captainsblog | My Kinda Game

I usually skip right past the "Goings On About Town" section of the New Yorker. Too depressing, reading about all these cool things I have no chance of getting to. Yet one of them caught my eye earlier, and it's not too late for at least some of you to get in on it:

Scrabble for Cheaters

The nonprofit literary organization 826NYC is holding a charitable Scrabble tournament in which cheating is not only allowed, it's encouraged. Teams sign up online and can use the money they raise to buy such rule-bending tricks as trading out a letter ($25), flipping a tile to make it blank ($100), and inventing a word ($500, plus a definition). The teams face off on Jan. 19 at noon. (826NYC/Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., 372 Fifth Ave., between 5th and 6th Sts., Park Slope.)

That's as in two days after tomorrow. And the registration deadline is midnight tonight (or as the K-Tel commercials used to remind you so you don't forget, "midnight tomorrow"). The link above takes you there. You can start a team or join an existing one.

I've heard of this bunch before. They've a non-profit dedicated to going beyond literacy skills for disadvantaged city utes, working on developing them as writers, as well. They've been featured on This American Life, and Sarah Vowell is one of their biggest supporters.

I will certainly pledge (not certain how much) if any of you fine Inwoodians, Astorians, or even Jerseyites get on board with this shizzle. Plus it'd be pretty damn

which would be worth at least six points if you actually had the "C."