I’m 26 going on 81. I’m a grandma in a mid-twenties disguise. I have bad hips and a sore back. I like tea, knitting, making soup, game-shows, card games, board games, pinching cheeks, and above all… Scrabble. I acquired this love in highschool, but with my no-nonsense attitude, most refused my competition-save for my mom. I’m a scrabble geek. I know the 2 letter word list by heart, I’ve almost memorized the value of each letter and how often it appears in the game, and I recognize that zax, raj, and qintar are valid words. Then, in Korea, I met friends who shared my passion, spent equal time reading the dictionary, also thought in seven letter words, and kept me busy many, many nights a weeks (yes, I went to Korea to play scrabble).
…and then they left…
….but then along came Scrabulous…
What a fabulously wonderful way to let me continue playing with my scrabble entourage. What an amazingly great means to encourage others to play. What a superbly rewarding way for me to prove my abilities to those who underestimated them. And what a heartbreakingly painful day when Scrabulous finally lost its fight with Hasbro/Mattel and had to be removed.
Yes, yes I understand the legalities, but just look at what it’s done. It brought the love of words and tiny block letters to thousands of people who normally would have shied away. It enhanced our vocabularies and fueled our facebook addictions. It gave us something mind-stimulating to occupy the workday. It kept competition alive.
And now it’s gone.
And so, I bid farewell to a fine addiction…
*tears*
Perchance this new-age technology wasn’t quite right for my old-age persona anyway.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Mis-Adventure
I returned home 3 months ago, and after the initial ugliness of reverse culture shock, all the necessary catch up and my efforts to re-establish my life in Toronto, I feel I’ve hit a wall- bored, uninspired, craving drama, excitement, adventure – I’m restless.
Tuesday night, I rekindled with my Korea counterpart, and met up with Lynn at Harbourfront for some necessary catch-up. Lured by the big screen and hoping to seek early refuge from the storm that was approaching, we sat down for the 9pm outdoor movie, as daunting black clouds enclosed around us. Halfway through the film the rains began, lightning illuminated the sky, striking the CN tower up the street, thunder echoed around us but we were cozy with the overhead as protection and were enjoying both shows …that is until the wind shifted and we knew our luck had changed. Chilling winds, wet necks, covered in goosebumps, we trooped it out for a short while until the excitement wore thin and the discomfort set in and we sought shelter in a small tent until the end of the movie. It appeared though, that all our efforts to will the rain to stop had been in vain, and it was then that we realized there was nothing else to do but accept our fate. So, with the credits running to the tune of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, we embraced the work of Mother Nature, and ventured into the pouring rain and danced. On bleachers, among the other viewers, as free spirits, we busted a move,--all smiles, all laughter, all wet.
What followed was a frenzy of mishaps which saw me drenched, running in the pouring rain and blackness of a storm at 11pm, after cabs and streetcars, standing stranded on street corners, aimlessly running in helpless circles and banging on bus doors , until I eventually got a lucky break and made it to my subdivision. – what a rush: worry, frustration, excitement, fear. But I made it.
So, soaking wet and chilled to the bone - like I’d taken a cold shower fully clothed –I picked up my shoes and sprinted the home stretch, barefoot and happy. I needed this.
Tuesday night, I rekindled with my Korea counterpart, and met up with Lynn at Harbourfront for some necessary catch-up. Lured by the big screen and hoping to seek early refuge from the storm that was approaching, we sat down for the 9pm outdoor movie, as daunting black clouds enclosed around us. Halfway through the film the rains began, lightning illuminated the sky, striking the CN tower up the street, thunder echoed around us but we were cozy with the overhead as protection and were enjoying both shows …that is until the wind shifted and we knew our luck had changed. Chilling winds, wet necks, covered in goosebumps, we trooped it out for a short while until the excitement wore thin and the discomfort set in and we sought shelter in a small tent until the end of the movie. It appeared though, that all our efforts to will the rain to stop had been in vain, and it was then that we realized there was nothing else to do but accept our fate. So, with the credits running to the tune of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, we embraced the work of Mother Nature, and ventured into the pouring rain and danced. On bleachers, among the other viewers, as free spirits, we busted a move,--all smiles, all laughter, all wet.
What followed was a frenzy of mishaps which saw me drenched, running in the pouring rain and blackness of a storm at 11pm, after cabs and streetcars, standing stranded on street corners, aimlessly running in helpless circles and banging on bus doors , until I eventually got a lucky break and made it to my subdivision. – what a rush: worry, frustration, excitement, fear. But I made it.
So, soaking wet and chilled to the bone - like I’d taken a cold shower fully clothed –I picked up my shoes and sprinted the home stretch, barefoot and happy. I needed this.
Installment #2
I am beginning this blog as an attempt to encourage more excitement and adventure in my everyday life. That, and I miss writing as an outlet, so here’s a go at blog Installment #2 : Everyday Adventures.
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