I had this same experience with Western philosophy. Once I started to feel like I was just "filling in gaps" in a narrative I'd already been told, my interest started to wane. It's a lot more fun when you're reading each work as if it might secretly contain Absolute Truth.

I think this goes back to the tendency you and I have to see writing as, above all else, a form of communication. We're always looking for the individual personalities and beliefs behind the words. If one is the kind of person who sees literature as, say, the cultural heritage of a nation/ethnicity, then maybe this grand historical narrative approach to it is more interesting

I'm somewhat relieved to see someone else who had the same experience with coffee, although I still haven't gotten into drinking it yet. My caffeine vice is energy drinks, which is funny because I swore off anything with bubbles as a kid, and still largely don't drink soda..

Late reply, so you might not see this, but I don't really like normal soda either. one of the reasons I like energy drinks is that they come in a million different flavors that all have a peculiar taste to them. i always feel like a child whenever i drink them though, and definitely not healthy...

I often think I want to game when what I really want is a ritualized activity I can start without thought. "When it's game time, I game." This immediately crumbles when I actually choose a specific game and get bored within a week or two.

as someone with the same aversion towards facial hair i would have followed your teachings blindlessly

also, i love your essay about Murakami, i relate to it so much

"[...] and bursting out like a Xenomorph." Was a particularly amusing line.