I checked out more than just a held book last night at the Leavenworth Public Library. The first thing I saw, literally at eye level, was a large announcement taped to the glass door proclaiming ‘Scrabble Spells Fun.’ This I already knew.
I even recognized the name Ricky Sirois from my previous attempts at competitive Scrabble. I asked at the front desk about the Scrabble event scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and she suggested I call the number listed on the mini-flyer she handed to me. The person whom I needed to contact did not work the evening shift at the Library.
I thought at first the event would be a simple Scrabble club meeting type get together, but when I reviewed the Library’s website, the event is billed as an actual tournament. I learned this after I had already called and left a message about attending. I let my membership in the National Scrabble Players Association lapse more than a year ago. I decided I didn’t have enough time to study like a real Scrabble competitor needs to study, nor could I afford the gas to attend the closest Scrabble club meeting held way down in Leawood every other weekend. In fact, I haven’t played a game of Scrabble with anyone in well over a year if not two.
So perhaps this is not the brightest thing I’ve ever dived into. Especially since I’m planning a day trip to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas on Saturday. I will have no time whatsoever to even review the allowed two letter words or all the words that start with Q. If only I had known about this two or three weeks ago. Oh, well. If I can find all my Scrabble playing paraphenalia (board, ProTiles, timer, score sheets, quick reference sheet, etc.), I can at least make an appearance and have some fun word playing.
Cramming in Some Word Study
I thought it might be a good idea to cram in some word studying today at lunch, so I downloaded my favorite Scrabble word study software: Zyzzyva (appropriately billed as the ‘Last Word in Word Study’). I’m about to find out how atrophied my word building muscles have gotten.
