I really don’t want to know the answer.\u00a0 It is just a game.\u00a0 Getting the win is fun, but I am not a better person if I win or a worse person if I lose.\u00a0 If YWIS (Your World Is Scrabble) then we have little in common.<\/p>\n
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I have always tried to enjoy my interests and hobbies without feeling that I have to be the best — or even very good — at them.\u00a0 At times, this has led me to resent our culture of virtuosity, where only excellence is admired and anything less means that your rightful place is in the audience.<\/p>\n
Imagine a world in which human creativity and intelligence are not stifled by poverty, racism, sexism and fundamentalism.\u00a0 Imagine what might blossom, if everyone in the world had the wherewithal (as I do) to achieve even their most modest goals (as I try to).<\/p>\n
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I know this is getting old, as it feels old to me.\u00a0 I am still working on my The Price is Right<\/em> optimum-bid research paper.\u00a0 Since my last post, I did more study and found more data, and those findings led me to revise half of my text and almost all of my graphs.\u00a0 So my new goal is to submit my paper to the MDPI Games Journal<\/a>\u00a0by Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n I need to finish this vanity project so I can move forward with my other vanity projects.<\/p>\n I resigned this month as the editor of our homeowner-association directory, after eight years of way-overthinking it.\u00a0 I had originally volunteered because I was tired of seeing stock photos on the cover of the directory — of course, my photos would be much better.\u00a0 Like most volunteer work, it was a thankless task. \u00a0 Well, a few people did say thanks over the years, cancelling out those who found something to complain about.<\/p>\n As I said, time to move forward with my other vanity projects.<\/p>\n Fall-color-season in the Pisgah Forest of North Carolina has arrived again.\u00a0 Which means that local tourism is in full-swing.\u00a0 I don’t really get it.\u00a0 Around our place, the leaves turn a dull yellow, then a crispy brown, then they fall off (except for oaks, which hang onto their leaves until spring, requiring two fall cleanups).\u00a0 The brilliantly-colored trees, the maples and red oaks, are not as abundant here as they are in Pennsylvania and points north.<\/p>\n I say to the great people of Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama, drive another eight hours to the north, especially to the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania, if you want to see some really unforgettable fall colors and help reduce traffic congestion in Asheville.<\/p>\n Forgive me Readers, it has been four months since my last confession. I have mostly, not entirely, given up online Scrabble.\u00a0 I recently engaged in a few games with a randomly-selected opponent named Nadine.\u00a0 Thanks to lucky letters, I defeated … Continue reading
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\n![\"Apathy](\"http:\/\/chcollins.com\/100Billion\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ashe_9154-224x300.jpg\" "\\"Apathy")
<\/a>I voted early.\u00a0 Afterwards, I stuck my voting sticker on the rear-view mirror of my car.\u00a0 It may be too much to hope that my quantum act of political will will make a large-scale difference, but you never know.\u00a0 Like the Mega Millions lottery, you may only be one of 300 million but someone is going to win.\u00a0 You folks who bought a lottery ticket and figured out how to spend that billion dollars, I invite you to take the same chance on voting — it is free and the payoff is much better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"