…with Gary Moss

Archive for May, 2011

Plateaus play an important part in our lives. Life isn’t entirely about go go go. Are you aware of your plateaus? We need the plateaus to level off and adjust from time to time. Do you recognize them? Do you appreciate them? Growth and change continues to occur during these plateaus.

If you’ve been reading my recent blogs then you know that I am currently obsessing about weight. Plateaus are easy to understand in the context of weight-loss. When people are trying to lose weight intentionally and tracking their progress, one look at a graph depicting losses will demonstrate that there are periods of loss followed by plateaus of sameness. It is during these plateaus when our bodies readjust to our new weight.

The same is true for me when I study scrabble word lists. There are periods when I take in much information. Then there are plateaus during which I am filtering and assimilating that knowledge so that it become useful and powerful for the growth of my game.

I can also recall the times when I practiced playing a variety of musical instruments: clarinet; organ; guitar. I’d work the scales, practice the fingering, devote days and weeks building my skills. Then I’d hit a plateau. It was during these plateaus when the technique and the knowledge sort of came together, like the sugary substances that melt within hot water, creating the resulting Jello.

After these plateaus I always seemed to find myself at the next level with greater ease and comfort.

Have you experienced that?

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STEP #1
The more you know, the luckier you become.
The more you practice, the more developed the synapses.
The more steps you take, the close you get to your goal
The more courses you complete, the closer you get to earning your degree.
The more you save, the greater you account.
The more words you learn, the greater your word arsenal.

STEP #2
Plateau and allow it to absorb and sink in.

When you are a serious scrabble player, playing frequently, you will be surprised to learn so many life lessons that jump up in your face . . . if you are paying attention.

•Some things occur regularly, the same way that the sun rises and sets every day (certain words show up in almost every game: qi; za; uh; ya).

•Other things that occur frequently are unnoticed by the multitudes. Just like the exchange of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide occurs in our atmosphere (certain high probability bingo stem frequent our racks: satine; satire; tonies; senior).

•To be good at the game and win, one has to play both offensively and defensively at the same time. That’s something like the USA providing aid and arms to other countries and populations while keeping that ‘eye in the sky’ tracking their moves.

•It doesn’t pay to cheat or be an assassin. Just look at Charley, Bernie, Osama, and the short list of those who have been banished from our scrabble ranks.

•Languages and their words provide one key to better understanding one another. Maybe we can avoid the pitfalls of misunderstandings that occurred at The Tower of Babel.

With all that being said, the die-hard scrabble players are quite different from the other 99% of people. Scrabble players can find a good laugh over a misspelled word. They can find great joy in discovering an unusual anagram: PRELATE/PETRALE/PLEATER/REPLATE. They can enjoy an hour long discussion about the words that end with the combination ‘….EAU’ (there are 35 of those animals in the OWL2).

Expand you world via scrabble. CLICK HERE.

There was no big loss in the scrabble world earlier this week when the death of Ben Laden was confirmed on the news. Even though each of the 3 parts of his name could be anagrammed into legal scrabble words in the OWL2 (*see below), that was about the length and depth of his connection to our game.

*OSAMA is not a legal word but the anagram: OMASA is the third stomach of a ruminant. BEN and NEB are both legal words as are LADEN, ELAND, and NALED.
For clarity, it should be mentioned here that, the infamous Osama Ben Laden had no affiliation or direct influence over Scrabble, Hasbro, or any of their employees.

It is rumored that the FBI and CIA considered looking for clues to Ben Landen’s whereabouts in relation to the tile distribution of letters used by Islamic scrabble players in the last World Scrabble Tournament. In one case, over a series of plays, one unnamed player’s (first letter of each word played) spelled out: IM GOING TO DISNEYLAND IN DECEMBER. If you actually visited Disneyland during that month you know all about the chaos that the wrongful theory created.

In addition, in the game room of the compound where Ben Laden was offed, there were only sets of checkers a one set of mumbly peg knives . . . . NO SCRABBLE paraphernalia was found on the premises.

I’ve always suggested since becoming a scrabble devotee that scrabble be used for warring purposes instead of bullets and suicide bombers. I HAVE A DREAM! That one day all people will not wallow in the valley of despair. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the dream freedom and mutual respect.

I have a dream that one day on the hills and mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the sons of former Al Qaeda members and the sons of the Cheney Clan will be able to sit down together at the table of scrabble.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Confusion, a state of mind sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that little children will one day live in a world where they will not be judged by their ethnicity, but by their ability to spell.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And if and when disagreement and anger rear their ugly heads, they will be settled by a flip of a coin, determining who goes first, followed by the best of 7 series of scrabble games between Heads of States.

(Any resemblance to the words of the great Dr. King are completely intensional.)

There are only about 90 days until the 2011 Annual National Scrabble Tournament (August 6-9). That means that there is still enough time for you to bone up on the information that can make you an eventual divisional champion at the big dance.

BUT, you have to begin training . . . Right Now!

Learn a few more words every day, develop a few more scrabble skills, get some help from a certified scrabble director and coach, like me. It won’t cost an arm and a leg, just a leg. Actually, in the scheme of things, the cost is very little. The real price comes from your commitment and time that you’ll devote to making the leap from where you are right now to the next level of play.

You can choose to do it on your own and fumble around deciding what to do first, OR you can get together with me and create a plan-to-follow on the road to you eventual success. We can do it One-To-One, Face-To-Face, or most people with busy schedules may opt to enroll in my online class, Scrabble 101, and work independently.

(CAUTION! Just signing up for the class will not enhance your game. YOU still have to do the work. The good news is that after the first 21 Days you’ll develop a study habit and be oh so glad that you did.)

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An aside:
I know exactly what you are going through.

Studying words, creating novel ways to find fun with learning, and creating word experiences for others has always been easy for me. It is my joy and passion. BUT exercise and diet have always been two items that I’ve put on the back-burner and did not address. In spite of all the well meaning advice from doctors and friends, I kept on living my way, getting larger and softer. (If I had taken care of my physical self in the same way I create and study word lists, I would be Arnold-like.) But by being lazy and putting things off until some undesignated tomorrow I developed high blood pressure and diabetes, requiring insulin injections.

The Power Of Deciding
About one year ago, I decided to address my weight seriously. This time was different. All I can tell you is that it was by my choice alone. The choice that I made at first was to eat differently. I sought out advise from others professionals who had a history of success. Within weeks the weight began to melt away. Like other addicts, I make the decision many times each day as to whether or not eat this or that.
I have resisted exercising as far back as I can remember. Suddenly, last month, I decided to develop an exercise regimen. I have been moving my body now for just about 21 days. I’ve been getting to the gym 3 – 4 times per week. For whatever reason, I’m enjoying it. That’s part of the power of deciding and owning one’s choice.

Everything’s Different and Everything Is The Same.

We each have the power to make personal changes in our lives. It is as easy as deciding and as easy as following through.