Leo Finelli

A few months ago I did a list of 12 Scrabble Words That Shouldn't Be Acceptable, like "za" and "zzz". Now, I give you 12 words that are not Scrabble-accepted, but should be. 1. Niggardly. Meaning "stingily", this word used to be acceptable, but was banned in 2013. I guess because it sounds too much like a well-known racial slur? It's an innocent word that should be legit, and the letters aren't that hard to get. 2. Kwyjibo. Yes, this Simpsons- coined word, defined as "a fat, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin", should really be acceptable. It could get you a lot of points, and could even evolve new meanings. Kwyjibo could come to mean "a Fox News-watching conservative senior citizen that is almost always in a grouchy mood." 3. Trumpify. Meaning "to preach hate and use other people's fears for your own advantage." I sense many conservatives may have just stopped reading my post. 4. F

Today we're going to talk about one of the most famous fictional characters of all time - Dr. Seuss's Grinch. This nasty anti-Christmas creature can make a wondrous claim - no fictional work has been rehashed, rewritten, and/or parodied more times than Dr. Seuss's 1957 book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I appreciate the story of the Grinch, and tune in every year when NBC shows the classic animated TV short based on the book. But, though I am not an active Christian, I believe the story is incomplete without mentioning Jesus. How could the Grinch learn that Christmas means "a little bit more" without the story saying what that is? And, if you're wondering why I'm doing this post on May 22, I'll tell you. The Grinch has been one of my pet peeves for about five years, and one entry on this list will tell why. I am seeking to calm an anxiety by writing this, so respect my efforts. Here are ten alternate versions, most of them Christianizations,

2017 has brought many things exciting for my family, and none of them are Trump-related. Although I strive to break free of the chains holding me in this house, I am trying to help myself look on the bright side as much as possible, so here are 10 good moments from 2016. 1. Star Wars Celebration Orlando. You open with a panel featuring Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Warwick Davis, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and John Williams. You get to see thousands of fans in costume. You eat pizza. You get your picture with Mark Hamill. You get Star Wars Monopoly for a real steal. And you beat Star Wars authors at Star Wars Jeopardy. If that isn't the good life, I don't know what is. 2. Ask Me Another. If you don't know, Ask Me Another is an NPR hour of puzzles, word games, and trivia that I like to listen to. Their puzzles are genius and usually multi-step. I like the music parody games the best

Two can be stronger than one, and I'm celebrating that by counting down my top 10 Star Wars duos. 10. Kanan Jarrus & Hera Syndulla Spectre 1 and Spectre 2. They're good leaders of the rebel faction Star Wars Rebels showcases, and work well with each other and the rest of the rebel team. 9. Luke Skywalker & R2-D2 A boy and his faithful beeping astromech. Luke flies with R2 in his X-wing, R2 helped show where Luke was hiding in The Force Awakens, R2 retrieved Luke's lamp while Yoda beat the droid (I'll take questions later). 8. Finn & Poe Dameron They seemed like best friends the minute Finn rescued Poe in The Force Awakens. Poe even let Finn keep his jacket, and that shows they are truly friends. 7. Chirrut Imwe & Baze Malbus Two friends played by two Chinese actors who are already friends. They were helpful members of the Rogue One team, but like the rest of the team, gave their lives to save the Death Star plans. 6. Lando Calrissian &

“Ewok Song” YUB-NUB EE-CHOP YUB-NUB (Ewoks….We are Ewoks) AH TOE MEE TOE PEECHEE KEENE G’NOOP DOC FLING OH AH (Heroic beings are we, and we have won again) YAHWAH, EE-CHOP YAHWAH (Happy, we are happy) AH TOE MEE TOE PEECHEE KEENE G’NOOP DOC FLING OH AH (Heroic beings are we, and we have won again) COATEE-CHA TU YUB NUB (Celebrate the Ewoks) COATEE-CHA TU YAHWAH (Celebrate the Happiness) COATEE-CHA TU GLOWAH (Celebrate the Glory) ALLAY LOO TA NUV (Embrace the Love) GLOWAH, EE-CHOP GLOOOOOOOOOOWAH (Glorious, we are glorious) YA GLOWAH FOND DU LAC FOAM (The glory comes from the trees) AH GOOP DE AWE GOON DAH! (Upon our humble home!) COATEE-CHA TU YUB NUB (Celebrate the Ewoks) COATEE-CHA TU YAHWAH (Celebrate the Happiness) COATEE-CHA TU YA CHA (Celebrate the Force) ALLAY LOO TA NUV (Embrace the Love) ALLAY LOO TA NUV….ALLAY LOO TA NUV (Embrace the Love...Embrace the Love)

The lightsaber is everyone's favorite Star Wars weapon and comes in many varieties. Here are my top 10. 10. Palpatine's lightsaber This elegant style suits a powerful Sith Lord and Galactic Emperor. 9. Gungi (Wookiee youngling from Clone Wars) lightsaber A wooden lightsaber fit for a Wookiee. 8. Mace Windu's lightsaber Sleek, bright, and cool - just like Mace Windu. 7. Imperial Inquisitor lightsaber Two spinning red blades on a disk. 6. Count Dooku's lightsaber The curved hilt allows for one-handed combat. 5. Darth Maul's lightsaber Double cool and double bladed. 4. Ezra Bridger's first lightsaber Turn it on its side and it can be a blaster. 3. Kylo Ren's lightsaber This unique crossguard lightsaber has been iconic since the first trailer for The Force Awakens came out. 2. Anakin Skywalker's/Luke Skywalker's/Finn's/Rey's Lightsaber The lightsaber of legends.

Note: We're not including Jedi or Sith apprentices. If we did, then that makes Darth Vader a sidekick. 10. Todo 360 (Cad Bane's droid from the Holocron Heist episode of Clone Wars) The perfect sidekick for a bounty hunter. This little droid is cute and ominous at the same time, and can fly around and perform nearly any function. 9. Bib Fortuna He's kind of evil, he seems reliable, and he is gullible (as Luke showed us with his Jedi mind trick). Only what kind of a name is Bib Fortuna? This Star Wars name has always struck me as weird. 8. Lobot Although he speaks not a word, Lobot's cybernetic head implants make him memorable. Lobot is hooked up to Cloud City's central computer system and is as reliable as a computer, for he essentially is one. 7. Kitster As obnoxious (if he is at all) as his best friend Anakin Skywalker, Kitster is a supportive friend and with the little he does and says in the movie, is still a memorable character. 6. Salacious C

Got this today from Star Wars Force for Change Initiative. MT4BWY.

10. Sando Aqua Monster This is actually a baby crying, played very slowly. Ben Burtt (pictured above) created this sound and many of the others on this list. 9. Poggle He speaks in clicks, burps, and farts, and all of these are gravelly. Poggle expresses a lot through just a few sounds...albeit disgusting ones, so he's not very high up on this list. 8. TIE Fighter If Star Wars went by science, we wouldn't have this sound, for there is no sound in space. The high-pitched squeals of the TIE fighter make it haunting and spellbinding at the same time. 7. Podracer Whether it's the loud engines of Sebulba's podracer or the sound of Quadinaros's podracer blowing up, all podracer sounds are a modified version of an electric toothbrush. Yes, a toothbrush. 6. Seismic Charge First, there's nothing. Then, a very loud something. Jango Fett's seismic charges are fear-inspiring and create a lasting impact, enough to make you work in the sound department.

10. Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Dooku (Revenge of the Sith) This is a great duel that shows many sides to Anakin, but Obi-Wan didn't do enough in it, and Palpatine telling Anakin to "do it" is just memetically weird. 9. Mace Windu vs. Palpatine (Revenge of the Sith) The galaxy's phantom menace becomes real in this one, but what makes Mace Windu so much better and more steadfast than those three other Jedi Palpatine killed? 8. Yoda vs. Dooku (Attack of the Clones, pictured above) Yoda's leaping style in this short little duel shows no one is a match for him. Yoda's mini-lightsaber is called a shoto. "Carry a shoto, I do." 7. Finn and Rey vs. Kylo Ren (The Force Awakens) We had yet to see a duel in Star Wars in the middle of nature - they were always in some technological-looking setting. This duel in the snow is a memorable moment from the newest installment in Star Wars, but I still wished the music for it would have been better. 6. Yoda v

10. Vulture Droid/Droid Starfighter Is it a droid? Is it a starfighter? Actually it's both. It's one of the creepiest looking starfighters in Star Wars, and was also one of the first Star Wars Lego sets (set 7111 Droid Fighter - 1999) 9. Kom'rk Class Mandalorian Starfighter Perfect for a terrorist group called Death Watch. These sleek Mandalorian starfighters pack a punch with their quick speed and excellent laser maneuverability. 8. ARC-170 Starfighter This clone-piloted starfighter is seen in the Battle over Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith. It's a reliable ship that also needs two clones to pilot. 7. Y-Wing The Y-Wing was first used by the Republic during the Clone Wars and eventually became part of the Rebel fleet. Its design makes it a good ship for any battle. 6. B-Wing The B-Wing has a gyroscopic rotating cockpit and is the largest single-pilot starfighter in the Rebel fleet. It can fly up, down, left, and right, but hardly needs to turn to do