I literally did the same thing, by the way: scanned the first paragraph for predatory signals; got "quietly," "honest;" skimmed.

The shape of the final paragraphs confirmed my prejudice.

I realized, though, that initial reading now is primarily to identify predatory signals on time and attention; in the absence of predatory LLM-signals, cautiously read; but every deviation from information-density triggers a flight response.

Rarely make it through anything anymore unless it's ancient (Horace, Cicero, Lucretius); but maybe they were forced into information density by the act of writing plus meter?

Lucilius, apparently, a degenerate counter-example; who used to dictate 200 lines a day standing on one foot: criminal.