Ulysses, it ain'tFirst lines are important. They say a lot. They're a real indication of the prodigious thought, labor, and love poured into the thousands of lines to follow. To wit: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed into an enormous cockroach. -- Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis My father's family name being Pirrup, and my Christian name Philip, my
infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit
than Pip. So I called myself Pip a
Nostalgia alert!​Tonight at 7:15, an Oakland Raiders team that has found ways to embarrass its home city in ways violent crime rates and a reputation for danger and lawlessness could not, host the San Diego Chargers in a Monday Night Football opener. The Chargers are a stacked team that some consider a Super Bowl contender. The Raiders -- well, you know about the coach allegedly beating an assistant silly while threatening to kill him, right? That was something of a pleasant diversion from the
