Today is a day of firsts. It's the first time I will be doing the experiment with two people in the same day. It's also the first time I am heading out with the explicit purpose of finding participants. So far, I have found a participant while I'm in the midst of doing something else, usually while out for a meal. This time, however, I am leaving the office with the sole purpose of doing LMEC with two strangers.
I head to Wharf St, where there are many benches overlooking the harbor. My intention is to approach someone who is sitting alone on a bench.
Not more than a block away I spot a man sitting on a bench. I approach him and sit down on the bench. I ask if I may interrupt him, a question which he doesn't seem to understand, perhaps because I am not speaking up, or perhaps because he is surprised.
I do my usual introduction, no changes to the script this time. I ask him if he is willing to participate in the experiment, and he seems noncommittal. He says that he does not have a lot of time and is about to go somewhere. I ask him if that means his answer is a "no" and he seems to reconsider, or at least lean towards a "yes."
He asks about the purpose of the experiment, and I tell him we can talk about it afterwards.
"But we're doing it now," he says, referring to making eye contact with each other, and glances at his watch to indicate, I suppose, that we could be tracking the minute now.
"Yes, we are," I say. "But here's now this works..."
And I explain the parameters of the experiment and ask for his consent again. He says it sounds interesting, and sure, he'll do it. So I start the timer and we begin.
He asks if we can talk, and I shake my head to indicate "no." The man seems fidgety. He looks away a few times. His gaze changes from relaxed to squinting, his bowline calm then furrowed. About halfway through he changes his sitting position. He adjusts his glasses right his right hand, and near the end uses his right hand to block the sun from his eyes.
When the 60 seconds is up I ask him if he was nervous. He says he was not, but that the sun was in his eyes. I hadn't considered our orientation to the sun when I positioned myself. I will think about that next time.
I return to his earlier question, why I am doing this, and give my usual reasons. He seems to understand, and says that it seems easy to do in Canada. I tell him that so far it has been fairly easy, that I've only done it in Victoria, and I will probably continue to do the experiment in other places.
Next I pitch to him the part about using his first name and photograph on the blog. "I think not," he says, and I ask him if is OK if I just use his first name, to which he consents. I ask him his name and he says "Bruno." I introduce myself and write his name down in my journal.
Bruno is a man about my age, with short dark hair and a full beard of the same length and color. His glasses have black, rectangular rims.
Finally, I give him one of my new leave-behinds and tell him he can get in touch with me and see the post about our interaction on the blog. I thank him for participating and wish him well.