Scrabble-icious
If Beyonce can make bootylicious into a word, then I can certainly create a word, too. Scrabble-icious.

It may not be in a Scrabble dictionary, but I hereby declare it a word.

I love Scrabble. It's the best board game ever. In fact, playing Scrabble is a family tradition, passed down from many generations on my Dad's side of the family. Scrabble is a way of life for us. We are the Scrabble.

I remember many times as a kid, watching my dad and grandma go at it in a heated game of Scrabble. My dad is literally a genius, very smart and able to recall things that normal people just do not know. He is also very sneaky and crafty and he absolutely hates to lose. He plays Scrabble ruthlessly, not afraid to cheat if he can get away with it. He will win, whatever the cost.

My grandma is also quite smart, and even more sneaky and cheat-y than my dad. She's wirey and scrappy and she plays dirty. So, games of Scrabble between the two of them are often a battle of who can get away with more words that aren't actual words. On more than one occasion, I would glance at the board only to recognize none of the words on the board, and to learn later that most of the 'words' I saw do not exist in any language known to man.

Eventually I was old enough to play with them, but this was a scary initiation into the Scrabble way of life. I, too, hate to lose. And while I am also a genius, I'm just no match for my dad. I had to learn the tricks of the game, quickly, to stay afloat playing with the pros: where to place words for maximum points, how to use the 'Q' most effectively, not to fear the 'X', and most importantly of all, if you think it might be a word, play it and keep a straight face about it. Bluffing is half the game. Especially if you 'accidentally' lose the dictionary before the game starts, and no one can challenge you to prove you are wrong.

Family times of Scrabble were always great fun, as well as nerve-wracking. It's an intense time of thinking, waiting, and strategy. I always pledge in the off-season to read more of the dictionary, so I can be more prepared with good words, but I never get around to it. My dad's vast knowledge of random words always throws me. I never know when to challenge him on a word that is likely not a word, even if I know it is not a word. Somehow he manages to put down words that are questionable, yet seem to exist in the dictionary we use on any given occasion. And when I'm wrong about one of his words, he will taunt me with that until the game is over, and beyond.

Of course, the few instances when I have successfully challenged and debunked his 52-point 'word' on a Triple Word Score, these have been oh so sweet. They are rare, but they feel good. Of course, I usually pay for it during the next round, but for just a moment, victory is mine.

As time goes on, so the tide changes with Family Scrabble. My grandma has since insisted that she is not smart enough to play with us anymore. I remember a few Scrabble-ings ago, she just simply refused to play. I don't know if I've gotten so good at it that she feels she can't compete with my dad and me, or what the motivation is for her retirement from the game. But, she bowed out gracefully. A true champion of the game. I don't think I ever beat her, and that's the way it should be.

My dad, however, is still the ultimate challenge. So in 2004, I feel it is time for another shift in the tide of Family Scrabble. I have vowed to hone my skills, to learn new words, to develop a better Scrabble-face for bluffing, and to most importantly not let my dad intimidate me with his Scrabble antics during game play.

People, it is on.

How do I plan to accomplish this? With my secret weapon: a Scrabble page-a-day desk calendar.

Every morning when I arrive at work, I can turn the page of my calendar for a new Scrabble fact, trivia question, or brain-teaser puzzle. All of which are fine-tuning my skills, knowledge, and genius in preparation for the next Scrabble match. I am learning while knowing the day of the year, all at once. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have 365 days of Scrabble goodness, on my desk at work.

It will keep me sharp and ready, always aware.

So far, however, it makes me feel really stupid. Who knew a calendar could be so much smarter than I am? Man, this is a tough calendar. Especially early in the morning.

It's a whole new level of Scrabble superiority that I hope to embrace and wield with confidence, forevermore.

I may, in fact, become too scrabble-icious for you, dad.

C.T.