…with Gary Moss

Archive for November, 2009

Fill in the blank with BLANK. That’s the truth for me and my opponents at CLUB #350 when we’re head-to-head in scrabble competition. The person who draws the blanks, is usually the winner.

One of the most difficult lessons that I teach is to novice players who see the ‘BLANK’ as trivial, since it is worth zero points. Because they don’t know too many bingos yet, they don’t yet understand the true value of the BLANK as a wild card.

I teach my students that one should never play the BLANK for less than 50 points. And in spite of my instruction, when the novice can’t see a word on their rack, they will play their BLANK in a word that earns 17 points. They’ll say something like, “I couldn’t find anything else”.

When you can’t find anything else you should exchange tiles or play off a simple 2 Letter Word.

For some, the BLANK is a difficult tile because they have a hard time visualizing it as a specific letter. I highly recommend the following exercise: 1) put a blank on your rack; 2) draw six random tiles from the tile bag; 3) set a timer for two minutes; 4) write a list of as many words that you can identify; 5) use a Franklin or Zyzzyva to generate the words on your rack; 6) compare your list to the generated list.

Information and tips like this make up the basis for my new DVD, SCRABBALUTION, to be released on November 15. CLICK HERE for more information and a discount offer.

The parallels between the game of scrabble and life itself appear in every rule, every play, and every strategy. Is it possible that Alfred Mosher Butts was trying to give us something much bigger, when he graced us with his invention of Criss-Cross Words (scrabble)?

A1. In the beginning there was void.
A2. Scrabble always begins with an empty board.

B1. There were two souls in the Garden of Eden
B2. Official games are played with two opponents.

C1. Man received The Ten Commandments.
C2. There were originally 10 Rules to the game.
(but just like everything else that goes to committee
a lot of yah-dah yah-dah yah-dah was added.)

And just like a group of boys discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave, a group of unemployed auto workers made their own discovery while scavenging through a landfill outside of Schenectady, NY (home of Alfred Butts).

SCRABBALUTION, the DVD, will be released on November 15, 2009. The perfect gift for every scrabble enthusiast. CLICK HERE.

I know some pretty old folks who recently turned 60.

I know some vibrant people in their 80′s.

What’s the difference? It begins and ends with ‘ATTITUDE’. It revolves around living one’s life fully and looking forward the days ahead and the projects yet to come.

One of the joys in my life showed up about 3 years ago. It is my MacBook computer and all the user friendly software available these days. In recent days, I have met a new set of friends who are also doing their projects on MACs, and yet none of us share the same interests. There are people into photography, others into music, some working on business projects, and others building family albums. The thing that I love most about my new friends is their optimism and openness to new ideas. Everyone is very excited about the project that they are working on. Even though our subject matter is different, one from the other, we continue to inspire each other with the creativity in our productions.

I am happy to report that I am still ripening when it comes to my relationship with scrabble. I have developed a niche for myself that keeps me amidst newbies who are in the beginning stages of ripening. Every time I teach a lesson to others, I am reviewing and teaching it again to myself. I am always searching for a new way, a different way, a more relevant way to teach topics like ‘when to challenge’, ‘when to exchange tiles’, and ‘how to best develop one’s memory’. Thinking about topics and expressing oneself so that the message is heard and understood requires ripening.

Unfortunately, I am witness to some who sit by idly, just rotting. It is obvious that they will soon fall from the tree and decay on the ground, under a swarm of flies. The most well meaning of people are unable to rescue the person who chooses to rot. Our fate is in our own hands.

Remain young at heart through all of your years. Keep your calendar filled with things for you to look forward to. Be actively involved with projects that you love, every day. Get out of bed each morning full of anticipation that the best is yet to come.

Stories have been told about Thomas Alva Edison and his ‘Persistence’ in regard to pursuing the invention of the light bulb. Stories of other greats who have traveled the same road to discovery have inspired many of us.

In some ways I feel honored when I identify with the greats, as I stumble down my own pathway toward invention. Most times I find myself wishing that there were an easier way of achieving things, but the satisfaction seems to be greater knowing that I had to overcome obstacles in order to finally arrive with a perfect product.

What makes experimentation so difficulty for me and others is impatience. Living as a member of the American culture in 2009 I am overwhelmed by the pushy message of immediate gratification that permeates the loud, in your face, media.

Some folks do their work with the radio playing in the background. I find that for my best results I want the radio off. I even do better when I avoid listening to any news broadcasts for two or more days to clear my palate. A good night’s sleep, a nutritious meal, and a walk along the ocean put me in a space to create.

Sometimes I even make a large poster or two for myself and put them in my line of sight, in my work space. Signs like ‘YES I CAN’ or ‘PERSISTENCE’, along with some positive self-talk, can do the trick for me.

There may have been times when Thomas Edison was a ‘doubting thomas’, but imagine what the world would be like if he had not followed through.

What do you need to follow through on today?

When someone asks me a question, I am happy to provide an answer. And when I don’t know the answer I am not ashamed to admit it and refer the person to some other source.

Some people are two-faced.

Some people think that they know everything and tell us things in such a way that we believe we are receiving the ‘true word’.

Many of those people Don’t Know That They Don’t Know. They are very dangerous. They cost us time and money and add to our frustrations. Some of the people that I am talking about have credentials and even wear uniforms that are associated with ‘knowing’.

It is unfortunate these days to have an abundance of Bernie Madoffs out there wearing all sorts of hats. It behooves us to do our homework and be diligent.

As far as the scrabble scene goes, I often witness newer players at clubs who turn to other players, instead of the club director, to field their questions. I often overhear misinformation being given. It really annoys me. I do what I can do to rectify things, but I’m certain I don’t hear everything.

If you want the interpretation of a rule, go to a sanctioned director or check with a member of the NASPA Rules Committee. They are accessible.