Last week one night, I met my college roommate for a beer, to catch up on our lives since those days decades ago. He was about an hour late so I had the opportunity to watch the maneuvers and game plans being played out like some dark comedy by the patrons while I waited.

Walking on the streets outside I realized that my cocoon of family life, raising a child and working day to day left me so unaware that I had forgotten the whole subculture that comes to life after the sun goes down. I am not a sheltered person by any means but have just chosen to follow another path.

The lives lived by night are guided by short term goals...living for today regardless of what tomorrow may bring. The fast cars, the circle of friends, the beautiful people are a world away from my existence anymore. At first glance, I felt a longing to be back in that mode again...but as the night progressed, I realized that tomorrow evening... their whole pattern of conquest, the competition for the right seat...the right connection would all begin anew...night after night.

Steve arrived and my pattern of thought was broken taking me away from the visions conjured up before me and to familiar ground again. Leaving, I looked back at the streets once more and came to the realization that the night is a great place to visit but I don't think I would want to live there.

Dan