MegDesk

There are some things about living here that I don’t really think about until someone else points them out.  In this case, we were talking to Lucas’s family about apartments, and somehow we ended up discussing buildings that overlook one another.  Our new apartment is definitely in one of those buildings.

This is the view from our living room:

Yes, the building next door is that close to ours, and yes, after dark we can see right into their apartments:

I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that we don’t have curtains in our living room.  Obviously if we can see into the neighbors’ place, they can see into ours.  While we do have curtains in our bedroom, we just don’t bother in the living room.  We don’t walk around our apartment in the buff, and most of the time we’re just watching TV or playing video games.  Although it may be amusing to watch a lively session of Band Hero, it’s probably more amusing (or frightening) for the neighbors who can actually hear us.  I just assume that the neighbors all have something better to do than watch us sitting around our living room.

Clearly we’re not the only ones with this mindset.  Walking around after dark it’s not unusual to be able to see right into people’s homes.  Although most people who live on the ground floor of busier streets do close their curtains, in residential areas many people still leave them open.  I don’t really know why this is.  Perhaps people want as much light as they can possibly get, especially in the winter?

Regardless of the reasons, I find it oddly comforting to know that the neighbors are all at home going about their lives, cooking dinner, watching TV, etc.  Somehow it feels more like a community.

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