Nosy |Pad Patter 10.26

[bestcee]

I love my new office window. I can sit at the computer, and watch all the cars or people that come by my corner of the neighborhood. Yep, I'm that nosy neighbor who keeps an eye on who's around. I'm not the one that is snooping in your trash, or tattling to the neighbors on you, just watching to see who comes around the neighborhood. Noticing suspicious activities, and people. I actually almost called the cops last week because these 2 people were dropped off my a windowless white van. Then they were going door to door, knocking on some, and peering in the door windows on others. Then I figured out that they were handing out political stuff and registering people to vote. Good thing I didn't call!

So, are you nosy too? Or am I alone in admitting it?

 

[scrapsandsass]

I usually keep my curtains closed. We have one neighbor (a single guy in his late 20s/early 30s) who flies his drone over around our house and several times had it hovering in our back yard while Tim was out in the garden. Weird. Creeps me out.

There is an older woman who lives across the street with her son and granddaughter. She tells me things that I don't want to know (if she catches me outside and I make eye contact), and I just don't really want to be friendly with her. She retired from teaching and now fancies herself as a lounge singer. She had her voice coach over and he is a guy that is younger than she is, but they've been thick as thieves (cough cough *gigolo* cough cough). I had the curtains open and unfortunately looked up just as they decided to embrace and kiss goodbye on the sidewalk. Ugh. Not what I wanted to see

I'm nosy when I'm out in public. As a writer, I always eavesdrop on conversations or try to figure out people's stories so I have material to use later. I was in Starbucks and heard two obnoxious guys, so I wrote down key points and quotes from their obnoxious conversation to use later. I do that almost everywhere I can find good tidbits.

 

[jk703]

I'm nosy, though I think of it as interested curiosity.

Though... I'm not too nosy with my neighbors. They are all older and hibernate - winter and summer. Our neighborhood is S L O W L Y turning around to a young family one... too slow for my taste!

I'm nosy and always curious about things, people, and information. I will do my sleuthing on the interwebs, and randomly end up on some person's page from 20 pages ago that was an aunt's cousin's mother's best friend's dog's vet knew my neighbor down the street sort of thing. I am constantly saying "I will look it up," or "let me check" no matter the subject. I like to read news articles, and then go be nosy looking for more information about the people. I'm just curious.

I don't hear well, and have tinnitus, so I actually can pick up a lot more from body language and expressions. I am always interested in learning new things, but unless I know it to be true, I keep it to myself, or chat with DH.

 

[michelepixels]

I love to people-watch. When I was in college, I liked picking a study carrell on the 4th floor next to a window and I'd take breaks from reading and look outside at the people milling below like ants.

I don't watch my neighborhood though. It's so quiet. Not much to see.

 

[tkradtke]

I'm nosy, though I think of it as interested curiosity.

I'm nosy and always curious about things, people, and information. I will do my sleuthing on the interwebs, and randomly end up on some person's page from 20 pages ago that was an aunt's cousin's mother's best friend's dog's vet knew my neighbor down the street sort of thing. I am constantly saying "I will look it up," or "let me check" no matter the subject. I like to read news articles, and then go be nosy looking for more information about the people. I'm just curious.

Sounds a lot like me!

I love to observe and people-watch and living in the city gives me plenty of opportunity for that. But there's always enough going on that I can tune a lot of it out. I really think that's why I love living in the city... if I want to take a break and watch out the window, there are always lots of people walking by. If there were only a few, I think I would get a little obsessive whenever there was any movement outside.

I'm constantly looking things up and checking my sources. I've figured out that I got this trait from my dad, who is always looking things up (and always has).

I keep an eye on my kids online and will click on the profiles of their friends who post things publicly to see what's going on. The kids figure I do this, but I have to be careful about asking about things they haven't specifically told me about.

Our former neighbor put her desk in front of her front windows and would sit there all day long "working" on her computer. We had kids about the same age and she would get so spun up when we would have kids - other than hers - over to play, if we went somewhere without inviting them or if we met up with mutual friends. She was nuts! That's the bad side of nosy and beyond curious!

 

[Lindzee]

I am totally "don't care what anyone else including neighbors, are doing" I'm an introvert, but I like the curtains open to let in the light and I am also totally un-paranoid. If the neighbors want to look in - well their problem, not mine, since I am not that interesting and don't have gold furniture or anything - hey, let them look, who cares.. It would be creepy if they actually did more than look passing by - like up close and personal to the windows... Then I might call the police. But from the street walking by - hey, have fun, whatever.
My husband is the one friendly with the neighbors and always knows whats going on. His truck advertises that he does HVAC (air conditioning and heating) so neighbors call on us like maybe if you were friends with a doctor. "Hey Harry, my furnace is sounding funny, or leaking, or not on.., can you have a look and just tell me what to do.."
All the neighbors are very friendly with him, I'm not really sure if they know I exist, and I don't really care...
Our neighborhood is very multi-cultural, as is most of Montreal. We have Italians on one side, Iranians on another, French Canadians across, whatever, whatever.
How interesting could someone else's life really be? Unless they are terrorists, drug addicts, drug dealers, or mafia, or in witness protection for some interesting reason, I just don't care. My husband has assured me that none of our neighbors are any of the above...

 

[keepscrappin]

I like to people watch and like to have the blinds open in the window in my office so I can see people coming and going in our neighborhood.

 

[MrsPeel]

I used to watch the communal gardens around here a lot as when Sarita was little, the kids would all play outside here, and all of us mothers would keep an eye as our estate doesn't have a gate...any car can come in.... since I got worse in the past few years I rarely go outside and the window is behind me so ...not much watching, but I have been the curious kind...and the paranoid one since we came back to London with Sarita aged 5.... there were a couple of very suspicious guys (the kind that give TOO much attention to children) so I would always keep an eye on what was going on..... I hardly know my neighbors now...I miss the first 10 years here, we were almost like a family .....

 

[IntenseMagic]

At home, not so much. We only have 2 neighbors close that we can see and they are pretty boring haha and possibly vampires, because they never come outside.

In public, I am a total people watcher. I find people fascinating and could sit and observe for hours. I also check on people a lot. I get curious about connections between people and have to investigate. I've come up with some pretty great information. My friends joke that I should choose PI or researcher as my next career LOL

 

[bestcee]

As a writer, I always eavesdrop on conversations or try to figure out people's stories so I have material to use later.

DH and I play a game a lot of "Make up their backstory". We often do it in the car, and start totally backgrounds about a 15 second look.

I'm nosy, though I think of it as interested curiosity.

YES! I'm totally calling it this now!

I don't watch my neighborhood though. It's so quiet. Not much to see.

Mine's fairly quiet, and there's not much to see overall. I just like to know who's around because the kids like to play in the neighbourhood green space.

Our former neighbor put her desk in front of her front windows and would sit there all day long "working" on her computer. We had kids about the same age and she would get so spun up when we would have kids - other than hers - over to play, if we went somewhere without inviting them or if we met up with mutual friends. She was nuts! That's the bad side of nosy and beyond curious!

Oh my gosh! I'm not that nuts! I'm with you, that's the bad side.

How interesting could someone else's life really be? Unless they are terrorists, drug addicts, drug dealers, or mafia, or in witness protection for some interesting reason, I just don't care. My husband has assured me that none of our neighbors are any of the above...

Oh, you made me laugh out loud! Thanks for the giggle!

 

[bellbird]

DH and I play a game a lot of "Make up their backstory". We often do it in the car, and start totally backgrounds about a 15 second look.

us too - at airports mostly though - "who are they and where are they going"

i kinda dont have to be nosy/observant these days, like i can tell u right now the (retired) guy over the street is mowing the lawn - his mower just doesnt sound right (like he tinkers with various motorcycles on his driveway/open garage most days but i really think he need to look at his mower! it's just a continuous "drone hick! drone hick!" ) and he spends a good half day mowing a smaller front yard than ours and DH does ours in about half an hour (front and back). And b/c it's Bin Day, i know the other retired neighbour was out there waiting for the bin truck to empty hers so she can take them straight back in (i have better things to do and u can hear the trucks well before they show up).

Apart from the reserve/walkway next door where random people walk thru, our street is pretty predictable and we've lived in the same cul-de-sac for several years now (Unfortunately someone(bored kid probably) threw a rock thru DD's bedrm window late last year while we were out but it was enough to worry us as her bed was under the window, and so she moved to the spare room & we reshuffled DS's room so he sleeps as far from the window as possible - so i think nosey can be good - i would have called about that white van (it's always a white van in those criminal mind shows!)

 

[JillW]

We live in the country on a dead end road so don't have a lot to watch ... !

 

[scrappyjedi]

I am totally "don't care what anyone else including neighbors, are doing" I'm an introvert, but I like the curtains open to let in the light and I am also totally un-paranoid. If the neighbors want to look in - well their problem, not mine, since I am not that interesting and don't have gold furniture or anything - hey, let them look, who cares.. It would be creepy if they actually did more than look passing by - like up close and personal to the windows... Then I might call the police. But from the street walking by - hey, have fun, whatever.

Ha! This is me, totally. I am fine if you glance in while walking by. We don't even have a TV, and the only things visible through the windows are a bookcase (full of just books) and a HUGE map of the world. Basically, it says that our house is boring and not worth bothering with.

Now, if someone I don't know knocks on the door? I go into paranoid mode. Paranoid mode for me involves weaponry at the ready...you do not want to make me paranoid!

 

[gonewiththewind]

I was nosier with neighborhood activity when I was younger. Now, if I'm home, I'm relaxing and often don't even have the front window blinds open.

 

[corsicar]

When I was a kid being homeschooled, I did most of my schoolwork at a desk next to our front window. The curtains were mostly closed except right next to the desk for light, so I had a perfect view of anyone going down our street. I liked seeing our neighbors on their walks or seeing the delivery trucks go by. If someone stopped in front of our house I'd call out a heads up.

Now I live in a crowded apartment complex and I try to avoid being too nosy. I'm not very chatty with the neighbors, just smile and say hi. My hubby talks to nearly everybody.

I'm nosy, though I think of it as interested curiosity.

Yes! Being curious is better than being nosy. Seeing the thread title made me cringe. My mom scolded me when I was little about being nosy. I guess I was asking people (grown-ups) too many personal questions but at that young age I didn't realize it might be inappropriate. So I stopped asking questions after that. Even now I don't start random conversations (see above). But being curious is okay!