Observers are a dying breed, most people are imaging now.
I thought about imaging but didn't like the cost and I like to see lots of objects in one night not just image a few.
I avoid writing observing reports because they ruin my night vision.
When I do I like to use code like:
Brightness: vB or B or mB or F or vF (m is moderately)
Size: vL or L or mL or S or vS.
Concentration: 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 (high to low)
Sometimes I record audio comments, I must try it on my MP3 player sometime.
The worst thing about the Caldwell catalog is the renumbering of the objects.
I see there is a book that uses both Caldwell's list and one of mine.
http://www.taurus-tech.com/ImageCat.htm