Back to the Club

I returned to the Scrabble club last night.

In my first game, I played against Joan, who likes to chatter and complain about her tiles. She only stops when she's about to lay down some 50+ point play, so I've come to enjoy the chatter. During this game she complained about getting nothing but vowels, which was true because I got nothing but consonants. Of the two problems, I prefer the latter, although both are frustrating. I played off a Q early with QANAT off a hanging AT, and I had to use a blank to make a 49 point XU on a triple letter score. Then Joan played JAKE for 69 points to make me pay for opening the triple line with YERK for 33. It seemed like the first time I ever got more than 1 vowel, I was able to bingo with ERINGOS, using the blank for an E. Joan was upset that I didn't make it a G for GRINGOS so she challenged it and lost, which iced the game for me. When she asked me what it was, I said, "It's SINGER+O or GROINS+E." But really she wanted the definition (a medicinal herb).

In my next game I played an early SOOTIER for 73 points, after having challenged off BROTHREN* (BRETHREN is good). I also played a stinky play with TURD for 22, and an offensive play with DAGO for 24. I missed the N hook on HERO for HERON; I could have played INERTIA. I also got to play EMF on a TWS. I won the game pretty handily, and was starting to feel like the cock of the wok.

But Annette put me back in my place. I played an early SENARII for 72, but Annette retorted with a double-double SHOALIER for 94, which I unsuccessfully challenged. I later let her get away with WELP* (WHELP and WELT are good). Then she bingoed with TRAINER and OUSTERS. I couldn't catch a break and tried a desperate phoney (MINTLES*) before succumbing 315 to 509. Ouch!