no man is an island

I eat in random cafes a lot, alone.
Today I walked into Panera and saw with a random glance around the room I saw at least three laptops out. Their owners connected by a small white cord and earbud headphones. I was planning on looking exactly that way after ordering some delectable yummies. I had this random urge to sit down with one guy at a booth. He's still plugging away at some random assignment. I feel like being alone together, working, plugged into our own little worlds, maybe there'd be some connection.

I picked a seat by myself. Missed opportunities. When did we get to the point that talking to a stranger in a public place is considered strange? I mean, we're all kind of going along, maybe enjoying the quiet of being alone, or secretly wishing for some companionship, and a furtive glance across the room at someone you speculate could be a kindred spirit is all you get.

Here I am, sitting, pretending to be a pirate with my friend Ryan (via iChat), being serenaded by Hanson, dreading the mountain of work I have to get done for the end of the semester, and just thinking.

What would happen to me if I just ran away to Mexico or Canada or something?