Swimming Pool.

I've been going swimming about three times a week now. Fortunately, there is an Olympic sized pool a 10 minute walk from me. I got a six-month membership last September figuring that if I went five times a month, it would be worth it. I did for a few months, but there were times when the pool would be closed for two weeks at a time unexpectedly or I would get busy and not have time so I don't think that I got my money's worth.

In addition, they wrote the end date wrong so my membership card expired before it started. One of the employees challenged me on this more than once. The last time I got a bit assy about it and I could see in her eyes that she would be sure to bust me on it after it expired.

Now that I'm going more often, I go in the morning before she works and no one else seems to care. On the few occasions that she is there, she's doesn't ever check my i.d. I can't figure out if she just assumes that I'm still a member of the pool or if she's caught the general apathy of the other employees.

I should also mention that the facilities are pretty appalling. Like many things here, the upkeep is horrible. While the water isn't as filthy as I've heard some people say it is, there have been days when I couldn't see the bottom. The layout of the locker room and showers seems to have been designed by someone who knows what should be in a locker room but has never actually used one. While it's not dirty, it is pretty run-down.

I swear that with all these issues, were it not for the fact that it's a ten-minute walk from work and they don't charge me to use it, I would stop going there.