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Tell me if I'm wrong about this: People don't people-watch the way they used to. Or eavesdrop, either.

I came to this conclusion after spending a few days in Washington, D.C., last week. Everywhere I looked — on the streets, in cars, on the Metro, in hotel lobbies — people were plugged in, listening to and/or staring at their handheld devices. One young woman would have plowed into me head-on had I not stepped off the sidewalk curb at the very last second so she could pass. She continued on, completely oblivious to the fact that if the two of us had been playing a game of chicken, she would have been the victor. Winning!

This state of affairs is so prevalent that there were signs in the Metro that read "Watch your step, not your screen."

OK. Fine. I'm not here to whine like the world's oldest, most boring lady about technology and what it's doing to kids these days. Trust me. I'm totally addicted to my smartphone, too. Come on. Who doesn't want to track March Madness brackets in real time?

But before I had the smartphone, I used to entertain myself in public by watching and listening to people I didn't know. I did this a lot, actually. And all that people-watching provided the writer in me with a useful education. Sometimes it even handed me story ideas gift-wrapped with a fancy schmancy bow on top — like that time I heard this conversation between two college-aged girls in a KFC bathroom blow-drying their hands together.

FIRST GIRL: You gotta help me out with this.

SECOND GIRL: With what?

FIRST GIRL: With the way he's treating me. He's acting like I'm not even here.

SECOND GIRL: I haven't noticed.

FIRST GIRL: Seriously? I know he's YOUR boyfriend NOW. But still.

SECOND GIRL: Um …

FIRST GIRL: Maybe it was a bad idea for the three of us to go on this road trip together.

See what I mean? And yes, Virginia. It's usually a bad idea to go on a road trip with your ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend (who used to be your best friend) (but who is now your ex-best friend).

You're welcome!

Anyway. I decided to turn off my phone in D.C. and people-watch instead. Here are a few of the random moments I observed.

• A young man stiff-arming traffic and walking across the street against the light. Size and swagger definitely worked in his favor.

• An old man with a cane sleeping on a Metro car. (Would he wake up in time for his stop? Or is this how he spends his days?)

• A middle-aged woman obsessively checking her watch. (Who was she waiting for? Why?)

• A chubby-cheeked toddler flirting with any old stranger who made eye contact with her.

• A middle-aged man kissing an adult son goodbye on the cheek and saying "I love you" at the train station.

• A harried young couple juggling a baby and baby equipment as they boarded a train.

• A homeless man telling all the people who DIDN'T give him money, "God bless you."

• A woman crying while talking into her cellphone as her son sat next to her, coloring on a piece of paper with a green crayon.

None of these is a big moment. But each of them is a very human moment that tells us something about all the ways people can be. Observing others, especially over time, instructs.

And if we stop watching, how will we ever figure each other out?

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/anncannontrib.