Do you talk to your neighbors?

[vi edit]

This thread is sort of a composition of a number of threads that I've seen posted recently. It seems like talking to your neighbors is almost a thing of the past.

Just last night I spent almost an hour and a half shooting the sh!t with the guy who lives directly across the street with me. The guy who lives behind me actually dug up some of his herbs from his garden and help them start in my yard earlier this summer. We talk with another family up the street from us almost on a daily basis when we are out walking. Another family that's across the street has us over for beers every now and then and waves every time we walk by.

When we lived in Omaha we had beers almost every Friday in one neighbors driveway and the other neighbor on the other side of us chit chatted with us almost daily.

My wife and I go out of our way to socialize with the people around us, but it seems like almost a lost art.

 

[iamwiz82]

I would prefer less contact than we currently have. We have nosy neighbors all over the place, a christian-holier-than-thou family next to us, a guy who is never there except to have parties every few months, and ulta white trash behind us. Behind us are the worst. The mother lock the kids outside during the summer, you can hear them screaming during the day to let them in. The father swears incessantly at them when he is home.

The only ones we like are the ones who keep to themselves

 

[nageov3t]

my current neighbors? no... my parents have been feuding with them for several years. there've been multiple court cases and calls to the police. the lady over there is a nut, though.

too soon to tell about my new neighbors. I'm not officially moved in until September 1st.

 

[funkymatt]

yes, i live in an apartment complex, but know and scialize regularly with about half the people there. I've become pretty good friends with a couple neighbors and regularly have beers out front while the towing company tows cars.

 

[Skeeedunt]

I don't really want to run the risk of befriending any random group of idiots within close proximity to my home. Who knows what kind of random shit they might come over asking me to do with/for/to them. I'm sure the vi_edit family is a pleasure, but there are a lot of jackoffs out there.

 

[MrPickins]

My neighbors are awesome.

It depends on the neighbor. Some I'll shoot the breeze with for hours, others just get a smile and wave.

 

[compuwiz1]

Are you kidding? I live in CA. The only communication here is vulgar gestures from our cars.

 

[Flyback]

I socialize with my parents neighbours because I can kick it with them in a really relaxed fashion. Usually someone is outside working around their house and another one comes up to shoot the sh!t. We'll stand there talking, whats up. Have a beer. One beer leads to another. We grab the other neighbours and pick a house then fire up their BBQ. Someone runs up to the grocer to get some hotdogs and hamburgers, chips and that. The kids come out and by that time the women have come out and had a drink or two and we just sit around. It's really nice to have that. No pre-planning at all. It ruins your plans for the afternoon and evening (usually a Saturday or Sunday), but by the time its over you've totally forgot what you planned to do that day (because you're tanked )

In the winter their neighbours will use the snowblower and run over each others driveways so only one person ever does it. Helping with cars, installing new windows--everyone gets together to help out when someone is doing something around their house.

My own neighbours get along with me but I don't really "talk" with them. We come from different cultural backgrounds and while the niceties are there "Hello, good morning, whats new, hows life" kind of crap, I can't just hang out with them. Their philosophy of life is faaaar too different. One set of neighbours is Jamaican, one is Somalian, another is an Italian guy who is really into his catholicism so I can't just joke around like I can with my parents neighbours. Somethings wrong when you can't even get away with a dead baby joke over a beer with the neighbours :Q

 

[kindest]

no socialization at all with any of mine...

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Flyback
I socialize with my parents neighbours because I can kick it with them in a really relaxed fashion. Usually someone is outside working around their house and another one comes up to shoot the sh!t. We'll stand there talking, whats up. Have a beer. One beer leads to another. We grab the other neighbours and pick a house then fire up their BBQ. Someone runs up to the grocer to get some hotdogs and hamburgers, chips and that. The kids come out and by that time the women have come out and had a drink or two and we just sit around. It's really nice to have that. No pre-planning at all. It ruins your plans for the afternoon and evening (usually a Saturday or Sunday), but by the time its over you've totally forgot what you planned to do that day (because you're tanked )

In the winter their neighbours will use the snowblower and run over each others driveways so only one person ever does it. Helping with cars, installing new windows--everyone gets together to help out when someone is doing something around their house.

My own neighbours get along with me but I don't really "talk" with them. We come from different cultural backgrounds and while the niceties are there "Hello, good morning, whats new, hows life" kind of crap, I can't just hang out with them. Their philosophy of life is faaaar too different. One set of neighbours is Jamaican, one is Somalian, another is an Italian guy who is really into his catholicism so I can't just joke around like I can with my parents neighbours. Somethings wrong when you can't even get away with a dead baby joke over a beer with the neighbours :Q

LOL!

The party hasn't started until the dead baby jokes start flying.

Your parent's neighbors sound great. At least with your own you attempt some form of communication instead of turning your eyes away and running back into the house after checking the mail.

 

[Coquito]

Are neighbors are real nosey. They're part of this neighborhood watch crap, since they have so much free time. They saw some Puerto Ricans fixing up their house, buying a car, & adopting a new dog, & immediately suspected were a family of big time dealers. There was a raid at the house with about 12 officers & even a dog. Guys coming in, seating my mother & father down in the living room for three hours while they turn the house upside down. Ranting & raving, "Where's the guns? Where's the money?". All they found was some ashes in an incense box. Won't be long before the hags die off anyways.

 

[ponyo]

No. I've rarely talked to my neighbors in 10 years at this house. Most are lot older than me. We exchange waves but that's about it.

 

[adairusmc]

I have been living here for 3 years and I have never met any of them.

Of course, the closest neighbor is a half mile away.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Naustica
No. I've rarely talked to my neighbors in 10 years at this house. Most are lot older than me. We exchange waves but that's about it.

The guy I talked to last night has kids my age. The guy behind me does too. The others all have kids within 10 years of my age.

 

[Isla]

I have awesome neighbors. We have block parties and we watch out for each other. I chose this neighborhood several years ago over fancier ones because I knew it was more down to earth, and more established. We had an opportunity to 'move up' but I decided a new house with a 3 car garage in a sterile neighborhood where no one knows each other wasn't really a step up.

We've got a couple of neighbors I wish would move, but over all, I love my community.

 

[Flyback]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
LOL!

The party hasn't started until the dead baby jokes start flying.

Your parent's neighbors sound great. At least with your own you attempt some form of communication instead of turning your eyes away and running back into the house after checking the mail.

The funny part is that I'm mid 20s, my parents nearing 60 and the neighbours range in age from 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s and yet everyone gets along. No one even works in the same field: teacher, real estate, hydro worker, pilot, truck driver, retired cop, music instructor, carpenter.

It goes against the normal relations of a neighbourhood in every respect but I think the reason that it works is that most of them have had really dick neighbours at a former home and vowed not to have that again.

I never understood why people wouldn't want to get along with their neighbours. Who wants that contention BS just walking to your car when you keep your head down, aware the neighbour is outside? (I understand if they are trashy or arseholes--but for no good reason?)

 

[CKent]

God no.

 

[imported_Imp]

Not really. On one side, we have an ok dude, not very talkative. They speak with my parents, but it's all casual. No one gets invited over or anything. On the otherside, the place is rented out to a family and young people. I say hi to the family, practically ignore the rest as they do me. Across the street are annoying people, one has a kid that won't shut up, another with a dog that won't shut up, some dude who blow dries his front yard with a leaf blower (thank god the windows filter every frequency but the highs...) and most others seem holier than thou. They leave me alone mostly, so whatever.

The good thing is the house beside me with the "boarders" has calmed down. It use to be freeloading, rich parents-kids who partied all day and night. At 3 am, you can hear them yelling or talking loudly on the front porch. Last year, one of them had a crazy girlfriend or something that broke a large picture-window so the landlord kicked some of them out.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Not much, but I have talked to them. Just not much of a social person.

 

[Exterous]

Nah - not my type of people. I would imagine that once we get a house we will be more sociable

 

[Squisher]

Just moved here two years ago. Everybody seems to keep to themselves around here, but I've had a dozen conversations with each on both sides. My wife probably more with the one with little kids.

They all seem nice and very quiet.

I need to go the this year's community picnic for the subdivision. Drink a few beers and rub a few elbows.

Kinda hard to talk with the nieghbors in back because there is a 50-100 foot pond between us.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: Naustica
No. I've rarely talked to my neighbors in 10 years at this house. Most are lot older than me. We exchange wives but that's about it.

Quickly scanning the thread, this is how I read your post.

:laugh:

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
This thread is sort of a composition of a number of threads that I've seen posted recently. It seems like talking to your neighbors is almost a thing of the past.

Just last night I spent almost an hour and a half shooting the sh!t with the guy who lives directly across the street with me. The guy who lives behind me actually dug up some of his herbs from his garden and help them start in my yard earlier this summer. We talk with another family up the street from us almost on a daily basis when we are out walking. Another family that's across the street has us over for beers every now and then and waves every time we walk by.

When we lived in Omaha we had beers almost every Friday in one neighbors driveway and the other neighbor on the other side of us chit chatted with us almost daily.

My wife and I go out of our way to socialize with the people around us, but it seems like almost a lost art.

I talk with all my neighbors in a 2-3 house radius. We all look after each other's stuff and help each other out if we need assistance. Its where the term "being neighborly" comes from.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
The guy who lives behind me actually dug up some of his herbs from his garden and help them start in my yard earlier this summer.

*knowing wink*

 

[Zedtom]

I've posted here before about my neighbors. This is actually a quiet block with half of the residents retired. There is one house that has adult children who think they are grownups, but nobody has a job and they party every night.

One of the kids living there was a meth freak. He threatened my family and said he was going to kill me. The next week he killed himself.

I have seen weirder stuff here in the suburbs than I ever saw in the city of Denver where I used to live.