Brilliancy award (if there is one at the NSC) nominee is Nigel's penultimate play in Round 21 vs. Joey.  Joey, I was pulling for ya.

Please keep Jean Carol, one of my closest friends, in your prayers.

She had a stroke last Wednesday.  I spoke to her today, and she's in pretty good spirits, despite this happening.

Her vision seems to be the major thing that has been affected.  Her body's OK, and her speech is fine.

She'll be going into a rehab center soon.  I'll let everyone know more when I know more.

I received an ipod for Christmas, and I'm just getting around to using the gift card to Itunes that came along with it.

I'd like for each of you to recommend (only) one song for me to download.

Thanks!

Joescrab

I look forward to Randy and Linda's visit next weekend.  They're two of my favorite people, and I don't get to see them often enough. 

I was best man in Randy's wedding back in 1997, and directed his first tournament back in 1990.

It's been a successful year, with its plusses and minuses.

I'm happy to have my Verizon problems fixed.  It turns out the problem was that my nephew unplugged the internet coax cable, and plugged the television's coax cable into the router (the television didn't need a coax cable!!).  Aarrrrgggghhh!!!  I spent a month thinking I needed to have someone from Verizon come out.  But I was happy that the tech guy asked me about the coax cable early in the phone call. 

So, I didn't have to have Verizon come visit me (like they desired).  Sometimes it's hard to be me, and not get my way.

I'm happy that we'll see a new rulebook in 2009.  Really, we did a lot of cleanup, and have the blank designation rule squared away (not perfect, but most of the abuse with the blank designation should be gone).  I thought we had reached a decision, but decisions (and the implementation thereof) can be difficult when written as a hard and fast rule.  The guidelines are gone (ie, incorporated where necessary into the real rules).

I look forward to seeing Janna and Marvin and the rest of my family when I visit Tennessee 2 weeks from now, and I look forward to playing in a tournament where I'm fully focused when I go up to Albany to ring in the new year!!  Yay!!!

I wonder what the shortest steal for Montana is?  Is it II for animation??

It's time to eat supper, wash dishes, pay bills, and do what other things the night may bring.....

Cheers!

Current Location: Chocolate Recliner in living room
Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: Div 1 Semifinal Commentary

It's really amazing what internal inertia (say it 5 times fast) can (or not) do.

Many tasks only take a few seconds (or minutes) to do -- it's a matter of not procrastinating.

My real middle name begins with P, not F.  I admit it -- when they have the word procrastinate in the dictionary -- you do see my picture.

Two examples in the past few days:

1) My friend Lijia let me borrow her grill when Jonathan, my nephew, visited Richmond 3 weeks ago.

I thought it would be a major task to unscrew the side doors of the grill so it would fit in her CRV.  It took a minute, if that.  She and I were able to lift the grill into her CRV, with some work, but we did it.  Yay!!!

2) Our company has a gym in another building (about a 2 minute walk) -- $20 bucks a month -- nice machines, free towel service, the whole nine yards.

I looked at the application (which I had originally filled out in mid-September) on Sunday.  I changed all the dates to December 2nd.  It took 2 minutes to walk over there.  That's it.  2 minutes.  Probably shorter than the time it took to type this.

The desk attendant said my application was accepted and the $9.23 would hit payroll deduction next Friday.  $9.23!!!!  I hit the elliptical for 45 minutes tonight.  $9.23?????  In the grand scheme of things, $240 a year is less than a buck a day.

It's really about taking the time to make some things in your life non-negotiable.  My Wednesday and Saturday workouts.  Yeh, I'm at 190 on the scale right now, but I can work on that.  I can get down to whatever the healthy weight is supposed to be.

3) I'm visiting my sleep doctor tomorrow.  I had a doctor in Charlotte, but I got off on a bad footing, and only used by CPAP machine 1 time.  Who am I hurting?  You got it -- me!!  Hopefully, he can give me some good advice on how to use the machine more frequently.

Why wait until New Years' to do resolutions??  Who suffers when you procrastinate?  It isn't just you -- it's your friends and family who love you.  It's those people you have an influence, and boy (girl) is that many!

One thing a day.  Maybe it's putting those 5 pairs of jeans in a box for Goodwill today.  Maybe it's making that phone call to reconnect with someone (perhaps an uncomfortable call).

No one's really gonna care about all the overtime you've worked.

It felt good to write this.  It was the right time.

 

Current Location: Library in Henrico Co, VA
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Bad (Good) Day -- Daniel Powter

Not sure why I'm in the "more reflective" mood lately. 

Maybe it's the undying love families give each other.

My nephew Jonathan came this past weekend to see his girlfriend and helped me get settled in my home in Glen Allen, VA.

And last week my sister Janna sent this to the John Boy and Billy show, and they felt it appropriate to broadcast.  Just thinking of how much my parents did for me makes what Janna described below seem pretty pale in comparison.

I love you Mom and Dad, and always will.  The words always and never are two superlatives you don't really understand until you are orphaned.

I have my first family (my sisters and their folks), and am fortunate to have a Scrabble second family.  "Miss Nell" Graves Crawford was my original Scrabble mentor, and she (like my Dad) passed away on November 12 (23 years later).  She instilled the gift of Scrabble, curiosity, learning that will always be remembered.  That gift of Scrabble has helped me make friends from all reaches, all walks of life, from all around the world.

I've shed more tears today when Janna told me this was going to happen.  You save those you love. I don't view it as heroism, it's instinct.  I could save Janna, Mom and Dad weren't savable until....

the telephone crew drove by about 15 minutes later (Mr. Prine and the other Southwestern Bell telephone guy), because I would have lost both parents (rather than 0) in a car burning in flames, rammed head on by a drunk driver who had jumped bail.  I got 14 1/2 years with my Mom that I never would have had.  I'm not sure how us 3 teenagers (18,17, and 14 would have turned out without the stabilizing influence of Mom).

Current Location: North Dallas
Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: .... (remember the dash in your graveyard epitaph)

Strongest records against:

David Boys 9-0 (2 games in 1990 Nationals not included in cross-tables)
Bob Linn 14-2
Ron Tiekert 11-5
Steve Alexander 5-0
Paul Epstein 13-5-1
Bob Felt 9-5
Rich Baker 8-2
Jerry Lerman 7-2
Frank Tangredi 6-0
Marlene Milkent 9-2

Weakest records against:

Mike Baron 4-9
Steve Glass 1-5
Randy Greenspan 8-12-1 (the only 20+  on this list)
Jim Geary 3-8
Trey Wright 1-6
Joe Edley 6-12
Jason Bednarz 3-4
Rita Norr Provost 7-9
David Moersdorf 0-3
Ira Cohen 3-6

Good night, Gracie

The dogs in the neighborhood (that I know of) -- of the canine kind:

Coco
Gracie
Barley
Ellie
Alice
Zoe
Vail

Current Location: Living room chocolate recliner
Current Mood: reflective

This looks like a fun topic.  Thanks to cross-tables, here's my results:

Randy Hersom 24-26

Randy, a great guy; was best man at his wedding in 1997.

Joel Sherman 17-22

Joel, you always know it's going to be a tough game.  He inspires me to play a tough game, but sometimes I don't.  Even though my rating is at a 20 year low, I feel like I'm playing better against him lately.  He's taken advantage of some of my cavalierness when I play him.

Jan Dixon 16-11

A true blue friend.  Had several games against her in the past year when I lived in Delaware.

Lisa Odom 12-12

You know you're always going to get a tough game from her, and she genuinely enjoys Scrabble(R).

Bob Lipton 10-14

Sad he doesn't really play anymore.

Paul Avrin 17-6

Another true blue person (you know where you stand with him, good or bad).

Chris Cree 12-9-1

One truly principled man.

Randy Greenspan 8-12-1

Generally a good guy with a good heart.


That's my quarter for the day.

Looby

This is the final move.  Done.  Finished.  Throw  in your other adjectives.

I am ready to stop the "gypsying" and stay.  The past year has been a rough year workwise for me.  I'll leave it at that.  I never really felt comfortable with the people.  The Scrabble in Delaware has been good, though.

I have lived in the South most of my life, and feel it's where I should be.   One doesn't really understand the phrase "fish out of water" until they are actually the fish.

We all go through phases where "Is this all there is?"  I'm done with that.  This time, the move down to Richmond is a lateral move (ie, minimal pay increase).  This is fine. 

You have to be where you're comfortable with both your work surroundings and the people outside of work.  I think I've found this with Richmond.

I've found a house where I can enjoy life until I'm dead and buried.  I also have a good friend that lives there (a plus!_), and the Elliott Yamin fan club is centered there, I believe.

I know it will take some time to get adjusted, but if I'm done being an actuary there after some time that will be OK.  I can find other things to do if I need to.

The movers are here at the townhome in Delaware, as I'm typing this.  I look forward to my house on the golf course in Richmond.

Not too bad, if you ask me.

John (you're average Joe)

Current Location: kitchen in Delaware
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: quiet jazz

Aargh!  

I know I'm drinking too many diet cokes (average about 5 a day).  It's possibly an Aspartame problem.

Can anyone suggest ways to cut down on the number without completely crashing?  

Perhaps drinking diet drinks with a Splenda alternative?

Perhaps not drinking diet drinks?

But I can't go from 5 to 0 in a split second.

Thanks,
Joescrab