Welcome to Crazyville, Population: Everyone.

The other morning, my good friend and I were discussing Crazyville. Crazyville is a neighborhood with which we are both familiar. You have probably lived there at some point, too -- and if you haven't, you will. It's a transitional neighborhood, and the epitome of "transient community," but everyone winds up there. It's a requirement of life: not everyone has to be mayor, but every single one of us has to spend a few nights in Crazyville.

In Crazyville, the houses are always full, but there are also always vacancies. It's hard to point to the charm of Crazyville. People are drawn there for mysterious, unknowable reasons. After all, the neighbors can be bizarre. The night life is lacking. Most city services are insufficient (though there is a recycling program...).

The postal system there is decent; messages from outside of Crazyville are delivered with astounding frequency, though many residents of Crazyville leave their post office boxes unchecked for months on end... so news from the outside world is often delayed.

It's a city of contradictions: people say one thing, then do something else. Dramatic posts on sites like LiveJournal and MySpace reach epic proportions, all originating from the various corners of Crazyville. There are few co-ops, but lots of co-dependency. Everyone there knows, either vaguely or poignantly, that this isn't really the place for them. Some people do take up permanent residence in Crazyville, giving up their rental and purchasing real estate, but most of us ultimately pass through this railroad town. Sometimes, though, moving on is difficult.

Why is it so hard to move out of Crazyville? Well, the rent is low, and you know where all the good restaurants are, and sometimes, there's this roommate who co-signed on the lease...

And, as we all know, moving is a big old pain in the ass.

Thing is, once you're out of Crazyville, you realize just how much you love your new neighborhood. It's strange, at first, but gradually, you make new friends, take a few classes, learn that the new restaurants are actually becoming your new favorites. You think, why didn't I move before now?

Occasionally, you get wind of some friend or loved one who has taken up residence in Crazyville. Knowing how much better things are where you reside now, you send them a postcard. Getting no response, you send a longer letter, perhaps even a real estate brochure for properties outside the Crazyville city limits. Then you remember: the letters make it to the Crazyville Post Office, but the message doesn't really get through until the citizen of Crazyville decides it's time to check their box...