Know thyself

I used to think I was an independent, go it alone type. Over time I realized I really hate being alone and must have the company of people. Yes, man is a social animal,blah blah blah, but really I start to go nuts when I am by myself. When I drove cross country two months ago (in four days - bad idea) I was so starved for human interaction that I actually welcomed the 6AM drunk who sat at my breakfast table and ate half of my food. I truly understood this about myself when I visited Florence in an attempt to meet my friend Danielle (I was living in London at the time.) I never found her, so I was by myself in a town where I couldn't speak the language and the only book I had was Andre Dubus' Collected Stories. If Carver is vaguely sad, Dubus is out and out morose, not the sort of thing you should read when by yourself. No more travelling by myself, or at least it should be with a happy book.