To All of You Who Read the Post Below and Said: "What Was *That*?"

Blogging is like newspaper headline writing. There are certain puns and little jokes you have been waiting years to use. When you first start in the business, you need to burn through 'em -- or so I tell my copy editing students.

I am reading that the San Antonio Express-News recently banned puns in heds.

These, I read, are some of the puns that vexed the editor:

"Old well ends well: River Walk threat wiped out"

"Mumps outbreak swells"

"Border violence killing tourism"

"Bell's name doesn't have a familiar ring for many voters"

"(Pope) Benedict names a flock of new cardinals"

The point isn't that these headlines should not have been written. The point is that some older wiser editor needed to groan -- a loud appreciative groan -- and then use the red pencil.

Wisdom -- talent, even -- consists of being your own editor, of giving up the easy joke, the lazy joke.

Not there yet.