Need to know what to invest in? Wondering who is having an argument with their spouse? Want to hear about the trouble that Little Bobby got into the first week in school? Come visit my office. My desk is pushed up to this window, and this is THE PLACE for all break-time phone conversations to occur. I think most of the people in our building stand here at one time or another. And they talk loudly. Like these people:
Sometimes, I think it’d be fun to yank the blinds up and scare the latte right out of their cups. (Is that wrong? Was I having a bad day when that idea occurred to me?) They have no idea that they starred on a knitting blog today. That makes me feel a little better about the whole situation. These weren’t all on the same day. But after it happened over and over and over again, I decided to take photo evidence. You never know when I might need it. Now I just need to get photos of the other 23 people who make this a habit in our building. Or maybe I’ll stop now.
Anything interesting going on outside of your windows today?
Sheri Icouldmovemydesk,butwhatfunwouldthatbe?
I doubt there’s much of interest outside our window. Though fire trucks did go by this morning. It’s much more interesting in here, where the packaging operation has moved into the office space from the warehouse, and boxes are piling up throughout the office. I’m beginning to feel a bit like the guy who gets walled up in The Cask of Amontillado.
And no, it would not be wrong to scare the bejeebers out of those people. Though I, personally, would be more inclined to meet them in the hallway on their way back in and ask them in-depth questions about their “private” conversations. **evil grin**
That is too funny. In this day of technology, I think people forget that when they are talking on their phones in public, we can hear! I can just picture what they are talking about! lol I wonder if their wives knit, and they may see them here on the blog..lol again.
No windows are my regular job and at home the only interesting thing was mail carrier bringing Dream Club and Shakespeare in Lace club packages on same day. That might have created excitement for my neighbors as I stood bra-less in yard and opened both packages. Now when I work at yarn shop anything could happen outside. We’re in downtown area so lots of interesting folks pass by. I’ve even seen Miss Violet and Wilford Crazypants walk by (they stop to visit). Many dog walking folks visit to see if Reece the shop dog is at work. I’ll be working there Friday and will let you know if any excitement happens.
I work in an office building downtown (St. Louis) its amazing the conversations you here in the elevator. ONe time one of our attorney’s wife was in an elevator in another downtown building and overheard two attorneys from a firm we have a case with discussing her husband’s case. Its really stupid to not pay attention to what you say in a public area.
The nicotine junkies congregate just outside my boss’ office, and appear to be completely oblivious that they’re standing right outside someone’s window. Weird.
You ought to keep your blinds closed but open your window a crack and when they are talking about something on the phone, start talking like you are part of their conversation, I bet you they won’t stand outside your window again after that.
Our office manager’s office was on the other side of the window where everyone in our building hung out to use their phones or to smoke. She was always tempted to knock on the window and scare them because for a while, until she figured how to set her blinds just right, the people would come up to the window and try to peer in at her working at her desk. She would look up and there would be eyes practically on the glass. It would scare her to death. Did these people not think she could se them? She solved it by fiddling with the blinds enough to get some light in but not too much view from the outside and decided that anyone she tried to scare would end up not being the people peeping at her.
I’d probably be really snarky about it and put a sign in the window saying “I can hear you and I own a digital recorder”. Of course, I’d never actually record anybody, but it might be enough to gain you some peace and quiet! The only interesting things outside my window today are my bird mobile and some very welcome rain š
Sheri,
My idea is to open your window and play music you enjoy. When the callers hear the music, they should make the connection that you can hear them. Otherwise, post a sign at the entrance that cell phone users might prefer to walk across the parking lot for privacy.
Oblivious sorts will never catch on, tho’.
I work at the local hospital, a small one, and the helicopter pad is only about 200 ft from the window.Two weeks ago the larger helicopter flight for life came across so low that the blade wash blew over a motorcycle across the street, and blew open the automatic entry doors of the hospital.
too funny! i hope that one of them is or knows a knitter and that they see this post.
Oooh, yank up those blinds but first have one of the Loopy Elves around to videotape the reactions outside your window for us!!!
How funny — and how annoying! I must admit my thoughts reading your post, before I got to the end were “why doesn’t she just keep the blind open for a few days?” that should retrain them.
I liked the picture with the coffee cup sitting on the sill! That’s more annoying than hearing their conversations, hope they pick up after themselves!
My desk at work is right along the street side windows as well. Our blinds are all lowered to maybe 8 inches from the sill to accommodate those window candles. So it’s like some kind of weird belly/butt viewfinder of all the folks who walk by on the sidewalk! I rarely hear conversations, but often get an eyeful. At least it lightens the day.
lol, too funny> maybe if you just stuck a sign up in the window stating “you may be being filmed at this moment” folks would gather somewhere else. It would be interesting to see peoples reactions to reading that!
Don’t you think that people talk louder when they are on their cell phone? It’s as if the other person will hear them better if they shout.
Sheri that is just too funny. Have you thought about putting a few little Loopies in the window holding microphones or some of the signs suggested in some of the previous responses. I also like the idea of having one of the “elves” videotape their reactions to you yanking up the blinds but some people are so clueless they probably wouldn’t even notice.
Nothing interesting outside my window these days. Many of the summer folk have already gone home and activity on the lake is at an all time low for the summer. But it is nice to have it peaceful for a change. I expect the lake will be hoppin this week-end what with the holiday and all.
ROFL
OMG you have the makings of a reality show.
You can take pictures of everyone who does this and then post them outside on the wall.
But then the fun would end and there is probably one person who wold just freak knowing that you heard “that” conversation. Guess silence is safest and the fun continues.
I saw the cutest little boy last week and I was dying..he was wearing a little monkey raincoat splashing in the puddles. That was much better than the guy I always see smoking out there having his meetings!
People walk around my store and have what should be private conversations all the time. I never know what to do and I can’t really do anything but stand there and pretend to be doing something else.
I work on the 4th floor of our building, but it’s amazing what people talk about on their cellphone in our 4th floor lobby. I’ve even seen them with the land line on one ear and the cell on the other. I think you’d have to call that an addiction.
We did get a good view out our window when the Firemen came for a photoshoot to publicize the Bachelor Auction!
Outside my window today I saw a Great Blue Heron in the frog pond!
We see all kinds of wild life outside our back windows. There are deer and coyote who come to drink at the pond. Sometimes a very large, very old snapping turtle comes out from the pond to sun.
Beyond the frog pond is Cape Cod Bay, where today there was a foggy haze for a good part of the day. Some days you can see the whales broaching or spouting and sometimes we see the dolphins leaping out of the water.
We are truly lucky to live in such a beautiful spot.
We are on hurricane Earl watch here. I’m hoping it misses us, but with the predicted rain associated with Earl, there will be a good excuse to stay in and have a sit & knit!
ROFL!
Ha – Merna, I would keep the blinds open, except that lets in too much light and glare behind my computer screen. š And I like everyone’s ideas to keep the window open and play music or talk (so they realize someone is RIGHT THERE), but our windows don’t open.
Just think of it as non-stop entertainment š Now you have blackmail evidence if you ever need it >:D
My office is in the middle of the basement of a parking ramp. There are no windows. After 12 years in this little cave I think I would welcome the view and the noise. And probably spend all day looking out the window and getting absolutely nothing wrong.
Think it would be funny to pull the shades up!!! What a hoot
Thanks Sheri – I really need a laugh today and this did it for me!
two words. AIR. HORN.
I wonder if any of them would notice if you started using the blinds to send out Morse code?
Maybe put up one of those business signs that says the premises is monitored 24 hours by a surveillance cam?
Or here’s another thought…tap on the window and ask who ever leaves a coffee cup on the sill to bring you a pumpkin spice latte the next time he/she goes for coffee!
It amazes me how people think they have a bubble of invisibility about them Loving the comments.
I guess I am missing out on all the fun. We have no windows at work and no cell phone use. If it was me I would pull the blinds and scared the bejezus out of them. The conversations must make good entertaiment though:-)
Way back when the library still had a phone booth, we would hear every conversation in it. People just talked louder in a phone booth, and half the library would find out what they were up to. It could be very funny sometimes.
That’s an interesting post – it may be annoying and they could be blocking your light sometimes, but it’s a nice distraction right? My desk sits in front of this great big picture window that runs the length of the facade of our office. I’m on the second floor.
It looks out to a major intersection in our area and I have lost count of the number of traffic accidents, funny people and pets crossing the road, birds taking baths in the public sprinkler system and just life in general that I have witnessed in the 3 years that we have been here.
It has certainly never ceased to amaze me and provides me with a nice distraction from the very mundane work at the office. Unless of course I’m on Ravelry or TLE admiring projects and yarns š
I have a fence between me and the rest of the world, so I walked out and opened the gate. Boys on skateboards in the middle of the street at1PM. Hey–didn’t school start today???
What hijinks lurk outside Sheri’s window at TLE? Only Loopy knows for sure!
Hilarious!
I love it! I am literally laughing out loud with my office door open! That made my morning. So glad you shared it with us!
I cannot count the times when I’ve been in the grocery store or the bookstore and heard other people’s cell phone conversations. I’ve heard things I wish I hadn’t!
Oh, and the view out my office window from the 4th floor is the Home Depot parking lot. But there’s lots of sky to see here on the South Plains of Texas, and we’ve been having gorgeous clouds lately…
Too funny, but the question is “Can they hear you?” when you are on the phone tracking down our yarn ???
This is so funny!
So did little Bobby do? LOL!
Too funny! That would drive me crazy after awhile – – how distracting!
I don’t have windows, and even if I did I work in a high rise building.
At home, we have a bird feeder near-ish to one of the windows, so if you are standing at the right angle you can see a congregation of different birds all squabbling over the seed. It is a lot of fun to watch!
Since I telecommute, I get to watch the comings and goings in my neighborhood. Right now there’s a mommy who seems to always be walking, baby strapped to her front, walking her dogs. As in, every other hour, she’s out there. Oh, and I know when the school bus has arrived.
Once it gets colder I’ll put up my wee birdfeeder (it sticks to the window itself) and amuse my kitty coworkers more.
As for your visitors, if they get annoying, would it be too mean to post a sign letting them know that you can hear them–and in general what the conversations are about?
Give them a reality check…yank up those blinds!
Outside our window we have the red-shouldered hawk parents still trying to get their “child” from this year to hunt for himself independently. It involves a lot of screeching. We also have the neighbor’s chickens, pea-hen and rescued fledgling raven-with-a-hurt-wing “talking” amonst themselves. Occasionally there’s a rumpus when another neighbor’s bad cat, Foo Foo, shows up thinking he might get lucky and have “chicken on the hoof.”