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.

Thursday Rush

I clocked in at 5:02. The restaurant is pretty empty with the exception of  three tables that have one to three people at each one. The smell of rice and cooking meat fill the air. Music plays in the background and people converse with on another.

At table one, a family is sitting enjoying their appetizer as they wait for their meals to be cooked. A father and mother, both covered in tattoos, both go through the routine of checking their phones every few minutes, while making minimal to no communication with one another. The child, around 5 years old, is making a mess and yelling, possibly wanting attention from one of the adults at the table.

There is a man sitting at the bar alone. An older man, early 50s. He has a book with him. He has a to go cup, meaning he is waiting to get his food to read. as I make my rounds around the restaurant, I get close enough to see his book, Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. I converse briefly with him about the author and mention my favorite reads by Stephen King. He shows interest in the fact that a young person is interested in such books.

Table three has a group of college students sitting together discussing their classes. Their english is not the greatest as they have heavy accents and are noticeably, not native english speakers. They have empty bowls on their table and are waiting for the server to bring them their checks, as they are ready to leave.

At 5:30 all tables leave and are bussed immediately. This time cars are pulling into the parking lot more frequently as people are off of work at this time. The restaurant quickly fills up, about a third of the way, as families come to have a nice meal. The rowdiness of the restaurant gets louder as people are sat at tables by the hostess.

The parties are bigger and the biggest table we have is an eight top (eight people at one table). I help the server as they take the drink orders. There are three kids and five adults. I notice that the 3 male adults, clearly over 21, all get an alcoholic beverages, while the women get iced tea or water. The children all get lemonade in child cups. I also notice something that this table is doing that I do not see with the other tables. They are communicating with one another. The adults invite the children to discuss what they learned at school. No one is on their phone at this table. They seem more cheerful than the other tables.

6:00. More and more people are arriving and pretty soon the parking lot is full and most tables are seated. There are maybe one or two tables left, not to mention the stools at the bar. I've noticed that another server has clocked in, as well as another cook. I have been asked to move to the back of the restaurant and help the dishwasher out as his dishes are piling up.

The time is now 7:00 and we are still busy as ever. I walk out to help clean a few tables and restock the ice at the beverage stations. The families there at 6 have now left or are getting ready to as they finish their dessert.

Caffeine Fix

It’s about four o’ clock on a Saturday evening and there is activity going on all around me. I hear the bustle of a waitress as she scrambles to fill orders of patient customers on the other side of the cash register. Within the first hour of my stay, the foot traffic going in and out of the decent sized coffee shop stays at a consistent level of calmness. As time goes on, there are less and less people there.

There is one family that is sitting across from the table that I occupy. The family is accompanied by four children all around elementary school ages. While the kids huddle around a table not too far away from their parents, the mother and father converse in a language that is native to me. The kids seem to be in their own little world, however, the oldest keeps going back and forth to check in with the parents. Whenever there are words exchanged between the little girl and her parents, it is in English. I cannot help but wonder why the parents do not speak to the kids in the same tongue that they were using to speak to each other.

Once the pastry that both her and her husband were sharing was finished, the wife pulls out her smart phone from her oversized purse ad begins to scroll down the newsfeed of what seemed to be a social media site. The father turns his attention towards his kids to see what they were up to.

A male and a female come through the doors side door of the shop with two little boys. The older male is wearing a Texas A&M shirt and so is one of the boys. The couple order several pastries and coffee for themselves before sitting down. The boys automatically begin to converse with the group of four kids around the table. They only stay for a very short time before they bustle out of the shop. Were they stopping by the shop before the tuned in to cheer their football team on?

After ordering a couple of pastries to go, the father of the four children lets his kids know that it is time to leave. The youngest looking child stays in her seat and begins to protest this action although the rest of her party is leaving. She stays for as long as she can until she realizes that they were not going to wait on her. She reluctantly gets out of the chair and follows the rest of the family outside of the coffee shop.

The other tables around me are being occupied by folks who I assume to be college students. The three young men wear what seems to me to be hipster style clothing. Each of them are facing each other with their eyes glued to their laptops. There are words being exchanged between the three people but I cannot hear them. I observe that one student, a male, seemed a little bored as the other two males are in tune to whatever they were doing on their laptops.

To my left, there is a girl around my age that is typing away on her laptop as well. She had headphones in both ears cancelling out the noise of the shop and replacing it with the music of her liking, she was very focused on what she was working on. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes focused on the words that were being formed with the tap of the keys on her keyboard. Papers littered the space around her computer. Highlighters and pens were scattered among them as well.

The main items being consumed at this time are hot beverages and pastries. The menu does offer more filling food items but they are not being ordered at this time. I received a very relaxed, easy going vibe from the coffee shop itself and its patrons.

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.                   

First Day at Day Care

After signing into the place of which I will be calling my workplace for the next couple of months, I hear younger children in the back. If you haven’t guessed already, I will be doing my work study on the daycare of which I will be observing for another class. As soon as I walked into the classroom, I see the children of the age of five sitting on the ground listening to the teacher reading them a nice little short story. For the most part they seemed really interested.

Taking a closer look, I noticed that the little female children were more into the story, while most of the male children were into the story, but their eyes where wondering around. They were becoming more and more uninterested in the story and started to get antsy.

After the story was over, the children were told go to the tables. When the children got to the table, they were then told to draw, what they thought of the story. After being told to do so they were busy drawing. I observed that these the female children were using more of the bright colors, while the children of the male descent used more dark. After about five minutes, the children started to socialized.

When the kids started to more and more louder the teacher then came in and started to telling the children to show their drawing. After that they were instructed to stand and show and explain their drawing. The other kids were all amazed at each others drawings. They were engaging and asking questions about what they had seen.

Soon it was time for the children to go outside. Soon as the teacher announced that, the children ran to the door. When they touch foot on the play ground all you could see was little ones running everywhere. They were so happy, running and screaming. They boys and girls together were playing with each other. Some would come up to the teacher with tears in their eyes from either falling or hurting themselves from doing something.

After they were outside for thirty minutes, the teacher blew the whistle, the kids came running lining up behind each other. Their faces blushing and sweating. They were told to go wash their face and hands and get ready for lunch. They kids were giving turkey sandwhiches, chips, fruit, and some milk or water. They all seem to really enjoy what they were given. I  could see that their eyes were getting heavy.

The children, knew what was next. They all graved their blankets and got on the floor to get ready for their nap. The teacher played a Magic School Bus episode, and not even ten minutes in the children were sound asleep.

When the children were sound asleep, it was time for me to leave. The teacher had told me that when the kids woke up they would be getting picked up by their guardians, and the afternoon crew would be coming in.

Volleyball Game

The main event of Lobo Middle School on Saturday is the final day of the season’s first volleyball tournament. Today the eighth grade girls are playing for a chance at third place. Entering the air conditioned gym the dominate sound is that of volleyballs hitting the glossed wooden floor as the girls of both team practice.  There is no price of admissions which seems odd for during last basketball season in the winter of 2013 there was, I wonder if the school has adopted a new policy of not charging the family members and supporters of the athletes. Approaching the bleachers to take a seat I notice there is not a great deal of homemade posters to cheer on the girls, only two including mine to cheer on my athlete and a mother who we'll call Mrs. Spirit. Looking around the bleachers, the majority of the spectators appear to be adults of Hispanic ethnicity, there is a lack of supporters of middle school age cheering on their peers, I wonder if its due to the fact that it is nine in the morning on a Saturday or if it’s because it is one of the first games of the season.  There is not much discussion going on amongst the supporters and the little that I can hear is done so in small groups with the people either speaking Spanish or a mix of Spanish and English.

The game is beginning, against Lobo Team and Orange Uniform Team. Those girls not playing on the court  are not sitting together as team but rather in small clusters on two or three – have they yet to bond as a team or is this the socially practice of adolescent girls in keeping with cliques.  Mrs. Spirit and my party of my parents and myself appear to be cheering the loudest and most frequent whether it be to encourage the girl or applaud them on a good play. Of the other audience members though not as loud and frequent as Mrs. Poster and I, it appears that parents of the Lobo team are cheering more than Orange Uniform Team parents even though Orange won the first game.  As the games goes on I see Mangers from both team are on their phones. The Coaches of both teams are acting in different manners – Orange Team’s coach is middle aged woman who is scolding her girls on mistakes (she can be heard from where I sit across the court) while Lobo Team’s coach is a young adult and she appears to be correcting the girls (she is demonstrating proper bump technique, I can barely hear her from across the court), I’m curious if this is because she is closer to the player's age.

Team Lobo wins the second game. Game three, the deciding match, commences. Now both team’s spectators are reacting more vocally to the mistakes and points being made of each team.  Team Lobo wins, 15 to 8.  Orange Team shakes Team Lobo hand and then go off to what I assume is to discuss the game and find their parents on the bleachers. Team Lobo is jolly, presented with the trophy they are exclaiming loudly amongst themselves and all are smiling, all girls seem to be interacting with one another. They are taking pictures as team. The main method of taking photos are phones, with another parent and me using digital cameras.  I notice as I am around the girls waiting for my athlete to get her gym bag that the girls are forming little groups again and are speaking mainly English. My athlete with her stuff collected ask if she can go on the bus with the team rather than ride home with us. Maybe she wants to rejoice with the team.

Late Dinner

Two woman out late having coffee sit far away. They seem to be middle aged. They are very consumed with their phones. One is even charging the cell phone with the buildings wall outlet.

A family, older parents maybe mid-fifties sits away. Their son is a splitting image of the father. They seem to be a Harley based family. Curious.

Another family of all girls sits in corner. They're happy looking. Chatting about each other’s new starts to the school year.

The Harley's leave, they are mumbling something. They seem to be unhappy with the service speed.

The phone woman sit, oddly enough they seem to be sitting around doing their own anthropology work. They see a server or a customer and then giggle a bit. Chatting about who they're looking at.

The building seems crowded with an overabundance of staff. Most of them group up and chat.

The girl family in the corner seem to be eating a variety of different foods. This table looks like the happiest in here. Laughing and talking to each other.

The cell phone women look younger. Maybe 20 something's. Perhaps they are students come to enjoy coffee after the football game.

One server is desperately trying to find a cluster to talk to. It seems as though he is awkward to talk to.

The cell phone girls go on laughing and sharing things on each other’s phones. They have made it apparent to the whole restaurant that they are there. Everyone looks as they laugh and shout.

The awkward employee has found a chat partner in the busy manager. The manager seems to throw the awkward worker a bone. He puts out, "how is school going?". The worker jumps at the question but the manager finds a quick exit from the conversation.

A table far away is filled with older distinguished looking people. They sit looking like they work in local politics. Chatting conservatively but they have certainty been here for hours.

A student has come in. He asks for a table near an outlet. He seems frazzled. Like most students after a long week. He mouths the reading he is doing on his laptop. He looks determined to finish something. He orders orange juice.

The register girl looks tired. The receipt stack for the dinner rush is large. You can see the hours on her face. She tries to move forward after a long shift.

The cell phone girls both brandish hats and concert T’s from a country artist. One of them picks up the check for the two. The leave the store still giddy and giggling.

The distinguished table all focus on the words of one woman. She seems like the most important. maybe the leader of their group or the director of something they apart of.

The student rubs his head in stress, He is focused. But he has the time to question the stores selection of jelly or spreads. He reads the labels and then tells the awkward worker which he will have.

Finally one man from the distinguished table gets up to pay for the whole table. No one at the rest of the table is concerned with the check. perhaps they were all there on a treat from this man. They all leave. With suits on and hair done.

The student seems to be flirting with the waitress. She blushes as he makes a comment.

Two elderly woman sit in the table nearest. Maybe a mother and daughter but the daughter is over 60. They discuss the mother’s disdain for booths and how hard it is to get in them. The daughter teases that she is old. They ask each other when the last time it was they ate. And so on...

The student is still enveloped in his computer.

The girl family still enjoys the evening.

The awkward waiter has went home.

The tired register girl is still working hard.

McCallan's Ambiance

With such a nice evening during the day, the smell of warm tea, and a fresh sent of sandwiches bring quite a bit of students to the restaurant, much more than the number of non-college students. As I wait in line for my cup of tea an older couple, Dan and Mary, walk in as to observe the dining area. “There is a lot of college kids out here today, did you notice that honey?”  Dan assures his wife that it isn't unusual, but more as an excitement to notice more students attending the local university. As Dan and Mary await in line I've come to presume they are visiting their daughter as she slowly approaches them.

As the line moves slowly, more and more students walk in, to order their free cup of tea. McCallan's offers free tea to any student with their school I.D. I notice that the majority of the people who dine in are non-college students. As the line gets smaller and smaller the ambiance starts to calm down and the workers seem at ease.

Art work of an older time during the early cultivation of the city Las Cruces fill only one wall that is made of brick and decorations of dried fruit throughout the entire restaurant. The radio plays in the background ever so calmly and relaxing. A group of girl basketball players leave the dining area as to be in a rush for practice or an activity which they all might partake in.

Thirty minutes into my observation the dining room starts to fill up again with more people and the lines lead all the way to the door as it did when I first ordered my tea. There are two people to my far corner texting the night away. Conversation between the two doesn't seem to arise until three more of their friends arrive to the table. Cell phones are placed on the table and they engage in conversation.

A couple Eric and Lisa and baby daughter Annie are dressed as super heroes for the comic con event. An older couple with their granddaughter seem to be enjoying the evening with good food and a peaceful ambiance. The older man rises here and there and makes a walk to the parking lot for a cigarette as to enjoy the weather of the day as the clouds move west and the sun beaming gently. Two big gallons of hand sanitizer have been placed on the front two counters for the employees and is in use every other order taken, which I've noticed that the employees are on top of their cleanliness during a busy day. As the day progresses more customers are coming in for pick up I presume by the way the come in alone that they have made other plans to enjoy their meal on the go with family or friends. 

The Red Sofa

I enter the building and the smell of exotic coffee flavors washes over me. Immediately I am greeted by the employees that are behind the counter. One of them has an indie alternative type of style look and smiles. I will call him Josh. The other employee doesn’t say one word to me but just has a placid look plastered on his face besides the slight smile lingering there. He looks like a Nick so I will call him that. He waits while I look at what I want to order. I tell him that I’m going to need a minute and from a glance I just see him make a hand gesture as if to say “I got you.” I place my order and realize that I don’t have my wallet which is in my car. I leave and come back to see my coffee waiting there for me. Still the cashier doesn’t say one word to me. I find a table for me to sit at and immediately beginning typing. The vibe I get from this place is really rustic and has an informational side to it considering the political news station playing on the radio.

There are two gentlemen sitting next to me. Both of them look to be in their later forties or early fifties. To the right of me sit two younger girls who seem to be in a study group for one of their classes. Across the room from me is a lone girl who seems to be studying or doing homework. From now on I will call the two older men Robert and George. Robert and George seem to be professors, businessmen but maybe even students. Both of them have notepads in front of them. Both scrawling across the page and constantly looking back and forth on their tablets. I’m slightly confused on what to make of these gentlemen because they haven’t said much to each other but seem to be doing something related.

The two younger girls I will call Samantha and Ashley. They are both still at it going away at homework, Samantha hunching over the table trying to figure something out and Ashley sitting her legs crossed facing her friend with her back against the arm rest. All was calm until Samantha gets a phone call. By the way that Samantha is speaking all excited it seems that the person on the other line is a friend because her voice keeps getting louder and louder! Then Ashley joins in the conversation and they both start getting excited. I can’t make out what they are saying but it seems like they are packing it up getting ready to go.

Meanwhile the lone girl who I will call Megan is still studying away. Robert just got up to refill his coffee or put more sugar and George keeps on working. The first employee Josh just came from the back without his apron on and comes up behind the lone girl, Megan. Megan immediately turns around with a smile on her face. This is surprising… it seems like they know each other. They start in happy conversation though I cannot make out what it is. I glance up from my keyboard and Megan looks up at me. I look back down trying to look nonchalant but then Josh looks back at me too! They look at each other and say something to one another but I don’t look up again. My first thought is that I have been found out, but they both go back to talking like nothing happened but I’m going to be more wary next time.

Josh goes to the back of the store and doesn't make an appearance for a while. Samantha and Ashley have left by now. Robert is walking back from refilling his coffee and I expect him to sit down at the table but he doesn't. He comes and sits on the red sofa that is practically right behind me. I’m thinking, “Oh great now he can see what I’m typing!” Luckily he gets up to look at the newspaper options that are laying on the table right in front of me. I think this is my chance since his back is to me! Since the table is at an angle with one of the corners touching the wall I push as hard as I can so the table I will be sitting in a slightly different direction and I can squeeze myself more between the wall and the table. I’m being successful for nobody is noticing… then the table got caught on one of the grooves of the tile. I make one last ditch effort and push and finally the table gives and I am able to scoot to hide my writing. Robert comes back and plop himself into the sofa. So now George is sitting by himself continuously doing his work, ever so often mumbling to himself and looking up in grave thought.

Another girl walks in and has an employee shirt on. The silent employee, Nick, keeps the placid smile on his face. She waves and greets him but to no avail. He still has said nothing. He does wave at her though so that’s a plus. Josh calls Megan over to ask her a question which she immediately gets up and goes to him. I am not completely sure if these two are couple or just friends. George continues to do his work, still mumbling to himself. Robert has gotten up from the red sofa and has gone to another table across the room in search of more newspaper articles there. Nick comes in from the back carrying his backpack and looks like he is about to leave considering all the other employees yelling good byes… even Robert reaching up to wave and say good bye when Nick sits down. I can hear Robert mumbling, “Oh I guess not then.” Does Robert know Nick? Nick didn't even acknowledge Robert. Nick still says nothing and goes on his phone.

All is calm for a while and nothing eventful is happening until Josh drops one of the oranges he is stacking in a bowl. The orange rolls across the counter, lands on the floor and rolls for a bit only to stop in the middle of the room. Only me, Josh and Nick see what happens. Josh starts laughing slightly at himself and Nick smiles but Nick doesn’t help him and pick it up… strange. After this moment 3 other customers come into the store so the orange is just left there. Waiting. All is busy while the employees start working to help the customers. George is starting to mumble rather loudly. The second customer is standing there waiting for his order to finish when Megan says hello to him. My god does she know everybody? His order is ready so he collects it and sits one chair away from Megan and they get into conversation. Josh has enough time to come to the front and pick up his orange. Nick is still sitting there on his phone. The boy talking to Megan gets up from his chair and makes a few more comments, says goodbye and then leaves. Megan then gets up to have a long conversation with Josh at the counter.

While that is happening George gets up and goes up to Robert on the sofa to show him something. George has his back to me but my god he is so close to me I can smell his cologne. I hear Megan say that she is going to head home and she heads back to her table. George then asks Robert if he wants to go someplace and Robert says yes. Megan is about to walk out the door while saying goodbye to all the employees but then looks straight at me, smiles and walks out. Maybe I have her for a class? George and Robert are leaving too but before they walk out the door Robert says goodbye to Nick for which I finally hear him talk. I guess these two really do know each other? They both say, “Have a good weekend!” All of my “friends” are leaving so I think I’m going to leave as well. We shall see what happens next time.

CCSU

There is a good variety of places to eat on campus, which can make picking a lunch a little difficult. Luckily I know what I want, I’m in the mood for a grilled sandwich. A great and convenient place for that would be inside CCSU. As I walk in I quickly notice the lunch rush. There are long lines of people waiting to order or pay. You can also see the different groups sitting and chatting away at their tables, which would explain the loud noise.

I find it amusing that there are still plenty freshmen looking like a lost puppies. I would think that by now they would have accustomed to the fast pace of college.

Anyways, as I’m eating my lunch my friends are chatting away about their weekend plans. I notice the staff. They move extremely fast, they remind me of busy bees. They are wiping down tables and picking up trash just as students leave. I have never seen people move with such determination.

I finish my lunch and say my goodbyes just like all the other students in the area. However as I’m saying goodbye I realize all the groups around me have a different way of saying goodbye. It’s interesting to see the variations of how they say goodbye. I saw people hugging each other, a peck on the cheek, or just a simple wave. I don’t have time to keep observing, since I have to speed to class. My observations are to be continued…

Socialize Hall

It is a sunny, but late afternoon and the athletes seem to be coming here from every which way. They all meet in these rooms with white walls full of desks and computers where they are supposed to fulfill their hours of "study." It is "study" because in reality they are hours of pure socialization and gossip.

The staff in charge of these meetings of study merely clock athletes in and out based on the amount of time they think they have been doing school work. Backpack sits there and smiles as she takes your student id and you enter the realm of student-athletes.

There are two types of rooms used for the two different types of people. The single rooms, used by the minority of kids who are actually using the building for its purpose of getting work done. And the other general studying rooms, where you will find a small number of people doing work while the rest will just sit there and talk amongst each other.

Single room number one. Quiet, peaceful, and serene place of study. One would only be able to hear the thoughts of Bio Book studying in there. General room number one. Filled with at least 7 student-athletes some from the same and different sports teams. Although there is a "No food or drink allowed" sign back in the front where Backpack sat, apparently some of the students didn't get the memo. Subway content with what he's eaten offers everyone else his left over barbeque Lays chips. Gummy worms attempts to secretly eat all of her healthy but delicious snacks. While Sweet Tea comes in with a full meal ready to grub on whatever he got from the local deli. For athletes, they sure do know how to eat snacks with good nutritional value.

A good 45 minutes has passed and the athletes of general room number one keep going back and forth on which team has the hardest workouts. Girl star 1 insists that Guy star 1 doesn't even know what a hard workout unless he was to try and complete one of her teams workouts. Guy star 1 refuses to believe that the girls team works any harder than his team. And the argument never ceases. The other athletes of general room number one are too busy being involved with the art of storytelling to even notice Guy star 1 and Girl star 1's little disagreement. These stories get crazier and crazier by the second because someone is always trying to one up the other persons stories. By this time Subway has left the room to find peace and quiet in single room number two because in the past 2 hours not a pen or pencil has been used for writing or a keyboard for typing, only the chatter of student-athletes filled the room in this socialize hall.

Backpack gives you back your student id, clocks you out, tell you how my hours you've put in "studying," and smiles and tell you "See ya next time!"

Quiet in the Library

It's early in the morning, the cool breeze makes it feel like winter as I make my way into the building. As I walk in I noticed the library was busier today than any other day. I kept walking looking out for any empty seats. I finally came to a seat near a study group of students who speak spanish.

The students in the study group: Brenda, Emily, and John, were speaking out loud about what seemed to be English since they kept reading some type of article. After a few minutes of hearing the group talk about the homework, John turned around to the hearing of his name. The person who called him seems to be a family friend. I assume this because Nancy asked him about his family. I notice a student who is short in height sat across from me. She has beautiful black, long hair. I assume she is an athlete due to the clothes she is wearing. She is wearing a bright green shirt, with work-out leggings and Nike shoes. I see her pull out her lap top and big textbook. Vanessa was working on her math homework since I saw her get out a calculator as well.

I turn back to Brenda, Emily, and John because I begin to hear their conversation getting louder and louder.

Another study group of guys who have been at the library for a while get a little irritated and began making the 'shh' sound. John and his friend got quiet for a second but continue to speak in a loud tone.

Vanessa takes a little lunch break from working hard. She pulls out a burrito from her backpack. I can tell the burrito might have been home-made because of the wonderful, tasty smell. As I smell the food, I begin to feel my stomach growl. As soon as Vanessa finished her lunch, she quickly packed up and walked away to her following destination.

As I see Vanessa walking out the building, I see the students who got irritated of John's loud conversation with his friend, also packed up and left the building. I would leave the building if I couldn't concentrate on my work as well since I was taught you are supposed to use ur inside voice in the library. After the students left, John's friend quickly said goodbye and walked as fast as she could as if she was late to her class. John then continued to help out his study group with their homework.

Everyone in the library seemed to be working on their homework, peacefully without any interruptions. I began to put my pencil and note book into my backpack and walk out the building into the fresh breeze of a wonderful morning day. I walk up passing the library to my next class and continue the rest of my day.

Tales Of Lunch.

All the different voices and conversations I hear as soon as I walk in astonishes me. It shouldn't though I mean since it's lunch time and Taos is always busy especially at this time 1 p.m. My friend and I scatter around all the people as we lurk for what we want for lunch today. The lines are do long though. "Do I even really want to eat here today?" I ask as I wander for a line that isn't long sand for food that sounds appetizing right now. Ahh yes, the pasta line is completely free at the moment. It superises me because, that line is normally always packed. I hurry over to the line, get my food and sit and enjoy. The table next to me there are foreigners, the language they speak is beautiful. Everyone always seems to sit with the same crowd. A young lady almost runs into a mam with soda and a salad plate in his hands. That was s close one! A professor begins to sit at the tsablr across from me, he already has a full entire plate of soup, crackers, tea and pie for dessert. As I leave, the same lunch lady says farewell to us all.

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.

Taos Times

Each table adheres to a different group of friends or an single individual. I’ve noticed that different ethnicities or at least people with similar features sit together here; a group of African American girls giggling in a booth, a table of Brazilian guys speaking loudly in Portuguese ahead of me, and a couple of gossiping blonde girls sitting at the table next to me. Furthermore, the individuals sitting alone look similar enough to where they could sit at a table together and it would appear as though they sought one another out. 

Directly in front of me, a boy in a Grey wife beater and a laptop bag sits alone and eats a burrito and rice. He’s the only person who is sitting alone and not using a cellphone, something that is surprisingly rare to see.

The Brazilian table just bursted into laughter. They speak louder than the other tables, probably because they know nobody can understand them and don't have to censor themselves. They have finished their meals, which appeared to also be burritos, and are preparing to leave. 

Three male students just sat down with their food. They only have coffee and deserts, no actual meal. Two of them are wearing almost identical striped shirts.

Another female student is also sitting alone. She has glasses and her hair isn’t combed, her backpack is laid flat beside her. She’s shoveling heaping bites of pasta into her mouth and scrolling on her phone, probably either on Twitter or Instagram.

The table with the African American girls just burst into laughter. One of the girls, with a pink shirt, stood up on her chair and danced. Almost all of the other students sitting in the area turned around to look, but only briefly as to not stare. None of the girls seem to notice nor care.

Grey finished his the remainder of his meal and sat for a few more minutes watching his surroundings. He seems just as amused as I am with the girl dancing. He just grabbed his laptop bag and left, possibly off to class.

Earlier, one of the workers here found a bag on the floor and asked around to see if it belonged to someone. Nobody claimed it then, but a man with a green shirt just came in looking for it. He asked me if I had seen it and I told him that a worker took it earlier and described what she looked like. He said he recognized her and thanked me, and then stormed off to find her and his bag.

The girl with the glasses who was on her phone earlier just stood up to leave. Her backpack is stuffed full and she had to waddle to carry it out due to its weight.

Meanwhile, workers here have been wiping down tables left and right. They move incredibly quick, cleaning the table within seconds of the students leaving.

A guy in a blue jumpsuit standing in front of my table just got two girls phone numbers and said, “Tomorrow night, it’s going down.” Since tomorrow is Saturday, I assume they are planning to go to a party. Each person walked their separate ways after the exchange. Blue Jumpsuit just came back with a plate full of dessert, he sat in a booth with other guys also wearing the same blue jumpsuit. It looks like their badges say “Coast Guard”. 

Traffic has slowed down significantly and all of the initial groups have left. I suppose my time here is over for now as well. Until next time.

The Pond

At the university’s duck pond on a weekend night there are a strange mix of people milling about the pond. The weather is clear and perfect, a gentle breeze rips through the trees and moves the leaves creating that peaceful sound that all people love, and find comfort in. It’s past everyone’s bedtime. Long after the hour anything good happens. But this is a college campus and what good happens here really.

The first group I noticed seem to be a collection of drunk freshmen seeping out of the dorms. They are meandering around, stumbling on the short dry grass. There are probably seven or more of them, all probably under age. They are shouting and it takes me a moment to realize that they are actually singing a well-known pop song. They sit at the edge of the pond and a few light up cigarettes, or maybe something heavier. I’m at a distance away and can’t say for sure. They sit there and talk and shout amongst themselves. They are so care free and happy. Obviously the alcohol and smoke in their blood stream help with this attitude, but there is something nice about their youth and innocence. After fifteen minutes or so they got up and wondered back to the dorms, where they came from. Now the pond is silent. There is a cop car that passes periodically observing the campus, trying to find delinquents and misbehaviors.

After a few minutes a different crowd entirely walks by. It is a couple probably in their early twenties. They hold each other close and kiss under the stars. How nice. The girl is now talking. She seems to be telling a long story with much exaggeration. The boy sits patiently listening nodding at seemingly important parts, and interrupting with seemingly appropriate questions. I guess that’s what loves means. They stayed the longest and were still there when I departed back to my lodgings.

At the NMSU duck pond there is a diverse mix of people, certainly, but tonight consisted of young adults with freedom and friendship. The night air rings with different voices, and in the end there is a similar chorus that clamors with a summer night and youth, and all the joy and fun that comes with youth and a summer weekend. 

Student Central

It's a normal Friday afternoon in Las Cruces, most of the college students are done with classes for the weekend. The greeter of the restaurant is easily the sweetest person I have ever encountered. She asks how my day is going and wishes me a fantastic weekend. I order a plate of pasta with meat sauce and sit at a table in the center of the room, clear with a view of the entire crowd. With a pen in my hand, I begin observing.

Automatically, I come to the realization that people of the same ethnicity all sit together. They all wear similar clothing, and all eat similar foods. To my right, a group of African American girls sit at a booth, all wearing shorts, tank tops, and sandals. They begin conversing about the latest gossip. One girl wearing a pink shirt stands up on the booth and begins to jokingly dance around, singing a song from Disney's The Little Mermaid. The rest of the girls laugh at the joke, and switch the conversation to winter fashion.

Farther to the right, a group of college athletes sit at a long table. All wearing spirited clothing, it is clear that the boys are part of the golf team. They all wear khaki shorts, NMSU shirts, preppy shoes, and most of them are wearing baseball caps. I was too far away to hear what their conversation was about. Next to them, a group of Japanese foreign exchange students quietly eat. It is obvious that they're not American due to the style of clothing they wear. The three girls all wear graphic tees, with skirts and low heels. They speak in their native language.

However, not all customers are sitting in a group, a handful of people eat alone. Their mannerisms are all alike. They seem to scroll through their phones while they eat. Some type away on their laptops, others simply sit and people-watch. A majority of the singles sit on their phones though.

One thing that struck me strange, was that I only saw one couple in the entire restaurant. The boyfriend feeds his girlfriend a spoonful of his dish, and she giggles at her boyfriend's flirtatious gesture. They walk off, hand in hand, and exit the restaurant.

After an hour of observation, I see that everybody talks with their hands; some point in directions, others demonstrating motions. I suppose I talk with my hands too, but until I actually began observing the habits of others, I didn't realize how common it is. Slowly, customers began trickling out of the restaurant, continuing their conversations out the door with their group. I packed up my things and decided to leave as well.

Mirrors

If you've ever been to a gym you'd know that there are mirrors everywhere. I'm not exactly sure why they put mirrors in the gym but they're definitely put to good use. My family likes to work out, my sister is a college athlete and my little brother is heavily involved in sports, while my mom on the other hand plays soccer and just likes to stay in shape. I guess you could say my family and I spend a lot of time at the gym. At first I didn’t really think anything of the mirrors and everyone staring at themselves work out, but then I noticed most people weren’t even watching themselves.

Everyone working out is watching everyone else work out through those mirrors. Some people were just using the mirrors to look at themselves when they walked by. First you have the girls who just like to look at themselves because they’re there for reasons other than working out. Then there’s your typical guy in his 20’s who thinks he’s the biggest guy in the gym and of course he can’t stop staring at himself and every relatively attractive girl in there. Last but not least there’s the people who are there to really work out and those are the ones who don’t even really use the mirrors.

As I’m there, working out, I noticed that other people were doing what I was doing too. It was so funny to see how these people used the mirrors for so many different reasons. These mirrors were put in the gym for lord know what, maybe so people could actually watch themselves work out. The funny thing was is that I would catch other people, people watching too. I was so interested in people watching and seeing how everyone used the mirrors in different ways.

I came to the conclusion that most people used the mirrors to people watch like myself. I’m sure they were people watching for different reasons because not everyone is doing field work for their anthropology class. Everyone used the mirrors, I’m sure not all for the same reasons. I mean everyone, everyone in the gym used those mirrors. Everyone was watching themselves or watching others watch others. It was fascinating to people watch and notice the little things you never really noticed before.