commonplaces

I know you might think the quotidian humdrum of the copy shop is anything but interesting, but then of course you would be wrong. There are many benefits copy shop employment offers, but by far people watching is the best. From my vantage point in the copy shop, I can see all. My corner view allows me to look eastward, southward, and westward. I can look into the Bookmark, I can see Current Periodicals, and I can watch people entering and exiting the stairway and the elevators or walking up the steps into the stacks. People walk by, they sit on the couches, and they stand in front of the scanner. It's a people-watcher's paradise.

There are different kinds of people that come by on a daily basis. There are the new people, the ones I've never seen before. They're a wonderful subject of observation because of the novelty of it all - the clothes, hair, face, shoes, shape, size, walk, and all other mannerisms.

Then, of course, there are the people who walk past regularly. These people are interesting because you can see their wardrobe change, you see what they typically carry (accessories, books, bags), you can see who they converse with, and what they do. After a while, I feel like I know them a little. The other side is that this familiarity sometimes becomes weird, like when my old French teacher walks by and we awkwardly wave. This unpleasant experience has occurred dozens of times already this semester, and I expect it to continue.

Another group of people that walk past is the employees of the library. Within this group, it's better to divide it between student employees and staff. The student employees are generally friendly, especially the Bookmark workers. Thorin and that one guy who wore the demon mask for Halloween - they're fine. They say hello sometimes or walk past with a wave. The library staff, on the other hand, don't offer much attention. The custodial staff seems largely irritated and maybe misanthropic. The librarians and other library staff members, though, are aloof not because they're necessarily unfriendly (though they may be) but because they don't think much of student employees. We're just hangers-on or barnacles on the Bizzell cruiseliner, and they don't have time to get to know us. This is really okay with me because I don't want to get to know them that much anyway, and the eccentricity of library staff members is interesting to watch.

Anyway, it's really great.