“...I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it.”

“So I’m thinking this is the part of my movie where things appear as if nothing is going to workout. I have to remind myself that all movie characters go through this sort of dark period beforethey find their happy ending.”

“But I'll tell you the same thing I tell my students when they complain about the depressing nature of American literature: life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly, like our marriage did, Pat. And literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still possible for people to endure nobly.”

“Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the movie is going to end badly, something dramatic happens, which leads to the happy ending. This seems like a good spot for something dramatic to happen, especially since it's my birthday.”

“I believe in happy endings," I tell him, "And it feels like this movie has gone on for the right amount of time.”

“Air goes in and outof my nose, throat, lungs, blood, heartbrain - and so I am”

“...it's not fair because I have been trying so hard and how long can this fucking movie last...”