Livin' la Small Town Loca

Ever since Jack Nicholson uttered these famous words, I've held them near and dear to my heart. They seem to emulate where I live very nicely.

I live in a small town of only 3500. I moved here about a decade ago from a town of about 35000. Needless to say, the move was like moving into another dimension entirely.

Before I ramble on, the answer to why I moved here is simple:I started a family with a gal from here. Otherwise, I probably would not have chosen this locale to exist in.

One would think a smaller town would be an ideal setting to live, and at first it seemed nice enough to raise a family in. But, now five years after my divorce, I find that this quaint little town is NOT the ideal place for a single person to reside in. (Although, this is one facet of what bugs the shit out of me about this place.)

Here, it seems like everyone knows your shit and has to voice their opinion on it.
I've never heard such complaining at work about the most trivial of topics.
When someone gets a raise either from years of service, or based on their performance, the comments I hear stem from jealousy and misunderstanding about how an actual factory, or any business is ran.

I am still an outsider here, but I stay because this is where my children are.
I actually half look forward to when one of the two occurs:either they turn 18 or their mum finds yet another new husband online and moves far far away.
Then and only then will I be free of this po-dunk hell hole and have the ability to move far from here.