Nosey Noserton Review

The other night I went to a semi-annual Girl's Night Out that my neighbor organizes for the women in my neighborhood. It's very informal, since you really have to know her, or someone else who attends to get an invite. You also have to live on one of our 3 streets that form the letter H.
The first time I went, it was to see what it was like (even though I wouldn't say I am at all close with my neighbor, we say "hello" and exchange pleasantries, but I've never seen the inside of her house or anything.) Since I learned so much that first time, I try to go to all the ones I am invited to. Dude calls them my "spying" missions- since really, although I can blend in with the suburban housewives if needed, it's pretty clear that I am not really one of them. (I bite my tongue quite a bit)
Here is what I learned this time:

• Ours isn't the only house in which the previous owner attached paneling with nails AND glue.
  
• No one is crazy about the new stoplights going in up the street
  
• Everyone is pretty resigned to the new proposed cul-de-sacs on the west end of the "H". Not looking forward to the construction noise, but everyone seems to think it will be good for property value.
  
• All the houses currently for sale on our street are overpriced. The ones that were reasonable all sold fairly quickly.
  
• The mean snowbird neighbors have taken their house off the market for the winter, and will try to sell again next year. They do have a "cabin" someplace up near Grand Rapids where they've been living most of the summer. They are packing to leave for AZ this week! (yay!)
  
• I learned about something called a cervical block,(?) which is not very common, but is supposedly the way to go if you opt not to get an epidural.
  
• Everyone else thinks our streets need to be re-done too. Some of them have even been to the mayor/city about it.
  
• Apparently, if the city re-paves the street, it will be at no cost to me, because it is that long overdue. Unless we want curbs, then we have to pay up. We're supposed to get a letter about all of this.
  
• The Hmong family across the street does not have carp in the basement. (Ok I made this one up. :)
• The other Target that is near me (but is not a Super) is cheaper. (because it's near the sprawl-mart)
  
• They are making the sprawl-mart into a super sprawl-mart.
  
• There is a new, closer Trader Joes! YAY!
• There is going to soon be a new, closer Costco! YAY!
• Don't let that Cameron kid into your yard because one day he will open your door, walk through to the kitchen and help himself to your snacks.
  

There were a couple of "new" people there, or at least women I hadn't met before- and they both read quite a bit too, so that was kind of nice to talk about with them. One of them I think I could really get along with pretty well, though she has a First grader, an almost 4 yr old and I think a 6 month old, so our kids aren't quite the right ages, it was still nice to meet her.

Things that made me bite my tongue:

• one woman's daughter (in H.S.) qualified to do some kind of math testing at the U. She said, "Of course, most of the kids at the test were Asian, they are so much better at math".
  
• same woman, referred to the grocery store at Rice & B as "ghetto"- I am pretty sure she has no idea what that word means, or even entails. Because if that's it? Hahahahaha!
• different woman, admitted that she never. NEVER. reads to her kids (7, 5 & 4?) Oh she read to the first one because she felt guilty about it, but she hates to read and it didn't seem to help him at all, and besides, reading out loud makes her throat all scratchy. (I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I love to read, and it's hard for me to imagine not liking it. I have friends who don't really enjoy it, but they still read to their kids.) It does explain a lot about this particular person though.
  
• The woman I liked was telling me about a book called "The Book Thief" - which she really liked, and she mentioned that it's narrated by Death. Someone else gasped, "What? That's really disturbing!" *eye roll*

There was something else, but I am forgetting. It looks bad, but really the above comments were all from 2 people. The rest were pretty normal and nice. And like I said, I learned a lot of good gossip. (some that is not right to even mention here either- scandals! :) All they got out of me was that our snow blower is in the shop being fixed, the titles of some books I liked, that my mom studied to be a nurse, and yes, we probably will have more kids. I hope that is all I gave away... at least until they figure out that I have a blog... heh.