The Art of India

India is a place of contrasts; namely colour vs filth. The hand painted adornments on goods carrier trucks, individually painted advertising billboards, and radiant and immaculate saris are all the more vibrant and attention grabbing for their backdrop of grime. I was completely taken with them and attempted to snap every example for the duration of our trip at 3 second intervals through grime caked car windows at 70 km per hour (much to Vikas's bemusement). So unfortunately I have little to show for it. But here's a few examples.

Absolutely Scrabulous.

Old Jack issued me a baptism of fire to the world of tournament scrabble. His rapid plays and steely composure had me flustered from the get go. Despite myself, I had an early lead to offer up by the second half of the game. Online Scrabble, while great fun, cannot prepare you for handling REAL tiles, addition and score keeping under pressure, the operation of the clock, and much less, for Jack. Or Sandra. Or Noeline.

I played my first of many Scrabble tournaments on the 17^th November. A 4:30pm start. Getting off work early was not an issue for any of the other competitors, with an average age of 70 – 75. Apart from Jack, another chap, Martin, and Quentin (the only other sub-40 player and apparently self-appointed playboy of Scrabble), it was all broads. For just a moment after entering the room, feeling as out of place as I can ever remember, I asked myself… is this not cool?

Being that this particular tournament was in support of the Movember cause, everyone (else) was sporting a mo. In a room full of seventy-something women you are very mindful to check twice before you compliment the mo. It keeps you on your toes. It's also quite off putting to lose Scrabble to a biddy with a crazy upwards-spiking Mexican mustache drawn in purple felt pen across her lip and up her face. But not quite so off putting as when another played 'areola' then said "I'm sure that's a word. I think it's a medical word. Would you like to check?"

No. Noeline, I would not like to check.

I did have a win in the end though. My third of four opponents was Anna. Anna's expression showed defeat before we began, and she had already had a rough run that night. Though a vet of the tournament scene she told me her Scrabble woes of recent times. Just couldn't get it right when it counted recently. But would you believe it she had played 4 games before the tournament today and won every one of them. I mopped the floor with Anna's face.

At the end of the night I wasn't too proud to take home an encouragement award (after all these awards, like "I swam in a race", "Conspicuous Effort", "The Principles Award", "Best Effort by a Salesperson", and those two Redskins I was awarded in ceremony at the end of Day Camp, age 5, 'for trying' after failing to throw the basketball as high as the hoop, were invented for us Lewises). And with a few more scores to settle, you can rest assured that I will be back.