Personal space is muy importante to me.

Last night, P.I.C. and I had a lovely date night at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Every summer, they have free concerts on Monday nights. Free! Of course, you have to get there ridiculously early if someone popular is playing. Last night was a good example as to how our arrival over an hour before the concert was not nearly early enough.

We arrived at 5:20 p.m. and found not a single spot of grass on the lawn in the pavilion for us to plop our picnic blanket for two. Boo. Lucky for us, we were early to snag a spot on a grassy knoll on the other side of the gate, still within earshot of Zooey Deschanel's husky and lovely voice. That spot wasn't crowded from the get-go. We ate our sandwiches, lamented my knife wound, drank our wine discreetly (seeing that we were outside the "alcohol permitted area") and enjoyed the lovely evening for a bit. We had a nice view of people pouring in, attempting to do the same as we were. Of course, those people pouring through the gates were all eyeballing any available patch of grass. Even the area that was barely big enough for one person was later claimed. This, of course, led to serious infractions of my own rule of personal body space.

I don't care where we are, people always find it necessary to get in my personal space. At the Death Cab for Cutie show at Aragon, I had a lovely bubble around me, listening and appreciating the live music. Within a half an hour, there was a girl who, despite the large area in front of me, found it necessary to dance right up on my toes. I hadn't moved. She invaded my personal space.

I. hate. that. I will shoot death looks at the back of your head if you choose to invade my space when there is adequate space around. I likely will not say anything, given my passive-aggressive nature. But let me tell you, I will be saying things to whomever is accompanying me at the moment.

Of course, a pack of girls decided to cram right into our space. As in, put their feet on my blanket and have their loud, annoying conversations within two feet of my head. My reaction? Spread my business out. I really hoped that she stepped on my fingers so that I could give a faux scream that would impress a terrible two-having toddler. She would then learn her lesson.

Oh, perhaps it was rude of me to position my body so that people would STOP. STEPPING. ON. MY. BLANKET. and using it as a walkway. Perhaps it is rude of me to maximize my space so that others don't share my blanket or my own space. However, I believe that if I arrive early enough to stake out my area, I am entitled to a little personal space. And unless I know you or invite you to share in my space, I don't want to know you, comprendo? That's just how I roll.

What can I say? I like my personal space. And trust me, if you invade it, you will be privy to a barrage of insults and mean looks. Only the insults will be in my head.