tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12342221.post112594786208805063..comments2023-10-26T04:29:29.731-07:00Comments on The Marshfield Tattler: The Yellow House has a PartyMaritzahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10729429896105375815noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12342221.post-1126210896076954432005-09-08T13:21:00.000-07:002005-09-08T13:21:00.000-07:00Don't you hate these stupid spammers? I get them ...Don't you hate these stupid spammers? I get them on my blog too.<BR/><BR/>I recently moved into the Austin neighborhood, which can be a little rough but it doesn't sound like it's quite as intense as yours. My new place is a block east of Austin ave, so there's a very surreal dividing line between Austin and Oak Park. If I ride my bike, within 60 seconds I can be surrounded by either boarded up houses with groups of guys selling drugs out front or mansions and an all-white population walking their expensive dogs.<BR/><BR/>I've been feeling a bit down lately about living there --- I'm used to being able to walk to a coffee shop, to a bar, to just walk around the neighborhood. It's very different now --- the only things I could really walk to are liquor stores and Long John Silvers. I've gotten pretty close with a neighbor across the corner from me, and he tells me all the neighbors wonder what in the world I could be doing there. He says every single one is convinced I'm either an undercover cop or an FBI mole. One guy was certain I was a Nazi and was using the house as a storage facility for nazi materials and as a meeting house for skinheads. Apparently, it's just not possible that a white guy would be just living there, so there must be some other kind of explanation.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I was feeling a bit down, as I said, and a mutual friend turned me onto your blog. It's great. I admire your activism and the way you have integrated yourself into the neighborhood there --- I'm a little bit more of a private person so I haven't really engaged my new neighborhood other than getting to know my immediate neighbors. But reading about your experiences is really nice. Unfortunately there's a group of about 20 teenagers (not really a "gang" per se) who hang out across the street from me in an empty lot --- they yell and fight and carry on. Probably the noise level is the thing that I struggle with most --- have you gotten used to that? Is that an issue with you?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, if you'd like to check out my blog (about making a documentary film) let me know and I'll send you the link. I've gotten really annoyed at people using comment sections to publicize their own goings on so I won't do that here.Claytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08042966745016716685noreply@blogger.com