I have not lived the life of Mulligan, and maybe nobody does. There have been, so far, no do-overs. Regret is sacred, as Robert Frost suggested. As for being male, Robert Bly suggested that grief is a better indicator than testosterone. Bitterness, though, is a taste of death. Since the game isn't over until you die, I had better keep my eye on the ball.

Literal minded people seem to think that in-laws ought to be in lawsuits. Pardon my guesswork Latin, but I'd like you to meet a new proposed maxim: de familiae non curat lex.

Just figured out that my daughter's pure praise of Beatles and Pink Floyd (without her knowing one iota of the context of that music) is like my admiration of certain creators of the Beat Generation. I can guess how thrilling the movie "Howl" will seem -- even though I've only seen the title sequence