As it turns out, I didn't get to sleep much last night—only three hours; I awoke at four in the morning. Starbucks doesn't open until 5 AM, and so I had to kill an hour before I could get my caffeine fix. I spent my time online at the Library of Congress Copyright Office, as I have to by law send them two copies of the best version of my book. Additionally, I am planning on registering my copyright with them for an additional fee. This does not have to be done to protect my copyright, but there are some fringe legal benefits in case I enter into a dispute.

Time did eventually pass, and I ended back up at Starbucks at 50th and France. After getting my vanilla latte, I went outside for a smoke. It had just stormed here in the Twin Cities, so all the tables and chairs were wet. I quickly sucked down a cigarettes and went back inside to finish my coffee. Two friendly female baristas were working this morning, and although they were busy trying to get the coffee shop prepared for the day, they took the time to chat with me a bit.

I don't get to talk to people much. I have very, very few friends, and almost my entire day is spent alone. Even when I get out of my place and come across people, it is rare that anyone is friendly to me. In Minnesota, everyone is so guarded about talking to strangers. So much for 'Minnesota Nice'. I suppose my unmet need for socialization is why I have been going out to the bars more frequently: Once someone gets a drink or two into him or her, down goes the guard and out comes a more friendly demeanor. I have had so many friendly barside chats as of late. Of course drinking buddies come a dime a dozen, and so I have been trying to keep everything in perspective. As of late, however, I have made a few contacts with people I am becoming friends with.

FYI: The time stamp on this blog is off by one hour due to daylight savings time. I will try to correct this in the coming days.