“She sees them walking in a straight line, that’s not really her style. And they all got the same heartbeat, but hers is falling behind.” —Echosmith, “Cool Kids” A friend once observed there’s no way to look cool drinking from a straw. Your head bows as your mouth reaches awkwardly, then your lips purse, your shoulders hunch, and you make sucking sounds like a little piglet. Cool needs some level of conscious detachment and a straw is too committal. You’re really into that drink, aren’t... Read More

“How Much Land Does a Man Need?” is a Tolstoy short story about Pahom, a man who believes land is his salvation. The Devil overhears Pahom say, “If I had plenty of land I shouldn’t fear the Devil himself,” and decides to put Pahom to the test, guiding him to the Bashkirs, simple people with vast land holdings. Their terms: For a price of 1,000 rubles Pahom can have as much of their land as he can circle on foot in a single day, sunrise to sunset. If he doesn’t make it back to the... Read More