Peeping
Last week, Heidi wrote a great post about what she’s learned about her neighbors over the three years she’s lived in her apartment. Not that she’s a peeping Tom. But, more that when you live somewhere, it’s hard not to notice what goes on in the world around you. While Sweets and I have only lived in our condo for just over a year, we have learned a lot of things about our neighbors, too.
Note: I will not speak of the neighbors with whom we’ve become friends, because that is a different post entirely. This post is devoted to the people I see on a regular basis, but with whom I do not speak.
There is the apartment building across the alley full of people I want to hate. Mostly because of the hoodlum guy with the poorly trained and mean dog whom I’ve spoken of in the past. But, there are families that live in that building, too. Like the two girls who go there after school. And the older gentleman (father?) who shows up a few hours later in the beat-up white car. Who honks. And honks. And honks some more. Until the girls come out and they all quickly leave.
There is the lonely guy living in the condo building across the street. I see him walking his two, small, ratty dogs a few times each day during his smoking breaks. Without fail, he always wears the same pair of parachute pants from a bygone era with the faded blue and orange animal print representing the colors for the Chicago Bears.
There is the man who owns the stained glass gallery on the corner. His peaceful and unassuming presence doesn’t beckon customers. I have yet to see one enter his store. Then again, maybe they don’t like his chain-smoking habits. I think he owns the building and puts up signs on the side parkway to keep dogs off. The signs warn of chemicals sprayed on the lawn (must be strong chemicals, since there is no lawn to speak of, only dirt).
There is the other young guy who brought home a beautiful Vizsla puppy last year. He diligently walks his dog. Has his dog very well trained. And sadly, has yet to socialize his dog. I’ve never seen him let his dog anywhere near the other dogs on the street. And he makes it a point to walk by SoMi and me as quickly as possible. In fact, even when he’s not with his dog, he never says hi or talks to anyone on our block. Believe me, I’ve unsuccessfully tried to be neighborly. Must not be a very social guy.
There are the two older Asian couples who live together in a building down the street. They never speak to or acknowledge anyone on the street and only speak in their native language to one another. One of the men likes to pace up and down the sidewalk. Wearing his light white linen clothes. The other man of the house strategically parks his car so he takes up two spots whenever possible, liters and generally I just don’t like him.
There is the single woman living in a garden unit whose windows line up against the sidewalk. When I walk SoMi at 5AM every morning, her bedroom blinds are already open. Her bed is made and sometimes her cat is in the window. Her living room blinds are also usually open at this time. I usually see her gathering her things for the day. Though, one time she was standing in the middle of her kitchen in a t-shirt and underwear. That was totally unnecessary. (And yes, I know I don’t have to look in, but her windows are at eye-level and I walk within a foot of them – it’s seriously hard not to notice what’s going on.) This same woman diligently waters the impatients she planted around the tree in their parkway.
There is the cop that parks in the high school parking lot. I see him every morning. 5AM during said morning walks with the dog. He’s always in the same spot, facing out towards the street in case anything happens. He turns his lights off, though often leaves his engine running. I like to think he’s reading during his break. Or doing paperwork. I’d rather not think that’s he’s still on the clock doing a whole bunch of nothing.
And then there’s the cast of characters I used to see for stretches of time whom I no longer see. The middle aged guy smoking and going for a morning walk (I always thought he was a recovering drug addict and this was his way to escape the demons in his home). The older Asian guy walking laps in the park while doing arm exercises (I always figured he knew the secret ingredient for a long and healthy life … and pre-dawn walks were part of the recipe). The younger guy who’d zoom past me on his bike (I always thought he was leaving his girlfriend’s house to go home and get ready for the next day of work). I wonder what happened to these people once I no longer saw them.
The thing is we all have neighbors. Some of us share walls with our neighbors. Some of us share fences with neighbors. And most of us share the common streets around our homes with our neighbors. These people make (or break) our living experiences. Though I may not like all of my neighbors, I love my neighborhood and the experiences I’ve had while living here. So tell me about some of the people that make or break your neighborhood experiences!
September 29th, 2009 at 6:14 am
I may steal this idea – though I live in a true suburban neighborhood and I know the majority of my neighbors at least on an acquaintance level. I think is speaks strongly of your personality and your relationship with Somi that you really notice the dogs in neighborhood as much as the people.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:17 am
My husband and I are probably the neighbors that people in our building talk about. Not that we’ve given anyone reason to dislike us but we haven’t bothered to get to know many people around us – mostly because we don’t spent a lot of time at home. Its not that we are unfriendly but we certainly don’t make an effort.
That said, we are intrigued by some of our neighbors behaviors as well. And annoyed by some of them. People can be strange! Do you ever make up nicknames for the people you refer to in your post? We totally do and they aren’t always very nice.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:16 am
What a great idea for a post! I may have to write my own (while giving credit to you of course). I always have these ideas in my head of what the people who live around my neighborhood are like. Barry Manilow did a whole cd of songs similar, “Here at the Mayflower.” The Mayflower is an apt building and each of the song revolves around the people who live in various apartments. That just screams nerd doesn’t it. Ah well, I fully embrace it. You know how much I love Barry.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:21 am
The crazy quilting ladies across the street know EVERYTHING that happens in our neighborhood. I swear they have binoculars. And they hate it that we have parties in the backyard because then they have to “go for a walk” to see what’s going on.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:29 am
We just had some neighbors move into the building yesterday. Our condo is a mix of people yet the one constant is one single woman who loves in the garden unit closest by the back gate. She knows everyoen and everyone likes her. It has been a while since we saw her though.
We have the gay couple who have weird hours and three dogs. The young couple waiting to take ont he world one event at a time. The bachlor with a steady girlfriend (I say steady because she has been around the longest). We used to see him walk his friends to their car as we leave for work at 6:30. We have the old gay man who used to refuse to walk his dog properly so the dog would go to the bathroom on the top deck, runing his bottom neighbors’ Sunday morning reading on the porch.
Our next door neighbors who are from Southern IL and are so kind but shy.
Oh and our upstairs neighbors who have eerie similar hours as us and plays the base on Tuesday nights.
I kind or wonder what they know/think of us?
September 29th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Now that I’m back in the suburbs, it’s a whole different ballgame.
1) The very short middle-aged man who is running every morning without fail on his same route when I leave for work. We are now on a head-nodding basis.
2) The family of Grunters that lives behind my parents. They are all a little too loud for their own good, shouting at one another across their lawn. They like to mow their lawn and have the Cardinals game on the radio at the same time, each one competing for sound space. They also don’t like my parents bamboo and we occasionally see them poking around on our property and I think they are secretly plotting to cut it down.
3) There are lots of little kids who are surprisingly friendly and will wave to me, Jack and Irish when we are on walks.
Now, when I’m at Irish’s place:
1) The lady with the HUGE dogs who are never on a leash and aren’t well-behaved. She doesn’t apologize when her dogs scare the living daylights out of me.
2) The man and his wife (?) who own a construction company. They sit on their patio every night, a few beers in one hand, cigarettes in the other. They always wave to us and say hi to Jack which is refreshing.
3) The creepy old dude who will go to the pool, hit on the young girls and read PORN at the same time.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
i love this post so much as i do/think the exact same things about my neighbors that i see all the time. many of them for over three years, the same people over and over again that i’ve never talked to.
and thinking about it now for someone as social as i am im surprised i haven’t…
September 29th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I love that most of your neighborhood knowledge revolves around puppies or walking. :o)
Great post chica!
xox
September 29th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I’m a peeper, for sure. I love looking in on people’s houses to see how they are decorated even if I shouldn’t. There was one guy who would walk by my apartment building every morning M-F at the same time. I’d always see him as I sat at my desk typing my blog post for the day. I wanted to wave.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:23 am
neighbors are funny. i like to imagine their “story.”
September 29th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I love neighbor watching. We know most of our neighbors and most are pretty friendly. Though we have nicknames for some of the neighbors that just cry out for them. My husband doesn’t always remember the real names of them, but if I use the nickname he instantly knows who I am talking about. Thankfully our neighbors are mainly pretty good neighbors and are reasonably friendly even if we aren’t good friends with them.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I had the longest conversation I’ve ever had with a neighbor at my old apartment over the weekend when I went to gather one last load to bring over to the new place. He has a dog who doesn’t like most people, but lets me scratch his ears. This in turn makes me like the neighbor, though he’s got a kind smile and a Latin warmth to him that would make me like him in his own right.
My NEW neighbor, with whom I share the small two-car garage, is cute, friendly, and welcome to walk by me in the hall on his way to the gym wearing a thin t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders any time he chooses.
September 29th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
We definitely have a cast of characters in our complex, too. Luckily we haven’t had any negative experiences with our neighbors, but they are all definitely interesting. We have the Romanians next door – a young couple and the gals parents (the 4 of them living in a 500 sq ft apartment…). We have nicknamed the couple Vladimir and Svetlana. Svetlana’s father doesn’t speak a lick of English, but is always outside on the porch, which we share smoking, his cigarettes and drinking coffee and trying to converse with us. He loves my kitties and one day made us a plate of crepes with apricot filling!
September 29th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Sadly I’ve never really been one to get to know my neighbors because I know that at some point I’m going to move (since I rent) and what would be the point? Not only that, but my neighbors have moved time and again.
If I ever can afford to get my own place, I’m hoping that will change. Well, I’d also be hoping I have mostly awesome neighbors. :)
September 29th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
what an interesting cast of characters!
The non-talking-to neighbors I know best have a porch that overlooks where the main traffic goes to get to the stairs. About 90% of the time, one or both of them is out there smoking. I keep odd hours and can come and go during the week, during business hours. And she’s there. Honestly, does she have a job other than smoking? Not that it bothers me, smoke if you want to on your own porch, but they’re *always* there!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
What a great post! I loved reading all about the various people in your neighborhood! I just might have to do a similar post on my street (it’s a short little dead end); we’re quite ethnic and interesting for less than 12 houses!!
September 29th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I have to say, I don’t know many people in my neighborhood. Because I rent, I don’t really spend the time getting to know them. But some woman who lets her cats run around my apartment hallway (public one) in the middle of the night makes me crazy!
September 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I barely know the people in my building and I’ve been there almost 7 years. I think my neighbors would describe me as anti-social. :) I always imagined that I’d get to know neighbors better when I actually owned a place. Have you always been so neighborly or did you become so when you bought a condo?