I have always been interested in puzzles and word games.
It all started when I was a kid, and I would do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper every day.
I stuck with it, and over time I started playing Scrabble and other word games competitively. It’s not very common, but there are places where you can “buy in” and play games against other people like you would in a casino. Eventually I got successful enough on the circuit that I was invited to the world games of Scrabble, hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You probably weren’t even aware there was a world championship of Scrabble, or that it was held in Albuquerque every year. It’s been a while, but I still remember my first trip to Albuquerque so clearly. The first time I came here I did not know that cannabis was legal in Albuquerque, and the rest of New Mexico. Since I came from a conservative state with no form of legalized marijuana, I assumed that Albuquerque would be the same way. I will always remember that trip, because it was my first time in the Scrabble championship, and the Albuquerque weed scrambled my circuits and I did terribly! Since then I always make sure to buy my cannabis, but not smoke it until after the games are over and I have left Albuquerque. One day I might go to Albuquerque for a little “cannabis vacation” and not have to worry about word games at all. In the meantime, I will enjoy my annual visits to New Mexico.