Playing Games
The lack of sleep that started during my pregnancy and continued after our son Drake was born wreaked havoc on my previously formidable vocabulary. I’ll often find myself in conversation, slack-jawed as I frantically scour the corners of my mind for a word. Even before pregnancy and motherhood, the idea of games as a way to sharpen my mental faculties appealed to me. I’m not sure why this is. I often don’t enjoy games, and am not very good at them. I am easily distracted and frustrated, more so when I am fatigued. I have a habit of doing things on impulse just to complete my turn. This usually precludes strategy, and was not at all useful to me or endearing to a partner when I used to play bridge (the rules of which I have completely forgotten.)
I’ve been wanting to pick up crossword puzzles again, since they don’t involve strategy, but we no longer subscribe to the newspaper. Book collections are woefully out of date (I found a 1977 NYT book on my last visit to the bookstore.) The NYT has an online subscription to the crossword puzzles, but it’s not compatible with our Linux OS and free software applications, so I’m out of luck there, too. For the moment, then, I’ve given up on crosswords.
I’ve tried to learn chess several times, but have have never yet persevered with it. Chess is not a game that favors the beginner. Each attempt left me feeling clumsy and inept. I’d set chess aside in frustration for just enough time to forget the rules, then try again with the same results.
One of my grandmothers was a lifelong Scrabble fiend until her death, which was due to complications from Alzheimer’s. At her memorial service, one of my uncles laughed ruefully and said that during his last visit, her attention came and went but she was still able to beat him at Scrabble. I will always associate Scrabble with the laughter, love, and sadness of his story.
Until this month, though, I had never played Scrabble. I finally got the opportunity earlier this month when I visited my sister Sydney, an avid fan of the game. I am unsurprised that there is a cult following. Its combination of luck, knowledge and strategy felt very manageable, and its rules aren’t complex enough to forget. My husband G. Grod and I picked up an inexpensive travel set. We can play a little, fold it up, and begin again later without mess or fuss. This new hobby has me eyeing my dictionary and Chicago Manual of Style. As I perused the former, I noted that the Hebrew and Greek alphabet letters are considered words (I don’t know if they are in the offical Scrabble dictionary, but the new one isn’t coming out till June 1, so I’m not buying one till then.) I learned the Hebrew alphabet years ago, when I was considering a conversion to Judaism, but all that remains are Aleph, Bet, Hay and Gimmel, the dreidel letters.
If G. Grod and I are in the middle of a game, is it cheating to look up the Greek and Hebrew alphabets online? I’ll print them out for both of us to review. Two wrongs might not make a right, but they are easier to rationalize.
April 20th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
boggle is also a very good word game which can be played with any number of players.
April 21st, 2005 at 6:11 am
i introduced my dad to scrabble over christmas (he had literally never played before). he was an addict within hours, we had vicious competitions the entire time i was home.
April 21st, 2005 at 6:52 am
The Washington Post has its crossword puzzles online and available without a subscription. I do that one everyday! And Scrabble is marvelous!
April 22nd, 2005 at 11:39 am
One thing to remember about Scrabble is that it is more of a math game (chance and probability of letter combos) than it is a word game. Ever read Stefan Fastis’ book “Word Freak” about the pro Scrabble circuit? Fascinating. I believed it launched a movie/TV documentary, too.
April 22nd, 2005 at 2:57 pm
Peach, thanks for the recommendation, and Vince, I have heard of film but not the book, so I’ll look for them both.