April 13, 2022

Alright I'll play 🤓

IT'S NATIONAL SCRABBLE DAY

I am not what anyone would call a board game enthusiast, yet I am surrounded by friends and family who love nothing more than to play board games all day. I can usually be found embezzling all the cash from the Monopoly bank, just to make the game end faster. I'll play Scrabble, though. It doesn't have a zillion complex rules to remember, and it appeals to the logophile* in me.

* Logophile = love of words. A new word about words, how fun!

A few Scrabble facts for my fellow word nerds:

1. Artist/unemployed architect Alfred Mosher developed the game during The Great Depression. Mosher was born on this day in 1899.

2. In 1984 Scrabble was a daytime game show on NBC.

3. Scrabble was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2004.

* Not a fact, but a shameless plug: Boredwalk's spiral notebooks are perfect for keeping game scores; if you're wondering what to get your Scrabble playing mom for Mother's Day, look no further.

Granny playing scrabble with the F word gif

This will be me in my dotage, playing Scrabble and insisting that the F-word is a valid play.

*****

We have a few April 13th birthday mentions before we get to this week's round up of amusing links:

Actor Ron Perlman was born on this day in 1950. Hope his day is all Beauty and no Beast.

Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov was born on this day in 1963. Kasparov also holds records for the most consecutive professional tournament victories and Chess Oscars. Who knew "Chess Oscars" were even a thing?

Author Samuel Beckett was born on this day in 1906. Beckett's work often featured the bleak tragicomic side of life, so I feel like he and I would have gotten along great. If you recognize his name it's probably because your kinda hip high school or college lit teacher probably made you read Waiting for Godot.

Actor, producer, director, and screenwriter Glenn Howerton was born on this day in 1976. Howerton is best known for playing Dennis Reynolds on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Fun fact: the machines that print all the Boredwalk tees, hoodies, bags, etc., are all named after characters from that show. Here are Charlie and Frank in action!


3rd US President Thomas Jefferson was born on this day in 1743. Jefferson was a principal author of the Declaration of Independence and is famous for more historical events than I feel like writing about, but you went to school, you've probably heard of him.

Now on to some amusing links!

*****

1. This cake is a dump

TikToker B Dylan Hollis offers an amusing short on how to make a "dump cake," easily the grossest sounding dessert.

2. The teeny tiniest of pop up books

This Japanese miniaturist makes the most impressive intricate pop up books, complete with battery operated lighting. Very impressive!

3. Pit Bull/Raccoon friendship? Adorable!

Super sweet footage of a pit bull playing surrogate mom to an orphaned raccoon.

4. The darkest of arts

Admire the bleak trippy world of this Instagram account featuring original and very spooky surrealist illustrations.

5. An island of haunted dolls? Mexico, you're wild!

I had no idea Mexico had an island of creepy dolls and now I have only one travel ambition.

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OK! Hopefully these little diversions helped to brighten your day! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with more entertainment and Boredwalk news and a secret limited edition weekend drop you will NOT want to miss! Until then...

Peace, love, and Scrabble,

Meredith