The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 12

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic here with you again! But please just call me Al. This is it folks, week 12! The end is near. It is another beautiful fall day here at my observation site. Looks like we were able to make it the 12 weeks without single Friday of bad weather!
As always there is 90's alternative rock being piped into the patio from hidden speakers in the wall.

 Despite this great weather there is a small turnout here. The overall feel of my observation site this afternoon is more reserved than normal. This may have something to do with the coming Thanksgiving break, college kids have all gone back to their home towns leaving this college hangout a variable ghost town.

First off there is a table with two guys in their mid 20's both in casual dress. They are very relaxed in their posture, maybe a little feminine. Their conversation is fairly animated, a lot of smiling and laughing.  There is moderate phone use from both, however this does not seem to impede their conversation. Both are drinking beer and appear to be waiting for lunch to be served. One of them produces a laptop and some paper work, he may be a college student finishing some last minute work before the break. When their lunch eventual arrives the cell phones and laptop disappear. While eating the conversation lulls. Mid way through their meal, these two guys are joined by two women, both in their early to mid 20's, one of which is already on her phone as she enters the patio and walks to the table.  The girl on her phone seems to know both of the guys well, as she gives both a tight hug, the other girl only shakes their hands.  She must just be tagging along with her friend that was invited to lunch with these two guys. After these two new arrivals they conversation picks back up. Even though the conversation has become animated again, phones and the laptop all make an appearance. This group has very heavy phone usage across the board. This is not too surprising, given their age and hip attire. When the waitress brings the bill. they all split their tabs separately.

Next there is a table of a man and a woman, both seem to be in their mid to late 30's. Both are dressed casual and have relaxed postures, Their conversation is quiet, but they are both smiling often. My first guess would be that they are a married couple, however, I do not see a wedding ring on either of their left hands. I still suspect there is some sort of romantic connection between the two of them., something about their body language suggests this.  Even though they appear to be very relaxed, they are facing each other directly, this makes me suspect a romantic affection. As well, there is no hint of cell phone use from either of them. They are drinking beer and appear to be splitting an appetizer. when they do finally call for the bill the man pays for both of them and they leave together.

There are two guys sitting together, both in their mid to late 20's. Both dressed hip-casual. And they are very kicked back in their posture.  They are having a round of beer and appear to be ordering lunch as well.  There is not much conversation between these two, however they still seem very comfortable in their silence. These two appear to be pretty good friends that don't need to fill their time with conversation. Their phones are out, but neither are being used. Through out their meal and drinks their posture remains relaxed, their phones remain unused, and their conversation remains quiet.

Well, unfortunately that is all I have for you folks today. I wish there were more characters out for this last post, but we gotta work with the cards we are dealt right? Lemme do a quick recap for you all:

• Cell phones made appearances at the table I expected, and did not make an appearance at the tables where I expected they would not.
• The overall atmosphere was more reserved than normal, again I attribute this to Thanksgiving break.
• And as always, beer was the drink of choice across the board.

That is it for this week! Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

your friend,

-Al 

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 11

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic back this week. But as always, please just call me Al. I caught a lucky break with the weather when I went out to my observation site.  That cold wind we had all week had subsided by Friday, so it was a sunny 65 degrees on the patio where I've conducted my numerous observations in the past 11 weeks. There is a good turn out. It would seem the patrons are just as happy about the break from the cold wind as I am. Though everyone is dressed more warmly than normal, the atmosphere is still as up beat as always.  Again classic and alternative 90's rock is playing in the background.

First off there is a rowdy table of just one guy and one gal.   Both are in their early to mid 20's I suspect. Both are dressed warmly, but casually.  They appear to be college students catching up over a few drinks.  Though it is difficult to pin point their exact relationship. The woman's posture implies that she is very interested in their conversation, she is sitting at the edge of her seat and is very upright. The guy however, is leaned as far back in his seat as he can be.  The woman is very animated in her conversation, the guy is glued his phone about 90% of the time. While he seems a little distanced from the conversation because he is so absorbed by his phone, he is still contributing to their conversation. The distraction by his phone does nothing to deter the gal from having a good time.  She is very animated in her gestures and her voice is loud.  If I was a gambling man, I think it might be safe to assume that these two are 'just friends' however, the gal would be okay with being more than friends. The gal picks up her phone usage after several failed attempts to get the guy to participate more in the conversation.  Though, even with her phone usage going up, she still tries to engage the guy in conversation, showing him things from her phone, at one point the guy even takes her phone from her, and types on it. I am unsure of what this exchange meant, maybe she 'tagged' the two of them together at this field site and he didn't want anyone to know he was there?  I may be reading too much into this. Anyway, as suspected they split their tab when it comes time to pay the bill.

There is a table with 2 guys in their mid 20's, and a gal also in her mid 20's. All are dressed causally, though the guys aren't nearly as bundled up as the gal is.  I suspect the guys may be brother.  They have very similar physical features.  The relationship with the gal is a little more difficult to place. They guys are sitting closer to each other than they are to her.  Their postures are all very relaxed and their conversation is animated.  They are all smiling and laughing. I suspect they are grad students at the least since their are a couple back packs with them and they appear a little older than an average undergrad. Phones don't make an appearance within the group until after they ask the waitress for the bill.  Then the it is the girl that is mostly using her phone.  The guys seem content to chat among each other. The bill seems to have been split between one of the guys and the other guy and the girl were on the same tab, paid for by the guy.  When the guys handed their payment to the waitress the girl stood up and appeared to be leaving.  She walked a few steps from the table and then changed her mind and came back to the table but took a seat directly next to the guy that paid for her.  This is interesting because she never showed any affection to either of the men during their meal, but now she is touching the guy that paid her bill and even a kiss was passed between them.  I think my first guess that the two guys were brother was correct, and it would seem this girl is dating one of the brothers.

Four guys in their mid 20's take a table together and order a round of beers. All of them are dressed business casual, in button ups and slacks. They are all also carrying back packs, this makes me suspect they are not on a lunch break from work, but are class mates celebrating a successful presentation in one of their classes. They are fairly rowdy from the get go, even before the beers make it out to them.  They are joined by a 5th guy, in his late 20's or early 30's and much more casually dressed. He doesn't take a seat immediately. He also has a back pack with him. I suspect that he is dropping by to say "hi" to some of his buddies on his way to class. Though the sight of the all the flowing beer seems to change his mind as he takes his seat and settles in. There is moderate phone use through out the table. One of the original 4 takes a phone call and gets up and walks around the patio while on the phone.  This makes me assume it is either an important call from maybe a boss or professor, or it may be girl.  In my experiences, those are the only times when people feel the need to walk around aimlessly while talking on the phone.  A 6th guy joins the already boisterous table.  He is in his mid 20's and dressed for the out doors.  Cargo pants and a thick long sleeve with mountain boots. He appears to have a GPS device attached to his belt. He is maybe a hunting guide, or works for an agency that is in the field often.  This new member is greeted by a general round of cheers.  A popular guy.  He also takes a beer. A gal in her mid early to mid 20's joins the table, she is greeted by the guy that was taking a stroll around the patio while talking on the phone.  I suspect that she was the one that he was on the phone with. The idea that they are early into a romantic relationship is reinforced by their brief hug and no kiss upon her arrival. They do hold hands however as he introduces her to the table.  He seems very proud of her.

Well unfortunately I had to switch out of amateur anthropologist mode before I could see what hi-jinx my last observation table got into as they drank more and more. I had my own responsibility to entertain some friends that spotted and joined me at my table. But still, it was a very good afternoon for observations.  Interesting group of patrons on this winter day. Quickly allow me to recap some of the common trends:

• young crowed, no one appeared to be over their mid 30's
• cell phone usage was moderate for the most part.  It was heavy at the tables I suspected it would be.  The table with the 6 guys and 1 gal had the least usage per capita, but that is suspected since it was mostly guys
• the cold didn't seem to have much effect on the patrons, besides they were a little more hunched up than normal
• and as normal, beer was the drink of choice across the board

That is all I have for you folks this week! Make sure to check back next week as it will be my last report! I hope we can squeeze one more nice day out of November for it!

-Al

Friday Night Bites

I am back at an old restaurant from a previous field note, number 3.  It try to sit in the same section as the last time in order to get a more repetitive perspective. I am sitting near the back of elevated seating area. The restaurant is more crowded than the last time. I am here at the same time and day of the week though. The area isn't as clean as the last time, perhaps the crowded dinner rush has left the establishment short staffed. Not incredibly unsanitary but there are dishes left on more than 3 tables near me.

The table at the entrance of the elevated section has a large family with two tables pushed together. There is a mother, father, three daughters and an infant that I believe belongs to the eldest daughter. The family appears to be Hispanic and from the vernacular used in the bits of conversation I can hear, they speak a Spanish-English mix. The father is balding with nice clothes on. The mother has her hair done and a fresh nail job; they are at least 2 inches long. They both appear to be in their late forties to fifties. The eldest daughter is talking to the parents about something that has to do with UTEP. The eldest looks like she is in her early twenties. The teenage sister to her left is consumed by her cell phone, she gives the impression of not knowing if anyone is around her. When the waiter comes teenage daughter barely looks up to respond. The final daughter is about 6-10 years old. She sits with pig tails and an El Paso Chihuahuas t-shirt. She is playing with what looks like her infant nephew.

The restaurant is clearing up after about half an hour of my note taking. The noise from the bar has significantly died down because of a large group of college football fans leaving. The kitchen has become slightly louder with the clanking kid dishes. But I could probably attribute that to the emptying of the store.

The table next to me that has filled up has a group of four. It looks like two couples. They both appear to be in high school because of their attire. Three of the four are wearing letterman jackets from a local high school. They are all talking about a football game that is being hosted the college stadium. Apparently they left the game at the half because they were hungry. The two girls of the table are talking to each other about something on a social media site. They are sharing each other’s phones and laughing.

My night here is over but people are still coming into the restaurant. The popularity may be from the family atmosphere and diverse American based menu, appealing to a wider range of people. This restaurant may have the most diverse ethnic audience. More than any of the other places that I have visited. 

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 10

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic here again, but please, just call me Al. It is another beautiful Friday afternoon here at my field site.  It is just past 1pm when I take my seat. It is a clear and sunny day, and as always there is rock music being played in the background. Without prompting, the waitress brings me a beer. I guess that means I can consider myself a 'regular' here. What started out as just an excuse to drink and do homework has turned into an episode of "Cheers".  But let's get back to the observation at hand.  There is a decent turnout today. Today has been a break to the cold weather we have been having and it seems everyone wants to take advantage of this weather before winter moves in for good.

First off there is a table with three guys, all in their mid 20's. They are all dressed casually and all have a relaxed posture with each other. They are all having beer and ordering lunch.  Their conversation is fairly animated. A lot of bouts of laughter and hand gestures.  This behavior continues all through their lunch.  After their plates are cleared, they all hang around for another round of beers.  Their phones all laid untouched on their table while they ordered and ate, but now that lunch is finished they all start browsing their phones. Phone usage goes from non existent to very heavy very quickly. While they are browsing their phones their conversation stops.  This last for about five to ten minutes, then one of them shows something funny from his phone to the other two, this is received well and their conversation becomes animated again. Phone usage among the three drops down to light after this and for the remainder of the time they are at their table.  But periodically one of them would make a call or check a message. If I had to guess, I would say these guys are pretty good friends and not brothers.

The next table is seating one guy, mid to late 30's, and one gal, mid 20's.  They are both dressed business casual. They are having lunch and looking over what looks like a college paper. They are having a quiet conversation. Their postures are relaxed.  I am unsure of what sort of relationship they have.  Their postures suggest that they are comfortable with each other, but there is no actual physical contact, so I wouldn't guess that they are not romantic.  The man leaves after they finish lunch, he gives the girl a small hug before he leaves, however she doesn't stand up to receive it. This may mean that they have a professional relationship, maybe coworkers, or maybe a professor and grad student. I am gonna assume the latter.  After the man leaves, the gal stays at the table, she is either waiting on someone else to join her, or she is waiting on the tab.  That question is answered when the waitress brings her the bill eventually. The entire time the gal was at the table by herself she was on her phone constantly.  This isn't surprising. Single gals and single guys in public seem to feel awkward if they aren't doing something. Side not, while she was having lunch with the older gentleman, neither of them used their phones.

There is a table seating two gals both in their early to mid 20's.  They are dressed very casual and are very laid back in their posture.  It is apparent these two are close friends because of their casualness with each other. What is interesting however, is that neither of them are using their phones.  Normally I would expect two girls in their 20's to both be on their phones at least periodically. This lack of phone use makes me think these two probably are close friends, but they haven't seen each other in a while so they want to catch up. That is something I would normally expect from two guys, rather than two girls. Their conversation through their meal was animated with a lot of smiling and laughing. When it came time to pay the tab they split the check.

That is all I have for you folks this week! It certainly was an interesting hour. Lemme recap quickly for you.

• For the most part, phone usage was very light.  A little surprising.
• Beer, as always, was the most ordered drink.
• Mostly college kids in their 20's.
• Mostly an animated bunch, maybe cause everyone was happy to have the warmer weather.

Well another week down and another observation posted. I believe there are only two field site observations left. I am interested to see how interactions will change as the weather gets colder in the coming weeks. Check back in next week and see what I turn up!

-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 9

Well folks, bad news today. As you know this is Dr. Alan Coholic here, but please call me Al. The patio where I have spent every Friday for the last nine weeks observing people's interactions with each other while drinking cheap beer was closed for a wedding! Who has a wedding at a sports bar and grill? So my observations this week will take place from inside the restaurant in the bar area. The bad news is that my observations may be a little off because the atmosphere of the bar is very different than the patio, it is darker, louder, more cramped, and has several TVs showing various ESPN channels. I will do my best to filter out some of these atmospherics and just focus on the interactions of the patrons but it will be a little more difficult.  The good news however, beer is still $2.50 a pint, so the day isn't entirely lost!

It is a little after 1 in the afternoon when I am turned away from my patio and take a seat in a booth at the back of the bar.  It is substantially more crowded in here than normally, this may be due in part to the patio being closed off. The overall feeling of this crowd seems a little more rowdy than usual, this may also be due to the atmosphere of the bar. It is darker and louder, everyone seems to be trying to talk over each other.  I am going to pick a few of the more subdued tables to draw my observations from.

First off there is a table with two girls in their mid 20's chatting quietly. They are dressed casually and both have a backpack.  So these are probably college kids grabbing some lunch before or after class. Only one of the girls is drinking a beer.  Maybe she is cooling her nerves before a major exam, I know that always works for me. Even though the bar is pretty loud, the two of them keep their conversation quiet, they lean in to each other when they are speaking. Their postures are very relaxed and they smile a lot.  I suspect they are probably classmates and friends. The girl with the beer also pulls out and checks her phone periodically. It is less phone usage than I would expect from two girls in their 20's. As suspected they split the check when they are ready to leave.

There is a large group in the back of the bar.  Four guys and two gals are all having a very animated lunch together.  They are all in their mid 20's and dressed casual.  At first glance I thought they might be a study group but the two girls in the group were showing a lot of affection to the guys they were sitting next to. It is unlikely that two members of a study group would bring along two other significant others.  So I am leaning to this just being a large group of friends.  This seems confirmed by everyone interacting with each other.  They all seem very comfortable with each other.  No one even seems to mind the heavy PDA coming from the two couples. Unfortunately from where I was sitting I wasn't able to see if any of them had their phones out. I would suspect there was heavy usage of phones with that group based off of their age and outward appearances, but I cannot say for sure. The group was joined by one more guy also in his 20's and carrying a backpack, it would seem he just got out of class and is meeting up with his friends for a Halloween beer. This kid was either really popular or the group was inebriated since they all cheered and clapped when he showed up at their table. The latter seems more likely.

Sitting at the bar, there is a gal in her early 30's and a guy in his mid 40's. The girl is dressed as some sort of fairy or witch, I am not really sure which. The guys is dressed casual.  On first glance I would not expect these two to be together. Their age and difference in appearance makes me think they are only chatting together because they happen to be sitting next to each other.  But they seem to be having too good of time to only have just struck up a conversation.  It is possible that they may be a couple, or maybe co workers.  But I just didn't get that vibe from them.  The gal had her phone out fairly often.  She took several pictures of her beer, which is common for gals these days.  The guy never pulled his phone out while he was there, also which isn't very surprising. I was never able to figure out what sort of relationship these two had with each other. They did however leave together, I think the guy paid for them both.  I missed the actual transaction so I can't say for sure.  They may have been brother and sister, or maybe they were a romantic couple after all.  Weirder things have happened.

A single guy takes a table to himself and orders a beer.  He is dressed casual and has his backpack with him.  The idea that he is a college kid is reinforced when he pulls out a not book and some paper from his back pack and starts doing what looks like math.  He uses his phone sparsely.  This is not surprising since he is by himself, but I would expect a little more phone usage from him. He does seem intent on his work in front of him so that may be why he isn't on his phone more.

Well that is all I have for you folks this week.  Even though I wasn't able to do my observation from my usual spot on the patio, I felt this went well.  I was a little surprised there wasn't more people dressed up for Halloween in the bar. Let me hit a quick review for you:

• Crowd of mostly college kids with their backpacks.
• Just about everyone was drinking beer.
• Light to moderate phone usage across the board.
• Everyone was more animated than normal, this may be due to the overall loudness of the bar area, the fact that it was Halloween, because everyone was drinking beer, or maybe it was a combination of all three.

So all in all this went pretty well being inside, though next week I expect to have my usual spot back outside so I can keep up some continuity. Happy Halloween y'all. 

-Al 

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 8

Hey folks, Dr. Alan Coholic with you again. But as always, just call me Al! Another beautiful fall day at my field site. It is just after one in the afternoon as I order a beer and pull out my note pad.  The first thing I notice is that there is no background music today.  Normally it is satellite alternative rock station that is quietly belting out pearl jam in the background.  The music has never to seemed to have much of an effect on the patrons here, but maybe the lack of music will? I am interested to find out.

My first observation focuses on a table of four men, probably in their mid 60's, and having lunch together.  They are all dressed in similar outdoor clothing.  Heavy long sleeve button down shirts and cargo pants.  This makes me believe they are all co workers and coming from the same place, some place with lots of mud seeing as how their cargo pants have splashes of dried mud.  Some sort of wild life management if had to guess their profession.  They are having a fun lunch it seems, a lot of laughing and a lot of animated hand gestures.  Since none of them are drink any alcohol I can assume they will probably be heading back to work after they finish their meal.  Not unsurprising they split their check when they are ready to leave.  Also not very surprising, none of their phones ever made an appearance at their table.  It seems the older generation aren't much fans of social media.

A man and a woman, late 50's to mid 60's are having a quiet conversation together while they look over a couple of menus.  They are dressed casual and relaxed as they sit across the table from each other.  Their casual dress and late age leads me to believe they are probably married and out just for some lunch.  They are joined by a woman in her 30's about ten minutes after they sit down.  This new woman is dressed in what appear to be scrubs. She must be a nurse or care taker on break.  This younger woman has similar features to the older couple she has joined, especially the older woman.  Their difference in age but similarity in appearance makes it safe to assume she is their daughter and they are just catching up with her over her lunch break. Through their entire lunch their conversation remains quiet, but they all seem to be enjoying each other's company. This is another table where cell phones never make an appearance during the course of their meal.

A single man, mid 20's, is seated alone at a table.  He is dressed in the hipster style with tight jeans that are rolled up past his ankles, a flannel button up shirt and ray bands glasses.  It seems he is just having a beer or two before class since he has his back pack with him.  Not surprisingly, he is listening to music on his phone and doesn't look away from it once while he is having his beer. At one point he even arranged his beer in a more "artistic" manner and took a few pictures of it, probably to post to a social media site so his friends can see how trendy he is.

Two girls in their early to mid 20's sit down together.  They are dressed casual and are probably college students based off their age and dress.  One is carrying a small gift bag.  This makes me think she has had a birthday recently and her friend gave her a gift and is also treating her to lunch.  My suspicions are soon proven right when she opens her bag and pulls out a new purse thing.  They have a fairly animated lunch together and sit very close to each other.  I would suspect two girls their age to have their phones out while at lunch together, but this never happens.  This leads me to assume that these girls probably haven't hung out one on one in some time.  This girl's birthday gave them an excuse to go out and catch up, there fore they could ignore their phones and focus on each other's company.

Sadly, I had to cut my observations a little short today.  But none the less it was a very interesting afternoon of study.  There was a broad range of patrons today. Lemme hit a few of the high points real quick.

• Mostly groups out to have lunch together.
• Broad range of age and race.
• Not much alcohol was served.
• Phones use was low on the tables I expected it to be, but also at the table with the two girls where I expected it not to be.
• Weather had no effect on the patrons as it was sunny and warm.
• Lack of background music had no effect on patrons, but I think since this takes place outdoors the ambient noise from  the street and just being outside was enough background for the patrons.  
• Though the music did come back on, no effect was recorded.

That is all I have for you folks this week! My next observation will take place on Halloween, I am interested to see what kind of interesting behavior the patrons at my field site will demonstrate then!
-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 7

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic checking in with you again! But please, just call me Al.  Today is another beautiful day, the sun is out and it is that time of year when it isn't too hot this time of day.  Another perfect day for a couple cold pints with a few friend's or family.

Interesting enough my usual field work site was sparsely populated upon my arrival. Normally by this time of day there are several groups of people from which I can draw my observations, today however, upon my arrival there are only two subjects out on the patio. Let's hope a few more patrons show up before too long.

First off there is a single male, late 20's or early 30's maybe.  He is casually dressed and kicked back in his chair with a beer in front of him.  He is on his phone often and looks to have some paperwork on the table as well.  Maybe this is just a lunch break for him and he wanted to get some work done while relaxing with a beer? Though his casual dress suggests otherwise. He may be a grad student or even a young professor, but I do not have enough clues to draw a solid conclusion about this guys line of work.

The other patron is a single woman, mid to late 40's.  Also casually dressed and having lunch with a few cocktails.  She is glued to a laptop at all times. I am assuming it is probably the free WiFi that attracted her here today. I am also unable to draw many conclusions from just her outward appearance.

Two men show up on the patio about 15 mins into my observations. Both are mid 30's and are dressed casually, though one is in full cowboy regalia.  They are very relaxed in their postures.  Their conversation is fairly animated.  They seem to be enjoying each other's company thoroughly. Their relaxed postures and similar ages makes me think they are probably old buddies just catching up over a couple beers on this fine day.  Their phones are out and on the table, but they are not getting much use.  The only time one of them uses a phone is while the other is in the restroom.

2 more guys, early 20's, take a table near me.  They are dressed in baggy clothes and one has many tattoos, including several on his face.  They are not out of place at this location, but not what you expect see around this time of day here. Only one orders a beer, the other orders a coke.  They are relaxed and both seem to be browsing their phones.  They are joined by another guy only a few minutes after they sit down. This new arrival is also dressed very baggy and has a coat that is much to heavy for this warm weather, though I know this is just a style some follow.  He appears to be younger, maybe 16 or 17.  After he arrives they chat casually for only a couple minutes before they all get up to leave.  They hand the waitress money for their tab on their way out. The beer and soda that they did order are left hardly drunk on their table.  I cannot fathom what is more important than finishing a beer, but that is what happen.

That is it for this week folks! Sorry it was a slower day! Main observations today are that most everyone was drinking beer, or another alcohol, and cell phones were present at all tables, though they were used super heavily.
Join me next week!
-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour 5, The Dark Hour Rises

Howdy folks! Dr. Alan Coholic here yet again bringing you another fun filled blog! But as always please just call me Al.  It is about 1:15 on this sunny afternoon.  The weather is beyond perfect for drinks with family and friends! I am, of course, leading by example and enjoying a cold pint myself as I settle in and prepare my note pad.  The atmosphere of this little patio is quiet.  As normal there is rock playing in the background.  The patio already has several full tables which is a little out of the ordinary, but again it is too perfect of a day not to ditch responsibilities and have a pint or two. Well, what do you say we do this?

So first off we have a table with two older gals in their late 40's I would guess.  Both are in casual dress and having lunch. Their conversation seems to be quiet, though they are still both very animated in their gestures.  That leads me to believe they are close friends.  Also they are sitting close together and keep a relaxed posture for the duration of their meal.  As expected they split the tab when it was time to pay the bill. Another point, which was kind of expected, was that they never brought their phones out.

There is a table with an older man probably in his 50's, an older woman in her late 40's, and a gal in her 20's. They are all having lunch and dressed casually. Their conversation is fairly quiet as well.  I am fairly certain this a family.  The older woman and the younger gal look very similar.  If I had to take a guess I would assume this is just a family having lunch with their college daughter.  The mom picks up the tab at the end of their meal.  An interesting point is that no one at this table brought out their phones either.

A table across the patio from me is sitting a man and woman, late 40's or early 50's maybe.  Both are relaxed and sitting close together.  They are having lunch. Their conversation is very quiet as well. I don't think I would be far off by saying that they are probably a married couple.  Evidence for this is that there are very long stretches of silence between the two of them while they are enjoying the weather. During these periods of quiet neither brings out their phone.  This leads me to believe they are very comfortable together and don't need outside entertainment.

This next group is four older gals in their 40's.  All are wearing similar outfits.  Pink tops and black bottoms.  That makes me believe they are part of a group or club.  Based off of the pink tops something to do with breast cancer I assume.  They are all having beers and their conversation is very animated.  Lots of bouts of laughter and lots of hand gestures.  They seem like a pretty fun bunch.  Also not a single one of them pulls out a phone while they enjoy their lunches and conversations.  They split the tab as expected.

There is a table with just a single guy in his 20's dressed casual and doing homework it seems.  He has the right idea as he is having a beer as well.  He pulls out a phone after he gets his second beer and makes a very long phone call.  While he is on the phone he becomes much more animated. Also his posture becomes very relaxed, he slouches back in his chair.  I can assume he is on the phone with a close buddy. Once he does get off the phone he puts it away and it doesn't make another appearance.

A group of two guys and a gal come take a table near me. They are in their 20's all casually dress and carrying notebooks and some paper work.  Safe to say they are probably college students, maybe a study group. Evidence they are only a study group and not close friends is that they take seats on opposite sides of the table and immediately start discussing class work it appears.  Even though they are relaxed I am sure they are nothing more that a study group. I do catch occasional glimpses of phones, but it is more to check the time it seems.

Alright folks it is time I start to wrap this up for the day! Let me hit a few highlights real quick for you!

• Older crowd today, mostly 40's and 50's.
• Mostly eating lunch, very few drinks containing alcohol.
• Besides the one guy talking on his phone, phones made very few appearances
• Very subdued day, everyone was just enjoying the weather and not being very loud.

Well, sadly that is all I have for you folks this week. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Join me again next week for more exciting observations!

your friend,

-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour Four, Time is on our side.

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic back in the saddle again, but please just call me Al. It is just past 1 pm and it is a perfect day to enjoy a couple of cold beers with friends.  The atmosphere is the usual, a rock satellite radio station is playing in the background and birds fight over discarded crumbs.  I suspect a good turnout today so without further ado let's get this going.

First we have a table of what appears to be the cast from The Real Housewives of Las Cruces, four women three of which are in their mid 40's and one that appears to be a little younger, probably mid 30's, all finely dressed and drinking cocktails. They are having an animated conversation with lots of hand gestures and bouts of laughter. For the most part these women seem to be good friends, they appear to be very comfortable and relaxed in their postures.  But besides that it is hard to determine if they are friends from work or neighbors or what just based on observing them. What is interesting is that the only phone visible at the table belongs to the younger woman, she is not on it often, but she is the only one that does use the phone at their table.

There is a table sitting two gals in their 20's.  Both are college students I am going to assume since they are dressed casually and have backpacks with them. They are having a quiet conversation. Relaxed in their posture. I am going to feel safe saying they are only friends.  Sure enough when the bill comes they split the check. Also this table is light with their cell phone use.  The only time I viewed them with their phones was while they were waiting for the waiter to settle the tab. I figured two girls in their 20's would be glued to their phones, I wonder what is different.  With two tables that have no major cell phone use I've made a note to really focus on whether that is a going to be a trend or not today.

About 10 minutes after I sit down, a man alone in his 30's takes a seat at the bar by himself with a beer.  He is dressed casual and rocks a pony tail.  I thought at first he may have only come out to the patio to smoke, but after his second beer and fifth cigarette he appears to be just a guy drinking and smoking alone.  He keeps to himself, but like me, he appears to be doing quite a bit of people watching himself.  He never brings out a phone.

About 20 minutes in 2 gals and 2 guys take a seat at a table across from me.  All in their 20's all in casual dress.  The guys and gals sit on opposite ends of the table from each other, which is almost impressive as it is a very small round table. This leads me to believe none from this group is romantically involved.  More evidence for this theory is that even though the conversation is animated, when one of the gals is speaking both of the guy's lean forward. Their body language is telling me that they are not on a date, but they would like to be.  This table has heavy cell phone use from the two girls, they take selfie after selfie and when their beers arrive it is nothing but pictures of beers, probably for some social media site. The guys don't bring out their phones. So far this is the only table that I have noticed that have paid attention to the background music, every now and then one of them will sing along with the music.  This may be because their conversation while animated doesn't have any substance so it is easier for outside distractions. Which I feel wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination, once I overheard them talking about horoscopes I decided I had enough material and moved on to the next group.

Lastly a guy and gal sat down near me.  The gal was in her mid to early 20's and the guy was late 20's maybe early 30's.  They are dressed casual. The gal has her backpack with her so she most likely is a student.  They sit very close together, but I never got the vibe that they were romantically involved, maybe because there was no actual physical contact between them. Their conversation was very quiet, but they were both smiling so they were having a good time.  Neither of them bring out a phone during the entire duration of their lunch. Their posture was relaxed their entire meal.  The guy did pick up the check at the end.
That is all I have for you folks this week! Quite an interesting afternoon! Lemme hit a quick overview from today's observation.

• Beer once again was the drink of choice.
• Interesting mix of age.  Not a common trend for this time of day.
• With the exception of the one table, cell phone use was almost nothing! Huge difference from last week.

Sorry I don't have more for you folks this week, but what I did get today was very interesting in deed.  So please join me next week and let's see what else I can uncover!

-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour Three, We're Gonna Need a Bigger Hour

Heya folks! Dr. Alan Coholic checking in again! But please, just call me Al. I am back to my local watering hole with my notepad and a cold beverage again.  It is a tiny bit later in the afternoon than I normally kick off my observations. This is manly due to the weather having the potential to turn bad, since my observations take place on a patio I wouldn't have many individuals to study if the rain kept everyone away! There is of course an indoor section where patrons can enjoy their beverages in a dry setting, but where is the fun in that? Fingers crossed for good weather!

The time is a little after 1:30 in the afternoon. As I mentioned, the weather has the potential to bring some rain, but right now it is only partly cloudy. There is rock music playing in the back ground, some really great tunes if you focus your attention on it, but if you're having a conversation with friends you would never notice the music. There were two tables occupied when I pulled up shop.
Firstly there was a table with two men in their mid to late 30's both in sort of a business casual dress. They could be professors from the university or just friends our for a drink.  One has a beer, the other gentleman is enjoying a mixed drink, gin and tonic or maybe a vodka club.  They are both relaxed in their chairs, leaned back with legs crossed.  The conversation is quiet but easy.  They are both wearing relaxed smiles.  This leads me to believe that whether they are work acquaintances or friends they have known each other for some time.  I have also been noticing that when friends, or groups or friends are really close the usage of cell phones is limited.  This can be seen with these two men, there is no phone in view for either, and through the course of my observation neither of them ever checked a phone for messages or time.  When it came time for them to close out their tab, they split the check.  A normal thing to do when good friends.

The other table that was occupied upon my arrival sat two woman.  I imagine they might have been mother daughter as they had similar features, but besides that I was not able to get any other hints towards their relationship. The younger woman was in her early 20's, maybe under 21 even, the older woman was in her mid 40's.  Both were having iced tea and eating lunch.  They were both in very casual dress, and were speaking quietly, but happily to each other.  Their attention to their phones was minimum for most of the meal, but when the younger gal went to use the rest room the older woman pulled out her phone and it stayed out for the rest of the meal, even after the younger gal came back out.  Towards the end of their meal a man in his late 20's comes out to their table and has a brief conversation with the both of them. He appeared to know the younger gal since it appeared he was speaking more to her.  While there was no physical contact between the man or other of the women they all had smiles and seemed comfortable with each other.  After only a few minutes the man left.

A few minutes after I sat down and started my notes two gals in their mid 20's entered the patio.  Both were in casual attire and carrying book bags. It would be safe to assume they were college kids. I noted that they both had their cell phones in hand even before they took their seats.  Both gals only ordered water.  Their posture was very relaxed and very easy. The conversation was fairly animated.  I observed heavy cell phone usage throughout their conversation. After about ten minutes a guy in his mid 20's joins them with a beer in his hand. It is apparent he is an acquaintance of one of the girls as she introduced the guy to the other girl.  But there was never any physical contact between the guy and either girl.   He even took a seat at the far end of their table.  It was hard to hazard a guess at this guy's relationship with the girls.  It was obvious that he knew one of them, but the lack of physical contact and his seat at the far end of the table made me wonder how close they might be.  Even though he was not a close friend of theirs the conversation was still very easy and their postures were all very relaxed.  This guy must just be a classmate or co-worker. Regardless, cell phones were in heavy use by both of the girls the entire duration.

Two women, one in her 20's and one in her 40's took seats at a table across the patio from myself.  I would guess mother and daughter upon first inspection. They both took iced teas and ordered lunch.  The older woman was using her phone constantly, This adds more evidence to them being mother and daughter since conversation wasn't a big priority it seemed.  But when they took their check at the end of the day they split the bill. That doesn't seem normal for a mother and daughter to split their lunch bill, but for them it may be. Interesting none the less.
Well, as much as I would love to keep going, it is time to stick a fork in today's observations.  Let's review some commonalities from today's excursion.

• Beer was not the major preference of the patrons today.  
• Mostly a younger crowd.  
• Cell phones were in abundance at almost every table.
• The conversation was mostly subdued.

Alright sports fans that is all I have for you today! I hope you've enjoyed! See you next time!

-Al

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour Two The Re-Houring

Hey folks! Dr. Alan Coholic here again, but feel free to call me Al! I am back at my local watering hole gearing up for another rousing round of field work.  It's nearing 1 pm on this Friday afternoon. My only concern is that we may get some rain moving through here which could pose as a problem since I am doing my observations from the patio.  A silver lining though, is that I get the added bonus of observing people's behavior if the weather conditions do turn south.  Weather will definitely be something I will be keeping an eye on this afternoon.

When I arrived there were only a single couple on the patio having a round of beers.  They were both in their late 20's or early 30's.  Both in casual dress and having a quiet but animated conversation.  I am unsure of their relationship based on their body language.  They aren't close together but they are very relaxed in their postures and appear to be very comfortable together. I will try to come back to them if I can note anything interesting as they continue their afternoon.

Shortly after I sat down a large group came out to the patio.  Six men and one woman, all in their late 20's and all dressed casual. Gender aside they were a very diverse group of ethnic back grounds.  This leads me to surmise they are some sort of study group, probably grad students that are out to enjoy cheap drinks on a Friday afternoon.  They are extremely relaxed with each other, their postures is very comfortable. Most of them are slouched back in their chairs and laughing openly.  All but two of them ordered beer.  The two beer holdouts both ordered mixed drinks, gin and tonic I am going to assume since a slice of lime was included.  This group looks settled in for a long hull, apparently they are not worried about the storm clouds.

Two women in their mid 20's pull up to a table about 20 minutes after I sit down. They sit on the other side of the patio and there is a tree partially obscuring my view so it will be hard to keep up with them.  But they both ordered beer and sit very close to each other so it is safe to assume they are close friends.  Even though they are sitting close together they are having an animated conversation.

About 40 minutes into my observations two more women come out to the patio and also take a their own table.  Both are in their mid 20's like the last two women that came out.  They are dressed casual like everyone else this afternoon but one of them is carrying a large bag that says, "Happy Birthday!" I am going to take a stab and guess they are two friends that are having a birthday drink.  Sure enough they both order beer an proceed to have a very animated conversation, lots of laughing and smiling.  They are also sitting close together.

As I wrap this post up I am struck by a commonality that I never expected to see, especially among groups of people in their 20's and 30's. I did not see a single phone during my entire observation.  This further to leads me to believe all of these groups are indeed very close.  
Other than the very interesting observations about the phones the other common trends included:

• Just about everyone ordered beer, not shocking though since it was happy hour.
• Everyone was very relaxed and animated in their conversations.  Again I believe all were close friends.
• The threat of a rain storm did nothing to douse these group's sunny dispositions. Though it never actually rained so I can't be completely sure about this.
• And as expected as the more the groups drank the louder and more animated they became.  

That's all I have this week folks! I am starting to see some interesting common trends already! Check back next week for more! 

Your friendly neighborhood drinking buddy,

-Al 

 

The Happy Hour Chronicles: Hour One, Attack of the......something ominous

Dr. Alan Coholic here, but please just call me Al.  For the next twelve weeks I will be reporting from a bar/restaurant that always seems to have quite the mix of patrons.  So let's get started.

First off I was interested in how the weather may have an effect on the other patrons at this establishment since the the patio, where I was sitting, is a popular place for the patrons to enjoy.  I was interested to see if the rain we had in the morning and the afternoon overcast would discourage any of the patrons.  But that never seemed the case. They time of my visit was roughly 1 pm.

When I first arrived there were there tables occupied with two people each.  Table one sat two women. The first woman was probably in her mid thirties in business attire,Jessica we will call her, and the second woman was in her mid twenties and dressed casual, let's call her Jackie.  They both had already finished their meals it appeared and were having a quiet conversation.  Jessica was drinking iced tea and Sara was having water.  Though their conversation was subdue they were both very relaxed and had smiles on their faces. I am going to assume they were just friends or maybe coworkers whether than relatives because the split the check when it came time to pay.

The next table that was already sitting when I arrived appeared to be a middle aged couple. Husband and wife I presume.  The husband, Jim, was dressed more casually than his wife, Jennifer.  They both were having lunch and drinking iced tea. Since their proximity was close to me I overheard Jim mention that he preferred lime to lemon in his tea.  I don't feel like that is indicative of anything, but I felt like it was something to take note of.  After they finish their meal they continue their quiet conversation while finishing their tea.  But after a few minutes of conversation Jennifer starts browsing her phone, Jim then pulls out his own phone and starts to brows as well.  Jim paid their tab and they left together.

The third table sat two middle aged men, both in their late forties I presume and both dressed casually.  Both men were drinking glasses of beer. There seemed to be very little conversation at their table, but they seemed very relaxed none the less. For the sake of my notes I will call them Jack, James. I will get back to these two a little bit later in my notes.

While is was enjoying my own beer and taking notes a couple in about their thirties sat down. The man Jimmy, was in casual attire. The woman, Julia, was in more of a business casual outfit.  Both ordered a round of beer while they looked over the menu.  They were quiet but were very relaxed and smiled often.

Two women, a mother and daughter I ascertained, and a man, the younger woman's boyfriend, got a table not far from me. They were all dressed casual.  The mother, Joy, ordered a glass of white wine, the daughter, Jordan, and the boyfriend, Jose, ordered a half blue moon half cider drink.  I took a personal note of my own to try that later, for science of course.  All three of them were very animated and their conversation was easily heard by everyone on the patio.  Anytime the conversation did slow down they would turn to their phones.  Finding something on a social media site would give them another topic to converse about.

Going back to the table with the two middle aged men,Jack and James, a young woman in her mid twenties, Jasmine, dressed business casual seemed to know James from somewhere.  She came up to their table and had an animated conversation while she appeared to be waiting for someone else.  And as I had suspected, after five minutes or so a man in his mid twenties, Jorge, came into the conversation and then he and Jasmine found their own table and ordered a round of beer.

My time was drawing to an end so as I was waiting for my own tab I jotted down a few consistences I had noted from my visit.

• Beer was the predominate drink.  Everyone that showed up after about 1:15 or so that sat down ordered a beer with the exception of Joy who ordered a white wine.  I am not sure if this was due more to happy hour, or because it was a Friday afternoon.
• Everyone seemed very relaxed and in a general good mood.  Again this can probably be contributed to it being Friday and happy hour.
• Phones weren't as predominate as I had suspected that they might be.  While each table pulled out a phone at least once, they were not the main focus of any of the patrons.

That's all I have this week folks, check back next time and see what I have for ya!

-Al