They Say Competitive Eating is a sport...

I think it has to be the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.

I’m all for eating contests, but the Hot Dog eating contest at Nathan’s is just completely sick.

One guy was literally SHAKING after eating 40 dogs, and he’s still kept going.

ESPN (of all stations) aired this as a Live event from Nathan’s Hot Dogs.   Competitive Eating, which is mindless eating, and Poker, which has no physicality to it,  are considered “Sports “ but Scrabble isn’t?  Scrabble falls into the poker category, because it’s a mind game, and much more cerebral than Poker is anyways.  

Matrix, here I Come :)

Finally got a second monitor for my computer.  I have them sitting side by side so I can work on 2 application at the same time – it’s really useful for having music going on one screen and you main application on the second.  

All I need now is a third digital monitor, and I’ll have a Matrix-Style setup. (

Check my custom.... Board (with apologies to the Beach Boys)

Woohoo! It’s completed!

With the help of a close friend of mine and 2 hours of work, I finally have a custom round Scrabble board.

I’ll post picture as soon as I can, but I’ve got to say, that it came out looking fantastic.

From the "You have got to be kidding files"...

Foiled Burglar Sues Store Employees for 'Emotional Distress'
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y.  — A man who was beaten by employees of a store he was trying to rob is now suing.
Police say Dana Buckman entered the AutoZone in Rochester, New York, last July, brandished a semi-automatic pistol and demanded cash.
That's when employees Eli Crespo and Jerry Vega beat him with a pipe and held Buckman at bay with his own gun.
Buckman escaped when they retreated into the store to call 911, but he was arrested a week later. He pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a repeat violent felon.
Now Buckman is suing the auto parts store and the two employees who beat him, claiming they committed assault and battery and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

1 Year of Scrabble....

Tomorrow is big day.

It marks the 1 year anniversary of the Auburn Scrabble Club, and I’ll finally be creating my custom round rotating scrabble board. It’s not as nice as the one in the picture above, but it’ll do the trick until I can get it sanded and painted.

I’m hoping to have a two-tone paint scheme, maybe a design on the sides and top in one color, and the rest of the board in a different color as well.

Avatar - and of course, Scrabble

I have a couple things to share.

First, I’ve never been a huge fan of Nickelodeon Studios animation. I liked Hey Arnold and Rocko’s Modern Life, but that’s about it.

Until today.

I saw “Avatar: The Last Airbender” today, and I have to say – WOW. This is the BEST stuff to come out of Nick Studios in years.

It’s the story of a young man name Aang that has the power to manipulate air. Think Captain Planet and the Planeteers, but without the rings or tree-hugging message.

The animation is not true anime (the animation is done stateside), but it looks like it come out of Japan. It’s very similar to the style from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and it looks fantastic. The plot is very mature (not sexually, but more so in an adolescent nature), especially considering it’s Nick fare, and the voice acting is great.

Second – I’m a word freak.

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I love to play Scrabble. And now I’ve gone as far to create an Excel spreadsheet with to help with board layouts, score sheet, tile tracking AND a column to write notes during a game.

Boston Area Tournament!

BAT 2006… Wow… What a cool experience.

Went down to Westford on Saturday – after spending the night in Portsmouth Friday Night. Had a complete blast playing in my first ever Scrabble tournament.

I ended up placing 8th out of 12 players, with a Win/Loss record of 3/3 and I accomplished what I set out to do – Go home either breaking even or with more wins than losses.

Picked up a Pocket SamTimer and a set of Protiles. And I played the highest scoring non-bingo word – RELAX – for 81 points, and won a customized BAT 25th 2006 tilebag. Sherri St. John makes them for prizes - it’s a faux suede bag – looks and feels real nice.

I can’t wait until next year – I’ll be playing in the big tournament. There were about 200 people playing, and it was an incredible sight to see. Custom round boards, customized racks, and incredibly quiet! But I think I can do well in the Division D Tourney.