There is travel and there are babies; everything else is drudgery and death.

Why do we pursue information that we know will never leave our heads?

But there was something psychological happening there that was just a little bit different. And the other thing was, there was no stigma. Kids weren't going into the 'Center-for-Kids-That-Need-More-Help' or something like that. It was 826 Valencia.

When I'm doing work online or on the computer, it's one thing. When I want to read, I want to go elsewhere, and I want to be away from the screen.

In all my life I'd never been approached this way, the car pulling up, the Where you going? It was something I wish had happened hundreds of times. I was a looker - someone who looked over at every car at every traffic light, hoping something would happen, and almost never finding anyone looking back - always everyone looking forwards, and every time I felt stupid. Why should people look at you? Why should they care?

She pulls away, pats me on the shoulder with three mini-pats, like those used to pet reptiles.

How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more than us, about everything, and this I hated then found hugely comforting.