Today I met the #1 insane person in Seattle on the 41 bus. His name was Seb, or at least that’s what he said. Seb sat in the seats reserved for the disabled and elderly, despite being in his thirties. His face was red with the effort of repeatedly yelling, at the top of his voice, “I’m Seb!”

“I’m Seb! I’m Seb! I’m Seb!” he yelled, looking at the floor in front of him.

Perhaps he really was Seb, although I’d be surprised. If you insist on something so constantly, it’s very likely not the case. His yelling continued all the way from the city center to Northgate, a trip that took some fifteen minutes. During all that time he proclaimed his Sebness, without a single pause. What fascinated me, as always, was the lame tolerance of the people of Seattle. Elsewhere, this man wouldn’t have made it onto the bus, or would have been tossed off it by the passengers. Here he got to be Seb all the time, all the way.