Outside+Reading+For+Choke

“You’re not getting any younger.” (Page 1, Chapter 1)

This quote relates to me because I try to look at life through the perspective of the whole entire time-span when things are bad. It’s only one moment in your life that probably in the grand-scheme of things won’t matter much and it’s not worth worrying and stressing over because you aren’t getting younger, like the quote, life will move on whether you want to or not.

“There’s about countless ways you can screw up around here.” (Page 26, Chapter 4)

This quote relates to me because as I’ve grown up through the short life I’ve had so far I’ve realized, especially with my parents, it’s really easy to screw up, even in the smallest things like the way you speak to a person and these small screw ups are so hard to avoid.

“To be that comfortable and confident in the world, that would be Nirvana.” (Page 38, Chapter 5)

This quote relates to me because being confident and comfortable in life is something that I find very important, I think everyone does, but especially being confident because God knows I am not the most confident person but if I was life would be so much more blissful and this quote really shows me the truth behind life because those two elements are honestly some of the most important things in life.

“You can’t win.” (Page 59, Chapter 7)

I relate to this quote because I feel like in life you can never truly win, even when you do there is something there that is going to bring you down, it’s like an endless cycle that never stops.

“There’s an opposite if déjà vu. It’s called jamais vu. It’s when you meet the same people or visit the same places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger.” (Page 69, Chapter 10)

I relate to this quote, not the actual meaning, but in my interpretation. What I believe he means by this quote is people are so complex and secretive that people seem to be completely different sometimes when you meet them in certain situations that they don’t seem to be the same people anymore, which I have experienced a lot in my life and try to avoid for myself because I don’t want to change who I am because of the situation.

“Make me play the big passive bottom in your guilt gang band. I’ll take everybody’s load.” (Page 72, Chapter 11)

I relate to this quote because I’m always that person that offers myself out there for people to talk to and tell my friends that they can tell me anything and talk to me about anything, so in a way I take that role that he describes in the quote in my life quite often.

“The problem is my mom won’t talk to me when I’m Victor, and she won’t talk to me when I’m her attorney. My only hope is to be her public defender while Denny’s me.” (Page 84, Chapter 13)

I relate to this not exactly but in a very similar way because when you are seen as different things in life people like you more or less depending on what it is and in a way that affects how much they actually like your person and sometimes they only like you for what you are, not your actual being.

“These are the things people tell you when they won’t tell you the truth.” (Page 93, Chapter 15)

I relate to this quote because people always countlessly like to lie to get out of something simple, even me, like “I’m busy” or etc. There are so many different excuses that people use to get out of responsibilities and some can be quite annoying because they are so bad.

“Stalking isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind.” (Page 110, Chapter 17)

I relate to this because in our new-age world with facebook I feel like when you simply go on someone else’s profile and scroll through stuff it’s considered stalking, even when technically that’s why facebook exists, so it’s technically not stalking but stalking is the first word that comes to mind.

“Another petrified moment to treasure.” (Page 125, Chapter 19)

This affects me because when you actually process this quote you realize that it’s actually true, pictures are nothing more than that, even as depressing as that sounds, it’s true and they are nothing more.

“…because nothing is as good as you can imagine it.” (Page 131, Chapter 20)

This really relates to me because I always imagine stuff before it happens or imagine situations that aren’t true and in those imaginations they are perfect and always work out the way I want them to, and it’s fantastic, but however, nothing is ever as good as you imagine it, life doesn’t live by your rules and it really sucks but it’s true, so nothing is ever as good as you imagine.

“…humanity had been a little too smart for its own good…” (Page 149, Chapter 23)

I relate to this quote because I believe it is true, the inventions we have today are great but some of them, like nuclear bombs, and etc. are too much, we’re too smart for our own world, which is why pollution is horrible and why there is so much death.

“The laws that keep us safe, these same laws condemn us to boredom.” (Page 159, Chapter 25)

I relate to this quote because I believe that, as bad as this sounds, life is more enjoyable when something bad is happening, which is really weird. It gives more to show emotion toward and think about which keeps us active. If everything was perfect than it would actually become kind boring.

“And I try to give us both a good time…” (Page 176, Chapter 27)

Now, away from what he is actually talking about in this chapter, I always try to make sure that the people I am with are having a good time, not just me. I don’t like when others are sad or not enjoying something I am.

“It’s about the doing, you know, the process.” (Page 194, Chapter 29)

I relate to this because honestly sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. The journey shows all your hard effort and amazements along the way. Once at the destination, nothing changes, you are there.

“In America, if your addiction isn’t always new and improved, you’re a failure.” (Page 203, Chapter 31)

I can relate to this because, well I would say I’m addicted to music as silly as that is, but seriously. In any addiction if you aren’t fed with something new then it dies down slowly but when fed with something new the addiction continues on.

“Those who remember the past tend to get the story really screwed up.” (Page 208, Chapter 32)

I relate to this because I believe I have done this before. When you try to remember the past, the truth is changed by the emotions you remember those times with, so it changes the memories and screws up the actual story.

“There’s such thing as freedom of expression.” (Page 219, Chapter 34)

I relate to this a lot because I’m a musician and I strongly believe that there is a freedom of expression because without expression people’s emotions would be locked inside and people would hurt. Expression is very important to emotion and everyone has his or her own way to express it.

“If it comes down to a choice between being unloved and being vulnerable and sensitive and emotional, then you can just keep your love.” (Page 227, Chapter 36)

I relate to this in a little way because I do believe that with love there comes the burden of emotion and hardships that one will have to deal with and I cans see why one wouldn’t want love, but however I believe everyone needs love in their life.

“It’s pathetic how we can’t live with the things we can’t understand.” (Page 232, Chapter 37)

I relate to this because I believe that it is true in all aspects. In this quote he talks about religion but in general, if we knew everything then there would be nothing to learn and part of human nature is to learn, we all have a desire to learn, believe it or not, and we can’t live without unattained knowledge.

“The feeling is like an ending than just another starting point.” (Page 243, Chapter 39)

I relate to this because I’ve felt like this before. Like at the end of a long trip or a long event that has taken over your life for a while, afterwards you feel like it is the end but it is also a new beginning.

“…so here at the end of my life, I’m left with nothing.” (Page 260, Chapter 41)

This affects me because at the end of my life I don’t want to be saying that, I want to have lived a full life and know that I have something not nothing because at the end of my life I don’t want to be left with that sour thought.

“…the longer we can keep building, the longer we can keep creating, the more will be possible.” (Page 264, Chapter 42)

I relate to this because this quote is so true. The longer you keep building, life for instance in music, the more ideas you get and the more you can add on to the song and make it better and better until it is perfect and has everything you want in it. Opening the creative process up allows for more creation than if you shut it down quickly.

“Here, it’s always the same day, every day, and there should be some comfort there.” (Page 273, Chapter 44)

I relate to this because in my experience your normal life can actually give you comfort from bad times, like during a death. Even going to school, it keeps your mind off of things that just happened and makes you happy to be with your friends again. It’s a weird phenomenon but it’s actually true.

“Still, those who remember the past aren’t necessarily any better off.” (Page 279, Chapter 46)

I relate to this a lot because I tend to delve on bad things in the past. Remembering things in the past isn’t always healthy because you focus on what could have been and what would have happened differently and that’s not good because then you miss the present where you can make things right and move on from the past.