…with Gary Moss

Archive for March, 2011

Have you ever been stuck? I can’t imagine anyone responding “NO”. I think that we all experience some degree of ‘stuckness’ during our life journey. I also believe that ‘stickness’ has a purpose and a power. It is like the warning light on the dashboard of the car that begins to blink or beep, several miles before the gas tank is sucking fumes.

People have a wide variety of ways of dealing with or avoiding their stuckness. More than 1,000,000 mental health care professionals keep busy, every day, working with those whom are stuck.

The key to becoming ‘unstuck’ is simple, but not necessarily easy:

People are MOTIVATED by their own reasons, not the reasons of others.
~ a wise man

But this knowledge alone is not necessarily helpful to individuals who are locked into their own ambivalence, afraid of the known consequences that come with change.

With regard to scrabble, I meet novice players who ‘know’ how to play ‘this way’ and are resistant to even trying to play ‘that way’. I keep telling them that one key to winning is not playing ‘the blank’ for less than 50 points. And then I watch them squander it away on a 15 point play. (Their excuse is: “I wanted to play something.”)

Many people live the more important parts of their lives in the same way.

The reason for the topic of this BLOG today is that I made a wonderful discovery last week that I want to share with you. If you don’t know much about Motivation and the Great Motivators, the name Les Brown may be just another name. But, once you know of Les Brown, you’ll always have a frame of reference for MOTIVATION and living your life fully.

I first heard Les in the 1990s. He was a presenter in a series of motivational speakers. At the time, I was leading a workshop called Adventures In Attitudes, trying to help others in my own way. Les lit up the room; frowns turn into smiles; the lethargic were inflated with energy; the hopeless saw possibility.

Last week surfing on the radio I stopped at 980AM. There was Les Brown. His infectuous laugh filled me with joy. As I listened to him counsel others, I remembered some of the lessons that I had learned from him in the past. I internalized the things that I used to do but had long since stopped, only because life had gotten into my way. Upon listening to Les, I found myself rededicating myself to myself.

Since I know that everything these days is available on the internet, I searched out Les Brown and I found his radio programs and much, much more.

Check him out; You’ll love him. CLICK
Listen to Les, M-F, 2PM-4PM (PST) Click Here

Q. What does ‘Erin go braugh’ mean?

A. Erin go braugh is a phonetic version of “Éirinn go brách,” which in Irish (Gaelic) means “Ireland Forever.” It was an Irish blessing used to express allegiance to Ireland.
It could also translate as “Ireland ’till doomsday,” “Ireland until eternity,” “Ireland until the end (of time)” or “Ireland until the Day of Judgment.”

Q. What are some appropriate ways for a scrabble player to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

A.
Add an (O’) to your name for the day, as in Gary O’Moss

Dress in green.

Begin the day with a glass of Guinness.

Purchase some GREEN bagels at O’Bruegger’s

Take your morning walk through a meadow, in search of 4-leaf-clovers.

Take a clogging lesson before lunch.

Listen to The Irish Rovers on your O’Pod.

Learn the lyrics to O’Danny Boy and sing it to your scrabble club this evening.

Do something impish, like a leprechaun.

Prepare a list of Irish words to play today.

All of the following are legal, in the OWL2, except those with (*) and any phrases. **English definitions may vary from the Irish definitions:

arse; begorrah; cheesed; dander; *eejit; foundered; gobshite; hump; (I’d eat a farmer’s arse through a blackthorn bush); jabs; kisser; langer; mink; nicker; oxters; paralytic; quare; ructions; scrubber; tenner; (undy-grundy); vixen; whiff; yoke; zero

End the day with a glass of Guinness.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day

I know it; You may know it. But a relatively small number of teachers and school districts get it. SCRABBLE is one of the answers to stimulating learning and achievement in the student body.

I believe that I have earned a right to expound on this subject. I have shared in the past, how I went from being an ‘A,’ ‘B’ student in grades 1-9 to a ‘D,’ ‘E’ student in grades 10-12; failing out of Junior College, and then rebounding to earn both a BS and an MA in Education, and then founding a private school.

99% of the time, students fail for reasons other than they are lacking in the ‘smarts’ department.

During my rebound towards obtaining my degrees I earn one ‘F’ (failing grade). It was in a very key class and almost sabotaged my rebound. It happened in my level-two student-teaching class. I had a major personality conflict with my supervising teacher. I could do nothing to please her. I thought that she was a moron.

Lucky for me I had an understanding department chair who allowed me to repeat student-teaching under the tutelage of a master-teacher, Mr. Nate Fine. He quickly earned my respect as I watched even his lowest ranking students give their all, day after day. I studied Mr. Fine and applied every one of his techniques, most of all, showing that I cared about each individual. Mr. Fine taught me that everyone sees things differently and to respect those difference.

In today’s large school districts that cater to thousands of students, the word ‘individualized’ is used more to impress audiences than to reflect realities. Too many administrators use of the term ‘individualized’ to mean that they work with one student at a time; What they don’t tell us is that they are still trying to make every one of those students fit into one same/specific system, their mold.

No matter how hard you try to force a square block into a round hole, it never fits; And the harder you force it, the more frustrated everyone becomes.
~ Gary Moss

My title today is ‘SCRABBLE: As A Teaching Tool’. The truth is, the reason that scrabble is not being used in every classroom is because most systems haven’t tried anything creative and inventive for generations. Put in the hands of traditionalists, scrabble or any other creative tool would fail to live up to my claim and then THEY would point their fingers and say, “SEE?”

If you are poo-pooing my notion and thinking that SCRABBLE is only about words and maybe language arts, you too may still stuck in a traditional box. I could write an entire curriculum, using scrabble in order to teachhistory, science, art, and more.

A co-teacher bact in 1964-65, David Strom, taught his 6th Grade class for the entire year, disregarding the textbooks, replacing them with daily copies of The New York Times. His students excelled.

On the road to obtaining my Master’s degree at Watne State University, I took a class in ‘Education Philosophy’ with Dean Hagman. He too disregarded the suggested texts and substituted the works of William Shakespeare.

People do things for their own reasons, not yours. Spark their interest with excitement and novelty and you will have a band of followers.
~ Gary Moss

It all depends on your attitude and perspective.

It all depends on where you play.

It all depends on what HOT means to you.

For most, the other players are considered to be HOT when they win the game.

For most, the other players are considered to be HOT when they draw the good tiles and you don’t.

For most, the other players are considered to be HOT when they play words that are unfamiliar to you.

For most, the other players are considered to be HOT when they can get their words onto the board by hooking to existing words, with hooks that you didn’t know.

The more one knows the ‘HOTTER’ one becomes.
~ Gary Moss

You can become HOT too. It is very simple. But, CAUTION . . . it is not easy.

All you have to do is to mirror the things that HOT players do.

-Get real..

-Be honest with yourself by seeing ‘CLEARLY’ the things that you do not know.

-Establish a study regimen to learn words, skills, and strategies. CLICK

-Obtain the tools that will help you become HOT. CLICK

Know that almost anyone, including yourself, can become a HOT scrabble item. But it doesn’t happen by wishing and praying. Like most things in life, becoming HOT requires a lot of focus and effort.

You could be the next SIZZLER.

Last Saturday was the Grande Opening of Milo’s Cafe in Lake Forest, California. Milo’s Cafe is one of just a few ‘dog friendly’ restaurants that exist. This place is the brainchild of restauranteur, Scott Sellman.

Now, I don’t currently own a dog, but I have always been a dog lover. My first dog was Smokey, a Cocker Spaniel. During my teens the family dog was Ruach, a Weimaraner. After getting married, our first child (dog) was a Dachshund, Heidi, succeeded by another Dachshund named Mandy. The last dog that I owned was in the early 1990s, a black Cocker named Magic.

Milo is a Bulldog/Shar Pei mix.
CLICK HERE for PICS.

Scott happens to be a scrabble player who has been loyal to CLUB #350 in Orange County California. Before Scott began talking about Milo’s Cafe, I would have guessed that the only dogs in Scott’s life were the words including *dog*, in that list on the far right. But I was wrong.

Adrienne and I visited Milo’s Cafe last Saturday. It wasa lot of fun and the food was great too. After saying our hellos to Scott and his lovely wife, Grace, we headed out to the patio to check out the visiting dogs. The dogs were all happy to see us. Some sat at the feet of their owners at tables. Others were playing in some large open pens. They came up to us and asked us to pet them. Very cool. The canines are not permitted to enter the main restaurant, bu rule of the Board of Health. After playing with our new four-legged-friends, then washing hands, we were seated in the VIP booth where we ordered a light dinner.

We wish the best of luck to Scott, Grace, and Milo. Go check them out when you are in their neighborhood. . . and tell all of your dog loving friends.

Some scrabble players have a limited vision of the board and the game. They merely see it as they see it; they seem to lack the ability to see things differently, from a different perspective.

So Sad!

Greatness often lies in the abilty to imagine and see things from some other vantage point. Consider ‘The Pet Rock’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, and ‘Charlie Sheen’.

When people ask to have me coach them through SCRABBLE 101 I always ask them a very telling question, before accepting their tuition: “Are you able and willing to let go of everything that you think you know about the game of scrabble . . . and are you willing to see the board and the components of te game differently?”

Most of us carry old habits and biases with us that interefere with learning new things and relearning topics from our past. Unlearning the past, and dropping old ‘bad habits’, is a formidable task. Most who say that they are willing to ‘LET GO’ never fully shed the old ideas and concepts. Often, they don’t even know that they are still hanging on.

Musicians on the other hand, are used to following the baton of the conductor or simply the notes on the page. Every piece is different. They skills that musician posses includes a high level of adaptibility and trust. Even when they have played a tune the same way for many years, they instinctively adapt to new arrangements.

Conversely, I have frequently worked with and for too many people who insisted that we only do things THIS WAY, because it always worked for me in the past. How is that working for the manufacturers of 8-Track-Tape Players and BOOK STORES?

Become more musician-like. March to the beat of a different drummer when it is appropriate. Learn something different today that will expand your scrabble game. CLICK HERE!

I am MAD about SCRABBLE

If you are not a basketball fan, the term ‘MARCH MADNESS’ may not mean a thing to you. But this is the time of year is when the college basketball season and its fans are winding up tightly into a frenzy. Sunday evening the top teams will be tapped and the order of play will be determined to the 2011 march to ‘The Final Four’. When the dust settles, a few weeks from now there will be a new National Championship Team.

If you have ever allowed yourself to become all consumed by taking on a roll of ‘Super-Fan’ for any team, you may understand the ‘thrill of victory’ (even when the accomplishments are being made by your team); And the heart-sinking, painful, agony of defeat (even if your team achieved the #2 position before losing).

For some of those athletes there is no tomorrow (they are graduating seniors and this is their last chance to win). Others will have to wait an entire years and winning will depend upon the cooperation and coordination of other players and coaches. A player on a team is only a single cog on the wheel and only has control of his/her own performance.

There are many superstars who have never been a part of a winning National Team.

Scrabble is a different game:
One cannot blame a loss on the poor play of teammate; Every player is on their own.
One cannot wait for a teammate to score; Every player is a lone participant.
If you prepare (study) or not all depends on you.
If you learn the rules or not all depends on you.

When you choose to be a competitive scrabble player:
You can compete with yourself, building your word knowledge and strategies.
You can compete with friends and family.
You can compete at local clubs and tournaments
You can compete with strangers online
You can compete every day of the year, if you want to.

Every milestone and benchmark is determined by you. You can advance in small increments or you can forge ahead in high gear.
All it takes is time, dedication, coaching, practice, perserverance and heart (just like everything else in life).

Competing scrabble players, who are giving their all and being the best that they can be, will usually discover that one does not have to WIN in order to be a ‘winner’. Sure, it feels wonderful, over-the-top, when you win the trophy, receive the prize money, earn the bragging rights. But at times, when I’ve finished out of the money, I sat there smugly during the awards ceremony, knowing that the wins in my column were significant for me and played an important part in determining the ultimate event champion.

Call it ‘MADNESS’ if you will. But that’s all the inspiration I need to go home and hit the OWL2 some more, to prepare for my next scrabble game. I hope to meet you across the board some time real soon. CLICK HERE

Investment is putting money/time/energy into something with the expectation of profit. More specifically, investment is the commitment of capital or other instruments or other assets so as to gain profitable returns in the form of interest, knowledge, or results. It is related to saving, deferring consumption, and adding value.  Investment is involved in many areas of life. An investment involves the choice by an individual or an organization, such as a pension fund or a study regimen.
Investment comes with the risk of the loss of the principal sum or the wasting of time. The investment that has not been thoroughly analyzed can be highly risky with respect to the investment owner because the possibility of losing money or time is not solely within the owner’s control. The difference between speculation and investment can be subtle. It depends on the investment owner’s mind whether the purpose is for investment is accompanied by the investor’s full commitment.

With regard to scrabble, an asset (knowledge) is usually acquired through applied spaced repetition. At times a financial deposit is made in the purchase of the OWL2, WHIZ CARDS, word lists and other  study tools in hopes of getting a future return from it. The word ‘invest’ originates in the Latin “vestis”, meaning garment, and refers to the act of putting things (money or other claims to resources) into others’ pockets. The basic meaning of the term being an asset held to have some recurring gains. The term “investment” is used differently in economics and in finance. Economists refer to a real investment (such as a machine or a house), while financial economists refer to a financial asset, such as money that is put into a bank or the market, which may then be used to buy a real asset.  Finally, the scrabble player considers an investment to be the amount of ‘TIME‘ required to commit a STEM to memory, learn all 101 of the legal 2-letter-words, or raise one’s sanctioned rating above 1500.

Chicken Soup is an age old food, prepared in countless ways from continent to continent. But Chicken Soup is so much more than just a food. It is believed to contain medicinal value. It is an image that invokes comfort. It has been incorporated into phrases like ‘Chicken Soup for the soul’ that suggests wisdom and an inspiring path to finding ‘the way’.

Scrabble is a relatively modern game, invented by Alfred Butts during the Great Depression (1930s), developed over 10+ years, and exploding on the scene in the late 1940s, early 1950s.  There was one set rules, but just like cooks adjust recipes, many homes across the land developed ‘house rules.

When NSA (National Scrabble Association) came on the scene, they standardized play in clubs and competitions by sanctioning one set of official rules and one official word list to govern competitive play.  Since that time, players in California, New York, and Florida could count on finding the ‘same’ rules being inforced no matter where they played.

Chicken Soup continues to look and taste differently from restaurant to restaurant, one family’s table to the next.  But that’s okay . . . I haven’t tasted a variety of chicken soup that I didn’t enjoy.  When you eat chicken soup, you are always a WINNER.

Traditional Recipe

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
4 carrots, halved
4 stalks celery, halved
1 large onion, halved
water to cover
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (optional)

Cooking Directions

Put the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken meat falls off of the bones (skim off foam every so often).

Take everything out of the pot. Strain the broth. Pick the meat off of the bones and chop the carrots, celery and onion. Season the broth with salt, pepper and chicken bouillon to taste, if desired. Return the chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the pot, stir together, and serve.

There are many different ingredients that go into making a delicious chicken soup (see listed above).

There are many skills and strategies that go into making a good scrabble player: knowing the board; word recognition; anagramming; basic math skills; strategizing; time efficiency; and more . . .

Learning HOOKS is one of my favorite pastimes.  And it builds my word knowledge too.  CLICK HERE

Let me coach you to scrabble greatness. Click Now!

We could probably agree that in order to attain any particular result, there is some recipe or formula that will most likely lead us to that goal. In that way, the game of scrabble (knowing its components and understanding how to use them to become a frequent winner) runs a parallel to the steps we can take for living a healthy life.

Some people live their lives fatalistically. That is . . . What is, IS. They don’t worry about diets or doctors or aches and pains. Instead, they live day by day and experience whatever life serves up. They are like the scrabble players who show up to play (just for the spell of it) not concerned with whether they win or lose. They don’t always know the rules or the scrabble jargon but figure that someone will point things out to them, if and when they do something ‘wrong’. They have no sense of ‘WRONG’; scrabble is merely a pastime.

Other people live their lives ‘On Purpose’. That is . . . They take a role in steering their lives through the choices they make and the actions they take. They are like the scrabble players who show up at clubs and competitions with the motivation to learn and improve their skills. They are passionate about the game and are invested in building their scrabble vocabularies and becoming a frequent winner. They understand ‘right’ vs ‘wrong’ in relation to choices and actions.

The set of ‘On Purpose’ people are more likely to deal with all of life, and their personal health, in particular, in the same ways they might approach playing scrabble. These folks are aware of their bodies and the signals that aches and pains alert them to.

At times, in spite of all of the preparation we have made, we lose a game of scrabble in a humbling and humiliating fashion. But there is a knowing that the 30% luck factor in the game leave everyone some level of vulnerability . . . even the Mavens.

At times, in spite of the great diet, no smoking, and plenty of exercise, we develop a condition or illness that is devastating and life threatening. It is sobering and often impossible to understand that in the game of LIFE we are all vulnerable . . . even the Vegans.

As for me, being proactive is my style of choice. I like to have my input. I like to think that my efforts make some difference, no matter how small.