While NoOne Was Looking, New York City Snuck In

Okay, well maybe not New York City. But seriously, when did my small town become a booming metropolis? Where did all these people come from? They scurry around like ants, running to and fro, clogging up my once easy-to-drive streets. What's going on around here?

In an area where the median home price was recently $750,000 and where homes are routinely higher than that, I can't figure out why there are so many more people here than ever before. Shouldn't that be a deterrent? And what is all this new building going on? New homes left and right? New stores? For those of us who happened to be here before things went crazy, it's a little startling to see such signs of frantic life.

I now have to allow twice as much time to get anywhere. And if it's morning or evening traffic, I have to add even more time. Parking in some places has become quite painful. If you're smart, you have a book or puzzle to do whilst waiting at lights because you spend quite a large portion of your day doing so.

When did this happen? Where was I? They're sneaky, these people. They came from all their towns, near and far. They snuck in, little by little---a slow infiltration---and now there are too many to round up. Sigh. (I say all of this in jest, of course. I've been practicing my elitest voice because it's good to have several masks to put on. I'm one of the infiltraters my own self---it's just that my pilgramage was a long time ago to the area and so I feel partial. I want it to be the way it was then. I'm not so keen for things to get busier and busier and more and more crowded. It was okay when it was me but it's not so great when it's everyone else. That's fair, isn't it?)

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em in line at the corner Starbucks I guess (or FourBucks, as Bryan has referred to it).

See you there.