Thursday, February 3, 2011

Quixotic Quotidian Quirk

I am an an addict.  At first, I only popped open a new one every couple of days, and only with friends. After a while I needed one everyday, and I started partaking even when I was alone.  They say that is one of the first signs. Now I find myself indulging two or three times a day. I cannot stop. I even found myself using in the car the other day, in the elementary school parking lot while I was waiting for kids. I know it is wrong, but it just feels so good.

It started in December when Hunky Hubby got a new iPod for his birthday.  I inherited his old one. This is, BTW how I get most of my gear and gadgets, but that is a post for another day. I now possess an iPod, or as I like to call it...portable Scrabble player, à la Morty Seinfeld's "tip calculator." My children have been relentless in their mocking sneers and jeers. "It does OTHER things, Mom." Why would I need it to do other things? I can play Scrabble anywhere.  ANYwhere!

Well, I guess that is where the trouble started.  Even when I am not using, I find myself thinking about it. Adding the point values of the day's newspaper headline. Word scores racing through my mind like greyhounds after the proverbial RABBIT. (Or HARE, on a double word score.) Anticipating the chance to use a beauty like QUIXOTIC or JUMBLE. Forming words from nothing but a rack of seemingly useless vowels; squeezing every point possible from those little 1point tiles with gems retrieved from the recesses of the mind like OOTID, EERIE or QUEUE. Adoring those little guys QI, JO and AX that pack such big punch with just a couple of tiles. Always chasing the next high.  Thrilling at a single-play score like 96; triple word, all 7 tiles... It was a thing of beauty. A subtle mix of art and science.  I do not remember the word, but I remember the high. Oh, the high.

There you have it.  Hope this makes the grade Teach! This post is dedicated to my father, a recovering addict, whose one-step program consisted of everyone finally refusing to play with him. I am currently searching for a program or a support group myself. Preferably one where the patients sit around a large table with a dictionary and racks of little lettered tiles and a board with pretty pink, and blue, and red squares...I gotta go.

Quote of The Day: "One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die." --Evelyn Waugh user of words

20 comments:

  1. Maybe I wasn't raised right, but Scrabble hasn't ever been a part of my life. Good luck. I hope you can find some help!

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  2. Wow! What a great post! I loved it and totally made me smile, thinking of moments playing scrabble with my kids, who are less enthusiastic about words as I am! Thank goodness they are good sports!

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  3. I love scrabble, and boggle. I love words.
    Great post.

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  4. My sweet mother-in-law, rest her soul, was an addict also...

    sigh..I wish I had played more with her!

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  5. I'm a total addict, as well. I usually have five or six games going -- play a few turns first thing in the morning, with my morning tea, then a few more around lunch, and a few more turns before bed. I discovered I needed multiple games going, as sometimes a partner goes out of town, or has a wedding to attend, or something, and can't play for a couple of days. The withdrawals on those days were so terrible, I resolved to always have multiple sources for my fix!
    ~Amanda

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  6. Here are a couple of words for you--aglet: those little pieces on the end of your shoe laces.
    zarf: A holder for a handleless coffee cup.

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  7. Here are a couple of words for you--aglet: those little pieces on the end of your shoe laces.
    zarf: A holder for a handleless coffee cup.

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  8. You are Queen of Quip! Love Scrabble! Loved this Qwazy Quirky Post! Here's hoping you get your Quota of Q words on your QPod!

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  9. word games are my favorite. i play them on my phone all the time. i love to play boggle and scrabble and bananagrams!

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  10. I'm going to have to take this as a cautionary tale and stay far, far away from the Scrabble app, for I fear I'd suffer the same fate! I'm already hopelessly addicted to Whirly Word.

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  11. Very cute post ... thanks for visiting Slice of Pie ... To answer your question ... sometimes I get a little "over done" with my job and my personal life! I have really good employees who help carry out the tourism bureau's work ... and the at home stuff is just lots of fun for me. Nice to meet you ... enjoyed your site.

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  12. Another reason NOT to get a smart phone. I would never get any work done.

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  13. for me it is whirly word on my hubbys i phone. . .i can waste alot of time coming up with words!

    like your quote!

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  14. I love scrabble but haven't played in a long time :( Sounds like a great idea to pass some time on this yucky weather day! Great post!!!

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  15. This is so funny. Srabble is that way. You either hate to play (my husband) or you are addicted to it (my kids and I).

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  16. I am not in any of these phone games.
    good for you.

    thoughtful post.

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  17. Words are fun! Fertilizing vocabulary is definitely a good idea.
    don't play much scrabble,though. There was a scrabble-like game on the internet I used to play where one had to hurry to fill in letters or the game would start to burn up.

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  18. You are adorable.

    This was the absolute best Alphabe-Thursday post I have read so far!

    Clever and funny!

    I think it's safe to say I will never attempt to play this game with you. I am the one always going, 'gosh, I know that word...it's right on the tip of my tongue...'

    Thanks for a smile!

    A+

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  19. Well I hate word games. But I do love IPODS...and you!

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  20. I feel your pain sister. I recently did a similar post. Those darn technology games are addictive, aren't they.

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