The night is full of insomniacs Googling insomnia. How old is Taylor Swift? I
ask my phone. 33. Her Jesus year—the age Jesus was when he died. The
Austrian poet Georg Trakl died at 27. No one worships him except writers
trying to resurrect the silent dead. But he died by cocaine, not crucifixion.
Whoa—I just realized it sounds like fiction. That could be the atheist’s motto:
CruciFICTION. Wednesday I told a colleague his comparison of small colleges
and big universities was “like apples and orangutans.” I paused mid-debate to
say “I can’t believe I’ve never thought of that phrase before. I need you to take
a beat and appreciate it.” He smiled. But he probably didn’t change his mind.
When was the last time someone changed my mind, shook me out of my smug
bubble? We’re all self-driving cars weaving through city streets. The moon
looks for herself in every puddle.
