Esther came home from school on Friday and announced that she found our house on Google Earth during computer time at school. She was super excited to see our actual house on the computer. She loved the birds-eye view as well as the street view and also the whole neighborhood view.
In fact she loved it so much that she started asking her fellow classmates for their house numbers so she could look them up too.
And I was like “were you suppose to be on Google Earth at school?”
And Esther was all like “well no, we were suppose to be doing some math or typing program but I found Google Earth and it was like I could see into everyone’s houses and I just could not stop myself.”
Awesome. I’m raising a spy.
So Eloise chimed in and asked if we could go on Google Earth at home and if we could find her teacher’s house and spy on him from the birds-eye view.
How could I resist some innocent spying? I mean duh, I’m a woman. So we ‘spied’ on her teacher and then spied on about 20 more people because truly – isn’t that what most people with no lives of their own evidently do on a Saturday morning?
But then they asked if we could DRIVE BY these people’s houses to see what they were doing right at that moment…because the live action must be better than the Google Earth picture, right?
And I told them that I was not sure I was comfortable with that activity because that seemed like it was crossing some weird stalker line.
And Esther said “well when you drive-by and if we happen to see them then we can all DUCK really fast and be really quiet and drive away really fast before they catch us!”
And I was all like “I think we should wait until your teen years before we dive into professional live stalking and fleeing. Right now we should just keep to Google Earth and maybe Facebook.”
And Eloise was like “Thank you for teaching us all of this!”
And I was all like “If anyone asks, you didn’t learn any of this from me!”
So I’m now apologizing to their high school boyfriends – when you break-up with them…they are soooo going to stalk you. Watch your back. These girls have some skills.
******
So fess-up – who have your stalked?
Hahaha!! Google Earth is AWESOME.
I er, don’t stalk anyone. Promise. But if I had your home address, I might stalk you.
Alison@Mama Wants This recently posted..The Second Time
Oh I would love that. You know I don’t own curtains..right?
We (my co-workers and I) look at each other’s houses all the time at work during slow times using Google Earth. We also found a few doctor’s addresses and looked up their houses too. I’ve never done a drive-by. ~J
Jamie and Lindsi recently posted..Fun Stuff Friday #19
We call them psycho drive-by’s! My little sister was the master of the psycho drive-by back in high school. Your girls are quick learners…ducking is key. So is removal of all identifying magnets. Happy stalking!
And if you decide to get out, don’t touch ANYTHING! Even when you insert the knife into the tire, don’t lean w/your ungloved hand on the car. Again. I should stop typing.
Arnebya recently posted..BlogHer Book Club Review: Stephen Dau’s The Book of Jonas
Oh you ladies crack me up!
OMG my son is obsessed with Google Earth and Google Maps. He keeps asking for his teachers’ address because 1) he wants to go over for a play date but 2) he just wants to know where it is on a map. I think his teachers get a little worried he might actually show up since he knows how to get everywhere via subway.
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted..Fitfluential
I’vea google earth-stalked a couple of old friends that I still get Christmas cards from and I know they’ve moved. What? I have to see their new house… geez. ;P
Elaine recently posted..I’m Really Doing This & MEM
LOL – exactly..just to see the house. Yeah. okay.
This sounds like the 21-st century version of one of my favorite childhood books, Harriet the Spy. You must be so proud!
Jadzia@Toddlerisms recently posted..Mommy’s Pteromerhanophobia Outweighs Her Desire to Encourage the Kids: A Scene From the Dinner Table
Oh I love that book!
Okay so I have never Google Earthed anyone. I am kind of really disappointed in myself now.
Hmmm. Now thinking about who I want to “stalk”.
We joke that the dog stalks us when we eat. I should probably worry that my 5 yr old will go to school and make a stalking comment that gets her landed in the principals office.
One of the first emails I got from my dad when we bought our new house (we haven’t actually moved there yet) was for him to tell me he found it on google earth. Um, I wasn’t even aware he had our new address (I generally prefer to give that out on a need to know basis. Obviously, he didn’t yet need to know.)
I admit, I look people up (usually only people I know well though). I think we all tend to do it.
JDaniel is so behind in his internet education.
JDaniel4′s Mom recently posted..Earth Day Meal for Muffin Tin Monday
We’ve looked at our own house, and the neighborhoods of a friends and family, and gotten people’s addresses from the public database of home sales — addresses of people we may or may not like. You know, just out of curiousity, not intending on egging their house, keying their car, grabbing them at nightfall and using choloroform and duct tape, having already determined whether our trunk can hold a human ishouldstoptyping
Arnebya recently posted..BlogHer Book Club Review: Stephen Dau’s The Book of Jonas
I love you. If you ever do go professional..may I be your apprentice?
Too funny! Google Earth is really tempting. I mean, how can you not spy a little? At least you’re pointing out there’s a bit of a line there that you probably shouldn’t cross.
another jennifer recently posted..Perspective
Yup… I’ll be honest – I’ve stalked almost every one of my ex’s. And still periodically do when I’m bored and wanting to see that I’m still more awesome than they will ever be. (So what if they’re married to a hottie now. Pshaw.)
Have you looked at zillow? It tells you the value of the houses you’re looking at. We do it all the time at work and sometimes I may look up my co-workers.
I may have stalked celebrities… maybe one of them has a non-celebrity fiance that is not smart enough to lock down her facebook or instagram that contains many photos of said celebrity fiance that I may ogle occasionally (frequently) in extreme jealousy.
Marta recently posted..SHHH… Secrets
Oh I LOVE zillow.
*Totally* a skill.
Next time we get together, we can all practice.
xo
Galit Breen recently posted..Walking Wishes
I stalk everyone…
As soon as I meet someone new I have the hubs get find their home, and I find out if they’re a sucker or not by how much they paid, then we check their public records…
Not a Perfect Mom recently posted..Magnificent!
There are just so many reasons why I love you.
This is fabulous. It is made more fabulous by the fact that on Friday of last week I hosted a sleepover for 5 12-year-old girls. There was Chipotle involved, and on the way there, they maybe, perhaps gave me directions to the house of the cute boy in class. I warned them I drive by, but I also honk and wave like a crazy person.
Shaina recently posted..Eat Well, Spend Less: One Year Later
Truth : I jog at dusk so I can peer into people’s houses because they haven’t shut their blinds yet.
OMG I do the same thing in the morning…
I’m cracking up. If I lived closer I would totally pile them into my car for a drive by.
Don’t I make the best auntie in the whole world.
Jennifer recently posted..Momma Bear
Well okay – hypothetically there might be this girl who might have looked up the house of the guy that got away 15 years ago just to see if he was in the google earth pic and what kind of car he drives… maybe a couple of times max. This hypothetical girl might also have looked him up on facebook a few…er… dozen times max. Good thing this girl is hypothetical or some might accuse her of getting dangerously close to that stalker line
Glad I don’t know anybody like that!!
OMG I’ve like never done that. ..who am I kidding… xo
With all the tools now available via computers and the internet, it’s definitely become more common to find yourself doing a little ‘spying’ from time to time