Wo_ds _ _th F_ _en_ds

Morning Folks! Here's another post that has been sitting in the reserves for over a month waiting to be published:

Last October my good friend Martin came to visit, and he unleashed a hidden monster: The Words With Friends Beast.  For those unfamiliar with the game it is basically a Scrabble application that you play on your device against friends and strangers. The game is addicting.  At first only the elite a.k.a. Apple  users had access to The Precious Words.  However,  the Droid owner can now play  You better believe that my Droid friends jumped on the bandwagon as soon as they had the opportunity. I think my opponents doubled when the game became available to them. Over the last few months I have witnessed a growing number of people playing the game in public: on the bus, El, standing in line, even during a conversation with yours truly.  It is everywhere.

This is not a game played by me.

Let me explain why I believe Words With Friends (WWF) is one of the best apps out there: you play your friends (or strangers that become your friends over time), there's trash talking, you need a strong grasp of the English language- which means it makes you smarter, it brings out your competitive side,   it's portable, and you can play 24 hours a day.  If you want to play a friend in person you can use the  pass and play option.  Did I mention it's free?  YES!!! There are also paid versions without ads.

The popularity of Words is growing by the day as I see more and more Facebook statuses reading, "My words with friends name is ________"  followed by replies with their friend's user name.  Other users are updating their status  with a high playing word.  Don't think I didn't share with the world about my 90-point "enslaved." It needed and deserved recognition!! 

In my opinion, Words is one of the best games out there, because it stimulates your mind and grows your vocabulary.  They should make a kiddie and/or classroom version for children who don't like spelling or reading.  I bet it would yield positive results.  Call  me Words With Friends--I am full of ideas!!

Lastly, people, please don't cheat.  Recently I found one of my real-life friend opponents (who shall not be named) cheating.  They had pulled up a list of words that were high-scoring 2,3,4-5, 6, 7-letter words.  When my sister and I told them they were cheating they replied they were merely "studying."  In their eyes they weren't cheating because they weren't using it in the actual game. I think it's cheating, because their intent was to learn a word (and not it's meaning I might add!) just to score points in the game!!  What do you think????

And, now for the information you have been waiting for: my user name is Gloface Killah. 

Game On.

Charlie Sheen Isn't Funny...you read that right IS NOT

Last night, like many Americans I tuned into 20/20 to watch Charlie Sheen discuss the current situation of his life.   I would like to state that I did not see the interview in its entirety, but what I saw was enough.  The media whirlwind around him needs to stop. NOW.

We live in a society where we love watching people rise from the poorest of the poor and turn themselves into a superstar (Michael Jackson).  Likewise, a celebrity's fall from the top is perhaps even more entertaining (Michael again).  It is quite obvious that Charlie Sheen is in the midst of a very public fall from grace.

I believe Sheen is mentally ill.  As someone who has friends and family with various mental illnesses I see the danger of the media circus surrounding him.
With mental illness, people tend to have very distorted perceptions of the world.  The mentally ill believe that their perceptions are the absolute truth that only they have been blessed with the ability to  recognize.  They are extremely stubborn in this belief, and it takes a lot of time, love,  patience, and (usually) medication to get them back to a  healthy mental and emotional mindset.  In creating platforms for Charlie Sheen to share his ramblings to the world we (the fascinated viewers) are actually reinforcing his illness. 

The public is, in essence,  feeding the thoughts and strengthening his maniac resolve.  Even worse, we are showing those that may be considering treatment that their behavior is not only acceptable, but it's fascinating.  Glamorizing this choice. "But MMM, we are clearly NOT showing him that!! We want him to get help!"  That's the thing with mental illness.  It allows you to shade your eyes to the entire reality and focus on the reality in which you exist and create.  All of this coverage is lengthening Charlie's road to beginning  a recovery process.

Part of me wonders why an executive would give him the network attention (beyond competing with your competitors of course).  Would you want to see your daughter, son, even wife on TV during the height of their mania or depression?  Want them to become the laughing stock of the country? Consider his family, not the "goddesses"-but his parents and children. In this consideration I am going to request that the next time you think twice about supporting his madness.  The less public interest in his antics might be the first step to seeking a healthy mindset that Sheen needs.