Sublime

experimenting with self-governance in the streets.

Dropping out is a great American tradition, the very essence of amateurism, another recapitulation of the pioneer/immigrant narrative, the ultimate in starting fresh: no school!

as if college students these days were a brand-new species totally disconnected from the past and from the culture that spawned them.

he was one of the youngest students ever to start the Stanford PhD program. “He skipped a million years,”

We sat and talked about books and authors, and I gave my best impersonation of a model tenant, a man whose checks wouldn’t bounce and who wouldn’t cause any fuss.

Individuals like Barron can be men or women, old or young, but chances are their gusto for their singular obsession is captivating (or irritating, depending on your mood that day).

The gang members of a bygone era also had their leaders, bullies, jokers, and nerds. Each individual had taken up a position in the superorganism’s unfolding structure. And each had shaped his personality to fit the spot in which he landed.

writing,

“basically an enormous eyeball floating around something, reporting what it sees.”