Prepare for a rant of sorts.  This entry will probably be less positive than most, but like most, I will attempt to see the bright side of an annoying situation.

I live in a fairly metropolitan area.  Not Manhattan metropolitan, but still metropolitan.  For perspective, the only significant patches of grass in the area can be found in parks, which people in this area talk about as if they were the new Cronut.  This is especially the case for the many obsessive runners who live in the area and torment me with guilt about not being an obsessive runner.  Anyways, as occurs in most metropolitan areas with an overabundance of obsessive runners, there are races and festivals and events of various sorts that build community, introduce new businesses to new customers, and spread culture.  These are great things!  Yay for culture!

What I don't "yay!" about, however, is the fact that for every one of these festivals, there is an extended period of time during which my life must be put on hold.  You see, when festivals or runs occur, they occur in the middle of streets, despite an overabundance of parks in this city.  For some very unknown to me reason, the streets that are chosen are often the busiest, most essential streets, to functioning in this city. Shouldn't whoever's in charge of this stuff be choosing the streets that don't interfere with the majority of the city's life.  I happen to live (and park my car) on one of these streets, so for however long the festival occurs, plus erecting and tearing down the festival, I am stuck within my home, only able to do something if it can be walked to.

Also problematic is the fact that there are many of these events and none of them are well announced to those of us living in the immediate areas.  The only way that I ever know that an event occurring is that I 1) hear the set-up (or the event itself in the case of races) at some godforsaken hour of the morning or 2) I see event security or barricades sitting below my windows when I leave the house to accomplish something that will inevitably never be accomplished.

Security people and barricades are not the only things sitting outside my window when these events occur, but so are strangers.  Noisy strangers, who I can see at all times through my first-story windows.  As I write these words, a group of 6 college students is screaming to their friend about a parking spot, while he drives by without even acknowledging their presence.  The only redeeming part of this is that I have a prime location for eavesdropping, which I thoroughly enjoy as long as I'm not forced into it at 6AM.

All things considered, this problem is a fairly mundane and sophomoric problem to have.  I mean, if it weren't for the fact that I am an introvert, then I'd probably love this stuff.  Most people would revel at living so close to all of the action.  And really, aside from these nuisance-like events and a few other minor issues, the area is great.  I should just suck it up.

But really, seriously, can't you close Podunk street instead of Main Street?  That's just common sense.

Keep on thinking,
Josie