I can sense a balkanization among my twenty-something peers. Many are isolating themselves into closed-units with their girlfriends/boyfriends. They are also retreating into their little corporate fiefdoms.

Gone are the days of tight packs of wolf-buddies. Here are the days of loosely connected networks of "pals" and "friendsters."

This transition is about 8 years in the making from when we are 16. I guess it's inevitable: your skin, your bones, and your money become too big to keep you locked in a band or clique forever.