Shoe pick up

It was Friday night as i was getting ready for bed as i remembered that some shoes where coming out Saturday morning. I set my alarm to 5 a.m to wake up and go camp out for the shoes. I was laying in bed watching a movie as i slowly started closing my eyes. i feel asleep, i heard my alarm go off i turned it off got out of my bed and started getting ready to leave to the mall. As i walked out the house i noticed it was cooler than usual, i knew these shorts weren't going to keep me warm so i ran back inside the house and changed into some sweats and sweater. it was 6 by the time i left my house and i knew i had to get tho the mall quick to get a good spot in line to get my shoes. 

It was still dark on my drive to the mall, it took my twenty minutes to get there i was worried because i saw a lot of cars at the parking lot and i was thinking i mite not get my pair. I get out of my car and run inside it was quite as i was running to footlocker, as soon as i got there i saw 3 people in front of me i was hopping they weren't my shoe size luckily only one was a 9.5 like me. Time past by and more people started showing up for the shoes. As i was sitting down one guy walks to the front of the line with his friend that was already there, the guy behind them got bothered and told his friend to go to the back of the line. 

they started to argue with each other it went from quite and peaceful to loud and physical real quick.  the people there calmed the 3 guys down and everything was back to being normal. I was thinking to myself why fight for shoes its not worth it but some people take things to serious and argue for anything. My eyes were closing my stomach was growling i just wanted to get my shoes go home and sleep but i need to wait one more hour for them to open the store. I ended up falling asleep for a while because i couldn't stay up any longer. As i was waking up from my nap i looked at the time and it was 8:30 and the store opens at 9 but i see a guy wearing a footlocker uniform and was walking toward the store and opened it. 

  

My eyes opened up really quick i went from tired to wide awake, i stood up and started getting butterflies because i wanted to get my pair. even tho only one guy was wearing the same shoe size as me i didn't know how many pairs they got. The workers from footlocker would ask what size we needed the first 3 guys got there ticket, the guy come up to me and ask me what size so i tell him my hands were sweaty and i was nervous even though it was for some shoes, he said yes we have you're size he gives me the ticket and what a relief i felt. I end up getting my shoes and finally going back home to eat and sleep.

I was driving home i was so hungry i would pass by all these restaurants and wanted to stop but i couldn't because my mom already had breakfast ready so as soon as i open the door i get a good smell of pancakes and bacon i sat down ate with my family took a quick look at my shoes and put them with the rest of my collection. today was a good day. 

Field Notes 1

It was a rather warm morning for being so early, so early in fact that I’m not usually one to see such an early part of the day. Looking up in the clear sky without a cloud in a sight and feeling nothing but the hot sun beating down on my face made me think of the extremely hot days that have yet to come.

As I walked into the restaurant I felt a cold gust of air come over me as I opened the door, at first I actually thought it felt quite refreshing, but after a minute or so sitting at my booth I began to feel cold. After getting myself situated and placing my order I heard the woman that came in slightly after I did that was seated directly in front of me mention that it was cold inside, and upon her making that comment I looked up at her and noticed that on the back of her neck she had a small tattoo of the playboy bunny, we’ll call her Curly. Curly had a little boy (I'm assuming her son), we’ll call him Bomber as he did have an angry birds hat with the bird that explodes on it, he was about 3-4 years of age. Bomber had extremely long for a male, it seemed as though it was even longer than his mother’s (curly) hair. Bomber would not sit still and kept standing on top of the booth looking back at me on a consistent basis, most likely the typical behavior for a child of his age. Curly seemed extremely “picky” as she placed her order with many rather annoying specifications. As the two finished up their meal and headed out, more and more people began to trickle in.

With Curly and Bomber gone I could more clearly hear the annoying sound of older country music in the background.

The sound of a foreign language caught my ear and drew my attention to an Asian family. Tourists I assume as they were all wearing out-of-state college t-shirts and were dresses as if they are prepared to sit in a car for multiple hours. Two younger boys, about 5-7 years of age and an older woman and an older man, I assuming the mother and father of the two young boys. They were rather quiet and stayed to themselves as they patiently awaited their order which was taking extremely long to come out. I noticed that at first one of the young boys decided that they needed the bathroom, so the father got up to take him. Then shortly after the father and son returned to the table the other young boy decided that they also needed the bathroom, so the mother gets up and takes him. I find it unusual as to how siblings seem to want or do the exact same thing as their brothers or sisters, I’m guessing that that is just the role of the older sibling taking on the role of being a role-model. Overall, the family seemed average as they finally received their long-awaited order and began to eat.

As some people leave and new customers arrive, I noticed that all the older customers, which seem to be above the age of 40 have ordered coffee. Also, I have noticed that the older country music has stopped playing and has instead turned into more modern country music. The air conditioner has again kicked-on and it is getting to be an uncomfortably cold environment.

Most of the customers that have shown up are in pairs aside from the few families that have children, and all the pairs of customers at tables are male and female. These male and female pairs all seem to be spouses to one-another and engaged in what seems to be small talk as neither of them seem to be deeply engaged in conversation.

A lesbian couple have entered and are sat at a booth. One of them seems to have more a masculine and serious appearance as the other appears to be more feminine. The more masculine woman (we’ll call her Sergeant) has a haircut to that of what could be considered a male hair style. Sergeant is also wearing baggy pants and a white collard polo shirt. What gives her her serious look is more within the tough looking sunglasses that she has on. Sergeant, specifically, seems to draw the most attention from people. Especially the attention from one couple that seem to be staring. I find it oddly enough that the lesbian couple have two boys, both about 3 years of age. They seem rather well behaved as they both keep to themselves and interact amongst each other.

Friday Study Sesh

It's Friday at 3:30pm. Ground floor Corbett Center. It's slow, not that I expected anything more out of a Friday afternoon. Most everyone here is studying alone on their laptops. A couple of people are on the desktops. Almost everyone not having a conversation has their headphones in.

Some guy in a plaid shirt has been on the phone making multiple phone calls. He looks fairly frantic, darting eyes and big hand gestures. He’s too far away for me to hear, but I think I can safely assume they’re business calls.

A girl in a polka dot dress keeps looking at me. I think she’s doing her field observation as well. Awkward.

The other people around me include:

            Serious Student, who looks very intense about the paper she’s writing.

            Acid Wash Denim Shirt, who looks like she’s struggling with her stats

homework.

            The Bagel Workers, who are cleaning house.

            The Trio, 3 women deep in conversation.

And of course a constant trickle of people passing through.

Bagel Workers are having animated conversation, enjoying the fact that it’s almost quittin’ time, Serious Student is still working intently, and Acid Wash looks as though she has been defeated. Polka Dots has left me to observe the room on my own, but maybe I’ll see her again next week.

A new face enters the scene. He’s wearing a blue shirt. He ‘s trying to chat up some pretty girl, but doesn't seem to be having much luck.

Bagel workers have all left by now and Serious Student has switched to checking tumblr and her texts. There are only about 8 people left of the original 20(ish). Blue shirt gave it his all, but leaves unsuccessful. Someone at the ATM looks very frustrated, like the machine can’t go fast enough for her busy lifestyle, which I've noticed is how most people act towards the ATM.

One of the Trio looks as though she might cry, while the other two look sympathetic and as if they’re trying to offer her advice. Acid Wash has dived back into her statistics with new fervor, but Serious Student is still slacking.

Soon they will both get up and leave. But not before I do. I shall leave them to their studies for now, and hopefully see them again next week.

Moments before the bell

As I enter the building all is silent but the sound of the white buzzing lights. It's a big enough area for more than 50 people to congregate, but it's a bit too early for the building to be full. I see 15 students (which I think are students because of their appearance). About half are in their own group of friends and the others just sitting quietly around the plants.

As I look straight ahead I see a female with a green blouse. She is observing the bulletin board stapled with papers for different sports, clubs and services. Green blouse doesn't seem interested in the papers, it seems she is reading the board to kill time before her class starts.

To my ten o clock I see a group of three students seated at a table. 2 males and one female. One is wearing a baseball cap, he is a bit huskier. The other male is wearing a navy blue shirt and khaki pants which reminds me of walmarts uniform. Both baseball cap and walmart are talking and laughing while the female is on her computer.

She is wearing running clothes which seems to be popular apparel for young women at this school. She seems to be finishing a paper but is in no hurry. Her elbow is propped up on the table with her hand on her chin almost as if she is bored.

Around my nine o clock are four people seated in a row. None are speaking a word, two of them are staring at their phone which I can only guess that they're on some sort of social networking site(twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.).

A few more students walk through the door speaking loudly which is almost a disturbance because of how quiet the room was. From their direction I can hear obnoxious laughing and sarcastic jokes. Sarcasm seems to be big part of comedy with people this age.

It's now ten minutes before class and I notice the room has about 30 people now. I guess most people like to be in class on time rather than ahead of time. With the room so full it make it a hassle to walk to class.

The Student Shop

Its about 95° outside and the sun is out with no signs of clouds in the sky. I arrived at CometCoins Coffee Shoppe around four in the evening. When I walk in it is quiet and all you can hear is the soft music in the background. The music is quiet enough that nothing is clearly decipherable except the sounds of a guitar playing. As I look around I spot several laptops, books and paper, and backpacks. Most of the patrons are students. There are a few older patrons who are engulfed in the Sunday paper.

There is a couple who appear to be on a study date. They’re taking up a small table in one of the far corners of the room. They sit closely at the ample table. They both quietly work rarely communicating with each other. When they communicate its in quickly hushed tones.

In the opposite corner a young male is working diligently on his computer. None of his clothes are matching. He has his computer bag placed on the table and is picking within arms reach. Every once in a while he reaches in and pulls out a morsel of food.

A table away from the lovebirds sit two girls. Their backpacks lay haphazardly on the floor and their papers are strewn across the table. They both have their computers out but neither of them are working. They are both enthusiastically having a conversation. Their voices break the silence of the coffee shop. They speak in a mix of Indian and English. It reminds me of Spanglish.

The barista at the counter is expressionless and neutral. He is polite and makes small talk with the patrons as he fills the orders. He finishes quickly although there is only a small amount of people in line.

Half an hour into my stay there is a quick rush. About ten or fifteen people fill the CometCoins in a matter of minuets. They are mostly older patrons but a few younger patrons as well.

Three young girls in their late teens sit at a table as they wait for there drinks. They all look similar to each other almost like sisters. They each have the same shade of dirty blonde hair and wear the same style yoga shorts and shirt in different colors. They reminisce about their high school senior year and how much fun they each had. They then move on to talk about their classes and professors. They all agree and disagree on the same things. None of them are happy with the amount of homework they are receiving this semester.

Another patron who came in with the rush sits down at the large table in front of the bar. He looks to be in his mid thirties. He wears a cowboy boots that match his straw hat. He wears Levis jeans and a white buttoned down shirt. Clipped on his belt buckle is his phone. It is a clunky obviously out dated flip phone. It looks like the type of phone you could run over and nothing would happen to it. In his hands he holds a very modern tablet. He seems very engrossed with what he reads. He swipes quickly through and doesn't hear his order being called until the barista calls out to him. Like most of the older patrons he is just passing through and leaves after getting his order.

The Chatty Cathys have seemed to quieted down and have begun to do their work diligently. Soon after they become productive they resume their conversation and their progress ends.

During this rush the barista has been able to flawlessly keep up. He fills multiple orders at the same time using his time efficiently.

I take note that almost everyone is drinking some form of hot beverage although it is 95° outside. Among those who drink cold drinks the males seem to only be drinking iced coffee and the females seem to be drinking fruity teas.

I also take note that all the computers with the exception of one of the Chatty Cathys are Apple brand computers.

Every Dayers, to Wanna Be Playas

Another day, another wonderful, interesting trip to the yellow and purple building right across the street from fast food joints, and near misses at the corner of a gas station, due to the orange cones, and high schoolers texting on their phones. No days off, another trip to the gym I go.

I literally tell myself this every day while slowly driving through the parking lot attempting to find a free space that I can park my car. How come there are so many people here today. It's 9:45 in the morning on a Tuesday, and I cannot for the love of God find an empty space?! Finally, a cute girl about 20 backs out and leaves. So I roll into the parking space and continue my way in. Door one? At this time I'm walking towards the entrance and at the same time this middle aged woman is. We're at that awkward distance you know? Where I don't know if I should hold the door open for her, or just go on in and let her do it herself. Thank God she picked up her pace and there was no awkward situations haha. Alright, so I walk in. Swear, it's the same groups of people every time. We got the older women on the treadmills, elevated about a half a foot. The middle aged women on the step climbers, and bikes sitting near the dumbbells, where we got the males on every bench, and strangely there was one female and the bench getting a shoulder workout in. I've noticed around this time of day there's a high school class that attends the gym. Because as a I walk through the gym planning out my workout I see a lot of young faces, girls wearing the skimpiest clothes, and the males lifting little baby weight. It's easy to tell who the high schoolars are because they are ALWAYS in a group. Like today while I was working out. There was a group of guys near me just chatting away, picking up a weight every now and then, and every once in a while a group of girls just come up to them and they talk for a while and then go their separate ways.

It's always funny working out here, because I always have my headphones in, so I'm jamming to my music, but every once in a while I take them off, and with hear the music blasting in the gym. While resting between sets, I noticed a girl on the treadmills just JAMMING to the song playing in the gym, and I can't help but be a little amused because she's just enjoying it. She catches me looking about her, and she just turns bright red, because she knew I saw her. I gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled. It's kind of funny because even though that place was packed, it really was a good atmosphere. The old ladies on the machines behind me peddling away talking about something they cooked for dinner. The high schoolars to my right, talking about "Chemistry with Denise" and the rest of them hollaring with excitement. "You going to say something?" "Bro, stop being a bitch and say something to her." Made me miss high school, man haha.

I'm going to end this post with a story about how I think I'm slowly starting to gain a gym partner. haha it's funny because we don't know each other, but we are always at the gym at the same time. Doing the same workout it seems. It's kind of weird. I mean, we never speak, but it's like," dang, always!! I don't know if she's a student or what, but it's pretty cool. I don't know her name. We just exchange hello's and smiles.

Dog's Best Friend

Its gloomy outside, yet more people are starting to arrive. Don’t they know those dark clouds that are starting to hover around us will begin to threaten us with lightning? They continue their routine without caring about the weather around them. My first impression is these people are nuts.

They’re routine consists of taking their dogs to this dog park every day after work. The dogs play as if they are at recess, while their owners sit around and watch. The park is mainly a dirt lot with a fence around it. There are a few benches and two small gazebos. Plastic lawn chairs are scattered all around the park, however the regulars have put a few together for their afternoon chats. Dog toys are found all over and there is one kitty pool that dogs use to cool down. For the owners, this park is just that, a park. However, for the dogs, this is their hangout spot.

I used to believe that dogs look like their owners but now I’m not so sure. All these dog lovers are very different, yet their love for dogs is what makes them friends. The regulars know every dog's name and talk to the dogs as if they were people. They greet the dogs and ask them how they’re doing. Thus, my second impression is these people are nuts. Moreover, some people arrive to the park in their work outfit. Others are in comfortable clothing more suitable for the outdoors. Most of the people sit by themselves or with the people they came with just watching their dogs.

The clouds continue to darken above us, and the rain has started to fall ever so gently. The dogs begin to run in a frenzy, while the owners begin to pack their things. The weather takes over and people begin to say their goodbyes with promises of seeing each other tomorrow.

Student Success Lounge

It is about 9:40 a.m. and this particular part of campus is usually rather busy but then again I have never really been here this early in the morning either. There are traces of life in the general vicinity, a slow but steady stream of students trickle in and through the main walk way. Several individuals find themselves spots to sit and review over notes or catch up on homework.

Two distinct groups make themselves very apparent as they start to set up booths just off to the side of the main walk way. The first “Booth A” appears to be setting up several items of what seems to be of an Asiatic origin such as decorative fans, a sword with tassel, etc. The second, “Booth B” seems to be a more frequent kind of display showing some sort of social group with possibly certain interest in technology. 

I notice a particular single female student sitting alone 2 tables in front of me. She seems to be studying intently from a composition notebook. I will refer to her as “Plaid” for the style of shirt she is wearing. Plaid does appear to be taking small frequent breaks from studying to simple looking around and taking a second away from her work. I suspect that she has been at it for some time and is beginning to tire out.

Several students who I will call the “Trio” are heading on their way from 1 table to three of the desktop computers close to the printing center. The each sit at their own computer and immediately start to work on the computers.

Just now Booth A is starting to get some attention, the individual however does seem to be familiar with the individuals running the booth rather than what the booth is displaying. I suspect that they are friends sampling chatting.

One of the Trio has just split from the group and is printing several documents, he then appears to leave without any indication of a farewell to the other two he was with, but I could have missed the indication ad cannot say for sure whether he said bye or not. The Trio has now diminished to a duo.

The single student who was running Booth B is now joined by a colleague to assist in whatever way, then a third female student joins Booth B and quickly settles in.

Soon after the gathering at Booth B several students begin to set up a third booth “Booth C” and they appear to be bringing some rather impressive equipment to attract attention. Their main attraction being a model airplane. It measures roughly four feet by four and a half.

After some time yet another from the original trio now proceeds to print and then leave the area. The duo is now down to a single female student still working diligently on the computer. I just now realize that plaid has left without my noticing what so ever. But at the same time I also realize that there is a total of 7 students at the once very quite Booth B.

The Pretzel Creep

Creeping on the Pretzel Guys

Fieldwork Week One

9/4/2014

I'll admit, somehow today has been rather slow. Not many people stopped by for pretzels, as I was at my location at sort of a dull hour of the day. I've made a note to try to stop by on Saturday mornings rather than Thursday afternoons. For the sake of this documentary, I will be changing the names of every location, every person, and even myself. We'll call my location Stink Valley Mall. It's really not all that bad, but there are lot's of preteen girls wandering by with much too much perfume on. Observation number one. I wonder why there are so many of them here on a Thursday afternoon? Seriously... there are swarms. It's like ever preteen in Las Cruces is walking back and fourth with their friends in some sort of ill fitting grunge style. They all seem to flirt with other preteens while trying to avoid their mom. Perhaps this is some sort of middle school dating ritual? Either way. I shall dub them Mall Rats. The only reason that I mention them in such great consideration is that one seems to be interested in a pretzel guy. I only know this because I'm posted on a bench in front of the place... certainly creeping on the pretzel guys. We'll get back to that in a moment.

Anyways! The mall rat in question has  hair that reminds me strongly of a cuckoo bird and a skunk that may have gotten too frisky, so we'll call her “Hairspray.” Seriously. This girl's hair defies gravity. Miss. Hairspray seems to have taken a fancy to one of the pretzel guys whom we will call “beardie.” I didn't notice at first. It seemed like she was just walking by loudly with her friends. Until she walked by twice. Then three times. And then a fourth. Each time this girl would walk by she would fluff her hair like a peacock and sort of strut. I mean... strut as far as strutting goes when it comes to a lanky preteen girl. She would raise her voice boisterously and look out of the corner of her eye at Beardie, trying to get his attention. Beardie caught on to it too, by the fourth time. So did all his friends. I could tell her actions were making him increasingly uncomfortable, as I'm sure Beardie is at least 10 years older than her (college age I'm sure), and not looking to do anything besides make pretzels. I do not think this is a usual occurrence as Beardie seemed quite perplexed as hairspray flipped her hair and talked and giggled with her friends loudly. Most times he just focused on rolling pretzels out as fast as he could. I must admit, it made for some pretty entertaining fieldwork, watching her strut and him trying his best to ignore her ill concealed, but very innocent, infatuation. She didn't have the guts to buy any pretzels, but eventually stopped walking by. I can only assume that after almost 30 minutes of this behavior someone came to claim their child. It was fortunate for Beardie, but unfortunate for me.

As soon as the distraction of Hairsprays wild attention tactics disappeared, there was almost an awkward lull in Stink Mall. So much so that even I, a very unseasoned mall goer, thought it may have been just a little too quiet and a little too awkward. Occasionally a couple or small group of friends would pass by the pretzel stand (we'll call it Greasy Petes). They would either guffaw and keep walking or their eyes would fill up with a dewy desire and almost awe at the butter saturated goods. They would eye the stand stealthily until they could no longer take it.. then give in and buy the greasy little bites of delight. I saw this only once or twice, and that was the only cover I had.

Eventually, after 45 minutes, Beardie and the rest of the gang (Tatt Man, Frizz, and Blondie) realized that I had been staring at them intently for almost an hour. They also realized that I had been writing things down about them. For instance.

Beardie is the master pretzel roller of Greasy Pete's. I'm kind of jealous, actually. His pretzels are fast and accurate.

Tatt man will try his best to work register if he can. He also was the one that ducked from the prep area to the back room for supplies.

Frizz is really good at getting people to eat free samples and guilting them into buying pretzels. It's an art really. I need to ask her to teach me. I call her Frizz because her hair was very very frizzy, even under a hat.

Blondie is the goof that generally does whatever he needs to do to make time go by faster. He took his time rolling pretzels and seemed to be the one that laughed the most out of all of them.

Tatt man was more serious and maybe even annoyed, but beardie seemed to smile and laugh. Frizz was almost always too busy trying to stuff pretzels down peoples throats to notice.

Either way... they noticed me staring and taking notes. At this point I didn't know who made them more uncomfortable... Hairspray or me. Either way, the last fifteen minutes was spent sitting in front of greasy petes was in an uncomfortable silence as they stared at me and I stared back. The awkwardness was amusing, as we stared at each other as if one of us had a third eye. They rolled their pretzels silently as I watched them roll them silently. That was the extent of my adventure. They were probably unsure as to whether or not I wanted pretzels. At the peak of the stare downs awkwardness (When I was fairly sure one of us was about to explode) I finally got up and wandered off silently, offering no explanation to my actions.

Just as I have dubbed them Beardie, Frizz, Tatt Man and Blondie...
I'm sure they have dubbed me the Pretzel Creep.

The Boot Store

As I walk into the boot store I can see all the different types of hats and country wear they have here. I am greeted by a man name Billy he is the manager of the store he is wearing a country still cap, button up shirt, cinch jeans and chukka shoes. His shirt was blue as well as his jeans his chukka shoes look wore out and old. He is a white man about 40 years old and has a goatee and a mustache. Both are clean and trimmed. Billy is the man to go to if you want a hat shaped whether it’s a felt hat or a straw hat. He will do about any style you want for a hat and does not charge to much.

As I start to look around the store another man comes out of the office in the store. His name was Jake. He is a younger Mexican man about 25 to 30 years old. Jake is wearing a button down shirt and blue jeans I think they are cinch but can’t tell. Jake is a nice guy always has a smile on his face and wants to help the customers find anything they need.

A little while after I enter the store I notice that Becky isn’t at work. Becky usually works week days but IS have noticed the last couple times I have come in she hasn’t been working. Becky is about 5’10 and white with blonde hair. Becky is usually wearing a country style T-shirt, cinch jeans and these high heel flip flop shoes. Becky is the girl that takes orders for clothes that have ran out or clothes that you would like them to start selling. You can always ask if a hat or shirt or jeans look good on you and she will give you her honest opinion.

As I walk around I notice that they have many different hats to choose from. They have felt hats that range from black, brown, and white. They also have straw hats. The straw hats are nice but some are a little too expensive for my taste. I notice that they even carry some Mexican style hats. I personally think these hats are ugly and ridiculous to wear. They look like a taco shell.

When I’m checking out at the store a Mexican man comes in he is wearing a black shirt and black pants. He had on a black hat that was shaped pretty nice. As I look at him I see the boots he is wearing they are Mexican boot they are black with lime green on the tops. The boots curve towards the end and come to a point. Back where I’m from we call these boot cockroach killers. We call them these because of the point they come to which is nice for when you are trying to kill a cockroach in a corner of a room.

I stayed at the store a little bit after I check out and a man and his boy walk in. The man didn’t really catch my eye but his son did. The son was wearing a black shirt, black pants, a black hat and black boots. His boots we nice but you could tell they have been worn a lot. His pants are what caught my eye they were pulled all the way up to at least his belly button from the look of them. I haven’t really seen anyone wear their pants that high in a long time and I kind of felt bad for the kid cause it didn’t really look to comfortable.

After I saw the kid I knew it was time to leave so I told Billy and Jake bye and walked out of the store. As I was leaving I was thinking of all the different ways certain people wear country clothes whether it be hats, boots, jeans or shirts. Not really anyone wears the same outfit the same way which is pretty interest.

Royalty Burger

September 07, 2014

It is early afternoon and quite cloudy even after numerous similar days lately. The tables are properly bussed, there is very little trash on the ground from customers, and the workers seem to be comfortably lax. I believe I can reliably deduce that customer traffic has been slow today, probably partly due to the weather and perhaps due to the fact that it is Sunday.

Music, which I believe to be country, is playing softly on the overhead radio. A few portraits are displayed on the walls, however a couple of them have been taken down due to what appears to be because of wear on the strapping that would have held it up. The rest of these portraits depict food in a way which is not modest in comparison to what is actually being served.

An elderly man in slacks and a dress shirt enters. His hair combed and appears to be gelled into place. He makes a call to whom I believe to be his wife before ordering. It appears he is ordering something for his wife on the way home from what I would assume to be work. He quickly receives a strawberry shake and rushes out as if he has something urgent to attend to.

A Hispanic family enters pretty loudly. The man is wearing traditional cowboy-like gear. A straw hat, worn jeans with a belt, boots, and sunglasses. The woman is wearing a blue shirt with white pants and sneakers. Their two boys, Speedy and Climber are playing around the poles that form the line to the counter. Speedy is darting around and under the poles while his brother Climber is sitting atop it near his parents. They try to order in Spanish, but the worker does not appear to know very much, so he says “uno momento por favor”, which means “one moment please”. The worker, Mr. Nohabla, gets the manager, Slick, and they are able to order. Their order takes a short while to complete and they sit down in the lobby to eat their meal.

It has started sprinkling and the Hispanic family along with their children have left, making myself the sole person in the lobby.

After about 15 minutes a man holding a motorcycle helmet and wearing one the rug burn resistant jackets enters. Jack seems to be trying to make up his mind on what to get for a long time. After ordering he sits to eat in the lobby while chatting to someone, presumably a friend, on his cell phone.

It appears that Royalty Burger’s drive thru has picked up considerably since the employee Mr. Nohabla has started bagging take-out in more of a rushed manner.

Jack gets a refill and sits back down. Although he has finished eating Jack seems content to just relax in the lobby while talking on his phone. After about another 15 minutes since his refill Jack leaves.

Mr. Nohabla appears to cleared out the cars ordering at the drive thru and starts cleaning the lobby while Slick counts his cash drawer.

The Warrior Sanctuary

The weather has been so uncertain. Rain, no rain? At least it’s not hot outside. Upon walking to the entrance, where the automatic doors open, I looked next to me and asked my friend is this where the warriors hang out? My friend smiled and laughed. Greeted by an older gentleman with a red vest on, was a badge with his name listed under the word “volunteer”. My friend and I came to this setting filled with veterans and He assured me this is a great place to partake in “people watching”.

As my friend and I were walking in I noticed how busy the lobby was. The smell of fresh popcorn fills the air. I saw they have a popcorn machine like one you would see at a movie theater popping away in the back corner of the lobby. There ahead at a permanent desk are a crowd of several men, all I notice are the volunteers, standing conversing. I watch what seems at first to be volunteers conversing, providing most are wearing red vests, it quickly becomes apparent they are helping a variety of men and women. Right away I notice a very strong friendly, family-like atmosphere.

My friend leads me to a group of older men standing around. He advises me to watch these older men interact with each other. From a distance I hear one of the men asking if anyone knew what the hell his medicine was. Watching all of them take their turn looking at this pill bottle in deep thought. Then one gentleman says, “Man, you better check that one out, these doctors get you losing your damn mind”. The original man who posed the question of what type of medication he had in his hand replies “My mind has been gone for years” and they all started laughing in unison.

I had my mind made up about what type of people I would see all older men and woman. It was a surprise I saw many young men and woman, which I did not expect. Here you have the older men with the wars they fought, units they were in, awards they were given listed on pins stuck to their hats. On the other side of the spectrum was a younger generation whom are dressed in casual wear, most of which are sporting tattoos. This is my generation, men and women my age. I notice one young man with a prosthetic limb. He appears to not be any older than 25. I speculate what happened to him, he walks with smoothness. Not a normal gate that I have seen it’s more developed.

My friend tells me to “hold tight” he walks to his appointment. Did he just speak to me in military terms? I am just sitting here taking in all the different types of people. I do notice I do not see any children. No one is eating any food. Most of the people are just sitting in a waiting room. I look back towards the desk with the older men wearing red vests. There appears to have been a shift change. There are now 3 different men that I did not see before hand. They are all volunteers as well. I see a younger woman pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair through the front doors. She is pushing with only one hand while resting her right hand on his frail right shoulder. There are several people sitting around me holding numbers and waiting to be called for their appointments. One young woman seems frustrated she looks at her number then at her watch. She then looks at the monitor where the numbers are being shown. Right next to her is an older gentleman just sitting, staring at the wall. He looks happy. Everyone that I have seen including the volunteers seems to be happy. The lady who keeps looking at her watch is the first person I notice to appear frustrated.

The young woman who is pushed some elderly man through the door way has stopped at the desk. She and the elderly man are talking to the volunteers. The old man looks confused, the lady then gets near his right ear and speaks to him in a nice manner. He looks up at her smiles, nods his head in agreement and says ok. She then repositions her right hand on his shoulder and her left hand on the wheel chair and off they went into a door the volunteer opens and closes for them two.

“Would you like some popcorn sweetheart”, a lady volunteer asks me breaking my thought process. I accept I told her and ask how much does it cost. The older lady laughs and says, “I couldn’t take money from you”. I feel a warm acceptance. I look over the lady’s shoulder and see a familiar face. My friend is engaged in a conversation with two other gentlemen. One is older in his 70’s while the other is younger in his 20’s. My friend says something I can’t make out and they start laughing hysterically. I meet eyes with my friend and he says hi and nods his head in a yes motion. He makes his way over to me. Who are those guy do you know them, I asked. He says, “I have no idea who they are”. There seems to be an unspoken brother in arms code amongst the people who frequent. People have their own unique feelings, emotions, stories, experiences, yet all come together in a common place. A place where warriors hang out.

Enough With The T-Shirts

The gray storm clouds cover the sun. No one present objects to this coverage. Even so the humidity in the air is still enough to make a person run to an air conditioner. Chirping birds chatter about in the trees. On this dreary afternoon, only a handful of people socialize in this deserted place. Behind me, sitting on the tables outside the restaurant, are two twenty-something women, The Chatterbox and Chatterbox’s Friend. Most people present are wearing grey shirts including The Chatterbox. Another twenty-something woman, Phone Lady, is present but on the far opposite side of the place. Phone Lady is talking on her phone and appears to be relaxed on the bench. Her conversation cannot be heard. There are no gentlemen present.

In the far off distance, a clock tower tolls to tell the time that thirty minutes have past. The tolls silences The Chatterbox. The place is engulf in silence for a minute or two. After the moment of silence The Chatterbox continues her chatter.

A yellow shirt twenty-something gentleman casually walks across the place. On the left entrance enters Blue, a twenty-something wearing a blue shirt, and T-Shirt, a twenty-something women wearing a t-shirt. Blue and T-Shirt walk into the restaurant. The Chatterbox and Chatterbox’s Friend take no notice, too interested into their conversation. Phone Lady is still on comfortable as always on the bench, talking. Another phone talker enters the place. Mr. Red wears a red shirt and talks in a low whisper on the phone. He disappears into the one of the buildings surrounding the place. A white shirt & tie man, a professor no doubt, and his student enters. They talk inventively while walking into the same building Mr. Red disappeared into.

A black t-shirt twenty-something gentlemen walks along the building. Blue and T-Shirt leave the restaurant. They find a table outside the restaurant and begin talking. Mr. Black T-Shirt seems at ease while smoking a cigarette. A pair of polo wearing students run into Mr. Professor, a green shirt and tie older looking gentlemen. Red and Blue Polo Student appear very happy as they talk with Mr. Professor. It is concluded that they have not seen each other for quite some time.

The Middle Group, a group consisting of ten middle school students, approach the statue. More than half wearing matching grey t-shirts. The Middle Group squeezes around the statue for a picture. Afterward they take a break under the surrounding trees. The Middle Group looks tired. From bits and pieces heard, they have been on their feet for the whole day and the heat is wearing them down. Not everyone in the group is wore down. A couple of male students are energetic as they tease and joke with the other students.

Due to the Middle Group’s loud chatter, The Chatterbox and The Chatterbox’s Friend leave. Another set of middle school students arrive. These Students also pose with the statue. Unlike the Middle Group, These Students are not wearing the matching grey t-shirt. Only three students are wearing the grey t-shirt.                   

The Old Sun Shop

Fieldwork Week One: The Old Sun Shop

It’s around noon, partly cloudy and a bit humid since it just rained about an hour ago.  Over all its cooler than most days this week. A few Hispanic families come in and out of the shop within the first 30 minutes. Most are from El Paso and are just looking around before they go grab a bite to eat.

An older white woman (around 60) walks in with her husband right behind another Hispanic family that just came in as well. The Hispanic family is very loud and chat about their day plans and discuss where they would like to go eat. They are in the shop to just pass time and enjoy the day and not really shop as they only glance at the products and admire a few pieces of metal art, which includes some 3 foot suns.

The White woman sees only half the shop when she reaches the jewelry section in the back. She stands there for a while looking and examining different pieces of jewelry. She sees some fashion earrings near the bottom. They are silver (almost in a Zia shape) and have designs on them that really shout out New Mexico. They also have a small and dark coral bead at the bottom of them and are worth 16 dollars. She picks them up and doesn't seem to think twice about them as she takes them up to the register to pay for them.  After the purchase, the white woman walks very happily to her husband who seems a little bored standing by the door but gives her a warm smile and they leave holding hands.

Later on the shop is once again empty and an older woman, also white with salt and pepper hair comes in all wired up. She walks fast, talks fast and seems to be on a mission. She starts trying on some Native American ointments and gossips to the owner about another store who is also selling the same product. It turns out that salt and pepper is also an employee for another store. She and the owner converse about a variety of things. It seems as though all the stores on the block need to be a little competitive to make good business.

A middle aged Hispanic women from El Paso comes in with a huge brown hat that covers most of her face. She is followed in by an older woman with white hair who is the hat lady’s mother. She seems to only speak in Spanish. A young tall man comes in with them who is the hat Lady’s son. He speaks in fluent English. The hat lady walks up to the register and starts to ask if we sell a very specific cream. Her Spanish accent is very thick that it is very difficult to understand her. I tell her that I have never heard of it but show her the Native American ointments that could help with what she wants. She is very open and starts to share with me that she works very hard in her garden and in her house and has very bad conditioned hands. She shares lots of stories as she samples the ointments. She seems to like them but she feels they are too little and expensive for their size. Finally she decides that she did not come all the way from El Paso for nothing so she decides to take a few ointments for her and her mother. She takes a few brochures that give a little more information on the product and plans to show them to her neighbor. She leaves very happily, full of energy and content with her purchase.

In between 1:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. the shop was very slow, almost dead with the exception of one big crowd around 2:20 P.M. It seems as though tourist and visitors are off having a late lunch since the parking lots are full but the flow in the shop is very slow. However, for being a cloudy and bit stormy day it’s quite a moving Saturday.

When the flow of customers picks up again I realize that the majority of people make a remark about how good it smells in the shop as they walk in the door. I let them know it is our candle burning and most of them went to take a look at the candles for sale with the same scent. I also realize that a lot of people notice the ceramic happy pigs at the entrance of the store. They all exclaim how cute and adorable they are either when they first come in or as they leave the shop.

A group of five older women (around their 60’s) come in chatting and looking quite colorful. They all have hairstyles that seem to be from the 80’s or early 90’s. The 80’s girls take their time and look at almost everything in the shop. They look very relaxed enjoying each other’s company, laughing, and conversing about a verity of things. They all seem to take a longer time looking at jewelry more than anything else in the store. They converse about the jewelry but did not seem to converse about any other product (besides the occasional hey look at this) that I could hear. The 80’s girls left happily continuing their relaxing day.

Another group of people walk in. Two of them are married (around 40’s) and serve in the Military. The Husband collects Kokopellis and the couple decide to buy a light copper metal Kokopelli with blue beads worth 25 dollars. A friend of theirs whom is from Ireland asks to see some jewelry. I politely ask him to repeat that because his accent is very heavy and extremely difficult to understand. His friend then tells me what he said and tells me that most people have a hard time understanding him. Ireland guy looks at a Native American piece made of white thin rocks with turquoise beads in them. It has the Hawaiian look to it. He looks at it and sees how it would look on him. I am a little surprised since I see no sign of jewelry on him and he doesn't seem as though he was shopping for someone else. He puts the necklace back and the group leaves continuing their conversation.

Around 3:40 P.M. I can see through the window that it becomes quite windy, it feels cooler, and dark clouds come by looking as if it will rain. Yet people still remain looking and shopping around till closing time. I wonder if the cooler weather (even if a little stormy) causes people to be out more. I wonder if the heat here is too much for some tourist and even some locals.

Sorority Surrender

The house is full.

A loud chanting arises.
As the second knock has taken place and girls are ready for the race. 

I see a rainbow of dresses flashing before my eyes.

One by one the potential members are taken aside. 

The room is lit but so much seems so dim. 

A quiet stillness takes over the room

She's the alpha omega, the queen bee, the leader of them all. 

From head to toe we see perfection.
A sort of quiet confidence each girl wants to hold, but can't. 

She begins to stutter and we see the crown fall. 

This crown is not visible but in a context we see as royalty. 

This perfect masterpiece has faulted.
What once was perfection became imperfect. 

There was this appreciation we all had for her stutter. 

She was just as nervous as the girls around me. 

Across the table was a handprint left by sweaty hands. 

She was average. 

I wondered if what they wanted was average, or if anybody for that matter wanted average. 

She seemed medium. 

Not too tall, not too short. 

Not too fat, not too skinny.

The clock was ticking as the chanting arose again.

As conversations came to and end so did the topics. 

Out of the corner of my eye I notice boredom. 

Her shoulders drawn down as she sinks into her designers. 

What once seemed alive began to fade. 

She seemed closed in as her arms began to cross.
Letting an unwelcoming vibe settle in. 

I found myself ready. 

But not like before. 

Once ready to enter, and now... ready to leave. 

The potential members are sent off with a hug, as the loud chanting arises and the race is done. 

But this house, the one that seemed full, Is empty.

The Game opener

As I walked into the soccer complex to watch a soccer game, people were already filling in the stands.  It was about 15 minutes before kickoff for an early morning game.  Most of the people that occupied the stands this early were adults above the age of 35.  Most of the adults were engaged in simple small talk, about what plans they have for the weekend or about the game they are currently going watch. I suspect mass majority of these adults were parents of the players or had relations with the players in some way, because I overheard several adults say "what number is your daughter wearing or how is your daughter enjoying in school".  Most of the adults were wearing crimson or Aggie attire.  In general the mood seem very positive and supportive.

About 5 minutes after I sat down a large group of college kids entered the complex dressed in either Aggie attire or wearing Fraternity or Sorority T shirts.  Most of them look rather tired, which makes sense, since it was early in the morning.  These college student shuffled into the stands as a cohesive group.  As it came closer to game time most of the college student were situated within the stands just talking amongst themselves.

On the field, the female players were warming up for there big game. Right before kickoff,  there was an introduction for the players.  One by one, each player who was going to start was called by name.  Once there name was called the crowd erupts with applause and cheers.  The first couple of players got loud cheering and applause but as the process went along the cheering got fainter and quieter.

After the introduction the game begins.  At first the crowd was loud and supportive to the players on field giving them positive encouragement and praise.  I noticed that the adults were cheering more for the individual players, rather for the team as a whole.  However, the college students were rather cheering for the team as a whole rather than for individual players. Additionally the college students would break out in a chant to support the players.  The chants and encouragement continues even when they for scored on for the first time.  However, when the Aggies got scored on for the second time a the crowd got quieter.  At this point the college student were not cheering at all, but the adults were still being supported.  By the end of the game, the end score was 0-3.  The Aggies lost.  Majority of the college students went home shaking there heads, while some of the parents stayed around to talk to the players.  At this moment I took my leave from the complex.

Meal Time Activities

One question I will attempt to answer by making some observations is: What do people do while they are sitting down to a meal?  The obvious answer would be "eating", but I want to observe what they are doing in addition to the actual eating of food, such as studying or using a cell phone or socializing with others.  As I got to the place I chose to observe I noticed a few things right away.  One, it was not as busy as I had hoped, even with it being lunchtime (12:30 pm), primarily due to it being the weekend and two, most of the people were just passing through so it was difficult to get enough details written down in the time they were in the immediate vicinity.  Of the people that stayed around in the time I was there, there were two groups of three people and two groups of two people: in the first group of three were two males and one female, the second group had three males, the first group of two were one male and one female, and the other group was two females.  There were also five people that were just passing through the area.

In the first group of three, one of the males and the female, who looked like a couple, were engaged in conversation while the other male, I will call him the third wheel, was using his cell phone.  I wasn't close enough to the couple to hear the subject matter of the conversation, but it seemed light because the third wheel would occasionally insert his own comments.  The other group of three were engaged in apparently a hilarious story because of the animated nature of the speaker. They looked like they worked together because they all had the same uniforms on and were possibly on a lunch break.  The first group of two had the look of a couple on a lunch date and were engaged in quiet conversation with each other.  The last group that I observed were two ladies who only spoke to each other occasionally and were mostly on their cell phones when not eating.

I was not able to get much information about the people passing by other than how they were dressed and whether they were on their phones at the time.  There were three females: one had yoga pants and a tank top on, the others had shorts and t-shirts on and all three were using their cell phones.  Of the two males, one was wearing jeans and one was wearing khaki shorts and both were wearing t-shirts and the one wearing shorts was using his phone.  They all had bags of food or drinks in their hands and were heading in the direction of the parking lot.

During the time I was there, the group of three males left, presumably to go back to work, and were soon followed by the group of two females, possibly for the same reason.  About 20 or 25 minutes later the couple left, but the group with the third wheel was still there when I left.

The Same Thing

The establishment I've chosen is rather popular in this country. A place where a variety of individuals from various backgrounds, races, classes, and ages seem to congregate. But one thing I've noticed, is the age range is mainly 16-40 somethings. Not a toddler in sight. Which is understandable due to the more peaceful, scholarly atmosphere of the establishment. Popular music is playing  in the background. It's uplifting and cheery, usually a selection of 80's or early 2000's tunes.

Today, a lot of middle aged individuals have decided to hang around, and enjoy a drink. Mainly choosing colder drinks, teas, smoothies, juices. Probably due to the scorching weather outside. Most are female.

 A woman who looks to be in her mid-twenties is wearing a peach colored cotton blouse is typing efficiently on her mac book pro while occasionally stopping for a sip of her, what looks to be, ice tea. She looks to be of Mexican or Latin decent, which is common in this area.

I inspect the premises further, observing more of the patrons. A man, who I named, Joseph, because he looked like a Joseph, looks to be about thirty-ish? is on his Mac Book, typing what seems to be a report. I'm guessing Joseph is either a professor of student. But professor seems more like it, as he has a brief case full of jumbled papers with paper clips. He's sipping on his red tinted iced drink. He's taking his time.

I notice that the patrons are all alone, they are in a sense very solitary and don't seem to make any sort of eye contact with anyone. Everyone is absorbed to some form of electronic device. Whether they're typing away on their Mac Book, or scrolling their instagram feed on their iPhones, everyone is absorbed in their own world.

I look again, everyone is wearing cotton t-shirts, denim, and flat shoes. Hair is usually down for females, but an occasional ponytail gets jumbled up in the mix. Most of the men have short combed hair or are wearing baseball caps. It's strange because everyone almost looks the same, mainly because they're all dressed similarly, and drinking the similar thing, and pre-occupied with similar things. Yet none interact or seem interested in doing so. Not even a glancing smile.

Another woman, Cindy, is younger, she is about nineteen and is busy scrolling and typing out what looks to be a book report. She is drinking what looks to be the same exact thing as Joseph, even the size.

I see a tall blonde man, Marvin, with spiked hair standing in line. He looks to be about in his early thirties, he is indecisive on what to choose as he keeps allowing other costumers to go before him and place their orders. Marvin eventually chooses a cold drink, which was the exact same as Joseph and Cindy's. I think that perhaps it is the establishment's most popular item this time of year. Marvin settles at a table near the back close to the door and pulls out his Laptop, and begins to type on his own assignment.

Eventually I realize everyone seems to have the same idea of what to do here. Everyone does the same thing, seems to order the same thing, and even wear the same thing. The females are drawn to wearing more reddish tones for shirts, and the males, cooler more neutral muted tones. Lots of denim bottoms and most of the patrons seem to be of latin, or european descent. Eventually I begin to grow a tad tired of the repetitive process, and similar orders. I decide to pack up and wait again til the next time.

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 

Time to get pampered

Instead of a quiet, relaxing environment, the sounds of a crying toddler come through, not just one but two. The place smells of nail polish and nail polish remover, some of the workers have to wear masks from having to deal with the smells of the chemicals all day. The woman with the two crying toddlers quiets one down by letting her get her toenails painted, red with some white polka dots; the other cries because he's "ready to go bye-bye".

The room is filled with women and one man getting themselves pampered, and of course the people who make it possible, the employees. After the woman with the crying toddlers leaves, all is quiet and peaceful again, but her presence is expected again since in the chair that she sat in are her keys waiting for her to come back.

The employees are so focused on the jobs, watching them work is quite remarkable, how they move so quickly yet be so gentle on their clients hands and feet, the work of art they create with tiny brushes and how they can change the look of a simple nail with all their gadgets and tools.

 Occasionally, they question their clients how they are doing or trying to make small talk that doesn't last long. Some clients having to ask for them to repeat their questions or answers because they are hard to understand. Yet, the employees talk amongst themselves in their native language, making me wonder what they are saying, or who they are talking about, since they look up at everyone every now and then trying to be discrete.

The one lady that is there with her husband seems quite content to have him there with her getting a pedicure too. The look on his face seems like he’s enjoying it as well. The ages of the women in this place vary greatly, with the oldest looking to be around 62 and the youngest, accompanied by her mother I assume, seems to be around 15.

When a new customer walks in, they search for any employee and ask how long the wait is; however, they all get sent to one man in a navy blue shirt, while the employees where a baby blue shirt. I assume he is the manager since he asks the clients what they want and he sends them to an employee.

While they work on the clients, they ask certain questions, for example if they want gel nail polish, if they want a little design, or what kind of treatment they want to use. If the customer says yes, the employee begins to yell something to the man in the navy blue shirt and he writes it down; maybe adding the additional costs to the clients receipt. Since there are no prices listed on the walls or pictures, they must all know it by memory, the only exception being the $15 over the gel nail polish.

Around 13 new clients have arrived since my time here, walking in with fingernails and toenails that need pampering and walking out with a smile on their face. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can make someone feel so beautiful? Whether if it’s just some polish on your nails, or a simple black line that goes on the eyelids. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. Hopefully, the woman with the crying toddlers soon realizes she left her keys behind. Now, it is my turn to get a pedicure for the first time. Let’s see how that goes!