Words — by Margaret Hart

My name is Margaret Hart and it's been two minutes since my last game of Words With Friends!

Yes, I am addicted to the game that so many people are playing on their Smartphone and I am not ashamed to admit it. I only recently discovered Words when a friend invited me to play. It didn't take long for me to get hooked. I found myself inviting random players to games when the ones I was playing with my "real" friends slowed. I didn't have patience. I needed my Words fix. I had to find a new opponent. At one point, I had five games going. I have heard the max is 15, so maybe I'm not that addicted after all. 

I can understand why the actor Alec Baldwin allegedly took his iPad into an airplane bathroom recently to play Words when an airline attendant allegedly told him to turn it off because the plane was about to take off.  I, too, found myself sitting on the toilet contemplating my next move just the other day!  I knew then, that I had sunk to a new low. And during a particularly fun game one evening this week, I lost track of time and burned the pork chops. I decided to take a 24 hour break from Words.

My husband has been getting on my case about my playing. He complains that everywhere we go my phone chimes and I'm always tapping on the screen. I could have said the same thing about him! His nose is always in his Blackberry, and he gets so many emails that there's always something buzzing attached to his hip. Even when he gets home from his 14 hour day of work, his nose is in his laptop. I think he's just jealous because he can't play Words on his device.

It took me a few games to figure out some of the strategy to Words. Truth is, after each game where I got the pants beaten off me, I learned something. That drove me to test out what I'd learned on new opponents. Now that I am winning some games, and employing the strategies I've learned, I am suspicious that some of my random opponents (who keep beating me and then asking me to play again) are cheating.  

Cheating? How is that possible? It was my husband who tipped me off. When his nose was in his laptop the other night, he told me about an app that will help you win at Words. It figures. If there's software to help you win your bid on eBay, it stands to reason that someone would develop an app to help you win your game of Words. 

Because I am curious and have to check everything out, I downloaded the app that had the highest ratings and the most buzz, and read the instructions. I got the gist of it, but I never tested it out. I never intended to cheat, I just wanted to see how it worked. After all,  I'm supposed to be good with words. The guilt would be too much for me.

So next time my random opponent—who responds to my moves in under 30 seconds with the most esoteric word choices utilizing the highest scoring letters—asks me to play again, I'm going to politely decline.

I'm old fashioned. I like to lose the old fashioned way.

Children’s Book Review: The Super Adventures of Sophie and the City - by Cara Potapshyn Meyers

The Super Adventures of Sophie and the City: 

All in a Days Work

by

Kelly Florio Kasouf

Come explore New York City with Sophie as she travels to different worlds in her Daddy's office building! Learn about fashion, design, weddings, and the glamorous life inside magazine publishing. Even though Sophie enjoys her time discovering new and magical worlds on each floor, she realizes it is more fun to share amazing experiences with the ones you love, your family. See New York City through the eyes of a curious, adventurous, and imaginative little girl.

Sophie comes from a very posh world. Her clothes are designer clothes. Her Father’s car is a Mercedes. She comes from a life that just about every little girl fantasizes about!

While visiting her Father’s office, she enters the imaginary world of fashion. She is introduced to the legendary women trendsetters in fashion and how they set the pace for designers to become more creative. The book describes how famous clothing designers conjure up their inspirations.

Sophie also shares her imaginary desires to visit exotic places, see lavish parties and attend sophisticated weddings.

In the end, though, Sophie realizes that her biggest inspiration wasn’t anything she saw in her Father’s building. It was right in front of her!

The Super Adventures of Sophie and the City is a beautifully illustrated, tender book about materialism versus love of family. The story is gloriously accentuated by elaborate watercolor drawings and scrolled type. It is truly a work of art in every respect.

About the Author:

Kelly Florio Kasouf was raised on the North Shore of Long Island and majored in studio art with a concentration in Printmaking and bookmaking at the College of the Holy Cross. After graduating, it was only a matter of time before she found herself back at the company her father lived for, Condé Nast Publications, where she soon began her career as an intern, then a merchandising assistant at Vanity Fair, and finally a special events manager at Vogue. From visiting as a young girl to interning to working, Kelly grew up inside the walls of Condé Nast. This story is an homage to her father, who passed away in December 2007, and to those in the industry who truly loved him as a leader, a man, and above all, a great storyteller. This is her first children's book. The stories are partially based on life experience.

About the Illustrator:

Judit García-Talavera was born in the Canary Islands of Spain, Judit has always been surrounded by beauty. After attending an arts-oriented high school, Judit first fell in love with illustration as a means of capturing the beauty around her. She earned a degree in Fine Arts at the Universidad de La Laguna, and has participated in several workshops in the Canary Islands, such as the Centro de Arte Gráfico La Recova in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In 2004 she moved to Barcelona to continue her studies in illustration at the Massana Permanent Academy. Judit presently lives and works in Barcelona.

Currently available for $29.99 exclusively at Barneys stores in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago or http://superadventuresofsophie.com

The Super Adventures of Sophie and the City will soon be available as an App
in the iTunes App Store. Check back soon.