Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Blinded Window Conundrum and The Angle of Observation

I've never understood why people do this:  they go into a bathroom that has no view from which anyone can see in, and they close the blinds.  Completely close the blinds.  I understand some people are shy, but it's always seemed a bit extreme to me.

There's the whole area of privacy regarding blinds and curtains in general.  Some people have them put up when they move into a house, close them straight away and forever more, they remain shut.  Light only gets in around the edges or through the bits between the slats.  Some people like a dark bedroom in which to sleep, and maybe they prefer that darkened environment all day long.  But light is nice.  Light is warm and welcoming and light is happy.  Darkness is sadness, darkness is depressing.  I don't understand why someone would want to shut out the light from their home all the time.  But many people do so, and they seem to be fine and happy in such an environment.  It must make them feel secure and safe.

Back to that bathroom window though.  In my last house, there was a bathroom upstairs that had a window up high above the toilet.  The bottom of the window started at your mid-chest.  If you were sitting down on the toilet, the most anyone would see even if there was a deck right outside that window, instead of a two-story drop, would have been the top of your head.  Beyond that window was a back yard including many trees, followed by another yard with many more trees.  You could see the house beyond, but it was a ways off.  And you most certainly could not tell if there was anyone in that house, in any of the rooms, unless you were sporting some fancy binoculars and were snooping.

So, let's say someone was busily looking at our house, specifically the upstairs bathroom window, from across the way in the other house beyond--the only house that could even possibly have a chance of seeing into that particular bathroom window--and you happened to be in that bathroom.

What could they see?  Regardless of the quality of the optical lens being used, the voyeur could only see what was possible based on the window opening and their angle of viewing.   Based on the height of our window and their tallest window, they couldn't see lower down than shoulder-level on even the tallest bathroom visitor.

So why was that bathroom blind always turning up closed?  And I don't mean from one particular visitor, this was a regular occurrence.  Was it just a default reflex to close the blinds without evaluating the situation?  Are people that self-conscious?  We have the same situation in our new house.  The only possible view from our powder room is the neighbor's house wall and a small closet window with blinds that have been firmly shut since the day they moved in.  And yet, at least one a week I go in to find the blinds closed in the small, high-up window in our powder room bathroom.

Perhaps it's me.  Maybe I'm a closet exhibitionist?  Hm, I don't think so.  Perhaps I just don't care or it could be that I love having the light come in and the happy feeling sunlight gives our home that I never want to close the blinds. 

The Big Boy Update:  We went to two indoor parks yesterday.  One was the one he had his two-year-old birthday party at.  On the ceiling was the large mylar balloon that got away at his party, nearly seven weeks ago.  Those balloons hold their helium for a long time.  He had a great time sliding down the slides.  He took off his shoes one time and subsequently slid down faster than he intended, including a very poor landing.  After that he went down with his shoes on.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  The first temper tantrum.  She's not two yet, but she did have a throw-down fit the other day.  She loves stairs.  She wants to go up and down them and if you deny her, she will throw herself on the floor and make a scene with tears and accompanying wailing.  I brought her into the bonus room the other day to play with some fun toys with her, but we had to go past the stairs down that she decided was the only thing she wanted to do.  When I shut the door to the bonus room, a tantrum ensued.  This has been repeated multiple times of late, usually any time she is kept from trying to walk down stairs that no one trusts her to do alone yet.

Fitness Update:  Nothing has happened fitness-wise in a good while.  But...I predict soon.  My legs wake up cramping in the morning as though they're complaining about lack of activity.   Soon I shall run!

Someone Once Said: Always answer an unfriendly question with another question.

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