Orbit has Mojito-flavored chewing gum now!  Simply brilliant.

Maybe if I just chew it instead of drinking, I'll lose a few pounds....

The Urbana tournament last weekend was at the spookiest hotel I've ever stayed at.  (Someone described it as looking like a Bavarian version of the hotel in "The Shining.")  Thank goodness I don't believe in ghosts, or I would never have gotten any sleep!

I fully intended to improve my penmanship during this tournament, but I'm afraid I'm a hopeless ( Read more... )

1. How tall are you barefoot?  5"7.5'
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No.
3. Do you own a gun? Super soaker.
4. Do you play with the ads on the side of the screen? Nope.
5. Do you get nervous before "meeting the parents"? No.  But I get nervous having to visit them now. 
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Ick.  Unless I've roasted my own over a campfire.
( Read more... )

Just saw an ad for a drug called "Lexapro".  It says it's for treating depression, but it sure sounds like it might be a good alternative to Zyzzyva!  I'll have to discuss it with my physician to see if it's right for me....

....but I've decided to start learning low-probability sixes.  Not because I think it will help my game, but because they are more fun to learn.  And isn't that what it's all about?

I just got back from the Bay Area, where I was attending a teachers' conference on Two-Way Bilingual Immersion (another way to say "Dual Language Class", which is what I teach).  I can't complain about much, as public school teachers rarely get sent, all expenses paid, to such incredible locations, but I am a little disappointed about the meals I ( Read more... )

I had a Scrabble-ful weekend, thanks to the heat wave.  The Chicago club moved back to its not-so-ridiculously-far-away-from-me location for one day on Sunday, because the regular spot has "inadequate air-conditioning."  It worked out nicely for me, at least, even if it was inconvenient for some of the regular city Scrabblers.

I went 5-2, and had ( Read more... )

I've got this problem now:  I can't seem to lose at poker.  Granted, I am not playing the professionals, but I seem to have an incredible amount of luck when I get together and play with friends.  My husband, Rob, has already announced that he will not play poker with me again, and says I should just forget this whole Scrabble thing and play a game ( Read more... )

My daughter turned eight last Friday, and one of the gifts she received was a scrapbooking kit.  I gave her a stack of photos from the big pile that I plan on organizing someday (ha), and she started cutting and gluing and getting frustrated with the not-so-picture-perfect results.  She asked me for help, and I tried, but things didn't look that ( Read more... )

Some higher-rated players really need to sign up for the Urbana tourney already.  Something is completely off-balance in the universe when *I* am listed as the top player in Div. 1.