"There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, 'Morning, boys, how's the water?' And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, 'What the hell is water?'" -D.F.W., Commencement Speech, Kenyon College, May 21, 2005 * I had a dream that we went walking, David Foster Wallace and I In great detail we were talking The Pale King smi

So it rained that day The day I gave it all away And I never thought it would When the morning looked so good Tickets were booked for California, I explained to my mother over the phone. I was calm. "But you two looked so good together," my mother sighed over the phone. "You agreed on so many things." I wasn't sure where to pick up from there. What made a difference, on the larger scale of things if we looked good with each other? Were we good for each other? Ultimat

Things I will miss about New York when I leave: 1. Subway rats - these fuckers can thrive in one of the most inhospitable habitats on Earth. 2. My friends - crazy people who hold faith in me. I still don’t know why. 3. Dawn on the harbor - few grimier, lovelier sights on earth. 4. Frankness - A New Yorker tells you to your face that you look like shit or that you’re in the way. Take it as a compliment. It means they care. And not in that order. * Home is a feeling, warm li