Too Much Noise For a Study Area

September 9^th, 2015

The time is 2:52, I sit in a study center leading into a library. The chairs are soft and deep, forcing my body into a strange held back position. The study area is quiet, calm, conductive to its environment. A young man with longish brown hair takes a seat in the chair to my left. Next to an older looking man whom has been looking at his phone since before my arrival. The brown haired man, (let’s call him Brown) slouches, as prompted by the chair, and is immediately consumed by the context of his cell phone. A spaced out group of about 11 enter past the study room, and exit past it. All of differing genders, and in differing clusters, a few couples, a few seem to be in larger groups. 6 minutes later the brown is still wholly consumed by his cellular device, looking up only when a young lady walk closely past him on her way out of the library. The older man to the side of the brown soon gathers his black backpack, and water bottle, and leaves. To my right a young pretty woman (let’s call her Curly) with curly hair fingers through a journal full of pen inked notes, she presses her free hand to her forehead, expressing stress. In-between writing she uses her free hand to wriggle a single baby carrot from it’s clear container and feed herself. In the center of the scene there are two men sitting at a table, (let’s call them man 1 and 2) they make up the only noise in the library, with their excited whispers. One of the men has a laptop propped on his side of the table. Though he is not using it at this time. Brown is now greeted by an assumed friend, upon his arrival into the scene Brown stands, and does a strange complex handshake with him. The two talk for a few minutes, Brown is stands as he talks, swaying awkwardly, his hands in his pockets.  the friend of brown soon leaves, and Brown returns to the chair, this time pushed to the edge of his seat, still fascinated by his phone. Meanwhile man one and two have broken the stillness of the library. The two have begun talking much louder than previous. Man 2 has moved his chair aside man one, as to face his laptop. Man two smiles on clockwork at almost everything being said by man one. As they talk another man (let’s call him man three) enters the two friends area, breaking the excited whispers. Man three is greeted by both man one and two, he greets in return and stands in the back of the laptop. He cocks his head, and grabs his elbow with his left hand from behind his back. This watching goes on for a few seconds, and then the new addition takes a seat aside his two friends. This man is much louder in conversation, but luckily talks much less than the other two. Three older adults now exit in a group from the library area. At this same time Brown is greeted by an older white haired man, and follows him into the library. In the back corner of the study area a blonde man and woman, who had been working diligently before my arrival now pack up their books and laptop, and zip up their bags. Before moving the woman looks at the man, whom takes this as an indication to move, and does such. The couple walk towards the door until, the woman stops, reactively the man does as well. The woman gestures to the library area, and then takes off in the indicated direction. The man almost at the door begins to pace. He wonders around Brown’s area for a bit, then returns to the door and begins to read what looks like an award hung by the door. The woman at last returns and the two leave, the man far ahead of the woman. Meanwhile at the table of three, the former congestion around the one laptop has been relieved, the three are now evenly spaced around the table. Man three now has a laptop of his own, and man two talks two his two more fortunate friends, whose eyes are glued to the screen of their computers. It is now 3:25, and a new woman has drifted into the study room. She has long brown hair, and wears a plain shirt, (let’s call her plain) Plain unloads a laptop and gets to work, she stares at me strangely, from time to time, in total about three or four times. She has a tendency to put her hand to her temple after doing this. A few minutes later there is a loud crash that disturbs all the residents within the study. Most peer up and stop what they are doing to figure out what made the strange noise. Plain looks at her desk, and takes down her laptop, she then pops an out of place desk wheel into place. I now realize that the desk crashing due to the wheels slip is what caused the noise. Plain soon places her laptop back on in its place. Moments later Curly, whom is now scrolling down a large green tablet is approached by a tall young man with black hair and glasses. He leans over and kisses her forehead. His gesture is not received with much warmth, though she ceases her browsing to acknowledge him. She later takes out her wallet and hands the man something crumbled. The tall man smiles receives the object, then sits on the arm of her chair, browsing the various papers on her desk. He soon disappears into the library. Curly soon follows her friend, and returns with what looks like a recite. Up stairs, on the third story a young man and old woman arrange furniture loudly, the woman pointing and leaning over various spots in the area. Telling the young man where to push. I have been at the library study for an hour now, and location is growing a bit too noisy for my liking, I leave.