I just reviewed my last Blog entry of December 14 and realized that I have already expressed most of my beliefs of the events of the day so I do not feel the need to repeat myself. I will just make a few observations and then move towards more important issues that actually have to relate to Scrabble and the like.
A few of you do not see the need to mix Scrabble with politics. And I agree. This is NOT a political statement. Since I have no other venues to discuss my feelings, I very rarely use this platform to do so. But I have to vent somewhere so here it goes. Bear with me… LOL…
It was August 9, 1974. Do you know where you were that day? Richard Nixon stepped down. Vice-President Gerald Ford told the nation “Ladies and gentlemen, Our national tragedy is over”. History has repeated itself. Out goes the nasty tweets, the malignant narcissism, the persistent lies. No more insurrections, double impeachments, talk of election fraud. In comes civility, empathy and compassion to the White House. Now we have a President who acts presidential and actually has a plan. Now you will see someone who will take hold of this pandemic and get everyone vaccinated!!
In fact, some of us have already been vaccinated or waiting for our second shots. The sooner we all get our shots, the sooner we can meet again at Scrabble Club 34 at the IHOP on Tuesday afternoon. There are plenty of facilities that are offering the vaccine. You just have to find them. Be proactive and look for them. You can go online and apply to an application called Othena and wait your turn. But do not wait for someone to call you. You can find them. I think that by June at the latest, we should all be vaccinated and playing at Club 34 once again.
Once I know when we will meet, I will notify you with another Blog post and I will also call each and everyone of you to say hello and find out if you plan to attend our introductory lunch and birthday celebration for Desiree’s 100th which occurs this April. All you will need is a vaccination card to bring with you for that first day!! And of course a mask….. More on that later.
Virtual clubs have been a blessing. They have shown their faces from Huntington Beach all the way to Washington DC. TNVSC34 made its first appearance in April 10 months ago. It is stronger than ever with 46 current and active members. A new club showed up last week. Alan Stern started his own virtual club last Wednesday night at 6pm. It has become a huge success with a very strong roster of players. If you are interested in joining, contact Alan at homeruns@ca..rr.com.
2020 was a terrible year for all of us. Our way of life has been drastically compromised. For me personally, there were a few highlights. On February 2, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs won a Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. It threatens to repeat on February 7. If we win this Sunday, we will be back in the Super Bowl. There has not been a back to back winner since 2004. In April TNVSC34 was created bringing lots of joy to many of us…
But the most exciting thing in my life happened August 2 when I found out I would become a grandfather for the first time. I mentioned this in the December 14 post entry and also referenced Mindy’s baby registry. Some of you have already taken advantage of this and we are very thankful. Please take a look at babylist.com/Mindy-Poder. If you feel benevolent, Mindy and Josh will be ever so appreciative!!
It has been my honor to have served you since 2014. It has been the joy of my life to be the Scrabble Director of Club 34. My original goal was to develop a close knit family that meets every week to play Scrabble. And that is exactly what has happened. A few years ago Itzi Burns gave us our first Club 34 baby, a pretty remarkable feat since most of us are 70 years or older, much older. LOL…
Many of us actually talk to each other outside of the Club. We have lots of Scrabble parties. We do all kinds of things. But one thing I never thought we would do is bring 2 lonely hearts together. The furthest thing from my mind!! Last year a young lady by our standards showed up at the IHOP on a Tuesday afternoon looking for a Scrabble game. Two days later she showed up at a SuperScrabble event. There she met this lonely looking gentleman with an accent who did not seem to know his way around a Scrabble board.. Their eyes crossed and the rest is history. They are now together and I hear that they have actually fallen in love. I could not be happier for their happiness and wish them all the best. I also feel sorta responsible for this union. That makes me extremely happy. Club 34 wishes much good fortune and blessings to Anthea Palmos and Amnon Meyers. We can only hope that they continue giving us remarkable stats for Scrabble Club 34 for many years to come….
David Poder, Director
