I think she’ll like me,” I said, concerned that my own mother wouldn’t like me. My fear exposed the unspoken shame of all families: if you didn’t know the people you were related to, would you befriend them? In the days when families hunted and gathered, this wouldn’t be a question worth pondering, but once butchering a mammoth stopped being a household chore, we began to suspect families are chain gangs held together by manacles of DNA.

Books have been vastly important in my life – as both a reader and a writer. I’ve learned that the great gift of literature is that someone else’s tale becomes a chapter of your story. And I still feel books are the best art form for making contact with another consciousness, which is why reading a good book by yourself never feels lonely.

It wasn’t easy telling my family that I’m gay. I made my carefully worded announcement at Thanksgiving. It was very Norman Rockwell. I said, ‘Mom, would you please pass the gravy to a homosexual?’ She passed it to my father. A terrible scene followed.

The chance of smaller eruptions and earthquakes is much higher.

I commute almost everyday. The main reason is that its fun, healthy, good for me and its good for the community, better for the air and less traffic.

He's really good at what he does. Before you know it, he's got you. And you wonder how he did it.

In the big picture I can't express how proud of my kids I am. We knew it probably would take a big number to win today and the guys battled each inning.

I'm not opposed to hearings, I just don't think they're going to produce too much.

It'll help the economy, and anything that helps the economy I'm for.

The additional demand for housing has driven up real estate, which makes it difficult for young people to buy homes. It drives away the workers we would attempt to attract.