A+ for Eavesdropping

Ok so I actually had a very cool assignment to do for my Social Research Methods class today.  Technically it was due Tuesday but he's a pretty lenient professor overall so he said as long as it's in before January it'd be cool.  The assignment was to go to a public place, sit there for an hour, and observe all the people around you and record their interactions.  If you're a people watcher it's the class for you.  I'm extremely nosy so it finally felt like a project I'd invest myself in.  I went to a Starbucks with Genna and grabbed a table towards the back, but not too far in the back.  She was studying o-chem from a notebook and I had my laptop in front of me, hiding the fact that I was secretly taking notes on everyone that came in.  

HOW CREEPY DOES THAT SOUND? It must sound creepy because it is creepy. Honestly, it almost sounds illegal, but I didn't make these people talk close enough to me so I can hear them, they could have muffled their voice if they wanted.  I didn't think I would have as much to write about as I ended up doing either.  I typed non stop for an hour, only taking like 3 one minute breaks because I thought I was going insane due to over stimulation in my brain.  

I had to set up my notes in a table including a column with the time, a column with the action of the person, and then a column with my impressions on it.  Half way through I realized I started writing like I was blogging instead of a research assignment.  It was definitely way too snarky to be legitimate research, but it was fun and my professor is probably so laid back that he shouldn't be teaching.  I wasn't worried.

Here is an excerpt of my assignment.  I'm aiming for an A, but anything over a B- will suffice.

TIME                  ACTION                                                MY IMPRESSION

03:13:00 PM	An employee is wiping down the bar table and the chairs.	I wonder if she's a newer employee because she seems pleased with herself for completing this task.
03:15:00 PM	A man around 25 walked in and was ordering at the counter, while an employee at the other end of the store yelled “hello” to him. They tried having a conversation from their separate locations but the girl couldn't understand what he was saying and did that fake laugh. Hopefully what he said wasn't serious or somber.	Almost seemed like one of those awkward encounters where you pretend like you care about what the other person has to say. She definitely didn't. Although, she did initiate the conversation which means she wanted him to know she was here...maybe she has a little crush?
03:19:00 PM	A girl, probably in high school is leaning against the bar area eating a pastry type item, looking around at her surroundings.	I think she's trying to look mature and classy while eating her over priced croissant but she's putting too much in her mouth at once and just looking like a slob.
03:20:00 PM	A lady and her three kids, all under 10 years old, came in. The kids sat down looking impatient while the lady is ordering.	THIS IS WHY THEY MADE DRIVE THROUGH STARBUCKS SO YOUR KIDS WOULDN'T HAVE TO ENDURE THIS
03:24:00 PM	A girl is leaning against the ordering counter. She's taking forever to order.	I'm wondering if she knows the cashier because they're small talking more than an average customer.
03:26:00 PM	Why does she keep leaning onto the ordering counter?	This seems so dirty because so many people use that ordering counter.
03:27:00 PM	An older couple came in, they look hip for their age. The leaning counter girl finally moved to the bar side of Starbucks. She's eating this cheesy pastry.	Why do people start eating their food while waiting for their drink? Have we no patience when it comes to food anymore
03:29:00 PM	A short middle aged man comes in and quickly orders. Ordered just a pastry but something looked wrong with it because he gave it back and waited for a different one.	He seemed friendly to the cashier even when he returned the original pastry. We need more patient and friendly people like that to come to Starbucks I feel.
03:32:00 PM	A blonde woman came in and started talking to the older hip couple, they're now ordering.	Perhaps she's their daughter, she kind of looks like the old woman. It also looks like the couple is paying for the woman which I hope my parents will still do when they're old.
03:34:00 PM	The three of them came and sat really close to me, they are talking kind of jokingly. The old man is massaging her back.	I'm really hoping it's her father at this point.
03:35:00 PM	They're discussing a gift from Pier 1 Imports. It's a back roller thing. The woman just said “mom”. The fact they are parents to her is now confirmed.	They seem like a close knit family since they're talking to the woman about work and her friends. It's refreshing.

This is how much my mom hates my blog. A text I received from her at 10:50am today... "Uncle tim told joz (my aunt Josie) to read ur blog now she wants to read it i said NO! ugh"

Thanks for being my #1 fan, madre.  Love you forever.
xxxx
A

WHO GAVE THIS CHILD A GUN?

Finally it's almost November.  That's really the only reason I've been looking forward to Halloween, for it means the start of November is the next day and that's my favorite month.  I love everything about Thanksgiving and since we live in America we start celebrating the Christmas season basically tomorrow as well... SO COMMERCIALIZED but I like Christmas lights and making cookies and the smell of snow and presents (I'm honest, not greedy).  It is ironic I like Thanksgiving because I don't eat turkey, but there is a product on the market called Tofurky and it's not nearly as bad as it sounds.  In fact, I think it's delicious and even better tasting.  I can picture most people reading this saying out loud, "It's not the same thing".  Whatever.  It tastes good in my mouth.

One of my teachers asked us all what we were going to be for Halloween and no one said anything because I'm pretty sure no one is going out in this weather.  I think most cities even around here have officially postponed Halloween which kinda sucks in my opinion because I just want to focus on Thanksgiving.  Three weeks from tomorrow.  Craziness.  It's weird because I can barely remember any costumes I dressed up in during my childhood.  Again, I have an extremely poor memory.  Halloween was considered a big deal when we were younger though.  We would go to my Uncle Tim and Aunt Cathy's house (her birthday is today too!) and they would go all out the party every year.  I remember being very scared that night because my sibs and I were among the youngest ones there, as it was mainly adults.  And these adults were very much dressed up.  My mom would make me sit next to witches and shit and that may be why to this day I'm not a huge fan of the whole ordeal.  Plus one year I seem to have been dressed very psycho-like.

As if you can't tell, I'm a clown and yes, that is a gun in my hand.  This is not ok.  How did the person taking this photo not tell me to put that down?  Was I carrying this the whole night?  Did I pretend to shoot people?  And why is my face like that?  It looks like I just took major pleasure in attacking anti-clown protestors.  I will ignore the fact that I didn't seem to need a mask and I could simply smile as hard as my cheeks would let me and it would be just as unsettling.  I hope I didn't trick or treat like this.  No wonder I never had any friends to go with, after this year the parents of my friends probably decided to let me be on Halloween night.  The good thing about seeing me in this costume is realizing my parents knew how to economize their money in regards to costumes.  I think we must have had some type of rotation system going on because I believe this is the year before.

Tom went the more conventional route of swapping the gun for the big red nose, but for that there are clearly personal side effects.  Compare my face to his and tell me I didn't have more fun.

xxxx

A