Des Moines is like your typical American city; it's just these concentric circles of malls, built outward from the city.

When I was growing up I used to think that the best thing about coming from Des Moines was that it meant you didn't come from anywhere else in Iowa. By Iowa standards, Des Moines is a mecca of cosmopolitanism, a dynamic hub of wealth and education, where people wear three-piece suits and dark socks, often simultaneously.

A third...candidate for Shakespearean authorship was Christopher Marlowe. He was the right age (just two months older than Shakespeare), had the requisite talent, and would certainly have had ample leisure after 1593, assuming he wasn't too dead to work.

There is the odd exception, like Albert Einstein, but as a breed, scientists tend not be very good at presenting themselves.

Traveling is more fun - hell, life is more fun - if you can treat it as a series of impulses.

There are things you just can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he's ready to see you, and you can't go home again.

You may find that your parents are the most delightful people, but you don't want to live with them.