I live approximately 25 minutes north of Brandeis, where some of my closest friends still live and go to school. My high school is there, my family is there... and so are many of my exes. I admit to having traveled home during my college career to get a bit of ass from those hometown boys. Getting it on with someone you have gone to school with since eighth grade creates a comfort level you can't usually find on campus. Better yet, since they're at home, you don't need to see them every day!

Yet, I know a lot of students not only live far from the Boston area, but also have to drive very long distances or fly to get home. This makes having a home hook-up buddy a bit more of a challenge.

It seems each sexes has a distinct take on such home-town lovin'. My girls were receptive to the idea, and my guy friends felt that going home for some booty was the best thing since sliced bread. Some were against it, but those people were also against random hook-ups.

I used to go home every few weekends or so for a hook-up with this great guy that I had known since about third grade. We had a lot of fun, but it wasn't anything serious-just a great night once in a while.

But as those weekends went by, I began care less about the weekends I spent at school. I was going home more, ignoring my school life for some play. And that's not healthy.

I had fooled myself into thinking my casual home hook-up was a relationship. People who say you can have sex and not get attached are liars and fools. Sex, no matter what anyone says, is an intimate act that stimulates hormones that force physical and emotional closeness.

But when things don't remain casual, people get hurt, as do their friends who have to listen to crying and complaining about it until the sun comes up.

The most important thing to remember about a home hook-up is to keep it that way unless, of course, a relationship is set off. If it's just about play, don't let it get in the way of meeting new people on campus.