Three Weekends of Celebration Madness

I’m exhausted. I am mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted after three straight weekends of traveling, celebrating and drinking/eating wayyy too much. I miss my Gatsby boy and miss being lazy on a Friday night.

All bitching aside, the last three weekends have been some of the most exciting times of my life. I was able to see 6 friends confess their love and commitment to each other, I celebrated one bride-to-be and I was able to show my cousin the best 30th birthday possible.

I slept in four different hotels, drove over 1,000 miles in the Juke and spent over 15 hours in the car with Mr. Shrimp (which honestly I was worried we were going to kill each other – but it was an amazing time….OK confession time: When I was co-pilot I had a three strike rule, three back seat driver comments/out bursts or I was walking home. Luckily he gave me 4 strikes because he likes me, thanks babe).

Every single dollar spent, mile driven and sleepless night was worth it because these individuals mean the world to me. I am so honored each of you allowed me to be a part of your special day and I’m truly honored to call you a friend.  


P.S. – Great bloggers think alike because my best friend Donavan (who also had three weekends of traveling) posted today about being beat from her travels. So happy during our travels we ran into each other (or running into Kyle on the Blue Route.

B-I-N-G-OMG!

Almost a whole month without a post again, I swear I’m not slacking – life has just been TOO busy. I’ve had weddings, bridal shower, bachelorette parties, traveling up and down the east coast. I’m doing my best I promise. On top of it, I have a freelance job I’m working on at nights which I will blog about eventually. But here is a post I’ve been dying to write. 

When I worked at The Reporter inputting dreadful calendar items (yes, I was the poor asshole typing in every event because for some reason we didn’t have an online submission form), I feel like I was ALWAYS adding Bingo nights at local churches. Monday night here, Wednesday night there, Friday nights at this place with Vera Bradley prizes (woo-freakin-hoo!!!)


To be honest when I thought of Bingo I thought of a few old people sitting around playing the game, not really a big deal. BOYYYYY AM I WRONG!

Last month I had the pleasure of experiencing my first night out for bingo. Taylor’s grandfather is an avid player and he asked us to tag along. From the start we made some rookie moves and it continued throughout the evening...or atleast for me, I’m not sure about Taylor! We went to Corpus Christi to play – games started at 6:30, I think we rolled right in at 6:30. Games already started, old people gave us the stink eye as the gym door closed and echoed throughout the whole gymnasium. No joke, there was well over 150 people (mostly over the age of 60) stamping away on their big sheets.

We headed back into this tiny room to buy bingo sheets (which they were already counting the money they collected and we screwed them up a bit.) When I think bingo, I think of small grids you stamp, buy as many as youd like. Right? WRONG! Bingo cards are in sheets – you get this big packet that looks like this picture. In each game you get 9 cards and you play a total of 35ish rounds. When you buy your packets there is a schedule – what the games are worth in money, if it’s regular bingo (straight line, diagonal, 4 corner or postage stamp which is the top right area) or if you have to make a crazy shape (like a letter Z, all outside lines, etc.)

So here I am, sitting at this table, pink ink stamper in hand and the lady starts rattling off numbers. “A 12”..ok ok stamp A 12s…ok one there…ok one ….and another there “N 31!” GOD DAMN IT! I’m not even done stamping the A number!!! Bingo is hard as shit! I could not keep up with what letter was called, Taylor’s mom sat across me stamping my sheet after she was done hers in no time. Haha

About 10 minutes in I told Taylor I will play Bingo when I’m older…the speed at which numbers are called is SOO good for your mental strength – you need to read numbers quick, stamp like a mofo and listen. I’ve never failed more miserably at something in my life then I did in Bingo.

Finally by MAYBE the 6th or 7th round I got in my groove, just in time for them to let you use your “bonus” cards for a round making me stamp my 9 original cards and another 6 on the bonus sheet…sweet Lord I lasted about three letter/number calls and just stuck to the 9 card sheet which I couldn’t even get.

You can pay more money for special tickets that look like lottery tickets (I’m going for them next time, some woman won $600!!!) I’m telling you, this entire event boggled my mind!

Things got REAL weird when certain bingo junkies have special cat calls for certain numbers. One lady up by the stage every time she heard B11 she blew this annoying wood train whistle. Another lady every time the caller read this certain G letter she’d ring some damn bell. My favorite by FAR was when the caller would say O69 and you’d get some giggles out of a few of the old church ladies (KILLED ME!)

Long story short, bingo is tough as hell – my eyes were burning from reading the letters, I had zero luck at winning (I’m bringing a troll next time!!) and the chairs are more than uncomfortable. Maybe I’ll go grandpop’s route next time and buy one of the electrical game boards. Either way, I’m going back, I’m redeeming my winning and I want a fancy sound when a certain letter is called. Any suggestions on a bell/whistle/sound and Ill take suggestions for a letter. GO!

Smoke Room Mysteries ... I'm dying to know!

This may be one of the most random posts I will ever have but I need to get this off my chest and I need to
post it. At every job I have worked there has always been smokers. Most go outside to light up their heaters…like good old Dan Sharer smoking by the old delivery ramp at The Reporter (where I still have my interactions with him at when I pick up pizza for home) and people like this guy Mike who I worked with at Bed, Bath and Beyond smoking behind the building. You go outside, come back in smelling like ass and continue on with your day until you have the urge to go back out again.

But here at my new job, there is a Smoke Room. One after one, they all pile behind this closed door that looks like an office door and they burn ‘em. They bullshit and smoke…they reek of smoke after they get out of there (of course they do, they are hot boxing it in a little room.) But here is the point of the post… I WANNA KNOW WHAT’S BACK THERE BEHIND THAT DOOR!

I want to know what it looks like! Do they have a fan? Do they all sit back there on plastic box crates? Do they have chairs? How big/small is that room? How many people can they fit in there at a time? Are the lights on or off? Do they share cigs or everyone always brings their own pack? Do they have air fresheners? Gum? ANYTHING?!?!

It is seriously the craziest thing, but I get a little feeling of anxiety when I watch them all pile in and SLAM! The door shuts quickly before you can’t even get a peak in there. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Amanda, stop being an asshole and just open the door and look!’ Yes, that would make things simple for me, but to be honest, I like the mystery. I like not knowing as much as I crave to know.

I’ve always been one to gossip and always want to know the “ins” on things, but this simple thing of not knowing what is behind that door while LOTS of our staff does, it keeps me in check. I need to stop being so nosey and get over it. So here I am, confessing about how I want to open that Smoke Room door so bad to solve the mystery, but I’m going to fight the feeling and use this post as my venting source. Cheers to one of the most random posts in the world.

And smokers – lay off the heaters!! They are going to kill your lungs and if you’re my friend I want you around as long as possible. Stop cutting your life short, a lot of us will miss you.