6 September 2021 The fact that today is Labor Day did not shut down the Laguna Woods Village Scrabble Club. We play every Monday at 1PM in Clubhouse #5. Anyone wishing to play with us can simply call me at (949) 510-1673 to attain a PASS through the gate. The only Mondays that we close is when Christmas Day -or- New Year’s Day fall on Monday.
Our current director is Barbara Sanchez. The average attendance is about 30 players. This club was one of very first NSA sanctioned scrabble clubs in the 1970. The organizer of the club was Geraldine Wenk who passed in the early 2000s. Many famous players were part of this club over the years including Mr. 770, Mark Landsburg. Mark and I co-directed the first National Senior Scrabble Tournament in the early 2000s.
25 August 2021 I had a great day today! It began with a scrabble foursome at the home of Pat Yarnell. Pat doesn’t get out much these days but she mustered enough energy to host a scrabble round-robin. She can still play a good game and provide a respectful challenge.
There’s always something. Can you spell M-Y-C-E-L-I-U-M ?
22 August 2021
SCRABBLE CLUBS: Scrabble Clubs are sanctioned by their parent organizations. I have been an NSA director and then a NASPA director since 1988. Directors are sanctioned only after they pass a test on the rules and club procedures. Directors have some leeway as to how they run their clubs. However, the main idea about clubs is to provide locations to draw scrabblers to compete, learn competitive rules of the game, expand one’s knowledge of the OWL (Official Word List), and provide a friendly, inclusive, environment. Directors are charged with the responsibility to be the agents that welcome the public and help the community of players grow and prosper.
While you may want to call ahead to be certain that a club has not been canceled due to Covid, you should never have to hesitate or worry that your presence might make the total number of players uneven. Clubs around the country have open doors and welcome whoever shows up, with one exception, the club in Huntington Beach, CA. where the director is concerned that he or some other player may have to sit out when odd.
Clubs have solved the ‘ODD’ problem in many ways without turning players away. All other clubs have ‘OPEN DOOR’ policies.
21 August 2021 Remembering Maliha. She’s been gone two years as of today. For someone so petite she left giant shoes to fill. Her memory is a blessing to all of us who shared some piece of her life.
16 August 2021
Last Monday at the afternoon Scrabble Club in Laguna Woods Village I won a game on my last play by going out with a BINGO. There are many words on the Official Word List which end with the letters ‘ L-I-K-E ‘ (hatlike, antlike, plantlike, etc.). Sooo I had the letters A-E-G-I-K-L-O and there was a ‘T’ on top line on the TWS on the center of the board. My out play, from the ‘T’ was ‘TOGALIKE’. The lady below didn’t challenge me but after the game she looked up my word in the OWL and it was not there. She was pissed and told me a thing or two. Silly me; the bingo in that rack is GOATLIKE and it would have played through the same ‘T’.
14 August 21
Okay everyone, today our mission is to provide you some high probability words that frequently end up on your scrabble rack. The problem is you don’t know many of these words. The first simple RULE to help you is to know that there are many sets of letters like S-A-T-I-N-E which is known as a ‘STEM’. Stems + one other letter can create many bingos:
8 August 21 Old friends. Kenny Rankin helped create some funds at my scrabble tournament at Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York. Kenny has since passed but his wonderful music lives on. If you never knew Kenny Ranking allow me to introduce you to him. Tonight I enjoyed some of his songbook on Pandora radio. Enjoy!
3 August 21
3 August 21
WHO KNEW?
Can you spell G-A-Z-P-A-C-H-O ?
Tastes great.
302 point triple/triple through an ‘A’ at B1.
31 July 21
One common question that I’ve been asked over and over again through the years is . . . ” When I’ve fallen behind in the score during a scrabble game how and what should I do to catch up and go ahead to win?”
Easy peasy. Reach deep into your word arsenal and find the lesser known high-probability bingos that are hiding in plain sight on your rack.
24 July 21
15 July 2021
Last evening, July 14th Scrabble Club #350 almost doubled the number of players of the previous week (11). When you are a dye in the wool Scrabbler you’ll travel miles to play at a club and yesterday was proof of that. Bruce D. came from LA, about 50 miles north while Kathy & Rod Weissler drove more than 2 hours each way from and back to Temecula.
My visitors stirred my personal memories of years gone by from when I lived in Michigan (northwest of Detroit). My geographic range to play at a club extended west to Lansing, MI, north to Flint, MI and as far east at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. (300 miles).
Come join us next time: Wednesday, July 21 at 6PM
9 July 2021
A new podcast has begun and it may affect some of you – Gary Moss will be discussing the Journey of Diabetes and how it affects him and we hope you will contact us and join in the conversation.
https://youtu.be/yfue6NgmW4A
Avoid the Maze is hosting a series on Diabetes Type 2 hosted by Gary Moss, produced by Karen Hale. No two people experience this medical condition the same and treatment varies from patient to patient. The stats for this diagnosis -34.2 million Americans—just over 1 in 10 are being treated – how many more are undiagnosed or cannot afford the treatment they need? Approximately 1 in 3—have prediabetes – you may want to ask your physician if you should be checked for this condition. The CDC suggests that the American Indians or the Alaska Natives are the most affected by diabetes. Adults 65 years and older seem to be the most affected with 25% of them having diabetes. Join the journey and become aware as this disease is growing quickly in our Fast Food Society. American Diabetes Association
12 July 2021
FASHION STATEMENT
Today is a very special day! It is July 6, 2021, and Gary Moss just announced Scrabble Club is returning tomorrow on July 7, 2021, and Gary will be there excited to see all of you! It’s been a long haul, waiting out the Pandemic and despite the fact that we still must be cautious and all participants must be vaccinated, we are slowly gravitating to normalcy. I feel a sigh of relief for many who counted on this game, the challenge, and the opportunities it creates to finally return. I know that Gary must be dancing a JIG he like many of you is excited about getting off his butt that has been imprinted in his easy chair waiting for the Green Light. I am sure while he waited in line to secure the space for this Club that he was as giddy as a kid in a candy store.