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A representative sample from "Eavesdropping on the Public Theater of the Absurd," by Wendell Jamieson, Ink column, page B2, today's Times:

People blab on their cellphones all over town, but tantalizing tidbits can still come from people talking to each other in public places.

"So then I looked up herpes on the Internet."
Woman with a British accent talking to a friend in Central Park
"The story is, she had this asp."
Man in full Roman costume speaking to woman in complete Cleopatra costume on Warren Street in Cobble Hill a few days before Halloween
"It wasn't me! I was skiing that weekend!"
Man talking to a friend on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan [Clearly, Jamieson has a different definition of a "tantalizing tidbit" than we do.]

"Stella. She ate a sweet potato every day of her life."
Elderly woman to a friend, sitting in Roll-n-Roaster in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn

Bitchy email sent this afternoon to Jamieson from Michael Malice, editor of Overheard in New York:

From: Michael Malice
To: Wendell Jamieson
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 12:57 PM
Subject: Eavesdropping

Hi Wendell!

I saw your piece in today's New York Times on eavesdropping in the Big Apple. How did you come up with such an original concept? I was thinking of starting a website like that called Newyorkeavesdropping.com. Would it be okay with you if I took your idea?

Warm regards,
Michael Malice

Eavesdropping on the Public Theater of the Absurd [NYT]