Oscar Wilde might have been talking about 21st Century Americans when he said, "The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." We have indeed become the home of cynicism, though we call ourselves individualists to justify our disdain for duty if it cuts into our shopping time.

I just finished blowing through the bulk of my modest inheritance in Arkansas, pursuing an MFA while waiting for regime change. I shopped TJM/HG for a few clothes and many bags of coffee, but my furniture was mostly thrift store or my own construction. I worked my tail off, learned the things I wanted most to know about, had a ball teaching undergraduates creative writing, and now am writing full-time (on this platform) while I look for teaching gigs. Kilimanjaro it ain't, but I guess adventure's where you find it.