"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Addiction

I often wake at night - and battle to get back to sleep.  So, I have been sitting in my armchair in the wee dark hours, playing solitaire on my phone until I am bored tired enough to try hitting the sack again.  Last week, when RMan asked me what I did whilst I was up at night, and I said I play innumerable games of solitaire, and he said "What about Scrabble?"

RMan hates Scrabble.  Getting him to play a game of Scrabble with me is asking for one enormous favour.

Years ago, back when we lived in town, I played Scrabble online - at this site.  That was back when we had an adsl line and unlimited bandwidth and there wasn't any farm work to be taken care of.

 ISC has scrabble for many languages, and they even have Scrabble in english for those from the UK (SOWPODS) or those from the USA (TWL) - to make allowance for the differing ways of spelling.

When we first moved here we had very limited internet bandwidth.  Connecting to the internet was purely for business purposes and was done through an unreliable dongle.  Now, thanks to the business on-line requirements, I have reasonable whack of our monthly 10Gb wireless broadband internet available.

10Gb and a relatively stable internet connection means that options are open.
I guess most bloggers like writing.  Does that mean that most bloggers like words?

I do.

 So - as RMan had reminded prompted me, I followed instructions.
Scrabble on my phone
Literally as RMan's words left his mouth I had my phone in hand and was busy finding a Scrabble game to download on my phone lol

However, that is not ideal, as the game chews through the battery.  And the dang phone keyboard is so small I can barely see it, never mind use it.
Scrabble on the laptop
So, I went back to my faithful Scrabble provider - ISC.  On the laptop.

I'm a happy puppy again...

I have laptop Scrabble when the power streams into the batteries, and cell phone Scrabble for nighttime.

Except,  now I still can't get any sleep because I constantly have words streaming through my brain with fingers permanently counting if they're a 7-letter word or not, or what to do with the dreaded v, c and u letters, or starting with wag, which becomes wage, which becomes wager, which becomes wagers, or swages...

 It's hopeless...

 ... I can't stop my brain.

Yup - I'm reckon that I qualify as an addict!

 Thankfully, playing this game - like the jigsaw site I gave you the other day - does not entail chopping down any trees, nor manufacturing any plastic, nor does it have a transport footprint, and doesn't cost me a cent - except for bandwidth, which is paid for already and is wasted if I don't use it.

 For your info - you can either play a person, or, if after you have played the first 11 games, and have a verified score, you can play a "bot" - which doesn't have an atitude, is not rude, and doesn't distract with idle chatter.  Not everyone on ISC is like that - but there are some...

 If anyone decides to join ISC, and you do a handle search (my ISC handle is in the top left hand corner of the screen capture above) and you see me online - why don't we have a game... :)
Posted by Dani at 12:57:00
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12 comments:

  1. Vicki3 February 2015 at 15:28

    My mother lived for many years in a nursing home in the small town where she and my father grew up. Every evening my Dad would sit with my mother and often they played Scrabble. If I couldn't be there, I phoned. I'd ask Dad, who answered the phone, what they were doing. He replied they were playing Scrabble. I asked who was winning. He always said that Mother was - but she cheats!!

    I don't think either of my parents ever cheated at anything in their entire lives, which made his response even more funny to me. Thanks for reviving some good memories. I have their Scrabble game complete with the duct tape holding the box together!

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    1. Dani4 February 2015 at 20:09

      Vicki - Scrabble + kids or grandkids = lots of fun - and they learn something at the same time -;

      Delete
  2. Bill3 February 2015 at 16:02

    You have me smiling this morning. I went through that with on-line chess. It became more and more consuming so eventually I had to quit it cold-turkey. Too many "I'll go to bed after one more game" moments. :)

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    1. Dani4 February 2015 at 20:16

      Bill - RMan is also crazy about chess and has the game on his phone.

      I know what you mean about "one more game"... lol

      Games are good - they keep the brain working and active whilst amusing us ;)

      Delete
  3. Quinn3 February 2015 at 16:09

    I'm glad you've found something to help you with insomnia. I also tend to wake after a short time, and then can't get back to sleep due to pain (which is usually what woke me in the first place). I find audiobooks can sometimes distract me enough to get back to sleep, but I have to choose the book carefully to avoid being woken again by a strange voice suddenly shouting in the dark!

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    1. Dani4 February 2015 at 20:19

      Quinn - my problem is putting a good book down...

      Giggle - how often has the strange voice woken you...?

      Delete
  4. Harry Flashman3 February 2015 at 17:27

    Do they sell melatonine there? I first heard of it when it was prescribed for one of my ferrets. But I found out that humans take it for sleeplessness. So how I take a magnesium tablet and two melatonine gummy bear tablets in the evening and I sleep pretty well.

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    1. Dani4 February 2015 at 20:22

      Harry - I also take magnesium - I'll check out melatonine - thanks :)

      Delete
  5. DFW3 February 2015 at 22:55

    I agree wholeheartedly with Harry. I used to have a heck of a time falling asleep as well as staying asleep until I found melatonine. It is a life saver for me & I only have to take 1/2 a pill. My Dr. says it doesn't work for him but his wife sears by it. It is in the vitamin section of the drug stores here. Regardless, glad you found scrabble again.

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    1. Dani4 February 2015 at 20:24

      Dallas - I've not heard of melatonine but will check if I can find it here. Thanks :)

      Scrabble - love it.... :)

      Delete
  6. Bag End Gardener7 February 2015 at 09:43

    I may have to investigate this, thank you! I adore Scrabble - Management does not. Our problem is that whilst he's an extremely clever chap, I nearly always win . . . guess our brains work in different ways.

    I've also suffered disturbed sleep for years and found NOT using a computer before bedtime makes a huge difference (Google will explain). Melatonin is only available in this country on prescription, please can I be a grinch and say do some research about the possible side-effects before you try it?

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    1. Dani8 February 2015 at 10:56

      Jayne - Sounds like Management is the same as RMan. Yeah, RMan isn't too shabby in the grey matter department, but he just doesn;t like word games...

      Thanks for the concern - I did ask at our local pharmacy when we were in town yesterday - it seems that melatonin has been withdrawn from sale in South Africa. So I got an over the counter item which contains valerian which I know is used in homeopathic preparations.

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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