Words with Suzy

I’m not much of a gamester although both my parents played bridge,  my dad played chess,  and my mom played mah jongg,   (See My Game Mother)

Of course as a kid I certainly played Monopoly and all the other popular board games of the day,  and in fact for years there was a tiny Clue candlestick mixed in with the paperclips in my desk.   But I don’t have any especially warm childhood memories of playing them.  (Rather a favorite game I loved playing was the admittedly wimpy Pick-Up Sticks!)

And in later years when Trivial Pursuit was all the rage I’d play,  although the thespian in me always campaigned for Charades instead.

But the one board game I’ve always played is Scrabble,   in fact I’ve written about my love for the game before.  (See Tales of the Scrabble Table,  and Cantor Gladys)

So when everyone seemed to be playing card games and chess and mah jongg online –  and especially since Covid of course – friends asked me to play with them but I always declined.   And then they urged me to try Words with Friends –  “It’s online Scrabble”,  they would say,   “and you know how much you love Scrabble!”

In fact a friend even got me the Words with Friends app,  set me up,  and challenged me to a game.   But it was still no dice,  until I was finally convinced to give it a try by another friend,  a very persuasive California lawyer gal who some of you may know.

Soon I was playing regularly with 7 or 8 friends,  all whom would usually slaughter me.   Although I’m not very competitive and I play for the fun and not the glory,  all those losses were starting to sting.

Now since I do pride myself on being a hot-shot Scrabble player,   why,  you may ask,  was I always losing?   Well, it seem Words with Friends allows you to play foreign words,  proper nouns,  slang,  abbreviations,  anagrams,  and a zillion 2 and 3 letter words you never heard of  –  none of these allowed in a serious Scrabble game.

At first when my opponents played those obscure little words I’d stop and look them up – not that I was doubting my friends,  the little checks on the screen told me the words were legit –  I just thought it a great way to improve my vocabulary.

But the dinner table conversations I’d usually find myself in rarely centered on QI  – the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis for much Chinese philosophy and medicine.   And seldom over coffee or drinks with friends did I find myself discussing VIG – the exorbitant interest paid to loansharks..

So now I’ve stopped looking up words,  and have given up my Scrabble mindset.  Now I just move my tiles around the board until I see a little check that tells me I have an acceptable word,  and I don’t give a damn what it means.

So watch out,  my Words with Friends friends,  now that I know the score it’s no more Mrs Nice Guy.   Now I’m out for blood.

– Dana Susan Lehrman

Life is a Highway 

You may remember that I’ve banged up a few cars in my day, including my husband’s beloved T -bird.  (See Fender Bender and Rainy Night on the Highway)

Finally I decided it was time to face the music and so early one Sunday morning I found myself at a mid-town hotel for a day-long AAA defensive driving course.

Our instructor was a very likable guy named Freddy who told some funny stories about cabbies and delivery guys on bikes that got lots of laughs from our roomful of New Yorkers.  Then Freddy opened his laptop,  projected a short video on a wall screen,  and began to deliver an informative defensive driving tutorial when I realized his tips for navigating the road seemed like sound advice for navigating through life as well.   Here are my notes.

“Keep your eyes on the road ahead … Expect some bumps along the way … When you’re in a tight spot you may have to back up before you can move forward … Ask for a push if you’re in a rut …  … Get out of the driver’s seat if it starts to feel uncomfortable …  And always be prepared for stormy weather.” 

At 4:00 when our session ended Freddy stood at the door to shake our hands,  and we filed out of the room to the Rascal Flatts song Life is a Highway now playing on his laptop.

Life’s like a road you travel on/

When there’s one day here, and the next day gone/ 

Sometimes you bend,  sometimes you stand/

Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.

Thanks Freddy,  and safe journeys everyone!

– Dana Susan Lehrman 

Rainy Night on the Highway

I confess I’m not the best of drivers and I’ve had my share of accidents,  and have also taken some blame when I wasn’t even behind the wheel.  (See Fender Bender,  and The Chain Letter and the Fender Bender)

Back in the late 60s I was working in a public library and my schedule included a few late nights each month.  I had a 30 minute highway commute and normally I didn’t mind the drive,  but one dark night as I pulled out of the library parking lot to head home it started to rain heavily.

Now one big perk of being a librarian is that you get first dibs on the new books when they arrive,  and that day I had gotten hold of Ira Levin’s new novel Rosemary’s Baby.  Although not a horror fan,  I was intrigued by the hype and anxious to read it.  In fact as I got into my car I had the book in my hand and I put it down on the passenger seat.

By the time I got to the highway the rain was coming down in buckets,  and I soon spotted what was obviously a multi-vehicle collision up ahead with cars and police and an ambulance spanning two or three of the opposing lanes.  As drivers rubber-necked to see the accident,  the traffic on my side of the highway slowed to a crawl,   and it seemed a good time for me to sneak a look at a few pages of Rosemary’s Baby.

Then,  you guessed it – the roadway was wet and my car was still in gear,  and while my eyes were on the book I rear-ended the car ahead of me.

So there we were – cop cars diverting traffic around us as we exchanged insurance information in the pouring rain,  and me thanking my lucky stars no one was hurt,  especially the three little kids in the back seat of the other car.

Despite a badly damaged front end,  my car was drivable and I made it home,  both me and the car in one piece,  although the front bumper was hanging on for dear life.

And so that rainy night on the highway I learned an important and very costly lesson.  Now I read only at red lights,  and I try to remember to put the car in park.

– Dana Susan Lehrman

We didn't think too much of it; at least, I didn't think much of it until ...
Read More