“Periodization isn't magic--you can't out-periodize your genetics, drug users, or stupidity.”

“You can't regret a whole period in your life. . . . It's part of who you are, one of your stories.”

“He appreciated you. But he couldn't feed your soul for the rest of your life. Can't you just appreciate that he was great for you for that period of time?”

“A trial was a stupid word, consideringthat an attempt was never good enough: you were supposed to toe the line, period.”

“I completely failed to see the value in memorizing the stupid periodic table of elements.”

“Getting cut off from the knights' magic rock also required a period of exile from their giant glass mushroom. (Those of you in the Hushlands, I dare you to work that last sentence into a conversation. "By the way, Sally, did you know that getting cut from the knight's magic rock also requires a period of exile from their giant glass mushroom?")”