Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Asfault Jungle

Excerpted from The Ticker Online, copyright 2008, The Ticker News Publications, Inc.

In an effort to keep the trickle of tourist dollars home, the authorities of the Northeastern U.S. have decided to bring vacation hotspots to the homeys. The citizenry doesn't have the coins for gas, and what few bucks remain can stay right here, thank you. Their first effort at bringing vacation to your neighborhood is in the form of little Grand Canyons, scattered at random amid our paved thoroughfares. To avoid any marketing infringement, they renamed these little versions "potholes". Take the wheel and it won't be long before you come upon one like a leftover Easter egg. Skirting the rim to admire the view is a must; stopping at the rim to gaze upon the panoramic sweep of the natural hole in the Earth isn't always an option.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Mistake? Nonesense.

I can spell, thank you. I do well myself and sometimes reference an online dictionary just so it won't get lonely.
Readers new to the room notice I'll drop in a word they've not seen before. Sort of a dual-purpose word, not exactly like a Sniglet. Look that up if you need to, then come back.
I discovered long ago that there are words easily assembled that are not in the dictionary, but should be. There's where the Sniglets and I part.
I like words that are twists on old ones, or combinations of two words that get one's attention just for a moment, not long enough to break the rhythm, but immediately obvious in their meaning in context.
I've gotten some fame for this, and modesty demands that I state that it flows easy and natural and I reject some that cross my mind for lack of utter obviousness. I have my standards.
A few examples:
When the rains come hard and noisy, I raise a thunderbrella.
That colorful insect flitting through the tulips must be a flutterby.
A speaker who bores the audience and does not address their desires is an ignorator.
I hit my first-ever New England frost heave and nearly found myself behind the wheel of a Honda Pileup.
I miss my original home and family there; I can't get enough Flagstuff.

I don't own a patent on this concept, so feel free to make up your own if it'll help you communicate all the better. After all, others before us got us where we are that very way.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Smooth As Butter: It's Celts Parquet

I never got lit up by basketball, maybe because no one in the family expressed the depth and beauty of the game.
Boston's sterling basketball history is now in the present, judging by the long-term fans.
I watched a game I accidentally saw while channel surfing.
Eye-popping jaw-dropping net-snapping thunder-ball.
I was enthralled.
That stunning game-play of theirs has to translate to the record they have, and maybe more. They have a real shot at winning the last game played this season.
Those who can appreciate a game can become a fan of a team in a blink, if such team plays it right, with imagination, with smarts, and an ear-to-ear grin.
I'm forcing words. Sorry.
I'm just trying to say that I've fallen for these guys. The long-timers tell me this is the way the Celtics played many times over many years until they fell upon tough times. It must have been a show to make your heart leap, game after impressive game.
This is the best reason for a fan to hope for a championship: When your local boys play so wonderfully, you feel they deserve the biggest reward for their exquisite effort.
I'm not a bandwagon fan. I just didn't know a thing about this team's mystique and legend. I discovered them quite on my own.
Unlike other teams in other sports, their fans wear the colors not because they're fans of winning; they're fans of the boys and the entertainment value they see right now, not the trophy they may see in the future.
I'm thrilled I can see what the buzz was--and is--all about.
Go Celtics.
Now I just have to learn to recognize a pick-and-roll.