26 Comments

I never trust folk who say they aren't nosey. Cos they are, they are just lying. Probably to lull me into a false sense of security and make me divulge something juicy - really, you're not nosy? So you don't care that Pat got Mary's sister and cousin pregnant in the same month?

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THE SAME MONTH??

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Pat! Who could be disinterested in that? I think you must be right.

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I am the same.

By the way, the couple next door with the grown up children? He just announced on Facebook that life is too short to be in an unhappy marriage and he is pleased to announce he has a NEW GIRLFRIEND and is the happiest he has ever been. His daughter liked the post. Such scandal, I had to tell someone! Btw the new girlfriend looks just like his wife. Btw he still lives with his wife.

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Ooooohhh! How terrible that I don't know this people and yet still very much enjoyed this info.

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I enjoyed this gossip without knowing the people! Is that a low? Or a high point?

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Very much a high!

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High!

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hilariously I have just spent about 5 minutes racking my brain as to when you worked in a cafe?....until I realised you meant, you went to a cafe to do your work. But it did lead me to thinking you would actually be a brilliant cafe owner! As you know, my job means I get to be "professionally curious" about so many people. I have over a thousand questionnaire responses to individual people's likes and dislikes. My favourite question - "what is you preferred swimming stroke" - why do I ask this, because I've discovered it's the questions that rarely ever gets a one word answer, it's a gateway question to people divulging much more interesting things to me...I hate swimming because......I was regional butterfly champion....I never swim but I felll out of a tree once when....etc, etc. I think being nosy isn't about low self esteem, it's about a voracious curiosity for people and life. You're voracious Annabel, voracious!

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That swimming question is great as I'm now bursting to tell you all kinds of things. Maybe I should devote a whole Substack post to it.

I need a job where I can be professionally curious so I can monetise this terrible affliction. I quite fancy investigate journalist but I'd be too scared rummaging around office drawers and downloading stuff onto a memory stick while footsteps come down the corridor.

But until then I'll tell myself I've got a voracious curiosity - thank you!

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1) You would make an EXCELLENT investigative journalist. I may bully you into following this idea up. The world needs you!

2) do you want to do my job whilst I'm away?

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1. Haha! Okay.

2. I would love the research bit.

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I'm sure I read an article somewhere that said gossip and nosiness were a crucial part of living in community... how else would we know who to avoid????

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Haha!

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I google myself from time to time jsut to find out what people are going to find out about me (the emphasis changes every time, it's quite annoying as well as disconcerting). Is this normal?!

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100% normal.

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Found out this week that my neighbor has sold her house. She didn't put a sign up! I never had to chance to look at her house on right move! How very dare she!

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This is horrendous. One of the big thrills in life is seeing inside a neighbour's house on Rightmove. I've been know to filter my search to include properties under offer in the hope of getting round this. So terrible.

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I did that just to make sure it I didn't miss it. It was never on the sight! Just rude.

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This is TERRIBLE. She must have opted out. What secrets is she hiding? I need to know!

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Love how you were shocked that it never crossed Tom’s mind to Google. The same Tom who never Googled you to discover you wrote a song with Paul McCartney!

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Haha! Excellent point.

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I have a friend who calls herself a “master googler”. (You should also take this title.) I often give up as soon as the paid “find their address” comes up, but she must know some secrets because she ALWAYS finds out the complete dirt on anyone. However I think there’s going to be a whole new ballgame with this AI thing. I’m going to start using my daughter’s subscription to chat gpt to go really deep.

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I need lessons from your friend! That’s interesting about AI. I hadn’t considered how o could use it to be my tool of nosiness. I’m now interested in it for the first time!

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Annabel you're a FABULOUS writer. Do you make a good income out of it?

There you are... me being nosey!

Sorry!!!

(I hope you do.)

Much love and all the best wishes xx

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Oh Dawn - THANK YOU. I love your nosiness and my answer is - I hope to one day. All best wishes xx

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