…with Gary Moss

Archive for May, 2010

You have the power to make TODAY the first day of the rest of your life. We all have that power.

We all have our own reasons for making that happen or not happen. It all depends on our attitude and our motivation. I know that I cannot persuade you to do a single thing that you do not want to do.

Every week I get calls from people who claim to be interested in playing scrabble. Sometimes people will even trek out to CLUB #350 to have a look.

I try to be open and honest by answering questions fully. Maybe, at times, I give out too much information and scare people away. But I tell people the things that I wanted to know when I first stumbled upon a scrabble club.

I begin by telling ‘onlookers’ that for most people there is a learning curve. It takes some time to get up to speed. I share that I didn’t win my first club game for weeks when I began to play.

Most people are impatient. Most people want immediate gratification.

Would you expect to bowl 300 game the very first time that you joined a bowling league? Would you expect to hit a ‘hole-in-one’ on your first golf outing? Why would you expect to begin playing at a scrabble club, against seasoned players, and be an instant success? Even the lowest ranked club players are usually better than the best ‘casual’ players.

But any individual can choose to change from being a mere Novice to becoming a Mavin. It is all a function of attitude, desire, and work (study). All three pieces are essential. If you have a good attitude and plenty of desire but never read a word list . . . . it will take you a longer time to move up in the ranks. If you jump in and study a lot at first but lack the attitude and desire, you will most likely slack off, resting on your laurels, when you think you have studied enough.

*HINT All of the best players of the game in competitive circles, including world champions, continue to study every day. (They don’t consider it a chore; it is fun for them to learn new things and review lists.)

Many of the skills that we scrabble players develop, to help us in this game, are transferable to other endeavors. Enhanced memory skills; developing personal study techniques; developing discipline and ‘sticktoitiveness’ will all help us in the other parts of our lives.

Many potential clubs players tell me that they will begin playing “as soon as I learn the 2-Letter-Word List” or “as soon as I think I am ready”. Those people never come back. There is always more to learn, no matter how good you become.

I think that most people just do not want to expose themselves to feeling vulnerable and awkward if and when they play a phoney. They don’t want to ‘look bad’ in front of others. I can’t fix that. All I can say it that the harshest one judging you will be you, yourself. Others will not care. I have learned that my greatest teacher has been experience. When I’ve made errors I’ve learned from them and seldom repeat them.

How many other things in life have you avoided doing out of fear of embarrassment?

If you want a head start, you can consider enrolling in my online class, SCRABBLE 101: CLICK HERE

See you at the scrabble wars.

.
.
.
.
.
.
Lack of food is not the only thing that can cause hunger although it is the first place our thoughts go when we think of being hungry.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

“Hunger is the best pickle.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

“Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food — not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring, the one piece of meat, the exact taste of buttery corn, tomatoes so ripe they split and sweeten the air, beans so crisp they snap between the teeth, gravy like mother’s milk singing to your bloodstream.”
Dorothy Allison (1949–)

“An empty stomach is not a good political advisor.”
Albert Einstein

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it; and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied; and it is all one.”
M. F. K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

And then there is ‘SCRABBLE HUNGER’. Have you been there? I’ve experienced it whenever I’ve gone away on an extended trip, away from my scrabble community. These days, the internet has solved the problem a bit by offering so many different opportunities to play online. But if you are a club and tournament player you know the hunger of not being able to play with a knowledgeable mavin.

One of my joys in life is being able to welcome traveling scrabble players when they visit southern California. I can see the wanting in their eyes for a ‘real’ game. Their hands are often shaking from the lack of holding a tile for days. Just like a medic might provide CPR, I rush them of to Club #350 or the 1st Sunday Tournament. I kvell as I help bring the color back into their pale faces. See Nancy’s joy from simply putting her hand into the tile bag, after a long absence.

Snowbirds from the northern climes who take winter vacations to the sunny west coast need to know about my Scrabble Vacation Packages. CLICK HERE, and share with all your scrabble friends.

Avoid Scrabble Hunger; Play Club #350.

There are a very wide range of attitudes about the ways that people view and use TIME.

Are you an early person or a late person? It could determine the set of people that you can comfortably interact with on a regular basis.

I am an ‘early bird’. I have been that way for as long as I can remember. My mom and her two sisters were that way too. My best guess is that, from early on, I was trained to be early. Typically, I arrive at work and meetings and the movies and at scrabble clubs 15 – 30 minutes before things begin. I do not judge others for not being as early as me; I do judge others harshly for being late. The same people carry the same excuses; they should just wear signs around their necks instead of wasting more of my time with the same explanations.

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt the first time that you are late. After that I take it as a personal F You.

My expectations of the women that have passed through my life have been a little more relaxed. But, waiting for others has always been very annoying for me, especially because it requires me to risk being late, simply because I was waiting for someone else.

The earliest that I have arrived at any function is 1 week and 30 minutes early. It was many years ago for the wedding of Joan Friedman. The 1 week part was because I misread the invitation and got there in full dress on the week prior to the nuptials. Then on the correct day I was 30 minutes early for the wedding.

I have been late a few times, usually due to road construction or an accident that closes lanes. When I know that I am running late I always call and let others who are expecting me know that I may be tardy. I feel really guilty if and when I am late; I apologize profusely.

When playing kitchen table scrabble, one game can sometimes take all day. Players who only play a few times a year with family at holiday times don’t really know how to play the game. They are usually just sitting there searching for impressive words to play. They are usually not thinking about defense and word placement. They usually do not know many of the 2-Letter-Words that enable players to hook and find a home for their longer words on the board. They’ll complain if I use a strange word that is commonly seen at clubs (something like ‘aalii’.) All that is okay with me. It’s a different kind of game.

In competitive scrabble, TIME is one of the factors of the game. Time-Clocks are used to level the playing field and keep the game moving along. Each player begins the game with 25 minutes for their entire portion of the game. If they use more than 25 minutes, prior to the game’s end, the player or players that go overtime are assessed a harsh penalty, losing 10 points for every minute or fraction of a minute. It behooves players to pace themselves and finish the game in a timely matter.

What is your relationship with TIME?

While you are waiting enjoy a cup of tea.

If you are in the market for a scrabble time-clock for your game, do I have a clock for you.
CLICK HERE

My grandmother and grandfather used the term ‘greenhorn’. Today it would most likely be considered an offensive term and reside on the ‘Poo List’. It referred to those immigrants, like themselves, who came to the United States from Eastern Europe without a knowledge of the English language, a thick accent, and without an understanding of the day-to-day customs in America.’

That must have been very difficult. And there are still many people who experience that same set of experiences today.

My grandfather, Louis Freedman, learned English quickly in order to survive. He opened a dry cleaners and tailoring shop on Hamilton Road in Detroit. Learning the language was essential in order for him to serve the public. My grandmother, Ida, learned slowly, but it was not a priority. Her first language was Yiddish and it served her well among family and friends. She figured out ways to make herself understood when she went out shopping.

There are parallels when comparing their experience with that of new scrabble players who come to clubs and tournaments.

Winning at scrabble requires its own language. Newbies confirm that every time they visit and inquire whether those are all real words on the boards. I remember when I played at a club in Livonia, Michigan as a newbie. I had the letters: A E I L N O S and I played ‘SEALION’. It made sense to me. Whenever I visited the Detroit Zoological Park I always enjoyed feeding sardines to the ‘SEALIONS’. They players snickered under their breath. My opponent challenged my play and the director announced, “That is not acceptable.” Later I learned that the scrabble dictionary committee considers the ‘SEA LION’ is two words. Then one of my new friends at the club shared that when you have that combination the word in the mix is ‘ANISOLE’. I asked my friend what ‘anisole’ meant and she said that she didn’t know but it was good. Later I learned that ‘anisole’ is a chemical compound; but what is more important. . . I learned that sealion = anisole. I’ve never forgotten.

Most club players won’t laugh at others who just don’t know. And they will be helpful to teach other the little tricks . . . as soon as the game has ended. Be clear that most players will want to win and will not give others an advantage as long as the clock is running.

It behooves wannabes to be like my grandfather, Louis. Jump in and learn everything that you need to know in order to be the success that you are capable of becoming.

Yesterday I received a call from a business friend who asked me to upload a blog onto a site that I had never used before. I found myself asking him for a list of steps: 1, 2, 3, . . . to get me through the process. Before he called me back with the steps I went forward and tackled the job on my own. I found that I was able to complete the task by using my general knowledge about compute sites and blogs. For an instant I was feeling ‘GREEN’ and when I proved to myself that I could prevail I felt ‘GOLDEN’ and ‘Platinum’.

For all of you who have been green at some time, CLICK HERE and enjoy.

BARBIE’s last name is ‘Roberts’.

Charlie Roberts was our landlord when we lived on Northlawn.

Northlawn is my handle on ISC.

A handle is a grip attached to an object for using or moving the object and the name of a morning talk show host on 640AM radio.

There are still disputes as to who could claim credit for the invention of radio. In America, Tesla was by court decision the inventor of radio and, in England, Marconi was announced the inventor.

The word inventor has ‘zero’ anagrams but 125 sub-anagrams according to Zyzzyva.

Zyzzyva is the second from the last entry in the OWL2, just before zzz.

zzz is used as a symbol to suggest the sound of snoring.

Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.

A number of words that depicts sounds are included as legal words in the OWL2. That list includes, but not limited to, ‘wham,’ ‘splat,’ ‘kerplunk,’ ‘thud,’ ‘jeez,’ and ‘clunk’.

In mathematics, the concept of a “limit” is used to describe the value that a function or sequence “approaches” as the input or index approaches some value. In scrabble there are no limits to the way that I might attempt to spell a word. (Some have called me the ‘phoney king’)

Many of the top rated players in the history of competitive scrabble have been mathematicians or had mathematical aptitudes.

The letters in ‘aptitudes’ can be rearranged to make 11 different 7-Letter-Words: ‘dauties’, ‘spatted’, ‘updates’, ‘statued’, ‘patties’, ‘situate’, ‘upstate’, ‘spitted’, ‘dispute’, ‘puttied’, and ‘putties’.

11 and 7 are lucky, winning numbers when rolled while playing Craps.

Barbie has earned a ‘crap-load’ of money, considering that she is only a doll.

This week’s special at my store is a set of 10 Stem Bookmarks for only $20, including shipping. Even Barbie can’t compete with a deal like that. CLICK HERE

One frequent topic of discussion among scrabble club members is how to build attendance at clubs and tournaments. Fond memories of the past (that have often been embellished) cause us to envision large numbers of players at past events. Selective memory tricks us into thinking that the past was rosier than today. That may not be the case at all.

The truth is: People Do Things For Their Own Reasons, Not Ours.

Scrabble players of today have so many more options than we did twenty years ago. Back then you either played with your family around the kitchen table or, if you were lucky, you might find a scrabble club close enough to drive to. Today, scrabble enthusiasts can play online with strangers around the world, with friends on iPhones and iPads, or against computer programs of the highest quality. (There is no urgent need to venture out of the comfort of your home to find a scrabble game . . . and you can avoid embarrassing yourself from playing an inane phoney in full view of everyone at the club).

The club players who have continued to play, hand to hand, face to face, nose to nose, through the years, have become masters of the game. Even the lowest ranked club player stands head and shoulders above the very best of home players. I don’t share this to dissuade perspective newcomers from coming to compete, it is simply a fact of what is. Whatever it is that you do for hours ever week, every month, every year . . . you are likely head and shoulders beyond me in that area too.

Most people do not come with the will to learn and progress. Instead they ‘try us on for size’; or they are ‘just looking’. Those folks rarely come back again. What a shame.

If you enjoy the game of scrabble, if you like to learn new words and strategies, and if you enjoy competition, you will learn to love the club format.

Some suggestions for becoming a successful club player:
• Bring ‘thick skin’ with you and be prepared for loss after loss after loss in your initial days.
• You must be willing to experience club play as a learning experience.
• You must be willing to devote some amount of your personal time to build your word knowledge.
• More info about playing at clubs: Click Here

Make sure that you have the proper dictionary (OWL2 in North America). This item is not sold in book stores. Order you copy right here, right now. CLICK HERE

There’s no going back, only forward.

If you are a frequent reader of my blogs you know that I play scrabble nearly 24/7. There have been many days during the last week when you may have heard me moaning, as if the sky was falling. I try so hard not to be a complainer when the tile gods seem to be so mean to me (no vowels or all vowels). I do owe some of my opponents an apology for my incessant whining over the last few days, or not.

But there I was last Thursday, having one of those awful scrabble days. I’m certain that I complained that ‘the sky was falling’. The first person with whom I shared my tale of woe was Gretchy Wetchy. I explained that the sky was falling and I was going to tell the tile gods. I invited her to come along and she agreed. She had some of her own misfortune when opponents bingoed out on her in several consecutive games. Along the way we encountered Lynsy Pinsy. We told her, “The sky is falling and we’re going to take our concern to the tile gods.” Lynsy shared that her Franklin keeps losing the OWL2 code and she always seems to be missing a tile from her bag. She asked to join us; and so she did. Next we saw Paulsy Wallsy sitting all alone sobbing. “What’s the matter Paulsy,” we asked? Rita the Cheata has been playing phonies against me and I’m becoming all confused. “Come with us,” we suggested, “we’re going to complain to the tile gods.” And he did. Along our way we each took turns telling our tales of woe. We worked ourselves up to the point of mass hysteria. We weren’t paying any attention to where we were walking and walked straight into a mire of quicksand. The more agitated we were the deeper we sunk in the quicksand. I organized the four of us to give a shrill cry in unison, every 99 seconds (99 was my boyhood friend Arnold Panitch’s lucky number).

After our 9th cry for help, my scrabble daddy Tommy came to our rescue. He asked how we came to be in this predicament and we told him. He only smiled and laughed. Tommy told us that there were no scrabble gods and our disappointments were all part of the natural order of probability and sequence. He assured us that time and frequency will turn our misfortune to good fortune and back again. He pulled us out of the quicksand, and left us with a bit of wisdom:

This Too Shall Pass

There’s no glory in being a moaner and groaner. Get your act together by building your word power. Check out this week’s special on stem bookmarks: CLICK HERE

It is not enough to just exist; you have to live.

For me and many others that means having scrabble as a main part of our lives. If you don’t take scrabble seriously you must think that I am some kind of a nut job; you’re probably thinking that scrabble is just another game and that’s all. It all depends on where you are standing when you look at it; it depends upon your creativity and your perspective.

Some people look at a peanut and see an edible goober. When George Washington Carver started working with peanuts he found more than 100 products made from peanuts that were useful for the house and farm, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline, and nitroglycerin.

The same is case with scrabble; let me make a list for you of some of the ways that scrabble effects our lives and our abilities:
• spelling
• word knowledge
• comprehension
• math skills
• graphic perceptions
• thinking skills (puzzle solving)
• study regimens
• social interaction
• computer skills
• following rules
• dexterity
• anger management
• tactile enhancement
• planning ahead
• money management
• board repair
• personal grooming
• travel
• . . . . . and more

If scrabble did not exist I would probably fill my time with some of the activities that fill other’s dance cards:
- watching reality TV
- watching the grass grow
- learning some card tricks
- writing to my congressman/woman
- training for a hot dot eating contest
- building oil-sand castles on the Louisiana shore
- proving the existence of the Yeti
- collect belly-button lint
- organize an all crwth quartet

But as for now, scrabble is where it is at for me. It consumes my life 24/7. Come play at my clubs and tournaments, CLICK HERE. Shop at my scrabble store, CLICK HERE. Become a better scrabble player with the help of my online class, ‘SCRABBLE 101′.

P.S. Happy Birthday to Arnold Panitch, wherever you are.

It’s been more than 12 years now. A group of scrabble players used to meet and play on Tuesdays in Huntington Beach, California. We’d assemble for four games at noon under the direction of Helen Tieger at The Landmark. After game #4 a group of us would head over to Mimi’s Cafe, on Brookhurst, for an early dinner and afterward head over to the IHop on Beach Blvd. where Penny Baker directed an evening club. Every Tuesday we’d played in our own, unrated, mini-tournament.

You might be thinking, “That’s a lot of scrabble.” But for us it wasn’t nearly enough. One day at dinner at Mimi’s we got to talking and the idea emerged that we should gather for a marathon session on the following Saturday. And so it began. We formed a group and pledged to one another to be there, one Saturday each month, for a 10 game scrabble marathon. Bob Peters and Paul Trachtenberg offered to host the event and did so for the first 6+ years. Our hosts had been fans of Tallulah Bankhead and suggested, tongue-in-cheek, that we do a play on her name and call ourselves ‘The Tallulah Blankheads’. We all loved the idea. And the Tallulah Blankheads were formed and T-Shirts were printed.

Time has it’s way of changing things. Helen has since died of cancer. Jamilla and her husband Abe have moved away and retired to Laughlin, Nevada. The new leader of the meeting at The Landmark, Sarah, is intimidated by the management of the community and bars nonresidents from attending. The directorship of the club at the IHop has passed from Penny to Paul and he now offers 8 games on Tuesdays. Bob is now in his mid 80s and dealing with his own health issues. The BLANKHEADS no longer play on a monthly schedule at a designated location.

Time has a way of making old things dearer: old friends; old memories; old habits. Individuals who were part of the original BLANKHEADS and/or others who have been their guests over the years, do step up and produce BLANKHEAD events. Yesterday was such a day. It all took place at the home of Gretchen Cowan, an original BLANKHEAD. Gretchen invited 16 players to be a part of the BLANKHEADS festivities. We played only 8 games. Between games 3 and 4 we’ll enjoyed in a wonderful POTLUCK LUNCHEON, to die for. The BLANKHEADS have always been blessed with some of the best cooks and chefs in the region. Between games we reminisce and tell stories of the ‘good old days’. We’re always surrounded by the spirits of Helen and Bob Speak and Al DeMurs and Gertrude Adcox and others.

This link (CLICK HERE) will take you to some photos taken of the BLANKHEADS.

If you CLICK HERE you can see the stats for the day.

The BLANKHEADS play scrabble using the Official Rules and Word Lists of NASPA (North American Scrabble Players Association). If you don’t have a copy of the OWL2 (Official Word List 2nd Edition) you can obtain one right here. CLICK

Some messages are timeless. This blog was posted by me exactly a year ago today. It still fits.

Becoming a great scrabble player is not different than becoming great at anything else. Remember hearing someone tell you, “If at first you don’t succeed . . . try, try, again”. That’s what it takes to become a master. Or did you think that Lance Armstrong was an instant champion when he first time he climbed onto a bike; maybe you think that Dr. Seuss sold his first manuscript; and what’s your take on the space program at NASA?

To become the best at anything we have to pay our dues with sweat, energy, trial and error, practice, spaced repetition, exercise, regimen, ‘stick-to-it-ivness’, passion, belief-in-self, and more. With anything less than that, you may be good, but you’ll most likely never be the name on everybody’s lips. We rarely witness the hard work and sacrifice of our celebrity heros. We only notice them when they receive their trophies and awards at the end of a competition.

Most of us are not devoted enough to be the best. We only want to be better. The price is less, but the road to becoming better is lined with the same tools used by our idols.

A True Story. A scrabble player from the ‘kitchen table circuit’ was unbeatable at home. He loved the game and figured that he could join a club and fit right in. The club players welcomed him with open arms and helped make him feel accepted. But when the first game began, everyone put on their competitive hats and there was no mercy. Club players were gracious to kindly pointed out things the newbie needed to know about scoring and the clock and challenges. But they played the games by the rules and expected the same from others. The new player made a few nice plays but was beaten soundly. After each game, seasoned players generously shared their critique of the game. Our newbie was feeling disappointed in his performance and a bit embarrassed receiving pointers from the advanced players. So he turned his attention to one of the weakest links in the club, asking for her advice. I guess he identified with the weaker player and felt less threatened.
I’ve seen this occur more than once. I don’t understand it. If I have a car problem, I want the BEST mechanic. If I need a loan, I want the BEST banker. If I want to become a better scrabble player, I want an EXPERT to teach me.

If and when you chose to become a better scrabble player, I am ready to help you. Check out SCRABBLE 101