I promised a story last night, but I didn’t get back in time to tell it.

At 8pm or so on November 4, 2019, I had my first audition in my journey to become a magician member of the Magic Castle. To become a magician member of the Magic Castle, you have to be recommended by a magician member in good standing, write some essays, and then perform magic for about a dozen phenomenal magicians. It’s like performing comedy for comedians, but instead of them just being experts in bit formation and crafting, they’re also experts in different parts of magic. I had practiced my set for months and months, and when I went to perform, I did what I had set out to do. Despite my best efforts, it wasn’t what they were looking for, and they recommended that I try again.

Ultimately, I passed the audition, and now I’m a magician member. And last night, I was hanging out at the Magic Castle, and I was asked to perform in one of the impromptu areas because most magicians were attending a lecture elsewhere in the building. That meant a deficit of magicians available to perform for a group that was eager to see magic. I usually have the stuff that can fit in my pockets when I go, but last night I had decided to travel light. So I didn’t have what I otherwise would have used for a bigger set.

I performed a single trick for a pretty great audience. What a crazy two years.

Yesterday I missed EGGNOT, ENTENTE, NEON, ONTO, OUTGONE, OUTGUN, and UNTHOUGHT.

Meatier Miss

UNGUENT: A soft greasy or viscous substance used as ointment or for lubrication.

Today’s summary

Letters: CAEGKMO
Final score: 18 words for 48 points.
Genius minimum: 44 points.
First word: MACE.
Last word: COMMA.
Pangram: GAMECOCK.
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If I make it back in time tonight, I’ll share a cool story. If I don’t, this will post as-is. And then I’ll share it tomorrow.

Yesterday I missed ABACK, ALACK, BECK, BEECH, BLACKBALL, BLECH, CABAL, CABALA, CACKLE, CELEB, and EACH.

Meatier Miss

LECH: informal, derogatory A lecher.
lecher: a lecherous person.
lecherous: Having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire.

Etymology!

lecher (n.)

“lustful man, man given to excessive sexual indulgence,” late 12c., from Old French lecheor (Modern French lécheur) “one living a life of debauchery,” especially “one given to sexual indulgence,” literally “licker,” agent noun from lechier “to lick;” also “to live in debauchery or gluttony,” from Frankish *likkon or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *likkojan “to lick” (from PIE root *leigh- “to lick”). The Old French feminine form was lechiere. Middle English, meanwhile, had lickestre “female who licks;” figuratively “a pleasure seeker,” literally “lickster,” with -ster. In 18c. sometimes leacher (Bailey), along with leacherous, leachery.

Today’s summary

Letters: NEHOTU
Final score: 36 words for 112 points.
Genius minimum: 109 points.
First word: ENOUGH.
Pangram: TOUGHEN.

We are now the proud owners of some floating shelves that Calah‘s dad made for her that she had in her childhood bedroom. The problem is that they’re massive, and we have nowhere to put them. I had suggested turning the approximately 30″ x 96″ rectangle into a 96″ x 30″ standing bookcase. Still, nowhere to put it. So I threw some legs on it to see how it would look as a credenza. When Calah got home, she approved. So the shelves-to-credenza conversion will be in the weekly woodworking blog. Get pumped.

Yesterday I missed ACIDIC, ANTACID (I guess I don’t need the latter if I missed the former), CANDID, CANID, NADA, and NAIAD.

Meatier Misses

CONDONATION: Noun form of condoning.
DIATONIC: (of a scale, interval, etc.) involving only notes proper to the prevailing key without chromatic alteration.
INDICIA: Signs, indications, or distinguishing marks.

Today’s summary

Letters: CABEHLK
Final score: 29 words for 143 points.
Genius minimum: 138 points.
First word: CHALLAH.
Final word: CALLA.
Pangrams: CHECKABLE, HACKABLE.
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Calah and I went to the Descanso Gardens last night to see Carved. There were carved pumpkins everywhere and skeletons made from trees and lights and stuff. It was awesome. But also it was cold. Calah surprised me as a date night out, and I enjoyed it. Definitely good to get out and do things.

Yesterday I missed ARCANA, CANNA, COIN, CRANIA, CZARINA, IONIC, NOIR, and RANCOR.

Meatier Misses

ARNICA: A plant of the daisy family that bears yellow, daisy-like flowers, native to cooler regions of the northern hemisphere. There’s too much reliance on unproven remedies homeopathy for me to feel comfortable posting some YouTube videos I’ve found about arnica.
CARRION: The decaying flesh of dead animals.
ZINNIA: An American plant of the daisy family, which is widely cultivated for its bright showy flowers.

Today’s summary

Letters: NACIORZ
Final score: 29 words for 177 points.
Genius minimum: 173 points.
First word: ADDICTION.
Pangrams: ADDICTION, DICTATION, and INDICATION.
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Happy Halloween! Tonight Calah took me on a date. Where did we go? I wish I could tell you, but I’m writing this before we headed out. I’ll write more about it tomorrow. In other news, the persistence of vision clock I have thinks that we’ve fallen back already. The clock is from 1999, which is well before the change of when we fall back and spring forward. It automatically provides the following message today: “HAVE A SPOOOOKY HALLOWEEN!” and will do so for an extra hour. It’s no big deal to live with that for another week.

Yesterday I missed CHIC, CHINO, CINCH, CINCHING, COHO, HIHG, HINGING, HOGGING, HOOCH, NIGH, UNHINGING, and UNHUNG.

Meatier Miss

CHIGNON: A knot or coil of hair arranged on the back of a woman’s head.

Today’s summary

Letters: NACIORZ
Final score: 32 words for 134 points.
Genius minimum: 133 points.
First word: ZIRCONIA.
Pangram: ZIRCONIA.
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