Do you ever see a person or a group of people and watch what they're doing and wonder why they're there and what brought them to do what they do???
I do. All the time, actually. Is it my writer's brain that makes me think like this?? Or am I just nosey??
There is a McDonalds not far form my house, I pass it every single time I leave my house or come home (unless I come the back way, but that's rare.) And as soon as the weather turns nice, there is this little group of old men that congregate in the parking lot. They open up the hatch-back of a mini van and sit around it in folding camp chairs like they're tailgating. Sometimes they're there early, like today- it was noonish when I drove by. And there've been other times I've seen them as late as 9 pm. And I am so damn curious as to why they sit there, in the parking lot, only about 10-20 feet from a very busy road. Why would they choose to sit there rather than one of their houses or a bar or a park or anywhere else on the planet beside a fast food restaurant parking lot!
Humans are fascinating creatures. It's so interesting to observe and wonder and see what they'll do next. Maybe this is why reality TV has become as popular as it has. It's completely unpredicable. (well, sometimes. I know there is completely scripted "reality" tv out there too...but those shows are so lame.) I think poeple like to see other people and to know they're not alone in their idiosyncrasies.
What do you think???
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My husband completely doesn't get my fascination with reality tv, but I think it's because I love to people watch. Even knowing that there is a bit of acting because they know they're on camera, it's like a study in human behavior.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do think it's part of what makes us writers.
When I drive I like to imagine where all the cars around me are going to. Are they all going to work as well? Are they visiting family? On vacation? It's a fun activity.
ReplyDeleteAs for the old men at McDonald's, I have no idea!
Aubrie, I so do the same thing! There are times I see someone sitting somewhere and imagine myself as them..seeing what they're seeing, doing what they're doing, feeling, hearing, sights, smells, everything. I thought I was all alone in doing this!! Now that i think about it, I do the same thing when I'm reading or writing...I imagine myself as the character!
ReplyDeleteI can sit in the mall and watch people for hours. It's like staring at a campfire - it never gets boring! :)
ReplyDeleteHubby always people-watches at the mall while the daughter and I shop (Claire's, anyone?). Once he and I spent hours on Fremont Street in Las Vegas watching people -- and of course as the evening wore on we were watching more and more DRUNK people, LOL. When we're on road trips, I like to play a game I call What's Under the Tarp? where we try to guess what other vehicles are carrying in their cargo area.
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