I like all sorts of books, but especially ones that are known for being good. I like to read the books everyone's heard of and knows they're supposed to read, and I'm (slowly) making my way through Time's Top 100. So for three or four lovely hours this afternoon, during some unexpected time off, I finally read outside on the grassy Syracuse quad. And I lay like this, stretching out under the hot August sun, hoping to tan my body, which, having spent the summer working 7am-7pm, has little to show for itself during these months of "freedom" except a mild caffeine addiction.
In the early pages of On the Road, I came across some lines that really resonated with me, reminding me of late college nights spent exploring with new friends, on the other side of town, where I'm not familiar with the street names or faces:
"I shambled after as usual as I've been doing all my life after people that interest me, because the only people that interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing... but burn, burn like roman candles across the night."
In typical side note fashion, this post has no relevance to my upcoming trip to Europe- but good writing is something that sticks with you, and should be shared with others. Enjoy.
