I LOVE eavesdropping. I have passed this love along to my children. We have such a great memory of eating lunch out in total silence so we could listen to the married couple next to us bicker rather viciously over whether there would be a waiter come take their order or whether they needed to order at the counter.
I loved this column (or is it a piece?). I love all these NNN things. I wish I could overhear more - in fact, any - dates. How old *is* Kip? I would hate people saying that about Cookie (who will be seven on May 5th).
Let me get this clear, in order to eavesdrop on people's conversations I would actually have to go where there are people, right? That's not necessarily in my wheelhouse but I will put it on the to-do list.
Yes to eavesdropping out in the world! Sometimes I am eavesdropping so hard that I find myself trailing off mid-sentence. Also: just before I met the man who's now my husband, I decided that *if* I ever dated again, I was finished with pretending to be anything other than exactly what I am. Trying to curate what you consider your "best" qualities for the person you are dating can be exhausting! And it's kind of devastating when the masks start to slip and you realize the other person was only showing you the parts of themself that they thought you'd like best as well. Also, I think all of our beloved pets are going to live forever. ❤️
Big yes to eavesdropping - or “oovesdropping” as my son said when he was little. I also have taken pics of people’s phones and then made it bigger to see what they were texting. As i write this it seems probably not ok and maybe illegal? I have yet to find out anything interesting or solve any crimes.
I'm never lucky enough to get to eavesdrop on first dates. I tend to sit near people having business meetings (not interesting), or else moms with teen daughters (usually pretty interesting). Maybe I need to spend more time eavesdropping.
It’s odd how certain strangers stay lodged in my gray matter for years and years, while I have trouble remembering what I did over the weekend. (I cleaned the bathroom.) maybe 10 years ago my husband and I were having dinner at Buvette in Manhattan and next to us was a very nice couple on a first date. The tables were so close together that the four of us began to chat, and they were both lovely. Who knows where they are now, but they seemed to really enjoy each other’s company and, well, the romantic sap in me hopes they’re still together ❤️ I should write a post on scary blind dates bc I do have a couple of those that I wish would be swallowed by selective amnesia😂
I haven't had any fun eavesdropping events for awhile but it reminds me of making up stories of who people are and where they are going at the airport or train station. And it makes me sad when people comment about whether a dog looks old. Give Kip a treat for me.
If I saw Kip on a walk I’d probably say eeek! Is that celebrity dog Kip!?! And then ask if I could pet him. Also I do love playing the “is it a date or just an awkward conversation” game.
I think you've hit a nerve! Best/worst overheard date was at a cafe, where a woman forcefully claimed that her date's love of their cat was entirely down to toxoplasmosis.
It didn't sound like there was going to be a second date...or I could have been projecting.
My son and I were out to dinner one evening and as we left, he commented that the lady next to us didn't make it hard to eavesdrop because she definitely didn't have an inside voice. Things have to be really juicy to get my husband's attention (like the couple next to us who seemingly broke up(!) while on a cruise ship with three days left?!?) but I'll drop in on anyone's conversation.
I once eavesdropped on a break up in a cafe 😑 Not nice! I think he chose there to avoid a scene but it was very clear what was happening. And, once I *eavesdropped* on text messages a plain clothes cop was sending while sitting beside me on a tram- he made no effort to hide his phone! He was following a man in an orange coat and was sending updates to someone about what the man was wearing, where he was standing etc. Then they both got off before me. I felt like I was in a soap opera!!
Okay, I recognize how horrible this is going to sound, but my best eavesdropping moment was when I was at lunch we friends and we got to hear a teenage girl tell her parents she was pregnant. Lunch at a Mexican restaurant and we were seated at booths back to back. The poor girl had never even met her boyfriend’s mom. Her parents were über Catholic and giving advice accordingly, which was hard to listen to. One of my friends and I had both experienced unplanned pregnancies so we both felt the conversation viscerally. It was both super entertaining to listen to (come on: peak drama!) AND super painful.
(Update: I did tangentially know of the girl’s family. I can report that she had the baby and as far as I know they’re all doing well.)
Eavesdropping is the best! But it's the non-verbals that I laser in on. Whenever I see a couple that doesn't look like they belong together, the words "witness protection program" pop out of my brain and sometimes mouth.
Haha I've been on the other side of this: a first date at a cute cafe and our table was literally 2cm from the next table. The mother and daughter duo sitting there didn't even try that hard to hide the fact that they were raptly watching our awkward date. It was so cringeworthy making first date small talk with an audience :-D But, would I have done the same as those two? yes definitely! Nothing like some first date entertainment with your coffee.
I LOVE eavesdropping. I have passed this love along to my children. We have such a great memory of eating lunch out in total silence so we could listen to the married couple next to us bicker rather viciously over whether there would be a waiter come take their order or whether they needed to order at the counter.
I loved this column (or is it a piece?). I love all these NNN things. I wish I could overhear more - in fact, any - dates. How old *is* Kip? I would hate people saying that about Cookie (who will be seven on May 5th).
Let me get this clear, in order to eavesdrop on people's conversations I would actually have to go where there are people, right? That's not necessarily in my wheelhouse but I will put it on the to-do list.
Yes to eavesdropping out in the world! Sometimes I am eavesdropping so hard that I find myself trailing off mid-sentence. Also: just before I met the man who's now my husband, I decided that *if* I ever dated again, I was finished with pretending to be anything other than exactly what I am. Trying to curate what you consider your "best" qualities for the person you are dating can be exhausting! And it's kind of devastating when the masks start to slip and you realize the other person was only showing you the parts of themself that they thought you'd like best as well. Also, I think all of our beloved pets are going to live forever. ❤️
Big yes to eavesdropping - or “oovesdropping” as my son said when he was little. I also have taken pics of people’s phones and then made it bigger to see what they were texting. As i write this it seems probably not ok and maybe illegal? I have yet to find out anything interesting or solve any crimes.
This is actually wild and grossly inappropriate.
I'm never lucky enough to get to eavesdrop on first dates. I tend to sit near people having business meetings (not interesting), or else moms with teen daughters (usually pretty interesting). Maybe I need to spend more time eavesdropping.
It’s odd how certain strangers stay lodged in my gray matter for years and years, while I have trouble remembering what I did over the weekend. (I cleaned the bathroom.) maybe 10 years ago my husband and I were having dinner at Buvette in Manhattan and next to us was a very nice couple on a first date. The tables were so close together that the four of us began to chat, and they were both lovely. Who knows where they are now, but they seemed to really enjoy each other’s company and, well, the romantic sap in me hopes they’re still together ❤️ I should write a post on scary blind dates bc I do have a couple of those that I wish would be swallowed by selective amnesia😂
I haven't had any fun eavesdropping events for awhile but it reminds me of making up stories of who people are and where they are going at the airport or train station. And it makes me sad when people comment about whether a dog looks old. Give Kip a treat for me.
If I saw Kip on a walk I’d probably say eeek! Is that celebrity dog Kip!?! And then ask if I could pet him. Also I do love playing the “is it a date or just an awkward conversation” game.
I think you've hit a nerve! Best/worst overheard date was at a cafe, where a woman forcefully claimed that her date's love of their cat was entirely down to toxoplasmosis.
It didn't sound like there was going to be a second date...or I could have been projecting.
My son and I were out to dinner one evening and as we left, he commented that the lady next to us didn't make it hard to eavesdrop because she definitely didn't have an inside voice. Things have to be really juicy to get my husband's attention (like the couple next to us who seemingly broke up(!) while on a cruise ship with three days left?!?) but I'll drop in on anyone's conversation.
I once eavesdropped on a break up in a cafe 😑 Not nice! I think he chose there to avoid a scene but it was very clear what was happening. And, once I *eavesdropped* on text messages a plain clothes cop was sending while sitting beside me on a tram- he made no effort to hide his phone! He was following a man in an orange coat and was sending updates to someone about what the man was wearing, where he was standing etc. Then they both got off before me. I felt like I was in a soap opera!!
One of my favorite things to do!
Okay, I recognize how horrible this is going to sound, but my best eavesdropping moment was when I was at lunch we friends and we got to hear a teenage girl tell her parents she was pregnant. Lunch at a Mexican restaurant and we were seated at booths back to back. The poor girl had never even met her boyfriend’s mom. Her parents were über Catholic and giving advice accordingly, which was hard to listen to. One of my friends and I had both experienced unplanned pregnancies so we both felt the conversation viscerally. It was both super entertaining to listen to (come on: peak drama!) AND super painful.
(Update: I did tangentially know of the girl’s family. I can report that she had the baby and as far as I know they’re all doing well.)
Eavesdropping is the best! But it's the non-verbals that I laser in on. Whenever I see a couple that doesn't look like they belong together, the words "witness protection program" pop out of my brain and sometimes mouth.
Haha I've been on the other side of this: a first date at a cute cafe and our table was literally 2cm from the next table. The mother and daughter duo sitting there didn't even try that hard to hide the fact that they were raptly watching our awkward date. It was so cringeworthy making first date small talk with an audience :-D But, would I have done the same as those two? yes definitely! Nothing like some first date entertainment with your coffee.