Update

I've been meaning to update you about the dark street/stupid island situation. A few days after I posted about the problem, I was returning home from a run and noticed a streetlight on the corner by the offending island. I couldn't figure out why I'd never seen it before, so that night Steve and I walked down the block to investigate. The pole was there, but it shed no light.

The following evening, my parents came over for dinner and cards. They, too, had noticed the non-functioning light on the corner. My mom called the city's 24-hour burned-out-streetlight hotline, and reported both that the problem existed and that it was creating a safety hazard for her poor blind daughter. They told her to call the power company, whose responsibility such matters apparently are. When my mother called Xcel the following Monday, the report-taker promised a response, but said she had no idea how soon the light would be repaired. So my mom called a friend on the city council.

By Wednesday, the light was on. The parking lot through which I like to cut also has reactivated its lights, which it must have turned off for the long summer days. I can now walk home safely and independently, just as I could pre-island.

It's a huge relief. Now, if I could only get rid of the damn speed bump.