I just have to rant on this... I live in a really small town and it really annoys me. It's not really the town per say, but the people living in it.

A great example is the local bank where I do my banking... there are three bitter old bittys in there that condensend to me every chance they get like I'm some kind of moron. For some reason they see fit to remind me of the stupidest crap: I was going to have some body work done on my car but the mechanic wasn't able to it as soon as he thought so I but the money in the bank and said to the teller I'd just take it back out when I needed it. Then I get reminded I would only be able to get it out before 4:00 p.m. NO FREAKIN' CRAP! I have an understanding of what business hours are you dumb (explative)! I'm really considering changing banks because these women are total gossipers and I honestly think they feel free telling people any and everything like how much I withdraw and stuff. I'm sick of being treated like a mental midget.

Another good one is the post office. I had a package come in from VGM World yesterday. My father picked up the mail and the post master (who gets his jollys by acting like the god of the post) felt the need to ask my father what I'm getting from Japan. None of your damn business what I'm getting from Japan! I have half the mind next time I pick up a package to say "Yay, my drugs came in!" or "Dude, my pornographic hentai comics finally came in!"

There are so many ppl in this town I could honestly care less about, let alone what they do... why does everyone seem so damn preoccupied with what I'm doing?

This reminds me of that one For Better or For Worse comic, where Elizabeth goes to visit her cousin Laura.  Course, they put a more positive spin on the whole thing:

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/3402 … rsett4.jpg

Well mate I recommend you be nice to that post office worker unless you want stuff to go missing or turn up snapped in half.

I cant really complain as I live in London even though I know most of the staff by now when I go to the supermarket,post office etc but I can relat to what you are saying. I used to live in this really small town until I was 10 in Portugal and it people literally made it some sort of duty to know every detail of every person's daily life.

The best way seems to act completely disconcerned to what they gossip about and just go about your life.

Well, sure. As far as latter-day FBOFW is concerned, the only safe place in the world is the small community you were born into. There's a good essay on this at http://shaenon.livejournal.com/29475.html called 'Why I Hate Anthony' that I personally agree with quite a bit, despite, you know, having a mustache and receding hairline.

But small communities can be a few degrees too close for comfort, yeah. I don't have people harrumphing overhead though, I have crazy people reach out to me. In a particularly bad winter a few years back, one of my neighbors guarded her unburied streetside parking space with a baseball bat, yelling and swearing at cars passing by for hours. On my way out to work, she let me know she'd defend us as well if anyone tried anything. Nice lady, but I can't help but think it's only a matter of time before I'm called upon in court as a character witness for her.

Small Towns = People Gossiping because they've nothing better to do.

You seem like a really inviting fellow; you're probably being more open with information about yourself than you want to be.

It's possible to keep to yourself even in a small town, it's just a matter of knowing how.

The older I get, the more I'm finding myself drawn to that sort of life. I've never really done the small town thing so maybe it's a 'grass is always greener' thing but I think it's just that I'm getting old. I think I'd like the peace, the gossip, greeting the neighbours, sitting having coffee in a local diner where everyone who comes in knows me. I wouldn't have any of the negative stuff that Ashley does because I'm older. In fact, I'd be one of the people condescending to the kids.

I think if I could ever make it as someone who works independently, like a writer or something, I'd be drawn to that life.

LOL, I can relate to the prying questions. Whenever I've ordered something from VGM World the mail carrier has to bring it up the drive to our door instead of putting it in the mailbox, and my mom or younger brother receives it since I'm usually at work. There's been a couple of times when the mail person has asked, "What's he getting from Japan?" Like a package with Japanese characters on it just doesn't belong in America. Of course, if they were told it was game music inside they'd probably be like, "Say what? Gay music?" And I would say, "No, video GAME music." To which they would reply, "WTF?" and then they'd probably never ask again.

And as far as old people are concerned, some of them have some pretty cool stories. But the rest do tend to nag on the same old things. They do less themselves and instead talk about what other people are doing. Note to self: rebel against that destiny and focus on learning lots of neat-o tales. You could really get into some serious gaming with all that free time.

"Hey, he's not that bad."

Now if you wanna go off on a legitimate tirade against any FBOFW character, it should be April.  From the moment that bratty dog-murdering devil child was born, there was an unmovable air of venom that hung over the comic.  What a truly despicable creature.