…with Gary Moss

In recent months, scrabble has gone from being one of the safest games to becoming one of the most dangerous of games. The reason for this? The pandemic ‘H1N1′ virus.

“Put your hand in my bag, my pretty.”

The one, most consistent, thing that we have been told by health agencies, and even the President, is to wash our hands frequently and keep them clean.

How many hands do you imagine have dipped into your scrabble bag in the last few days? How many germs have passed from some questionably germ-free mitt to the tiles, in the dark recesses of the tile bag? Where can you imagine those hands have been? Wiping a nose? Catching a cough? Or even worse?

It is rumored that the Geico Insurance Company will soon begin issuing ‘scrabble health insurance’, as soon as the little gecko spokesthingy learns the game, to be more credible.

Here are a few practical suggestions to help reduce exposure to H1N1 and other communicable diseases during play:
• surgical gloves
• masks
• sit at 90 degree angles from you opponent, not directly across, and away from the sleeve that he/she sneezes into
• H1N1 vaccine, asap
• wash your tiles and tile bag frequently
• and always carry a fresh condom