One of the many things they tell you at orientation is not to walk across Grounds with your headphones in your ears. I think they mean it as a safety tip. If you're plugged into your iPod, then you can't hear important things like speeding buses, the warning cries of oncoming streakers on the Lawn, etc.
Personally, I think this is wonderful advice but for a totally different reason: The entertainment you can derive from listening to your fellow C-villeians is far better than anything that could possibly be coming out of your MP3 player. The newly created "Overheard at UVa" Facebook group - as well as several interesting eavesdropping encounters of my own - have recently convinced me of this.
Keeping my ears open to all the chatty Wahoos around is not only funny but often highly useful. During the way to class, I can pick up the morning weather report, the scores of the latest Cavalier sporting events and crucial information such as the current tally on how many kids Brangelina has so far. In addition to these helpful news updates, eavesdropping also offers me a rare look inside the mind of that very elusive creature: the male Wahoo. For example, ladies, did you know that our male counterpart does not take it lightly when he is not given the complimentary shampoo at his haircut appointment and that men, like women, have serious demands when it comes to their new 'dos? I learned this from a lengthy conversation between two gentlemen who were in front of me on the way to class. Both men agreed that their goal when getting a trim is "to look like I got a haircut without looking like I got a haircut."
As seen through the aforementioned example, most of the conversations I overhear while walking at school aren't exactly earth-shattering, but they provide me with enough amusement that I have lately taken to something I like to call, "interactive eavesdropping," which I do whenever I feel that a conversation seriously requires my input. While walking home the other night, I overheard the guys behind me discussing their various successes and failures at picking up women. One boy had spent all last semester trying to build up the courage to talk to a pretty girl in his psychology class. He went on to describe how he finally resolved to talk to her but chickened out at the last minute and merely just sat in her row instead of right next to her. Being the only female within hearing distance, I felt that it was my duty to jump in and offer my two cents on the situation, so I did. I turned around and told the group I had overheard that next time the guy should just go for it - girls are just as shy as guys, and you'll never know unless you try.
This same week, I passed a group of students on the way to the basketball game. They were all laughing and shouting, "It was so Tim's fault!" As they passed me, one of the boys happened to shout "Wait, whose fault was it?" and I, of course, shouted back, "It was Tim's!" This got a laugh from the group and cheered me up when I otherwise would have just been grumpy about walking in the cold.
Though Miss Manners might not approve of my latest hobby, I think that a little eavesdropping now and then is a good thing. I'm not advocating getting a glass and putting it against your neighbor's wall, but all these conversations - along with the many others I have heard at school - have made me a firm believer in an ears-open way of life. I have gotten a lot of laughs from listening, in but I think that the draw to eavesdrop also stems from something more. There is some comfort in finding that strangers discuss similar worries, share similar hopes and tell weird jokes just like you. So next time you're about to put in the earbuds, just unplug and listen to the world around you. The perfect opportunity may arise for you to join in instead of just listening - and you never know what you might find out!
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