A Journey of Change

This new journey of mine has tossed me around and almost landed me in a trash can somewhere. But just like always, I've made it through...about 6 months at least. I don't have many words to describe the experience so far, but the word insight comes to mind. Seriously you never really know until you know. Sometimes things are what they seem and sometimes they are not. I've definitely had my share of things like that over the years. It takes quite a bit of strength and courage to continue on a path when you know it will be a bit rocky, but doing that also brings out a renewed passion in what you do. My current has some challenges, but nothing that scares or intimidates me. I'm looking forward to my future at work and everything it has to offer.

Here are some pictures of UTA and my co-workers in case you were wondering where I work.

Work aside, I really have a pretty pathetic life right now. :) I spend multiple days a week at the bingo Hall spending way too much money, talking to people I barely know and hoping they will be there when I show up next time. Fortunately for me, 95% of th time, they are. The casino used to be the only gamaking type thing that took a lot of my money, but now it's Bingo because it's available 7 times a week and sometimes several times a day. I have been to the casino a couple times and just found out about 2 weeks ago that a charter bus goes from Arlington to the casino every day of the week, twice a day. And get this...it's 8 bucks. You can barely get a combo meal for that price. M y joy of gambling aside, If I don't get a grip, my gambling addiction could put me in the poor house. When I first started this post, I had been clean for 5 days. That is not the case anymore. :( Wish me luck in the future with this addiction, although I'm not ready to quit, so not sure if this plea will really work.

My living arrangements are fantastic right now. I live in a place called Beyond and it is absolutely perfect. All the bills are included, free Internet and cable, nice pool, great parking, easy access to the highways....

So, I might be exaggerating just a tad. All my bills are included for a grand total of $707.00. I really can't beat that. There are apartments here for much less, but you get much less too and I don't want to settle for something I'm not satisfied with. Anyway, there is a gated pool that is used very often. My second floor apartment is at the end of the building overlooking the pool. Unfortunately, there is always about 20 or so kids and at least 15 or so young adults out there and it can get a bit loud. Ok, a lot loud and I usually want to throw bricks out my window and into the pool area to make it seem like I'm shooting at them so they will leave. Unfortunately for me, I have no bricks and I'm slightly frightened of the people that are down there. If great parking means I can find a spot in the complex, then I definitely have great parking. If that also means that someone will ram their car door into mine while I am in the car, acknowledge that they have seen me, roll their eyes at me and keep going, then again, I have great parking. I do have great access to the highways though, the exit is literally right across the street. Unfortunately for me, I don't need the highway to get to work, so I usually have to wait until the traffic dies down to make a right turn. But, those things don't matter because my apartment is great, less than 500 sq ft. and a wall air conditioner/heater that doesn't keep th apartment at the set temperature for more than 5 minutes, if that. I do have a house phone that is included in the rent. I've picked it up once when the office called to tell me I had received a free razor in my office mailbox. I was super excited. It had 4 blades and was brand new. Man, do I love living in th Beyond... Budget Suites and beyond is fabulous and has my vote for sure. Being able to pay by the day, week or month has never seemed so appealing, right?

This is why I love Texas... Man, isn't my life grand?

Ok, so I'm being a bit dramatic. I am actually enjoying my stay so far. I need to make time to see Arlington and surrounding cities, which I plan to do in the coming weeks. I also need to get an apartment. I just haven't found one that I like enough to pay for. It will happen when the time is right. I do need to make some Texas friends so I won't want to go play bingo every day of every week. A friend of mine is coming to visit this summer and I'm going to go facilitate at a conference this summer, so that shoud take me away from it for a couple of days. I also have to eventually go get my things out of storage in Florida. I did just get another year at $50, so maybe I shouldn't rush.

I'm off to make more Texas memories. Hoping you're making some of your own.

~Reel Moments~

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris): "A man has only one life time." "But history can remember you forever."

Last Call... No, not for alcohol.

Tonight turned out to be very informative. I walked into this drab white building (I thinks it's white) expecting about 30 people including us and a slow speaking caller. There were about 100 people there and the caller was slow during all games except speed, which makes since.

BTDub, playing bingo is not like riding a bike. I played bingo at some point in undergrad. Not religiously, but a couple times. I knew what to stamp, which sheet to use, and when to call. I was totally lost at the beginning of the night. I Walked in past all the rows of table to talk to the Head Woman In Charge. I inform her it's my first time. She says buy this (points at a paper clipped stacks of boards) and you also get a free dabber. I paid her. She was done with me, so I went to my seat.

First sound starts, I mark an entire line and call bingo along with 2 others. HWIC comes over to call out my code and caller man says not a good bingo. GREAT! Now the whole room knows i'm a first timer. Friend shows up. I send him to do what I did with the HWIC. This older lady comes back to ask if I wanted to sit by her, but she only had 1 seat available. The lady in front of me, which I later found out holds the name Kim, said she would help us out...otherwise known as... I'll make sure these idiots don't call fake bingo anymore. Kim was great. She told us which sheet to use and how to win before each game. We got the hang of it as the night progressed.

At some point, I looked around at the eclectic group of peopleband was kind of in awe. Women, men, young, old, alone, in pairs/groups, intense looking, scared looking, releaxed looking, prepared (tip cup, snacks, wet wipes, bingo bag with 12 dabbers, and multiple sheets per game), unprepared (1 dabber and 1 sheet), and people like me (smiling, looking around, asking questions, talking to friends, texting, and drinking a diet coke. It's amazing how 1 thing can bring so many different people together.

The organization putting this on also had their crap together. Snack stand, hot food, drink station, pull tabs (kinda like scratch offs, but not), people working the floor to sell extra sheets, and free popcorn. The ball caller was jacking up stuff every now and then like forgetting to call the wild number. He said it had been a while since he did late night (7-9), but overall they were on it.

Winning is fairly simple... well, if you know the rules of the game. Each game requires you to get a predetermined pattern (Big Y, 4 corners, straight line, Crazy T, coverall, etc. You get it, yell bingo, HWIC or HMIC comes over and calls out your sheet code, ball caller say that's a good bingo or that's not a good bingo (statement may differ depending on location). You split the prize for that game if multiple people get bingo.

I won 2 games by myself sending me home with a whopping 100 smackers. I spent $20 to play though.

I was a liitle anxious as we apprached the last ball call. I wanted to win the jackpot... $200. Some girl yelled as I dabbed a number leaving me with 2 left. CRAP #^&%. Maybe next time.

Yes. There will be a next time. I had fun.

I will be prepared next time though.
1. Arrive early - they have early bird bingo too.
2. Bring my supplies (bingo bag with the works -see above)
3. Set up my station before game play.
4. Release bladder before gameplay.
5. bring snacks
6. Peer pressure more friends into going.

I kept my game boards and plan to put pictures of them up as soon as I buy my camera.

Last thing.

If I really let go, I would play bingo every week, and the sh!t would hit the fan because $12.50 + adds up and the money is going to eventually run out. If only I could guarantee at least 1 win a week.

O 70, B 12, N 30

Tonight, I am venturing to new territory... Elks Lodge. I drvie past this place at least 10 times a week (prob more) and I always look at the sign that says Bingo Wed 5 & 7. Now, It should come as no surprise that I would want to go play Bingo. Yes, it is not a typical activity for people my age to do. However, I love games (video, board, single player, casino, etc)and I have been wanting to go there for at least a year now. I finally brought it up to some people and surprise surprise, I got ridiculous looks. There were 2 people that said they might be interested. I am pretty good with peer pressure -giving, not receiving- and so I went to work bringing it up whenever I could, talking about gambling in general, or how we needed to venture out and enjoy Tally. Well, by golly, we are going to play bingo tonight at 7. I need to get going or I'm going to miss the first ball.

I'm really really excited even though I know there are going to be a million or maybe just 5 elderly people completely focused and paying attention to nothing except those numbers on the sheet. I will be grateful to have 2 sidekicks to move the night along.

I am completely looking forward to bringing home the big bucks. In case you were wondering.. the running price of a night out on the town is $12.50 (ok, maybe a night inside and not on the town, but that is how much it cost). Crap, I haven't been to the ATM yet.

I have more to say, but I gotta run.

Sorry about slacking on the movie quotes lately but I have been blogging under pressure. I will hopefully start to blog under normal circumstances in the coming days.

BINGO!!!!