Dark streets fly by, barely visible through the foggy windshield.  My next apartment will definitely have a garage.  My next car will definitely have better defrost.  Or maybe if I had the time to warm up the engine?  At least I’m awake and on time today.

Can’t believe I agreed to this morning manager position, waking up two hours earlier just to open the gym.  And for what?  A lousy two dollars per hour raise plus the extra two work hours when I open.  Worst of all, I don’t even get to see Jill anymore.  She’s so cool.  I have no idea how she’s always so perky, especially with this early morning crowd.  Like Dante Jones, D.J., who annoyingly waits for me on the curb half the mornings, as if he can’t wait in his car like all the other meatheads.  I’m not even late, yet there he his.  I’ll just ignore him.  Not today, D.J.

These philosophy classes are killing me, but at least the professor posts his lectures online.  My notes never seem to keep up with his thoughts, so luckily I can listen to him again at work before class.  Luckily, ha ha.  It’ll be lucky if I make it through this class.  Why does a computer science degree require philosophy, anyway?  Does the university really need more of my money?  If I can work another eight hours this week, and twenty four the next two in a row, I should be able to cover all of my expenses for the rest of this semester.  Unless I want to eat.  Chinese food sounds good.

Most of the morning crowd leaves me alone, with a few polite hellos, and the occasional request to update a membership.  The quiet helps me prepare for school.  Plus, the evening shift cleans the place before leaving, so I only have a few towels to fold. Nothing difficult.  I wonder what Jill does in here before the rest of the morning shift rolls in?  There is this one dude, Alex.  He sort of has a face that makes me want to punch him, but what a chill guy.  On the days we cross paths, he always stops bye to ask about my life.  I think he actually listens, like he might care.  He had some great advice about student loan consolidation and deferred payment.  It really saved me last semester.  I notice him getting a pretty decent workout in, even though he holds conversations with a few of the other regulars.  According to his membership profile, he lives near campus.  I should ask him what he does.  Maybe computer science is the wrong choice.

Anyway, five hours and some change to go, then two classes this afternoon.  Philosophy and cloud computing.  A match made in heaven.  I’m pretty comfortable with AWS already, so at least I’ll get an easy A there.  And what is D.J. staring at?  Should I go ask him what his problem is?  No, it would only end up hurting us both.