room was this woman's locker?
That took a little longer, but it ended happily with her being able to get dressed and me not having to touch her underwear.

Yay!