Reason #4 Why I Live in Misery: The best stuff is too popular.

First, it was the Hopslam. Then, it was True/False tickets. Something's going on here. As we creep closer and closer to 100,000 people in COMO, the best things are becoming scarce. I really thought I'd never get my Hopslam. It took me going to Hyvee every day for a month to get my portion of the hop juice. I still never made it over to Sycamore in time to try it on tap. I've already lamented about being shut out of several films at True/False. The tickets were literally being ripped from my hands as I was reserving them online.

Let's face it. COMO is overcrowded.

It's like back in 2001 when Columbus, OH only had one Trader Joe's. It was a tiny TJ hidden in an out-of-the-way shopping center, but it had all my favorite treats. Then, one day, word spread. I could no longer get my frozen Thai dinners whenever I showed up. Forget the peppered cashews or frozen guacamole. They were gone too. I had to then make a point to hit TJ on a weekday. The Sunday afternoon trips to Trader Joe's became obsolete.

So goes anything cool in COMO. People will find out about it. Since there's only one, the demand rises beyond reality until there's nothing left.

The demand for cool things in this town has made me consider driving to STL as soon as the Hopslam hits our border, ordering the more expensive Lux pass for next year's T/F, and leaving this town all together (as soon as the economy clears up and both R and I can secure good jobs in a bigger, cooler city).

Until then, I'll complain and make do.