Thirteen Thursday: The 13 Score
1. While playing scrabble last week with my friend Mara, at one point she confessed, “I want Sy Safransky (editor of the Sun Magazine) to love me.” I think I can work that line into a poem.
2. I also played with my friend Alex in the sunny alcove of her kitchen. At times her cat wanted to plop itself right in the middle of the scrabble board. “She likes to be the center of attention,” Alex explained.
3. Alex, an accomplished artist, is undergoing serious cancer treatments and currently only feels good one week out of every three. I feel honored that she would want to play scrabble with me during her good week.
4. I caught some of the “Oprah” episode where she was (rightfully so) taking author James Frey to task for presenting his book as a memoir when, in fact, much of it was fictionalized. While watching, I found myself wishing that someone would take President Bush to task for the mushroom clouds and other distorted images and misrepresentations he used to take the country to war. Shouldn’t we hold presidents at least as accountable as authors?
5. When my blog page was recently off center for a week, I felt off-centered too.
6. Being off-centered wasn’t as bad as being unable to post. That was like being in an at-fault car accident. While cruising in my main index template (actually, it was more like parallel parking), I took my eyes off the road for a second and took out a large section of code. The blog paramedic eventually came and helped me out, but since then I’ve been afraid to go back to the scene. There are several blogs I want to add to my links list, but I have to work up the courage.
7. Walking in town last week with the wind whipping through my coat and stinging my ears, I walked past The Blue Ridge Café and the sign on the door said, “Shirt and shoes required.” Duh.
8. I found two new regional blogs. Well, one found me. DL, at the Blue Ridge Gazette, writes to “celebrate, educate, and raise awareness” of all that The Blue Ridge Mountain region and its people have to offer. Through a link on his site I found another Floyd blogger, The Blue Ridge Writer. Two more sites for my blog link waiting list.
9. I was really disgusted by the recent news that Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company, recently claimed the largest corporate profit in U.S. history, while we’re all paying higher gas prices and many people can barely afford to heat their homes.
10. In and out… our hands descend…into the drawstring bag…as if the letters in it were nuggets of gold…and we could be rich if only we could spell…Rumplestilskin… I definitely feel a Scrabble poem coming on.
11. Sitting down to work on a poem draft is a lot like sitting down with a crossword puzzle. It’s fun and frustrating at the same time and something I can easily spend way too much time on. It can even sound like I’m doing a crossword puzzle. While writing, I often call out questions to my husband…like, “What’s another word for “spill.” He suggests, “leak,” and I shout back, “No. I can’t use leak. I already used it.”
12. One of my favorite quotes on writing poetry is this one by Marianne Moore: “In a poem the word should be as pleasing to the ear as the meaning is to the mind.”
13. A quote by Brian Cappelletto, former World Scrabble Champion, helps me put the game in perspective and to feel okay when I lose: “The game has luck, no doubt about it. It is up to the individual player to figure out how best to minimize the bad and maximize the good. Failing that, one can always blame their shortcomings on having a fuller, more interesting life than those who have done well in this game.”
Post note: Visit Nicole at the The Girl Next Door for the rules of the 13 Thursday game.
February 2nd, 2006 9:43 am
I have felt off-center for awhile.
Writing poetry is definately an exercise of the mind and of the soul.
February 2nd, 2006 9:50 am
Every time I stop over here I want to play scrabble with you!!
I get wonky if anything is out of alignment at my place, too. You’re totally normal – or obsessed, one or the other. 😉
I played today!
xoxox
February 2nd, 2006 9:55 am
#9 got to me too, Colleen. I have been their customer for 44 years, but Imay be changing to independent stations now.
Regarding Sy S. and sun Magazine: I had forgotten about this. We used to read it all the time back in the 70’s, and I never see it around here anymore. Is it still being published?
February 2nd, 2006 10:10 am
happy thursday!!
scrabble is one of those games I can be really good at, but then really bad at. I love drawing nothing but vowels!
I can relate about the poetry. I try to stay away from the rhyming stuff because I usually use at least one word that I cannot find anything to rhyme with.
nice 13! mine are up!
February 2nd, 2006 10:46 am
I love playing scrabble… but, sometimes I just can’t make sense of all those random letters! I find that I start trying to make up words… hehe.. 🙂
I’m playing this week.
February 2nd, 2006 10:51 am
I love scrabble but I haven’t played in a while.Nr 9: it really is disgusting…Thanks for visiting my TT
February 2nd, 2006 11:01 am
I liked your comment on how President Bush should be held accountable for his actions. Perhaps you should send a copy of this to Oprah. 🙂
February 2nd, 2006 11:34 am
Ohhh, the Sun magazine!!! Is that still out there? I was a regular subscriber and when I moved out of town, I sort of lost it. Man, oh man I would love to get that magazine again. Would you mind sending me an address or a link so that I can renew my subscription from eons ago???
My 13 are up.
February 2nd, 2006 12:18 pm
Hiya hunnie! I love scrabble! It’s the only game I could ever get my dad to play with me. lol Happy TT! 🙂
February 2nd, 2006 12:23 pm
I liked your Thursday list Col. # 4 was my favorite!
4. I caught some of the “Oprah” episode where she was taking author James Frey to task for presenting his book as a memoir when, in fact, much of it was fictionalized. While watching, I found myself wishing that someone would take President Bush to task for the mushroom clouds and other distorted images and misrepresentations he used to take the country to war. Shouldn’t we hold presidents at least as accountable as authors?
February 2nd, 2006 1:14 pm
Me thinks #4 and #9 are corollaries. As for the cats, they always want to be the center of attention. Without fail 😉
February 2nd, 2006 1:58 pm
I’m not a scrabble person. Maybe because of the time I played in college and we were doing shots and decided to “make it interesting?………. Well that’s another story. I write poetry as well, but I have to be in a mood.
February 2nd, 2006 2:14 pm
Enjoyed your list.
My 13 are up
http://snaphappymom.blogspot.com
February 2nd, 2006 2:37 pm
1.If you use Blogroll you can do a one click maneuver and ‘presto’ the new site is added. No cutting or pasting codes.
2.Oprah just doesn’t seem that sincere to me.
3.And I too feel a bit “off-kilter”. (Used that term often, finally looked it up. It fits. Means: a bit askew.
4.I don’t think I could ever get to 13.
Chemotherapy is brutal, pass our good wishes and prayers on to your friend.
February 2nd, 2006 3:06 pm
I really must start playing scrabble again.
My Thursday 13 are up…I will make sure I link you!
Changed my layout again
February 2nd, 2006 3:08 pm
I enjoyed reading your 13, Colleen. I hope Alex’s treatments are a great success. Have you ever played “Speed Scrabble”? I love that version. My 13 are posted — long ones this week.
February 2nd, 2006 3:51 pm
Happy TT Wonderful blog you have and great list.
I love playing Scrabble, but Iam not that good at it.
Totally agree with you on the President Bush one.
Hugs Suz
http://goinons.blogspot.com/
February 2nd, 2006 4:36 pm
Seems like a pipe-dream that any politician will ever be held responsible for their actions.
Thanks for visiting my site. My 13: http://www.dcroe.com/blog.html
February 2nd, 2006 5:30 pm
scrabble is a great game and this is a very thought provoking list.
my TT is here http://adventuresinjuggling.blogspot.com/
February 2nd, 2006 7:08 pm
Great take on the TT! I like it.
My TT are up!
February 2nd, 2006 8:44 pm
My cat does the same thing ,she will come up and sit on my laptop or right in front of the computer monitor. I feel like going to play some word game online now!
February 2nd, 2006 9:06 pm
Your Thursday 13s are always a treat. I look forward to them each week.
February 3rd, 2006 4:52 am
I like your TT very much Colleen…I agree that our President should be held to at the very least, as High a standrad as we hold writers!
What a world, Huh? When Exxon is cleaning up!!!
February 3rd, 2006 11:19 am
Another wonderful list!
(You’re lucky you only felt off-centered for a short time. I feel that way most of the time! :p)
My 13 are up!…late!
February 4th, 2006 9:59 am
Your number 4 and number 9 are right on the money!
February 5th, 2006 7:28 pm
I like the picture! It goes well with your list. And though I’m from a different country, I can totally relate to the oil price hike your having. We’re having that crisis here too. 🙁
Have a great week!