NOVEMBER 2007

BEEP BEEP UH HUH!

Back w/ another edition of the Pokeno Rag. This one is all about our super swell party at Peg's house. We played fireside and had SO much “Comfort Food” that some were ready to burst & others just got gassy.

On the menu this month was Mac & Cheese, Creamy Tomato Soup, Spinach & Cheese bowls, chocolate covered pretzels (which we almost didn't get because a drunk driver drove through the store that day), Cherry Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, and Apple Crisp w/ ice cream.

Peg also had a nice selection of appetizers to keep us busy while we waited for all the people who were running late. Missy completely forgot about Pokeno. John reminded her at 5:30 while she was in the middle of making dinner. She told John hopefully the steak won't burn & ran out the door to join us. Then, Patt called and said that her & Debi were lost. Apparently, they were in Westville & couldn't find 130. But, the worst of them was poor Kate. She called to tell me she was in Delaware. That's right....Delaware. She was having so much fun driving on 295, that she continued right past Peg's exit & right onto the Delaware Memorial Bridge! Peg stayed on the phone with Kate to guide her back step by step. When Kate came in, I immediately provided her with a shot. She needed it for sure! After everyone arrived safe & sound, we finally started playing.

It was noted this month that Kate likes to hold up the cards while she is calling. This way, everyone can see the card in case they can't hear it. Which really comes in handy when the caller says “stymond”. Huh? Oh, that's a diamond... Kate also noted that showing off the cards would be much more fun if there were pictures of naked men on them.

During game play, Peg had a really good mix of dance music on. Then “Kiss” by Prince came on. Of course Patt (being such a huge fan) was the first to jump up and start dancing. Next thing you know, the rest of the table jumps up to dance & play at the same time. This was very fun. So much fun in fact that we did this a few more times throughout the evening. It's so nice to see everyone having a good time. So please, if you feel the need to get up & bust a move, go right ahead! Another fun thing to do while playing is to sing songs. Missy & Phyllis broke into a wonderful rendition of the classic “There's A Stranger In My House”.

While we were playing, I reached over to cut the cards & proceeded to knock over Peg's cup of wine. It wasn't too much of a mess, but I did manage to completely saturate the “Mystic Seahorse”. Unfortunately, due to this incident, the “Mystic Seahorse” is now in rehab, fighting off those damn paparazzi. Here's hoping he has a relaxing stay & full recovery. He's expected to be released in time for our next Pokeno party.

NOVEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS

Phyllis was responsible for the November Mystery Box. She even managed to find question mark wrapping paper for it! We drew cards to see who the winner was. First time, it was Debi. Since she just provided the mystery in October, she was given the option to pass...which she did. So, we picked again & this time, Peg was the winner. After Peg opened the box, Debi was very upset that she decided to pass up the prize. Phyllis hand-painted a watercolor picture of a cute ass little chipmunk in a log (or some type of nature setting). Everyone thought it was just adorable & were surprised to know that Phyllis had this secret talent. Now Peg will be responsible for the Christmas Party Mystery Box. I wonder what it will be...ohhhh....the suspense......

I started a new thing for the “birthday girl” of the month. Phyllis' birthday was just the other day, so she got to wear the birthday crown (see photo) for the evening. In the event that there are 2 (or more) b-days within that month, y'all can take turns wearing it. Another notable November b-day is Kate L. who turned 21. She celebrated by going to Atlantic City & not getting carded anywhere.

Reminder #1: You only get to cut the cards when it's your turn.

Reminder #2: Gardasil. I'm not sure of the spelling, and I'm not sure what it's supposed to do. But I can tell you that it is definitely NOT vagina cream.

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY POKENO CHRISTMAS PARTY

Our annual Pokeno Christmas party will be held this year at my house. It will be held on SUNDAY, 12/16 @ 3:00. Please remember to bring your Pokeno Pollyanna gift for the December party. Hopefully you remembered who you have & what you're supposed to buying. If not, just bring $20 in a card & wait to see who's left without a gift.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Since this Pokeno was just a few days after Thanksgiving, I figured it would be a good question to pose to everyone. I'm thankful for good friends & good times; Marge = family & friends; Phyllis = her “foxy bitches”; Patt = her health; Debi = 4-day weekend with time to chill; Kate = novelty playing cards; Peg = her home because it's a place she can share with her wonderful friends :)

So, on that note, I'm outta here. Until next time ladies, keep on livin' la vida loca....ay!

October 2007

xWHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN...

It has been well over 3 years since I last sat down to write one of these. I decided that maybe I should start it up again in a 21^st Century way. For those of you who are new & have never seen a “Rag” before, this is just a little something I started back in the early days of Pokeno to keep everyone up to date on different things in our lives & stuff that happens at the games (kinda like a diary). I hope you enjoy :)

Lots of stuff has happened over the last 3 years to the original Pokeno crew. Missy had another boy (Nicky) in March 2005. In September 2006, the Raffaele family moved out to Nevada for a job opportunity. Once the real estate market took a crap, John was out of a job & an opportunity opened up here in Jersey. They all came back a few weeks ago. Marge had a stroke last September and was in the hospital for a week while they did some artery cleaning. I had Jacob in February 2005, married Ian & bought a house. Peg is now a massage therapist full time.

Stacy decided about 2 ½ years ago that since Joey was “dying” (needed a liver transplant), she HAD to have Pokeno at her house. She immediately got bossy to the point that it really sucked & people didn't want to come play anymore (that's pretty sad after playing for 10 years). When it got close to baby delivery time, I suggested that we should temporarily move Pokeno to Missy's house so we would be closer to home in case one of us went into labor. Stacy totally freaked out and decided that Pokeno was canceled. We haven't seen or heard from her since.

The summer before the Raffalele's went to Nevada, we decided to get together & play a game before they left. That winter we decided to start up a whole new version of the P.B.I. Now our group includes Kate G., Phyllis, Patt, Debi & Kate L. We play once a month now instead of once a week. We rotate houses so everyone gets a turn at hostessing. And, so far, every party has had a theme. We had a fireside/make-your-own pizza party at Peg's, a luau at the Geib's Tiki Bar (everyone got lei-ed), a 28^th of July party that was hosted by Marge at my house (last minute), a pool party at Phyllis', and a hippie love-in at Marge's. Most recently was our Halloween party at Phyllis'. See below for a full recap on that super fun party. This new version of Pokeno is very relaxed. Everyone brings a dish, we play cards, eat, drink & be merry.

OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

We're still doing “Mystery Box”. I started it again at Phyllis' pool party. I gave away a “Friends” photo frame. Kate L. won that. She brought a Yankee candle set for the September party. Debi was the winner that time. She brought a gift set of pampering products (I think) which Phyllis won. Phyllis will be responsible for the November Mystery.

I know you probably don't want to think about the upcoming holiday season just yet, but unfortunately, Christmas will be here before you know it. The Christmas party will be held at my house this year. We're going to have it on a Sunday afternoon in December. Date & time will follow soon. We picked our Secret Santa's at the beginning of our Halloween party. This way, you know who your person is & you don't have to run around last minute for another gift. Remember there is a $20 limit & don't forget to bring your present to the December party.

Last announcement is that the Geib family got a puppy. It's a present for Isaac's 6^th birthday. A tiny little shit-zu puppy. Super cute, even when it's pooping on the floor right next to you :)

HALLOWEEN PARTY 2007

Since Halloween is Phyllis' favorite holiday, we knew the Halloween party had to be there. Phyllis did not disappoint! Her hubby Mark specially carved a “Foxy Bitches” pumpkin for us, there was a whole haunted village set up, spooky music, everything down to the china cabinet was decked out for the festivities. Then they tell us, “Oh, this is only half. We still have more stuff to put out!” Wow! It was really great. I think that all future Halloween parties should be hosted at the Heimerl's house.

Everyone was a good sport & got dressed up. There was a “Dirty Dorothy” (Peg); an “Alice in Wonderland” (Kate L.); a “Chip Monk” (Marge); a trashed celebrity (Angi); a football player (Patt); June Cleaver (Debi); an 80's chick (Kate G.); and our hostess with the mostess “Spiderella” (Phyllis).

The food was spectacular as well. Have I mentioned how good the food is now? Back in the original Pokeno days, we would walk down to the corner store & load up on as much candy as we could carry, plus a few 40's of Root Beer. Occasionally we would order a pizza. The only time we had really good food was on a birthday night. Now, it's good food all the time! Anyway, we had grilled sandwiches, oven-roasted potatoes, a Frankenstein cake, mummy dogs, pasta salad, fruit salad, and some other stuff that I forgot about by now. I definitely remember that everything was most tasty!

Ok, so that's all I have to write this time. I hope you enjoyed this new version of the "Rag". I'll be doing a posting here once a month. Until next time, keep saving up your dimes...