There is a certain twilight zone that every college student encounters come winter break. It's that strange mixture of newfound independence and coming home to Mom and Dad. I've found it incredible to see how little things have changed at home in comparison with myself and my lifestyle. There are certain things that Littleton and Boulder do not, incredibly, share in common. For instance, not every coffee shop in the world (and especially in L-Town) is open to at least midnight, and, despite the fact that few students may be held to curfew anymore, it's a kind courtesy to notify parents if there is, in fact, a discrepancy of a few hours between the projected time and actual time of mid-evening arrival. Contrary to some beliefs, coming home at around five in the morning when one reported an arrival time of roughly midnight is cause enough for many parents to notify state officials, family friends, and the odd distant relative of a certain missing college student.

Additionally, there are regulated meal times. Not everyone is willing to devour pizza and Chinese food at 3 AM to break in and start the evening off with a solid meal; similarly, breakfast typically ends at 11 in the "real" world, as opposed to 3 or 4 PM. Talking with friends of mine who retreated home across other areas of the state, it seems I'm not alone in this re-adaptation confusion. One of my best friends, due to the fact that she has been sleeping until roughly 4 or 5 PM in the afternoon, is experiencing tensions with an extremely concerned mother who is under the impression that her daughter is inflicted with some sort of incurable immune disorder mixed with a deadly hybrid of mononucleosis. I've justified my own sleep-heavy diet to my father as simply compensation for barely sleeping five hours per night the past four months (besides, I've already had mono, so, while entertaining, that is not the most plausible excuse for my own mid-afternoon slumbers).