Whalemart

Whalemart is really known to having people of different backgrounds come in.  I decided to do my field notes here.  I am sitting on the bench near the restrooms and the Fells Wargo.  Many people seem task-oriented, not to say they don't care.  They do seem like they have priorities elsewhere and are probably worrying and stressing, from some of the looks of it.  All the cashiers seem really polite and nice.  The cashiers welcome and ask the customer how their day is going.  They get a comfortable response and then proceed to wish them a good day/night.  Alas, there is always that one grumpy cashier (and I have spotted said person) that doesn't really look too happy to be working where she's at.  He/she is really releasing a negative vibe that I'm feeling it from where I'm sitting.  Overall though, the crowd of consumers seem happy.  I've seen so many ethnicities shopping and checking out, they have all had positive attitudes and responses.  There is always a smile from them when the cashier initiates the smile.  I guess it really does depend on the cashier to set the mood at the beginning of the meeting between them and the customer.  As of right now, I'm looking for anything abnormal or strange.  So far, it's been the same routine from both sides.  There does seem to be a lady who is loaded with coupons.  Her cart is extremely full.  I hope she doesn't have a coupon for all of her items.  She surprisingly does, almost.  I can tell the line of people that is formed behind Ms. Coupon are getting a bit irritated and impatient.  Slowly the line is breaking apart to go to other lanes.  After about, roughly, 10 to 15 minutes, she has finally completed her purchase and is now walking off into the unknown.  The cashier that was helping Ms. Coupon now has a visit from Ms. Coworker and are now talking about how many coupons Ms. Coupon had.  They seem to be laughing by how much she had in coupons.
Same routine.  Walk up.  "How are you?"  "Good and yourself?" "I'm good, thank you." Cashier tells customer the total.  Swipes their card/hands them the money.  Gets their bags. "Have a nice day!" They leave.
I am now realizing how repetitive the cashiers are.  You can always tell which ones are the sincere ones and which ones are treating it like a job.  For the ones that treat it like a job, they always smile and once the customer is gone, the smile is gone in an instant.
I'm about to call it a day for this field note, these Whalemart benches aren't at all that comfy after awhile.

Slow day for the Purple team

As I get to the game it is about to begin. There are players on both teams warming up throwing the ball to each other looks like one is the quarterback. On the first play the Reds run it in for a touchdown. They also get their two point conversion. The purple team runs it up the gut twice in a roll for minimal yards but they do get a 15 yard penalty to help. The Reds seem like they are more advanced making tackles with ease while the purple team is having a hard time doing anything. Number 21 from the purple team is the running back he has long curly hair that comes out his helmet. He runs a sweep to the left and he gets tackled by two red players very aggressively. He doesn't get up and stays on the ground. The fans are upset and start yelling out, “Do something ref unnecessary roughness.” The game continues and he eventually gets up. The purple team had to punt the ball. I believe there is a lot of tension in the game because almost on every play there is a flag thrown. The purple team did better at stopping the Reds on defense. I think there was a timeout called because all the players go to their coach and huddle up. Number four runs it up the gut and he is halted by a defensive player who slams him to the ground and number four remains on the ground! The red team celebrates the great tackle by jumping up and down around the tackler. I noticed every time there is an injury both teams take a knee to show their respect. A paramedic even goes to assist the trainers already on the field. 

Windy day at the cafe

Today has been a very windy and cold day. There is absolutely no one sitting outside and only a few cars. But there are more people than would be expected inside today. After coming here frequently on days were the weather is more "fall like", I think it has become apparent that people enjoy a hot beverage on days like this. I decided to sit closer to the cashier again in order to hear the orders and conversations going on between the customer and the barista. Indeed today there has been multiple hot coffee and tea orders, while only a few of the famous ice lattes ordered. Even though it is between lunch time and dinner there are still people ordering food as well, perhaps because they have other affairs to attend to at the normal eating hours and on the go food is most convenient.

The frequency of people coming into and going out of the coffee shop is usually constant. But today it seems that it has decreased. I am sitting here recovering from sickness and am noticing others are coughing and sniffling as well including the barista (a little concerning actually). The man in front me who is also using his laptop keep sneezing without covering his nose or using a tissue. No wonder the always cold travels fast.

After 20 minutes of sitting here sipping my hot chocolate most of the people inside have left except for a couple tables.

A man who has gray hair and moustache walks in and sits down. He hasnt ordered anything and just sits and glances around the room with a small smile on his face. When his eyes turn to me I small back. Eventually another man comes in who looks a little younger and take seat next to him. They pleasantly greet each other and sit down just to talk. Not doing anything else for the next 30 minutes until they shake hands and depart

A small group of 4 people are sitting in the corner across the room and exchanging gifts for a personal event. Each female looks to be in their 40's and they are dressed better than casually. Im not sure what they are celebrating exactly. The gift wrap is generic and the gifts look like spa items and women's apparel like blousses. They laugh and talked for the whole hour while eating paninis and soup.

Week 10

The cafe is busy today, this is the first time that I've been to the crossroads cafe. So many new faces, mostly guys all dressed up. Even though there separated they all seem to belong to the same group. All of them are wearing nice slacks and ties with dress shoes. They seem very comfortable with each other. There is clearly some clicks in this very large group of about 35 members. They seem to be separated by age, or class. There is only a minor separation among them however, by the way they act they could be a sports team. They are loud and have a lot of swagger. Some in the group seem to be leaders, especially the older members. The leader of the group was a heavy set and he was talking with another member of the organization, il call him Beta. He had a very stern look on his face and they were talking in a hushed tone. I think Alpha was disciplining him, maybe Beta made a mistake that made the organization look bad. Beta had a irritated look on his face like he wasn't taking Alpha seriously. Some of the other members looked over at their conversation  with concern. A couple in particular, they were probably the  closest friends with Beta. The whole group of men were of mixed ethnic groups, some white, some black, and some Hispanic. A few of the guys could speak fluent Spanish to each other. One of the white kids, epsilon was trying to learn Spanish, He was stumbling through some lines in Spanish with one of the fluent Spanish kids. Maybe he was learning it for a job, or a class. Most of the groups conversation was about the upcoming break. All of them were very excited and were talking about the holiday coming up. Then the group left, mostly as a whole with some of the kids breaking off in ones and twos.  

Happy Sunday

It is Sunday, November 15 and the time is 1 in the afternoon. I arrive at my normal observation site order my cup of coffee and sit down to begin my observation. As I observe my surroundings, I notice that everyone seems to be getting in the mood for thanksgiving. The coffee shop has turkeys drawn on the windows, many people are dressed in warm clothes, and there are even drink names that pertain to thanksgiving. There are four people outside enjoying their coffee and freely conversing amongst each other. Workers come in and out of the restaurant to check on people, take refills, and clean up empty tables. Everyone seems significantly happy and energetic. Smiles, laughter, and more fill the shop and I can't help but to be drawn in by the infectious atmosphere. I notice that one man is dressed in a nice suit and is talking to a girl and they both seem to be in really good moods. I'm guessing he had a job interview that went well or he is just taking a break from work and is happy to be there. As people leave the restaurant their spots are filled with new people. Everyone seems to be in a rush today, coming in to get a cup of coffee and quickly leaving without sitting down. Behind me on Locust, I hear a loud horn a screeching brakes. Everyone quickly turns their attention to the car and we see that two cars have almost wrecked into each other. One car had pulled out in front of the other without realizing it, luckily the other guy was paying attention. The scene quickly clears and everyone returns to what they were doing. At this point its about time for me to wrap up my study, but I am approached by one of the waitresses who I knew. She goes to the same church I go to so we start talking and catching up. We talk for about 5 minutes and then she says that she has to get back to work so we say our goodbyes. I stand up and leave the few people that were there and head home.

How time flies... Maybe even the Week does too?

It’s my second to last trip to Alderman Ave. Bokhandle, and looking back now, I think of how quickly the time has actually flown by, even though contemporarily, it may not have felt like it… I went about two days earlier in the week than I normally do, and I noticed a significant difference in the amount of people present in the store. As soon as I walked upstairs to my section, I saw a significant amount of people walked around the store in the different areas, although, when I first arrived, there weren’t exactly a lot of people in my section; only initially one girl, named Maladry. Not long after I arrived however, another girl, Traymer, and later a boy named Davis, and an older middle-aged woman, Merrylee, arrived. What truly caught my eye and ear however, was the group of about eight to twelve college-aged persons who showed up in my section, and later, another smaller, but still fairly large, group showed up as well. I’ll admit to a degree of slight astonishment, as I had never seen that many people grouped together in my section before…
    And so, once again, I got to thinking about the polar opposite crowd densities of the store that exist on say a Saturday, versus this Tuesday that I was there. I mean, it was truly night and  day. Even after the two large groups had dispersed, several times throughout the rest of my trip I saw many individuals in my section shopping and being helped by store personnel. I was constantly thinking, “it’s like never this crowded…” But then it dawned on me that this had been the earliest that I’d ever visited my location in the week, and perhaps this was the cause of the masses. As the week goes on, people begin to feel worn down, more tired, and feel greater anticipation for the ever-nearing weekend. And so, with eyes looking toward the horizon, and backs beginning to feel the wear and tear of the daily grind (that has been going on for about 3-4 days), people begin to loose vivacity and often find themselves needing the weekend to be able to make it through the next week. People may oft find that even the night’s rest isn’t enough to truly rejuvenate them, and they need two whole days of unwinding in order to be able to face the week ahead. Armed with this new skin, people find the early days in the week easier to face than the later days (with the obvious exception being Mondays: people often say that they “hate” Mondays). Many people even find that Wednesday is perhaps the easiest day of the week, as it is “Over the Hump” or simply “Hump” day. But, perhaps the most efficient day is Tuesday, as most people have gotten over that “I hate Mondays” vibe, but have also gotten more into the mode of the working week.
     And so, as I set foot in my location for the second to last time, I also feels his interesting sense of rejuvenation, productivity, and alertness, as I have accomplished one of my weekly tasks, and am ready to take on the rest, head on.

Good kids and Bad kids

I decided to go to my field site late last night because I needed to stay awake for another four hours and it was already 10 p.m. I walk into my field site and the first thing I noticed was that out of all the guys that were standing around the bar, half of them were in Cardinals jerseys and the other half were in Seahawks jerseys. My first impression is that I am going to enjoy watching everyone here during this football game. What made it even better is that the game was a very intense one and the cardinals ended up winning which made some people very upset. All throughout the game I couldn't here the other tables that were right next to me because every time an intense play would happen or someone would score a touchdown every person watching the game would start screaming. All these football fans made it one interesting night and I might just go every Sunday night while football is still in season.

Even on Sunday night, with it being this late, I was surprised to see this many people my age with all of their friends. At the table next to us there was about 8 kids all dressed in fancy black clothes like they just got finished with a choir concert. Even though they all looked nice, these kids were not the brightest bunch that had walked into my field site. They argued with the server for awhile for over something very easy to understand and they did not like the fact that it wasn't going there way. It bothers me sometimes how immature kids my age can be. Even after they paid there check they stayed at the table for awhile longer just messing with everyone and making a mess on the table. One of the kids who had earrings in was pouring ketchup into his friends drink and just passing it around, looking like a fool. I know for sure that the workers hate having to clean that up. I noticed another table that had about 6 kids and 5 of them were guys and the other one was a girl. I've seen these people before and I know that they are my age and they were so much more behaved than the immature choir kids. The five guys and the one girl just looked like they had been enjoying the moment they were in and loving life. I was not able to hear what they were saying but I wish I was because they were smiling and laughing the whole time. One of the guys seemed like he was the jokester of the group because every time he said something the rest of the table started laughing. I always enjoy seeing people have a good time no matter what happens in their life.  

accidentally prejudice?

I have recently cut my hair significantly shorter than it was before, so today I focused on how differently people looked and treated me in comparison. I refer mostly to strangers and those whom I was only acquainted with.

Before, when I would sit in the same spot every Sunday or Monday and watch people and feign interest on my phone to appear less creepy, I would often get looked at like I was doing something criminal or offensive. Few times people would approach me or ask me questions, mostly I caught stares and sharp glances. I feel that with longer hair, I was being much more judged for what I was doing and how I was behaving, even if it was mostly purely observatory. I would wear a black jacket and sit alone most times scratching notes onto a dingy notebook pad.

However, with a cleaner cut, although I wear the same clothes, and have all the same mannerisms, I am much more likely to get waved at or catch a smile from someone that I don't know. People approach me more and say things to me about how I look lonely or ask if they can sit with me. 

Today in particular, a girl came up to me with a cup of coffee and sat it by me, she told me that I looked like I needed it and I din't know how to respond, she told me her name was Anna, and she walked away. Never have I had this happen to me, no one has ever randomly bought me coffee or even approached me in such a way. It was so specific of an action that I ended up buying a coffee for someone else to keep it going.

Before, when my hair was longer and I felt more judged and restricted to social liberties, I never would have been able to imagine this type of feeling that came from pure benevolence. Somehow, in the midst of going through the motions of a more normal looking man to societal norms, I was found more worthy of being treated with benevolence. I don't doubt that I have passes Anna a thousand times throughout the course of my college career and it took me to change my appearance for her to be influenced to be so nice to me. It is interesting and frustrating to think that this is the way the world is. Altruism is hidden behind subconscious and conscious judgments of others and their level of need or deserving. However, it does still exist, contrary to my own prior beliefs.

Windy Days

The weather is horrible today here at my field site. Luckily I will be located indoors hidden from the wind and dust storm. The environment inside is typical to the location. The temperature is around 60 degrees and there is must present in the background. The genre music is an R&B type of style, but then switches to the country style type. I just heard that it’s the El Paso station of 104.3. The amount of customers is about normal as to every other time I’ve came to my field site. There’s single individuals enjoying either a cup of coffee or a meal, groups of people either enjoying a meal or conversing among-st each other, and customers just browsing through the aisles looking for their product that’s needed. As far as race, it looks the majority of the population is either Caucasian or Hispanic. I don’t notice any social trends instead there all diverse in their actions. For example, there is a gentlemen who look like he’s in a rush to find his product while a couple aisles next to him there is a family slowly browsing the aisle looking at each product. When I pay attention to the lounge section of the building, there are many young individuals relaxing on the couches and chairs, most of them having headphones in, I’m guessing because they prefer a different style of music then what my field site is presenting. This brings the question as to why they would rather be anti-social and listening to music by themselves rather than being social and communicating with each other. As I visualize myself in their situation, I guess I can say that I would be pursuing the same actions. What I have realized of the many observations here at my field site is that this location is popular for individual’s to relax and get away from life stressors. As a result, today is a typical day and actually slow in customer activity due to the bad weather Las Cruses is experiences.  

Monday = Coffee

The lunch crowd isn’t as crowded as it is when I leave. The tables were filled with a lot of people either by themselves or just with one other person. Mondays doesn’t seem to be the days where people often come out to this location.  

There is a girl with straight long hair in front of me in a black sweatshirt with a guy in a black sweatshirt as well along with an orange backpack. Long seems very angry and very upset and you can tell by her facial expression. Orange doesn’t look at her in the eyes. They girl just keeps talking, and the guy just nods and the girl is looking directly at him the whole time. The girl bites her lips occasionally. The guy has his hands on the table crossed and keeps looking off into the distance. He goes from looking at his coffee to looking off into space. The girl then begins to talk over the guy using her hands. The girl gets ready to leave and takes her trash. The guy doesn’t seem very happy and neither did the girl when they leave. They hug and walk their own ways. It seemed like they were a couple going over a break-up and the girl just trying to realize why they broke up.

The table is then replaced by another couple. A guy in a blue sweatshirt and a girl in a green sweatshirt.  They sit down five minutes after Long and Orange leave. Green gets bagel and sits back down next to Blue and she seems to be doing homework. Blue seems to be playing a game on his phone while Green rips out a sheet of paper out of her notebook. Blue walks up to get his coffee and bagel and starts drinking his coffee and eating his food.  As Blue is eating Green is writing stuff on a piece of paper. Blue begins to say something to Green and look over at her occasionally to see what she’s doing. Blue begins to shake his leg. A guy in a baseball cap then joins the two. Baseball seems to be on his phone and no talking is happening at the table. Two others seem to stop by the table because they know blue. Conversation then arises because of blue, but blue is the only one talking to them, slowly baseball ends up joining the conversation with the two who walked up. They guys who came to the table seem to be baseball players and the guys who sat down at the table would be baseball players as well. After conversing for a while the two guys end up leaving and it back to the original three. The girl still seems to be doing homework. Baseball leaves the table and Blue and Green are left at the table alone again. Green begins to ask a question and continues to eat her bagel. She then begins to drink her coffee and take a break from her studying to go on her phone. Baseball comes back with ice for Blue’s coffee and ends up burning himself with the splatter from when the ice dropped. Green then shows something to Bleu and he reads it. Blue now seems to be studying with Green as he begins to write stuff down. Baseball leaves again and Blue and Green seem to be concentrated on the homework assignment that they have. Baseball comes back with food and sitting next to the table next to Blue and Green were the two guys that were standing and talking so now Blue can talk to his friends across the table while they eat. Conversation dies down and eating just happens.

Slowly the area becomes crowded filled with people, assuming it’s their lunch hours and there are more than just two people, forming groups. But also there happens to be a school here on a college visit as I see younger students here on campus.