Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction · postaday · Stories of my life · Wednesday Whatever!

Wednesday Whatever!

JackieP

Hello, People. I do hope everyone is having a good week. If you aren’t, I hope it gets better.

google

 

I saw the picture above as I was doing a bit of research for something else. As I read the question, I laughed, then got just a bit sad and I’ll tell you why.

How would you answer that question? Who knows you better? Google or your next door neighbors. My answer…..Google. Yeah, big brother Google knows me a lot more than my neighbors and that’s a bit sad and a bit scary.

Why is it sad? Because it’s come to the point people don’t trust other people. Really, think about it. When I was a kid, I remember my mom being friends with the neighbors. They’d come over for coffee, or she would go over to their homes for a few hours. They would sit and talk about families, the weather, health problems, or just plain gossip about the other neighbors. That’s how it was done. They were friends. We exchanged Christmas presents. We had them over for meals. My parents and the neighbors would go out for a few beers together at the neighborhood bar. Us kids would play with their kids. We knew each other.

Now? I nod or smile at my neighbors in passing. I don’t know their names or anything about them. And they don’t know me. Times have changed. I have. Probably, a bit of both.

That’s how it’s been most of my adult years. I don’t know my neighbors and most times I’m quite happy with that. Maybe if I would have had kids it would be/been different. I don’t know. Kids have a way of bringing people together.

Then I thought of some of the neighbors I did have. Not knowing them might have been the best thing for me. ha! I remember when my BFF and I moved into our first apartment away from home. We were young, naive and full of life. We were on our own for the first time! What a heady feeling. Our neighbor was this weird married guy. He would make sure he was outside, no matter the weather when my friend and I would come home from work. He would wave and smile and say hi. If we sat outside in the summer to get a tan, there he was sitting on his stoop next door watching us. It got so bad it was like he was stalking us, so we moved.

Then I remembered the neighbor I had when I first moved in with the ex. A kindly old man who looked after his bed-ridden wife of fifty years. I thought he was a harmless old man until one day I was home alone and went outside and the old man propositioned me over the fence. The conversation started innocently enough. We talked about his old dog, our dogs, his wife and her condition. Then he says…..’I love my wife. We’ve been married for a long time, had a few kids together and I nurse her now through her declining years. But…..a man has needs. Even an old man like me has needs and the wife can’t help me with those needs. But, maybe you can. We don’t have to let my wife know, or your man know anything. We’d just have sex on the quiet. You’d enjoy it. I may be old but I got some moves.’ Then he winked at me.

I thought he was joking and laughed it off. Until he asked me a few days later if I thought over his plan and when could we start having sex. Um, no…..that’s when I knew he meant it. It got to the point if I was home alone, I looked out the windows to make sure he wasn’t around before I went out. He never did stop asking until we moved.

I’ve had a few other strange or downright crazy neighbors, so maybe being friendly was not the way to be.

Now, Google knows me much better. I don’t even know my neighbors names and I’ve lived here for almost four years. I’m ok with that. They seem ok with that. The husband knows the two ladies across the way by name and has talked with them quite a bit. I like keeping to myself. I’m a hermit at heart.

But, Google? Google knows my name, age, address and probably my phone number. It knows where I am on the internet, whether it be twitter, Facebook or other places. It knows what illness’ I have or had as I’ve Googled them. It keeps track of EVERYTHING! Like I said….big brother. You can erase things off the internet….but it’s too late. Once you type something in…..it’s in to stay. And then you can google it.

Have you ever Googled yourself? Try it. It will scare the shit out of you to see how much Google knows about you. (*cue eerie music*)

 

 

 

 

19 thoughts on “Wednesday Whatever!”

  2. I’ve Googled myself and was a bit freaked out. There’s no such thing as privacy anymore, however I guess if I was concerned about privacy I wouldn’t blog.

    I haven’t got a clue about my neighbors. All I know is the people on one side have too many kids and too many dogs; the apartment on the other side I know nothing about. I don’t think they speak English; and the people below us start their morning at 7am every day with banging on the walls and such, and it pretty much goes on all day.. We have no idea what they are doing each day, but a couple of times we dropped a couple of large objects and they had the nerve to bang on the ceiling because we’re too loud.

    I’d love to find an idyllic little neighborhood where everyone knows each other, are friendly and maybe even have block parties. Do people do those anymore>

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    1. Hi Bradley. I don’t know of any neighborhood that does block parties anymore. I’m not sure I would like that myself. But if I hear of any I’ll let you know! Makes one think.

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  3. Google probably thinks all kinds of strange things about me due to the pictures I look up to put on my blog. I imagine Google thinks of me like my neighbors do… that quiet guy who never comes out of his house and is probably a serial killer or something.

    Since there are probably tens of thousands of people with my name, I’m pretty hard to accurately Google!

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    1. I know Google thinks I’m strange as my searches can range from poisons to jujitsu moves. Writers have strange histories on google don’t we? lol

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  4. Yep Google does know me very well. So do you guys on WP. I was going to say children help develop friendship. When I worked I knew neighbors not by name but from talking at the bus stop. I also did the hi and nod when I was walking that year.

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    1. I have to say my friends (including you) know me better on here than even my family. Now isn’t that sad? But, I don’t mind, you guys are way less judgemental than my family. 😉

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  5. I do know some of my neighbors and always have but never had the close relationships like families did when I was growing up. Sadly, Google will know me better than my neighbors.

    I’ve had great neighbors, for the most part, but your neighbors are downright scary. I only had one old man proposition me and it only happened once because I put him in his place but he loved to try and flash me a couple of times after. I simply told him I’d have a talk with his wife and report him if he didn’t stop but I was very careful about where he was when I was outside.

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    1. I’m a bit of a loner and it’s hard for me to make friends or to trust anyone. That might be one reason why I don’t know my neighbors. The husband is much more friendly (and nosier) than I am. 🙂

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      1. I was a huge loner for many years and it’s still my fall back solution when I find myself in new situations but I fought to change my basic nature when my youngest son informed me my shyness embarrassed him. He was around ten at the time and didn’t mean it as hurtful but I then tried to push myself to be more friendly and found a happy medium for his sake. But even years later I have to be in the mood to talk to the neighbors. There are days I just want to be left alone and they don’t understand that yet.

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        1. I often wonder if I would be more outgoing if I had kids. Then I think….still don’t want any. LOL But, I do understand you. My own husband still doesn’t ‘get’ me needing alone time. Some people don’t need it, or dread it and so don’t understand.

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          1. It all depends on the kids. My oldest was much more like me and wasn’t bothered by my being uncomfortable around strangers or in large groups as he was too. We would have been perfectly happy as hermits.

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  6. Interesting post. I don’t think I’m as reclusive as you are but then I can’t be. I’m not shy either and have pretty good instincts about people. My new neighborhood is mostly quiet but I know everyone around me. We don’t socialize, we are just aware and nod hello and offer to help if needed. I like me neighborhood which is rare, I know. Have made some good female friends here. Dogs are a good way to meet people too. They have good instincts too. If my dog doesn’t like someone, I don’t either. I had a neighbor once that gave me that uneasy feeling when husband # 1 was on a 24 hr shift. It got to the point that I told hubby and the next month the neighbor moved out. Not sure what happened but trust me, I was scared of hubby #1 too. Google has no clue as to who I am. My facebook and pinterest pages are all under aliases. I don’t use my first name and when I wanted to look up poisons, I bought a book at the bookstore. The clerk looked at me and asked “writer?” I responded with an smile and nod. Worked. Paid cash too. No trace of that purchase. :))) Heehee. Husband #2 never saw the book and I never opened it. I was afraid I’d find something I could use. 😦 I think I’m enough of a blabber mouth that my friends and family know me pretty well and I stopped using google and started using bing to look things up. They don’t track you like google. How is hubby?? And you???? Hugs.

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    1. I’m reclusive, not as much as I used to be. With going to different drs and such. As for the neighbors, if they talk to me I will talk to them. For the most part I live in a pretty quiet place and in winter you don’t see too many people around anyway. 😉
      The hubby is doing better and so am I. Big hugs!

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