football beer pong

SAM_0192
Originally uploaded by Another Good Thing

Our first neighborhood Super Bowl gathering.. a must do, as we have the big screen... and also because Linda likes to throw parties where she make up silly games or put a twist on the traditional ones.
Here was beer and COCA COLA pong. To appease the kids- at least the parents of the kids. ;-)


We played Commercial Bingo to amuse us between downs.

 

Particularly fun for the under 10 set, as we used M&M markers.

And yeah, there was the football pool and lots of munchies and beer. Good time had by all, think I still even have some bags of snacks left over, hummus and pita chips anyone?

bunko celebrates football and florida

SAM_0181
Originally uploaded by Another Good Thing

I have been a bad bad blogger. So , here I will play catch up.

January was Bunko at my place- with an dual homage to the beaches of Florida, where we wanted to be and the upcoming Super Bowl.
No one took me up on the bikini and jersey idea, but we had fun anyway.

Mom accused of acting like a 14 year old boy by a 14 year old boy.

So I had a birthday. Which meant a party. Here are most of the people that attended, I think the rest were in the bar. We like to try new things, at least I like to use my birthday as an excuse to get my friends to join me trying new things- like paintball wars and tree obstacle courses and lake cruises with wine taster meals... but this year, it was WHIRLYBALL.

You start like this. Two teams of 5. 13 minute rounds. a whiffle ball, bumper cars and lacrosse sticks. then you add some of this.
which makes you think you can do this.
which leads to bruises that look like this.
and makes everyone smile like this.
It was lots of fun, even if my sides still ache two days later.

I had a great birthday, including a family night dinner. This is me and my mini-me.
My son made me a necklace out of sea glass that matched my dress perfectly, and my daughter made me this card.... and a "Landscape of Love" diorama. I know.





For the Whirlyball uninitiated, here are 2 of our teams playing in Atlanta :

Family Dinner Charades

I'm all about the family dinner conversation, the "meeting." As long as it's low-key and ends in my favor, well, generally anyway.
The problem in our house starts with getting everyone to sit down at the same time and maintain a common pace through the meal.
Invariably, someone will have to hop up for a condiment or the phone or a bathroom trip. Then there will be someone whose food needs to be warmed or cooled or spiced differently. And there's me, who grew up with three hungry sisters and hates having the "end piece" of anything. I'll eat what's on my plate and do it quickly. Sadly, meals have become more necessary than enjoyable.

But the other night we were talking about impressions, and after my daughter chickened out of doing 5 teacher impressions for her school talent night ( they were GREAT!), I joked about someone else at the table, and in imitating him, got a rise out of her.
We then took turns transforming into each of the other three family members... like a physical caricature, we walked the way they walked, tagged everything with the familiar phrase they utter or nickname they use for a loved one, and exaggerated common mannerisms they employ when trying to make get their point across.
It was funny and no one had any problem coming up with material.

The next night when the kids wanted to do it again, I said, only if it could all be positive. It was harder, but still fun, and interesting to see how you come off in the eyes of your children and your spouse.
Maybe a little too eye-opening for some of us.
Try it in your family and let me know how it plays out.

Sometimes Bunko is just Bunco.

Some of our husbands like to call it "Drunko."
I've played in three different states, with at least five different basic rules. But one thing remains the same: there is nothing SERIOUS about this dice game.

It's all fun and games and drinks and chocolate. It's socializing and home decor ideas and husband bashing and kid bragging and shoe swapping. It binds friendships with stories and private jokes and sometimes, it pays for the gas to get there and the beers on the way home.

In our group there are themes and costumes... and always, always laughter. We've had some Bunko Nazis, some party crashers, some fall down imbibers and some sad sacks... we've made memories as people have moved on, as babies are born, as children grow up, as jobs change and cars crash, we are there to hear the story and clink glasses. We hold each other up in good times and bad, something the men will never understand.

This month, we had a six gal carpool for our "out of the neighborhood" Bunko, and six more ladies at the other end. Much fun, with lots of food, mojitos and a bourbon slush worthy of the Derby.
In this day, when money is tight and party planning can be a bother, it's nice to have that one night a month to count on, a night when you can let your hair down and be with women who get you- who understand the pressures and problems and questions you face every day- whether it's at work or at home, dealing with bosses, or diapers, or deadlines. We are our own best support system, and one that I hope we can grow and expand, because who doesn't need a good round of bunko to help them put life in perspective?
In bunko, even when you lose. you win.

For the ladies who couldn't make it this month... we missed you and will see you in March. And for the newbies that had fun in February, we hope you will join us again. I'm sure by then we will all have a new story to share as the dice go around.

Happy belated birthday to Karen. Who did the smart thing this year... and stayed home. Whew.

I waited a good long time to say, "My psychic told me..."

He read these cards and told me wonderful, curious things and also some bad, sorrowful things. Just to be fair.
They say reading tarot cards can foster hope and temperance.
These particular cards are called PSY CARDS. They explore Jungian psychology in tandem with the meanings of the 40 cards in the Psy•Card System deck.
it was pretty cool, except for me insulting the cat.
My friend who came with me did not have half as good a time, or half as good a psychic, but he still bought me lunch.

The good?
I will get a literary agent this year, someone I will meet at an event in Feb.
He will sell my book in or by June. It will make me money.
I will have a whirlwind year from June 09 to June 2010.
IRS problem will end in our favor.
Money will never be a problem.
Health is all good.
I married the right man.
Something to do with horses or dude ranches.. .( maybe I'll adopt a cowboy?)
Ocean good place for me to write.
Will get a brand new house in new 1-2 years and have no problem buying it or
selling existing one.


The bad?
Brand new house not near ocean.
Someone older and sick who I am not close to ( not parents) in my family will not make it through the year.
No time to travel this summer.
My daughter will be a pain in the ass for 5 years.
My son probably won't be a gynecologist.
My father in law really was a stubborn man with issues that never would have been resolved.
Some friendships weren't meant to be.

Best 55 bucks I've ever spent.

My gift:
You can read your future too.
Go here for a Free Tarot card reading.

Snaps is the name of the game.

Went to a jazz club last night that restyled itself as a rock club and still forgot to add a dance floor. Totally lame. Our local venues in my hick Georgia town are all pretty boring. Most doors close at midnight and there are so many rules about drinking and smoking and so many cops on the road, you really are better off to just stay home and invite people over.

But going out means you don't have to vacuum. Going out means you can meet new people and experience new things, even if you are freaking tired and still feel full from eating too much white pizza at lunch.
And God knows, I love to people watch.. so, there I was in the jazz-rock-no dance floor place , sharing a narrow bartop/table with strangers, guarding all the handbags and leather coats when I notice these three guys playing a guessing game. First I am eavesdropping, and then, because I hate not knowing EVERYTHING.. I am flat out asking them how to play it. They are impressed that I get PART of it right.

This is the game:

Snaps

This is a game where the people who know how to play tell each other the names of celebrities. The people who don't know how to play have to try to figure out how it works, and it's pretty funny. This is how it works. - When someone says "Snaps IS the name of the game" they mean that they will be doing the first name of the celebrity. - When they say "Snaps ISN'T the name of the game" they mean they will be doing the last name of a celebrity. Here is an example. Let's say someone is doing Bill Clinton. They will say "snaps isn't the name of the game". So you know they're doing the last name. Then they will say a phrase that starts with the letter "C" such as "Can you guess what it is?" And that's how you do the consonants. When you come to the vowels you snap 1-5 times depending on the vowel. 1 - A 2 - E 3 - I 4 - O 5 - U That's how it works. A bit complicated to explain, but fun once learned. My friends and I had fun giving them difficult names, like Bette Midler and Gloria Swanson, and totally tripped out when these young dudes guessed correctly. Funnier still, 2 of the guys were identical twins, and I was thinking for the longest time that they had that special "twin lingo- connection" thing going on... but later figured out that was just the effect irish Car Bombs have on me.

Video Game as Poetry

download here:
--Passage_v3_Windows.exe
--Passage_v3_MacOSX.dmg

control notes:

• Press any button (or key) to start the game.
• Use left analog stick (or arrow keys) to move character (up, down, left, right).
• F (on keyboard) to toggle fullscreen mode.
• B (on keyboard) to adjust screen blow-up factor.
• Q or ESC (on keyboard) to quit.

Spend 5 minutes in this game and you will probably cry. You may begin to understand the pull a video game can have on a child, on a lonely adult, on a teenager in college.
Or you may just think it is a silly waste of time, when you could have been scrubbing your toilet or cleaning the dust from under your fridge.

In that case don't even bother reading this:

XVII (I do not love you...)

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

~ Pablo Neruda

How was your week?

Wow. Is it Tuesday already?
I was around- mostly, but busy. Did you ever have a week full of ATTEMPTS? You know, the week where you look at your calendar and see all the things planned, and all the to do lists and at the end of the week, instead of them getting smaller- or even disappearing- they have grown?
I had one of those weeks.. where I
*hired an accountant to do ONE MORE thing I hate to do. Whew.
*finally got a call back from the bathroom remodeler I'd been chasing down.
He sounds great. I'll let you know.
*went to a reception for a writing award in one of my fav local towns and got to hang with writers and relive my youth partying later here with a bunch of writing students.
*learned I stink at pool, but decided I still like trying
*found out I like running on hidden trails in the woods
*went to the North Georgia Mountains- a Bunko Broad sleepover. Tame for most, especially me, operating on 4 hours of sleep, drunk by the time the second load of ladies arrived, all talked out and ready for bed at midnight, but toughing it out until 1 AM to laugh at the drunkest broad ... it was one of those moments where you are laughing so hard you can't catch your breath and tears roll down your cheeks... classic. And no, I won't tell you what she was trying to do.
*was glad for the extended stay at the luxury mountain cabin which yielded more manuscript pages and two new story ideas via a nice bake in the sauna
*managed to avoid all bacteria-viral infected peoples, have new theory about illness and hot showers
*found TUT and practiced the art of positive thinking
*retained title of CLUE MASTER, beheld the dethroning of the Queen of CandyLand
*drove to the new BIKRAM yoga studio and arriving 5 minutes too late to join the class, I introduced myself to the French chef at the pastry shop
*finished another month of SCRATCH - winner and judge page up on the 1st.
*bought, wore, returned and exchanged my first sandals of the summer.
*picked up the wine club bottles for Italian month.
*finished rewrites on the latest version of the novel.
*met with my writing pal and worked on agent pitches and flatbread lunch selections.
*offered heartfelt thanks to God for every good thing
* learned it's okay to enjoy being alone and decided to find a wilderness retreat
*tried not to dwell on how few school days are left and the fact I will be kid-undated
*took up meditation- again

One more thing

I have a little article published online that might be helpful for anyone invited to a White Elephant Gift exchange, also called the Yankee Swap-- and other things--all too crude to mention here.

Since we aren't using it, maybe I should rent my Wii to OLD PEOPLE.

My daughter got a Wii for bringing home all A's last year. We have played the thing maybe 5 times. We have 3 game discs, and none of them thrill me. Any ideas?
Recent articles, possibly Nintendo propaganda, have pointed out the health benefits for the mature members of our society of playing Wii games, such as bowling. Personally, I never liked real bowling that much. All that pressure, those bright lights and banging rock music, the idea that everyone in my lane and possibly two over is watching my ass as I sashay up to the line and slip over it in my goofy number 9's. Yeah, I can pass on bowling, unless it's black light bowling and tequila shots at Jillian's.

But then that just reminds me of Tweaker Bowling days in San Diego, in the 80's when I hung out with a bunch of questionables. As in, you'd meet them and immediately have questions.
One time, I went to one of the questionable guys' house with my boyfriend to play cards, or dice, or Twister. It could have been all three.

The guy's common law wife- because that's what she called herself- answers the door and leads us to a family room. She tells us to have a seat, that Q. is busy with a "customer" and will be out in a minute. I sit on the couch. A minute later the door opens and she says the same thing to two more people. They sit on the couch on either side of me. My boyfriend goes to the kitchen to get some beers.

I look at the guy on my left. he looks like Larry the Cable guy, but meaner with acne scars. He is fully decked out in riding leathers, his patch on his chest says, "Butch." He smells like chicken soup or baked beans with a touch of pine sol.
I look to my right, the girl he came in with is equally decked out in leathers, hers red and black with significantly less fabric. She might have been cute once, but now she's tweaker- girl thin and her teeth look loose when she smiles. "I'm Loreen. Nice to meet you."

All I can think is: My mother would never believe me.