Exercise 3, Part 2

Scout a location, and describe the setting

• I'm a janitor at Kean University. Since I'm frequently cleaning out the gym, why not use that location? I come in just as everyone else is leaving, so I get to work, mostly, in peace and quiet. Even though everyone has already left, you wouldn't know it by the smell! It always smells horrible in here, but I guess that is what you have to expect in a lifting gym. The smell, combined with the amount of trash that is left around, is a big reason why I dislike this place. Yet, I need an income somehow, so I can't complain. 

Identify several "characters," and describe them in greater detail

• Even though most of the time there is no one in the gym, occasionally I come here a little early to get a head start. You definitely can tell that there are different "types" of people that come here to work out. 
• You have the guys that come everyday. It isn't hard to identify those people, you can tell because they are usually in much better shape than everyone else here. They clearly know what they're doing. 
• Then, there are the people that don't know what they're doing. They don't know which exercises they should be doing, or how to do them correctly. I don't blame them, I'm not much for keeping in top physical shape, myself.
• You also have those people that only come to run upstairs in the cardio room. Usually when I get here early, I clean up that room before anywhere else, since you basically can't get in the way of someone running on a treadmill. 

Pick out several important sounds, and describe them vividly

• Outside of my cleaning cart that I'm pushing around, I personally make a bunch of noise myself. Between the cart and cleaning out the garbages, I usually get a couple of glances my way. Yet, everyone else is making far more noise than I am. All the weird sounds these people make while they're working out is beyond me, I probably wouldn't even be able to replicate them. Between that, the radio, and people running upstairs, the gym is a very noisy place.

Identify something that moves or changes in your viewing, and describe it dramatically

• When I get here early, there are usually around 20 or so people left here. Yet, when ten o'clock comes around and the students that work here want to leave, it's kind of funny to watch them kick all 20 of them out. Regardless of if they're done with their workout or not, the gym is closed. That's probably the biggest change I witness during my shift, but that is fine with me! It makes my job a lot easier when no one is around, so I welcome that change in scenery. 

Describe the scents and odors of the location

• Like I said before, there is never a pleasant sent in the gym, but thats where I come in! Before I go to work, it smells like a mixture of wet dog and someone that refuses to use deodorant. Since it usually smells so rotten, it makes my job so much more rewarding, though. I make sure I clean up well, and I do it fast. I don't want to take in those smells any more than the next guy, but I wouldn't mind the smell of Pine Sol after I'm done cleaning!