YAY or NAY: spying on your neighbors?
2008 February 22
you know how sometimes when its dark, but people haven’t closed their curtains yet in their house, so you can see in?
well…. do you pause? do you peek?
me = i like to glance into houses when driving through neighborhoods at night. its like getting to check out their interior decorating without actually going in! i’m so ashamed!
I feel like I should start this comment with, “Hi, my name is Stephanie, and I’m a nighttime window glancer.” But, really if they wanted to have total and complete privacy, they would close their blinds or something so that those of us glancers can’t peek in
I know that for us, if our shades are up it is as good as being outside, so give a wave if ever you are peeking our direction.
steph: i actually waved at Allen Wednesday night. i was standing outside staring at the lunar eclipse, and he walked over to the window, looked at me, and i started waving! but he didn’t wave back. i don’t think he recognized me! HA. glad to know i now have an official invitation from y’all…
Correction, I did wave.
I’ll be more animated next time.
allen:
did i say wave, like arm wave? i meant wave, like fly out of your seat and yell “whooooo” at a football game WAVE!!!!
seriosly, don’t know how i missed that. the lunar eclipse’s dullness was probably blinding my eyes! or maybe i got freaked out & didn’t want you to think i was staring in your apartment! this was before Steph’s permission, you know.
that’s funny – i’m also curious about the way other people decorate too. in our complex that we just moved out of all the blinds were always closed…but if they were open…) how nosy are we?
the other thing about the apartment is that we’d “spy” without trying: oh, she has the flu (i could hear one neighbor throwing up), oh, they are arguing again (main argument consists of “get out of my house!”) or oh…will you please turn down your bass it’s 2 am!? the joys of living in an old apartment.
i never realized how often i thought of the neighbors hearing us until we’ve been in the house andn i wonder about a dozen times a time if we are being too loud!
I’m always so curious that I want to peek, but I try really hard not to. Unless it’s Christmas time, and then I’m peeking in every open window hoping to see Christmas decorations. But, pretty much, I’m the same as Steph. If I have the blinds open, I’m pretty much saying that people are welcome to peek.
You’ve kind of got this whole spying, sneaky, dating 20 yr olds thing going on don’t you
Uhhh, Mandy, aren’t you the one who snoops through trash cans or medicine cabinets in other people homes too?
There definitely is a theme
y’all!!! its ‘cuz drew is outta town!!! he usually keeps me in check. now i’m just all over the place.
this is the part where nice southern people say “bless her heart”…..
Yah, well some of us aren’t nice southern people
More like, heartless West Coasters.
But I can’t write here what “nice” west coasters would say
Ya know, when I was younger my living room was entirely windows and it always freaked me out because I wondered if people were looking in or watching me. Now I know. Odds are, there probably were.
I totally look!! So fun, especially when you’re the passenger and can take the time to look as you pass by. It always amazes me though how many people don’t have curtains that live on roads where you could see in at night. It’s like being naked. I like a little privacy, or even better some protection!
After watching Rear Window a few dozen times, I have no desire to look in.
i’m beginning to wonder what my mom will think of me after reading this post! yikes!!!
i definitely look. my curiosity gets the best of me.
this is also why one of my OCDisms is that i have to close all my curtains right at dusk. i hate knowing people can see me when i can’t see them!
Oh my goodness… My husband and I go on drives all the time at night just so I can see people’s interior decorating. My, across the street, neighbors keep their curtains drawn at night… It’s like they want “privacy” or something… psh! But I do keep an eye out…
lauren: your husband is an ACCOMPLICE to this?!? wow……. LOL – let us know about those neighbors across the street if you ever manage a peek!
Have to admit to looking…but its not just to see how others decorate. Its hoping that someones house may be messier than mine.
Pretty pathetic, huh. And on that note, I make sure my shades are ALWAYS closed at night. Oh, thanks for the birthday wish.
OK – if the windows/curtains are open – fair game for a glance, peek – whatever you want to call it.
I’m tempted in fact to run outside and try to get a peek into my neighbors below if I can – have not seen the wife since November – only the husband and the son (hers, not his) occasionally. It’s too weird – her car just sits outside and now even the license plates are missing! But people really like their privacy here and I’m afraid to commit a faux pas and ask the other neighbors.
But I never check decor here – either minimalist or old heavy German – looking forward to the day I can wander the aisles of TJMaxx Home again.
Wow, this one is getting a bit freaky…
Susan, are you serious? Is there a strange “grave” looking mound of dirt in the backyard?!?!?
In case inWorship checks back – Yeah – it is freaky. My husband and I keep making quiet jokes about the remodeling going on, no sign of the wife (who you would think would be very active in the remodeling process!) and what will the landscapers find this Spring. It would be a VERY personal question here if I asked about her to the husband though. Am hoping, as she’s Russian and still waiting for her Swiss passport, that something came up that called her home to Russia and she’ll be returning soon.
Too weird.
Susan: YES. very strange indeed…. if you get the skinny on the wife, let us know. what a wacky world we live in!?!
@Susan…Remodeling!?!?!?!
Ahhhh…what’s in those walls…
You have to find a reason to go over and walk through the house. Tell us if you smell anything
yeah susan! maybe you could make them brownies or something! then you’d be the weird nosey american knocking on their door.
Hi.. I’m new to your blog! But I like it! – I am at home today, and I was thinking… I should google my neighbors… instead I googled “Should I spy on my neighbor?” and I got here! Great blog… definitely getting added to my reader! wooooo