""I lived and worked for the Detroit Free Press in Lansing. My job was a grind. The city was a grind. My girlfriend was back home in New York. I lived alone and felt alone, except for Arnold. His mania was my mania. His prejudices were mine. His sense of humor - wicked, wounded, and funny as hell - was mine. It is eye-opening that nearly half a century later, these strips lose none of their edge."" -Gene Weingarten