cliches and pearls

a cliche is like a pearl, but in reverse.

a pearl has a smooth surface made from secretions from an oyster. the secretions cover a rough center like a grain of sand trapped inside the oyster.

a cliche has a surface rough from aoveruse and laziness. it covers a smooth center like a phrase that once was funny, witty, or pithy.

feral spuds on the prowl

centuries ago, the indigenous peoples of south america started to domesticate wild tubers. that lead to the plant called the potato that we all know and love -- especially when they're cooked.

but some potatoes escaped into the wild. there they crosspolinated with wild tubers, creating the feared ...

FERAL SPUDS

in the picture above, a pack of feral spuds has attacked and destroyed a van. the spuds are shown going in for the kill.

the picture was taken on a rural road in maine, about five miles near the quebec border.

fall and football

even though fall arrrived on september 22, i know that it's here for a while. the leaves on the trees have started to change color, and temperatures are falling -- the forecast tonight is for the low 40s.

and football is here.

because i live in the indianapolis area, i especially follow the colts. but i don't call myself a fan. fan is short for fanatic. no matter how the colts do, i don't get that emotionally involved with their wins and losses.

as much as i like professional football, i like college football more because of the passion involved. if you're a 180-pound running back and you're getting tackled by 250-pound defensive linemen -- AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING PAID FOR IT -- then you have a passion for the game.

making my mark on the internet

this is the first entry of this blog. i did it to note that i was here.

this is the third time this year, and the fifth time overall, that i've started a blog. i deleted the others because i either lost interest or wanted to change the direction and emphasis. this time, though, i plan to keep at it.

this is a little explanation of the tiger; it's my totem animal.

i plan to post whatever comes to my mind.

some of the posts ran in my other blogs. i kept them because i liked them and thought they ought to be on the internet. some posts will be from other places.

i also will use labels for my posts. i did that in some blogs but not for others. i think that putting labels on things could restrict them. but i realized that i can establish my own labels, such as from me to you. and some posts can use more than one label.

if you wonder why i don't capitalize in my posts, it's in homage to don marquis, american newspaper columnist and humorist, and his great creations archy and mehitabel.

so -- watch this space.