My Grocery List

Two granny smith apples, a four liter jug of distilled water, plain yogurt, and some about to expire the next day rocky road squares for 50%off. A typical grocery list? For a twenty something year old student who spends less than 5 minutes in the morning on her appearance it is. I find that my shopping trips are just as oddly put together if not more so. What does this say about me to the other people in line? What stereotypes do they place on me by not only my appearance but my purchases? What do I think of the slightly overweight business woman with a cart full of Slimfast and chips?
After reading Murray’s commentary on “The Writer’s Eye” I recalled random logged thoughts just as the items on my grocery list that I would have loved to explore but never had the medium for. On the bus I see how people interact or the lack there of and see a story.
When I first started taking transit I was amazed by how full a bus could be and the only sound heard was that of the bus itself. Are we as a culture really that antisocial? Or do we view those that spark up random conversation as a little “too friendly” and therefore avoid them? Those are both questions that could and have fill books.
I have a coworker who is not only a server but also a yoga instructor trained in Costa Rica, this summer she plans to go to Thailand to further her education and possibly do a documentary. She has also been on the show “The Last 10 pounds” (her episode is one of the most replayed) and has done plus sized modeling. She is not only a very interesting character but has the craziest encounters with the most random people. How many possible leads and stories could I do on her and with the concepts that surround her? I could not only write on the topics mentioned but dive deeper into how these are so popular today and how at 26 years old she still has her life in front of her and is not doomed to be an old maid.
This sort of brainstorming I find very useful but on the other hand Murray’s concept of a Discovery Draft for me is impossible. I come to the page with an idea in mind and if it is not really formed some parts of it will come to mind before they are on the page. I am incapable of writing random bits and sentences when the end product will be done with words. It seems to me that the initial rough draft will carry over the same roughness and will be incapable of perfection. That by putting the words on the page before they are complete will translate into the same errors into the final piece.