I feel VERY strongly about this.

Tonight, part of a friend's post evoked pent-up rage that I thought I had sublimated. For those of you who aren't from Boston, here's an explanation. Where I lived in Somerville, there was street parking with permits--normally not too bad, except when there was a snow emergency. This meant that you had to park on the odd side of the street. Because both sides of the streets were normally filled with cars, there was obviously a crunch for parking when a snow emergency was declared. So, it'd snow, you'd rush to find a spot, but then you'd have to shovel out your car when you had to leave.

So far, okay. Except when some people would leave their spots on the street, they'd place a marker--a lawn chair, a recycling bucket, and once I even saw a kiddie pool--in their spot to say, "hey, I shoveled out this spot, and I want it when I get back." The issue is that there was no law to say this was legal--so some people did this, and some people (ie, me) didn't do it. So my spots were always taken when I got back from work. Why didn't I put something in my spot? It was street parking, not my driveway. It didn't belong to me. It should be first-come, first-serve. I hear you that you did all that work--but I did, too. Street parking = public parking = no reserving. That's my opinion.

Anyway, I've had arguments with people about this. Arguments! This from a person who never ever fights with friends.

So, while I might never again get to sing "Sweet Caroline" with other Sox fans after a once-in-a-lifetime World Series win, in Seattle I will never have to deal with the do-I-put-my-lawn chair-in-my-spot dilemma. I am mostly cool with that trade-off.