We Helped Open

The Green Mango

That would be last night.  "Dutch Fusion" cuisine, and the star attraction was our friend Sybil Gage, who charmed the crowd with her vocals, ably abetted by her longtime accompanist, Leon Olguin.  I don't know if it was really opening night for that restaurant, but it was definitely the first appearance there by Sybil.

The food was tasty and spicy.

I'm trying to forget that a large glass of water was carelessly spilled on me just minutes before the evening ended.  Even after the hour it took to drive home, my clothes were still wet.  At least I didn't catch cold.  I don't think I did, anyway.

*************

In other news, I happened to read a scary op-ed in the New York Times the other day about global warming, and it's been posted at www.xanga.com/blip32962.

The scare level can be mitigated somewhat if you read the items that are also linked on that page.  They include reactions, and reactions to the reactions to the original scary op-ed in question.

CSW (Collins Scrabble Words)
Tournaments

I'll add this link to various pages around the site.

Clearly, we need more tournaments in the southeastern United States.  Charlotte, NC, and Gatlinburg, TN, are about the only locations that I can drive to.

I Stole This Idea
From Somebody Else

But I wish I could say it out loud, so I will.  Mitt Romney should apologize for wasting our time and just concede the election already.  President Obama has already proved he deserves another four years.

I know I know.  We gotta have an election, and waste billions of dollars in political advertising, not to mention the waste of time that I already mentioned.

Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who is NOT the lady politician I stole that "apologize for wasting our time" idea -- that would be Hillary Clinton -- has written a piece for the Huffington Post that illustrates perfectly just one of the 47,342 reasons why the Mittster is not fit for the office of President.

Another great piece of writing I've seen recently pertains to the bounty scandal that has embroiled the New Orleans Saints football team.  That would be a column by Rick Reilly of ESPN and it is reprinted at my blip32962 blog, where you'll also find a link to the Granholm essay.

I'm Hyperventilatin' Here

It's excited I am.

Although we've already booked our rooms for a glorious week at Loew's Royal Pacific Resort in mid-August, I JUST found out this morning that the whole reason we're going is coming true.

I don't mean to be mysterious, but it's a Scrabble tournament I'm talking about.  As regular readers know, my focus is on the international English-language word list known as "Collins Scrabble Words (CSW)" and it had been announced months ago that a CSW event has been scheduled -- separate from the "main event" which uses a truncated American-words-only word list that I no longer bother with --

-- BUT --

--and here's the nub, the CSW event would be cancelled if fewer than 40 players signed up for it by last Friday, May 4.  It's a long long story why such a draconian condition was attached to a tournament three months in the future of an articificial deadline.

Suffice to say that there has been a history of meager attendance at CSW events.  I am of the very strong opinion that the REASON(S) for meager attendance include such factors as lack of incentive for participation, when said participation involves hours of preparation time for an event which "doesn't even count" in the official Scrabble ratings that are maintained by the national association.

-- BUT --

Whoop-de-doo!  Despite only 24 intrepid souls signing up for the August tourney by May 4, it was announced by the Advisory Board that the event would proceed anyway.

That frees up a large international contingent of European, African, and Asian players who were reluctant to commit to a tournament that might not be held.

My opinion is, we'll have at least 40 participants anyway.

But if not, at least there will be a tournament.

Feb. 4, 2002

The following will be privatized and moved to the above date.

EROTIC = [OUR FIB]
or [FIBRO U.]

NEW:  P - PTEROIC
           HM - HORMETIC
           IN - RETINOIC

WHAT?: ceiort

EROTIC   TERCIO
 
A - erotica
C - cerotic erotic
D - cordite
E - coterie
G - ergotic
H - rotchie theoric
K - tockier
L - cortile
M- mortice
N - cointer noticer rection
P - pteroic
S - erotics tercios
T - cottier
V - evictor
W- cowrite
X - excitor xerotic

WHAT?: ceiort?:

A: EROTICA
C: CEROTIC  ORECTIC
D: CORDITE
E: COTERIE
G: ERGOTIC
H: ROTCHIE  THEORIC
K: TOCKIER
L: CORTILE
M: MORTICE
N: COINTER  NOTICER  RECTION
P: PTEROIC+
S: EROTICS  TERCIOS
T: COTTIER
V: EVICTOR
W: COWRITE
X: EXCITOR  XEROTIC

A = BUNDU POLE - boracite ceratoid erotical loricate actioner anoretic creation reaction aporetic operatic

B = ASH - botchier bisector

C = HOOD SPOON - codirect ricochet concerti necrotic crocoite ectropic cortices

D = CANOROUS MP - morticed centroid doctrine coeditor depictor creditor director cordites outcried

E = EXAMINES TV - meteoric erection neoteric esoteric coteries erotetic orective exoteric

F = NY - infector ferocity

G = N - gerontic

H = MUNSTeR CLUB - chlorite clothier chromite hormetic trichome notchier rhetoric torchier rotchies theorics trochite couthier touchier

I = LPN - elicitor retinoic periotic

J = MN - microjet injector

K = S - corkiest rockiest stockier

L = HAPPY SHIT - leprotic petrolic cloister coistrel costlier creolist clottier cryolite

M = JERRY ENMESHED - recommit intercom morticer mortices emictory

N = [KNOB L] - entropic inceptor pretonic tricorne cointers corniest noticers rections contrite cornetti neurotic unerotic contrive

O = CD

P = DULCIANAS - persicot eutropic outprice

R = WUDU HUMaN - courtier cowriter

S = HuPiroS BECKON SEX - crosstie cottiers citreous outcries evictors vortices cowrites exciters exorcist

T = UNHELES - toreutic

U = HUPIROS UNDERSTOOD

V = SENSE

W = RS

X = ES

Y = FLeMe
 
WHAT?: ceiort??<>:

AB:  BORACITEs
AD:  CERATOID
AL:  EROTICAL     LORICATEds
AN:  ACTIONERs    ANORETICs    CREATIONs    REACTIONs
AP:  APORETIC     OPERATICs
BH:  BOTCHIER
BS:  BISECTORs
CD:  CODIRECTs
CH:  RICOCHETs
CN:  CONCERTI     NECROTIC
CO:  CROCOITEs
CP:  ECTROPIC
CS:  CORTICES
DM:  MORTICED
DN:  CENTROIDs    DOCTRINEs
DO:  COEDITORs
DP:  DEPICTORs
DR:  CREDITORs    DIRECTORsy
DS:  CORDITES
DU:  OUTCRIED
EM:  METEORIC
EN:  ERECTIONs    NEOTERICs
ES:  COTERIES     ESOTERICa
ET:  EROTETIC
EV:  ORECTIVE
EX:  EXOTERIC
FN:  INFECTORs
FY:  FEROCITY
GN:  GERONTIC
HL:  CHLORITEs    CLOTHIERs
HM:  CHROMITEs    HORMETIC+    TRICHOMEs
HN:  NOTCHIER
HR:  RHETORICs    TORCHIERes
HS:  ROTCHIES     THEORICS
HT:  TROCHITEs
HU:  COUTHIER     TOUCHIER
IL:  ELICITORs
IN:  RETINOIC+
IP:  PERIOTICs
JM:  MICROJETs
JN:  INJECTORs
KS:  CORKIEST     ROCKIEST     STOCKIER
LP:  LEPROTIC     PETROLIC
LS:  CLOISTERs    COISTRELs    COSTLIER     CREOLISTs
LT:  CLOTTIER
LY:  CRYOLITEs
MM:  RECOMMITs
MN:  INTERCOMs
MR:  MORTICERs
MS:  MORTICES
MY:  EMICTORY
NP:  ENTROPIC     INCEPTORs    PRETONIC
NR:  TRICORNEs
NS:  COINTERS     CORNIEST     NOTICERS    eRECTIONS
NT:  CONTRITE     CORNETTI
NU:  NEUROTICs    UNEROTIC
NV:  CONTRIVEdrs
PS:  PERSICOTs
PU:  EUTROPIC     OUTPRICEds
RU:  COURTIERs
RW:  COWRITERs
SS:  CROSSTIEds
ST:  COTTIERS
SU:  CITREOUS     OUTCRIES
SV:  EVICTORS     VORTICES
SW:  COWRITES
SX:  EXCITORS     EXORCISTs
TU:  TOREUTICs