When first marching in there are numerous signs announcing days which may be more beneficial to those of low incomes, and behind these informative decorations lies the faint scent of spirits, and of spirited competition. A television displays an infomercial concerning what seems to be a nourishing cream, the purpose of which is never entirely mentioned. Later I would notice this infomercial plays repeatedly, and as far as I know, never ends. I come upon a line of square stools, the shape of which makes it difficult and cumbersome to sit on, especially seeing as many of them are falling apart in the are of the cushion, which one might argue is the most important feature of a stool. A variety of stains and puddles greet me on the counter, besides which is a spotless towel, rolled up and ready to initiate a cleaning regimen, however the fact that it is not being used makes me feel as if I have some obligation to clean the stains and puddles myself. I proceed to do so, and in response an older man waves at me, not in congratulations, but in a motion that indicates I should continue cleaning the entire counter. I find this counter-productive and degrading, although I do consider it for some time.
Next I come upon a large screen, displaying a song with lyrics although nobody is singing. The video displayed alongside the song (A country song mind you) is of a group of Chinese children playing in a garden, then a very gaudily dressed Chinese woman dancing. None of it seems to have anything to do with the lyrics. The sign on the bathroom says Colts, which is the name for a male horse. As I enter the bathroom I am confronted with a hallway so thin I am already devising a strategy on how to get out, the only difficult part I'm seeing is turning around. The urinal, I find, Is directly next to the sink, with no means of blocking those who are washing their hands from peering directly at your crotch, and even if they weren't, it's likely they would be able to see it in their peripheral vision, even if they didn't want to. For these reasons I choose the stall, which is barely large enough to stand in comfortably, and the door of which needs to be firmly held against the frame so that the lock will work.
In order to walk outside, you first walk through the washing area and storage compartment, and then emerge into what some might refer to as a “patio”, and at first glance I'm reminded of the bathroom hallway. I will say this for the patio, it is large lengthwise. There is a bench running along the left wall, however, I have never seen it being used, seeing as a toddler would have trouble sitting comfortably on it without falling off. The perils of walking through this patio while there are people occupying it are very evident, you would be lucky if you and whatever beverage you're holding escaped alive and unspoiled. There are large frames on some of the inside walls, full of pictures of friends, obviously people who frequent the place, above and around these frames are murals, usually depicting horses or the height-challenged people who ride them.
There are many notebooks scattered around, although some are now merely many pieces of paper struggling to stay together. On these papers are the names of many country songs, and many oldies, although the oldies that do appear on the pages aren't the ones people have actually heard of, and when there is a popular classic band listed, the only songs underneath seem to be the ones even the band has forgotten about. There is a dart board on the wall, the electronic kind, that uses plastic tipped darts and automatically calculates scores. This would be a fun way to pass the time, if half the darts weren't missing, and the other half weren't all missing some small yet incredibly important part. I take all of this in, then I sigh, sit down, and order a vodka club. What I receive is a club soda with ice, and a dry wedge of lemon carelessly tossed on top. I take a sip, and prepare for an excellent evening.
Next I come upon a large screen, displaying a song with lyrics although nobody is singing. The video displayed alongside the song (A country song mind you) is of a group of Chinese children playing in a garden, then a very gaudily dressed Chinese woman dancing. None of it seems to have anything to do with the lyrics. The sign on the bathroom says Colts, which is the name for a male horse. As I enter the bathroom I am confronted with a hallway so thin I am already devising a strategy on how to get out, the only difficult part I'm seeing is turning around. The urinal, I find, Is directly next to the sink, with no means of blocking those who are washing their hands from peering directly at your crotch, and even if they weren't, it's likely they would be able to see it in their peripheral vision, even if they didn't want to. For these reasons I choose the stall, which is barely large enough to stand in comfortably, and the door of which needs to be firmly held against the frame so that the lock will work.
In order to walk outside, you first walk through the washing area and storage compartment, and then emerge into what some might refer to as a “patio”, and at first glance I'm reminded of the bathroom hallway. I will say this for the patio, it is large lengthwise. There is a bench running along the left wall, however, I have never seen it being used, seeing as a toddler would have trouble sitting comfortably on it without falling off. The perils of walking through this patio while there are people occupying it are very evident, you would be lucky if you and whatever beverage you're holding escaped alive and unspoiled. There are large frames on some of the inside walls, full of pictures of friends, obviously people who frequent the place, above and around these frames are murals, usually depicting horses or the height-challenged people who ride them.
There are many notebooks scattered around, although some are now merely many pieces of paper struggling to stay together. On these papers are the names of many country songs, and many oldies, although the oldies that do appear on the pages aren't the ones people have actually heard of, and when there is a popular classic band listed, the only songs underneath seem to be the ones even the band has forgotten about. There is a dart board on the wall, the electronic kind, that uses plastic tipped darts and automatically calculates scores. This would be a fun way to pass the time, if half the darts weren't missing, and the other half weren't all missing some small yet incredibly important part. I take all of this in, then I sigh, sit down, and order a vodka club. What I receive is a club soda with ice, and a dry wedge of lemon carelessly tossed on top. I take a sip, and prepare for an excellent evening.
