u/JonSolo1

I think we’re overdue for another post exposing the underbelly of the worst of Springsteen fan conduct: the artificial pit monopoly held by the Spring-Nuts. I’m not going to get into the whole MAGA background of the group founders, beyond the fact that I know it’s there and I’m not well-versed enough to get into it.

But we need to continue criticizing and exposing the global chokehold they have on the process, where they masquerade it as an earned system by people lining up days in advance (which is unhinged) but in reality just give the first entry spots to their inner circle every time.

Case in point: I think almost everyone is familiar with the woman in her mid/late 30s with dark hair who is always on the rail at the center of the pit wearing a pink top every. single. show. At first I respected the love of the game and thought it was cute (frankly I was mesmerized by seeing someone so comparably young and attractive being so visibly into the show while going to numerous dates like me), but after about the 10th time seeing her there, it was enough and it became clear that it’s a nightly act for her. These people are robbing someone else of the experience of being at the edge of the stage, and I fundamentally refuse to accept that they are earning that spot show after show after show. They’re being given it on a silver platter to spend every show reacting to every song in the same way in the same moment each time. Does Bruce really want to see the same groupie in the same spot doing the same arm motions and jumping up and down (when nobody around her is) every night?

I think this is a far more valid and actionable gripe than the ticket prices and I wish someone would do something about this blatant theft of precious fan experiences.

Recently got over a mental block to dating I’ve had for my entire adult life and starting to push past my lack of self worth. Downloaded an app and have been getting a decent number of matches, but hoping (even though I’m learning on the fly) that I might get lucky and find a great person fairly early on. I matched with a girl and we had a lot in common from the start, messaged for a few days, then I asked her out which she agreed to and gave me her number.

She asked to move up our coffee date to an hour earlier because she had family plans pop up, which was fine and didn’t present a concern to me. We continued to have a good text conversation in the days leading up to the date.

I decided to drive to the date even though I live in a city with decent public transit, because I don’t live close to a station and figured parking would be easy enough on a Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it turned out there was a major sporting event, all nearby street parking was full, and the garages were already on event day rates.

I cut it too close to adapt and didn’t want to be late because I liked her a lot, had a good feeling about the date, and figured it might make for a funny story down the line, so I resigned myself to paying $75 for parking I only needed for an hour.

First few minutes were a bit awkward as they always are, and I happily spent another $10 on our coffees. Things warmed up pretty quickly and we were having a good conversation, and really hitting a stride when she had to leave. I would’ve thought it might’ve been an excuse, but she had mentioned it early in our messaging so I have to take it as a legitimate reason since she still agreed to meet well after it came up.

Based on the conversation going decently well and her having to cut it short, I felt decent about my chances that she’d respond to my follow-up text and give me a second opportunity with less time constraint. It’s been three days and she hasn’t responded.

TL;DR: went on one of my first dates since putting myself out there with someone who I was hitting it off with, accidentally spent $85 between parking and coffee, and got ghosted