Town/gown

Author: Grady Ross

As I sat in class last Friday afternoon, the final responsibility in a long week of adult endeavors that I am in no way mature enough to handle, there was one thing keeping me going besides the toothpicks wedged between my eyelids: the idea of my 2:30 nap. But before I could hit the pillow for that brief respite from the week's stress to refuel for a socially demanding weekend, I had to take precautionary measures to ensure my peace and quiet. I logged out of Facebook, closed my inbox, shut off my cell phone, unplugged my room phone and scrawled a request on my door for a lack of disturbance. Fifteen minutes later I woke up to the sound of rocks being thrown at my window, a la Romeo and Juliet.

OK, the part about the rocks is false, but I'm sure you can all appreciate that need to be left alone, especially as technology makes us essentially reachable at all times. Modern amenities aside, I have found it hard to isolate myself based solely on my current location. Placed somewhere in the middle of college and home, I feel pulls from both worlds that become increasingly harder to ignore - due to the fact that everyone knows where to locate me. My college is the home to which my old friends return. And while many of you said your goodbyes at graduation knowing that your five-year reunion might well be your next meeting, I did so knowing that six months down the road, I'd be playing hostess in my dorm room.

Don't get me wrong