I'm Keith," he said, "and you're . . . clearly mad, but what's your name?

Sometimes people graduate but they don't leave. They hang around for years, for no reason. I would think of ghosts like that, I decided.

Oh my God!" said one of the Ambers. "Is this not the worst trip ever? Did you see the snow?" She was a sharp one, this Amber. What would she notice next? The train? The moon? The hilarious vagaries of human existence? Her own head?

Life is always going to be a series of ouch-making moments, and the question was, was I going to go all fetal position, or was I going to woman up? I went into fetal position on the bed to think about this. Fetal position turned out to be very comfortable.

Something about this boat screamed, "I am a very popular model in the world's oil-bearing regions. I cost more than your soul!

You can never visit the same place twice. Each time, it's a different story. By the very act of coming back, you wipe out what came before.

It was like the entire world was colluding to make me feel insane, and it was doing a really good job.