Observation Journal (Journal 21)

Prompt:

For fifteen minutes sit and observe your classroom, a meeting, a sporting event, the library, an airport, the mall, a doctor’s office…. Then write. Take note of the small details of the room, the people, the colors, sounds, smells…. Your jurnal entry may end up being a simple list or you may create the story of the moment. 

I completed my observation journal on a recent trip to Target.  Here is what I observed:

squeaking wheels of shopping carts

the scent of popcorn and pretzels

the hissing squeal of the espresso machine in the Starbucks

beeping registers, loud talking, swishing and crumpling register papers

multi-colored bags hanging from silver hooks, one in yellow-striped canvas

scarves hang, multi-colored in the next aisle, all bright pinks and yellows and bright greens, one in a grayish-blue

shiny silvers and golds in the jewelry case, earrings hang on the wall, sunglasses glint at the back of the section

a stylishly dressed woman, straight brown, shoulder length hair, pulled back on her left side with one barrette, wearing dark blue jeans and a greenish-brown turtleneck sweater, her tan jacket hangs open as she pushes her red cart – curtain rods overhang the back

my own reflection

DVDs on sale for $9 – I have seen most of them

a young woman in a red short and khakis rushes by, speaking into her walkie talkie

tiny tropical colored bathing suits hang from several racks

folded t-shirts in three tiers, spring colors

converse sneakers in many colors

ladies lined up by the changing room

girls chatting behind a large red desk, handing out small plastic tickets with numbers and answering the telephone

men's clothing racks give way to electronics

          a man in a black shirt, faded sneakers and jeans, black wool jacket shops among hanging shirts,   
             all button-down

DVDs faced out in striped racks, people make their ways up and down the skinny aisles

video and other cameras under lock on silvery ropes

TVs are turned on, playing silent music videos and blockbuster previews

a woman carrying a lime green shoulder bag shops

a man speaking loudly into his bluetooth, something about car repairs

a woman slaps her son's hand, says no forcefully

“excuse me”

small children's clothes in pinks and oranges, a yellow Easter dress

gender-separated toy section: Play Doh and board games give way to Strawberry Shortcake dolls and My Little Ponies, then action figures and guns

a whining girl begins to cry, she's about three years old

a woman in too-tight leggings shops for a yoga mat

marked-down Valentine candies and stuffed animals, all hearts and reds and pinks

women examine products carefully for sale prices, one squints at a bar code

the grocery section: boxes of rice dinners, cookies, cereal, bags of potato chips

a woman in hanging turquoise earrings and red lipstick, bangs hang heavy over her forehead

a heavy red beaded necklace hangs in the opening of a black and white printed winter jacket, it has a belt, but it is open and untied; she pushes a cart toward the pet food aisle

cosmetics and jumbo shampoo bottles on sale

hair brushes and hair elastics on one side; hair colors in many hues, some natural, some not on the other side of the aisle