Curiosity killed the cat

I am incredibly fascinated by the lives of others. I guess I'm just naturally "nosey". I think it's silly. Why should I care about what other people are doing, or wearing, or feeling? Human nature? A biological response to outside stimuli? All I know is, to know that someone else in the world is experiencing a similar reality (whether good or bad) is comforting. To know that someone else is a complete wacko makes me feel better about myself and my extremely normal (some would say, boring) life.

These thoughts are triggered by a couple of incidences:

This morning, for example, one of our big shots at work walks in with a black eye. Well, actually I wasn't close enough to see if it's a black eye or a cut. Either way....what the heck? He obviously had a much more eventful long weekend than I. I want to straight out ask him what happened but I don't think I will. I'll just wait until the "grapevine" leaks the story. This guy, his life, is crazy to me. He is my poster boy for "Money isn't everything". He has it all, materially speaking, but he seems so unhappy. I wish I knew what was going on in that head of his.

Then yesterday, on my Victoria Day off, I eagerly anticipated seeing Tom Cruise on Oprah. I have to say that I was extremely disappointed and "put off" while watching Tom talk about Katie. He was totally spazzed out. Yes, yes, I know he's in "LOVE"...but who hasn't been? He was jumping on the couch and standing and sitting, standing and sitting, doing high fives, ...I was disoriented and wished he would just sit down and TALK (after all, Oprah is a TALK show). Anyways, all I kept thinking was that he and Katie are just like everyone else who is completely giddy when they first start dating someone. She was infatuated by Tom her whole life. What 20-something girl wouldn't be thrilled by a phonecall from Tom Cruise? And then he KNOWS that she's completely infatuated and therefore takes this opportunity to get over the hump of a mid-life crisis. But who am I to say? It could be real, they could be genuine. But I say let's wait and see what happens when the giddiness is gone, when they really get to know each other. That, in my opinion, is when love (if there is any) really starts.

Lastly, I have to say that I am completely enthralled by this blogging thing. I read my friends blogs and then I read the blogs of the friends of my friends. I read Waiter Rant even though I obviously have no idea who this guy is. But his writing, his life, his silly list of "waiter axioms", I am captivated. I've added him to my favourites because I want to know what's going to happen in the bistro from one day to the next. I also like to read Things I Hate, not necessarily because I agree with everything, but because it seems real to me. I can identify and I think many other people can also identify with the daily annoyances that plague us. We may not start a list but we understand, and we feel better than someone else agrees with our ridiculous opinion that track pants with the elastic bottoms should be outlawed.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Do you also find yourself watching and listening to the lives of others? Wonder what it would be like to walk in their shoes, eat their lunch, live in their house? I'm curious...