I’ve been at home for summer break for almost two weeks now. I haven’t done much of anything, which is not unusual, besides go to the gym. I’ve seen my grandparents a couple times. My brother extended his stay so we couple play more video games. I’ve precomposed for about 4 of my pieces, but not actually put any notes down.

If I were in Baton Rouge, I would most likely be at Highland Coffee from 9:30pm to 11pm, either working on music or getting into arguments with Shane, my future roommate, about music. And not having done any of those, I caved and went to the local Starbucks to get some coffee and try to do some work.

I normally only drink coffee in the evenings, when it seems that I need some energy. But having gone without it for almost 2 weeks, it’s made me kind of wired, in an antsy, cannot focus sort of way. So much for concentrating.


A group of my friends in Baton Rouge come from Lake Charles, a town largely devastated by Hurricane Rita in 2005, that seems built out of industry and gambling. As expected, everyone at LSU from Lake Charles knows each other. But what is striking is their continued association in college. My experience in my undergrad was the expansion of social groups. Not that they don’t have any friends outside of Lake Charles, but their past romantic hit-or-misses have largely been, as it seems to be, from a closely wound knit of each other. An incestuous coterie that can be connected in as little as three degrees of separation.

This whole situation may not be unusual, but I hate the idea of knowing I’ve kissed the same person my friend has. It’s a questionable connection, none too remarkable, and easily, the germ of future crises.