where California comes in

currently: Jorge Luis Borges

There are some stunningly stunning passages in White Noise. Here, a brief sampling:

"Only a catastrophe gets our attention. We want them, we need them, we depend on them. As long as it happens somewhere else. This is where California comes in. Mudslides, brush fires, coastal erosion, earthquakes, mass killings, et cetera. We can relax and enjoy these disasters because in our hearts we feel that California deserves whatever is gets. Californians invented the concept of lifestyle. That alone merits their doom."

"For most people there are only two places in the world. Where they live and their TV set. If a thing happens on television, we have every right to find it fascinating, whatever it is."

"...it is possible to be homesick for a place even when you're there."

I would even edit that to nostalgic for a place even when you're there. I miss Bavaria already.