I love palindromes. I just do.

Race car. A Toyota. Madam, I’m Adam. Able was I, ere I saw Elba. A man, a plan, a canal, Panama. Did Hannah say as Hannah did?

Now I’m adding All iz Zilla.

Iz, you say? Who cares about spelling, really.

I’ve always been fascinated by words and the many, many ways that they can be manipulated. I love word games and riddles, poetry and puns. I’m not always very good at them, but I like them just the same.

I’ve played around with the games on this page, and I’ve recently discovered this one. If I see a newspaper hanging around, I might look for Jumble or the crossword puzzle. I recently discovered anagrams, thanks to Dave.

But the best kind of wordplay around is the improvised one-liner—witty quips and repartee, plays on words that get built upon with each response. The catch? You have to surround yourself with people who can play; otherwise it’s no fun at all. No fun at all.

I also love coining words—you know, make them up as you go along. What, you think Jabberwocky comes from some combination of Latin root words or something? Take pieces of one word, and mix them with another. Goober and ubermensch, for instance, make goobermensch, the ultimate supergoober.

No one owns part of a word. Use it how you like it. Add it to your name, even. If it’s a unique combination, it’s your creation. Yours. Illustrate it however you like. That illustration’s yours, too. If some goobermensch rains on your parade and tries to take that away from you, eat them. Just eat them. Roast them over a hot fire and bon appétit.

But be sure to watch your fingers. O, hot Toho!

Ah, yes… those palindromes again.

You see? I love word games.

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