Now I was stuck and could feel the tide of years suddenly beginning to rise around me. - Jeffrey Ford

I understand the human brain. It's a double-edged sword. An evolutionarily development that gives you the wherewithal to know that life is basically a shit pastry one is obliged to eat slowly, and the ability to disguise that fact with beautiful delusions."
"Where do God and the cash come in?" asked Slackwell.
"The cash is the pastry part. God, he just likes to watch us eat. The more we eat the more he loves us. You can't live without love.

Life was never so clear-cut as to offer anything as certain as a war between Heaven and Hell. That was for stories.

Real memories intrude now and then as do self-admonitions for a wasted life, but the smoke’s other feature is that it lets you not give a shit about anything but taking in more smoke.