September 2008

SEPTEMBER 2008

This month, we had another super laid-back party @ Marge’s house. She made lasagna & everyone was happy (& full). There was a sangria fountain flowing & daiquiri’s blending away in the kitchen. Marge made a welcome sign that hung proudly in the dining room. Our party favors were personalized wine glasses & back to school inspired kits of everything mini - pencils, ruler, stapler, sharpener, notepad & even a mini apple. Phyllis whipped out her note pad & told us she’s going to use that to take notes at her next work meeting. I hope the meeting is short, or she can write very small. At the end of the evening, there was a 4-way cover all split. It would’ve been 5 if I had been paying attention to my own card…oh well, there’s always next month! I wasn’t the only loser at the end of the evening. Patt actually left the party with a completely empty change container! Here’s hoping she does better next month too!

As usual, we had lots to eat! Along with lasagna, we had salad, bread, fruit salad, veggie dip & other assorted snacks. At the end of the evening it was time for Phyllis’ super awesome dessert. She made a chocolate raspberry cheesecake that was probably the most delicious cheesecake I’ve ever had. I think most of the other ladies agreed as the table got totally quiet with the exception of an occasional…mmmmm….so yummy….mmmmm. Unfortunately, Peg & Kate G. were no shows as they were both not feeling well. That just meant more goodies for us…ha, ha, ha.

Speaking of food stuffs...Debi told us a story about how everyone at her office is upset that she was “going to that place with the desserts”! Apparently, she showed some of her co-workers a picture of Phyllis’ volcano cake & she’s told them about how well we eat. They were all quite jealous of Debi. I also had to post a very special shot of Phyllis’ cheesecake so Debi can show that one off too.

On my way to the party, I stopped at the Wawa. While checking out, I picked up a Reese’s Pumpkin. I had no idea of the carnage that pumpkin would cause later on in the evening. I put it in the Pokeno pot for the first winner. I didn’t even consider that maybe more than 1 person would win (whoops). That’s exactly what happened when Patt & Debi both hit. Then they started fighting over who was gonna get the pumpkin. At first, they weren’t going to share and went back & forth in a bidding war. Finally we all told them the best thing to do would be to split it in ½. This finally worked & both ladies were happy.

Debi decided to help out with breaking up some ice for daiquiris (I still can’t believe we went through 8 pounds). Unfortunately, she decided to smash the bag against the card table! There’s a butcher block top table in the kitchen (2 steps away) which is perfect for such a task, but Debi’s always been one to think “outside the box” (or in this case, the table) I guess. After she smashed it a few times and realized that she was sloshing beverages all over the table, she saw the flaw in her plan & took the bag out to the other room for a proper smashing.

Kate was helping Marge put in. Ahh, the trials & tribulations of sitting right in front of the cups! Anyway…Marge passes off her change when all of a sudden, one of her dimes falls smack into the center of one of the “pioneer” candles. Both Kate & Marge decided not to risk a burn & left the dime right there.

After Patt complained about the brightness of the room, we wound up lighting a whole bunch of candles, thus making September a “Pioneer Pokeno”. That was a flashback to the olden days. Another flashback from the olden days was Russell actually sitting down at the table (late in the evening) to join in the game. Believe it or not, Russell was one of the original Pokeno players! Patt threw down the gauntlet & challenged him to stay & play a few hands. Not one to back down from a challenge, Russell got some change & pulled up a chair. Lucky for him, there just happened to be a few extra chairs to spare. So, he sits down…first hand in, he gets four corners & Pokeno. Then he calls “Yahtzee!” Um, that’s a different game…but we gave him the cup anyway. At the end of the night rumblings of a family conspiracy started flying around because Marge, Russ & Kate all won big! Let’s see if the house trend continues next month at Phyllis’ house.

MYSTERY BOX

Marge not only hosted the party, but she was also responsible for providing the Mystery Box. I was the winner this time. Hooray!!! It was a car emergency/repair kit chock full of goodies like: fix a flat, fuses, deer repellent, freshener, flashlight, tissues, adaptor & even a deck of cards! Now I have to think of something fun to bring for the Halloween Spooktacular…hmm…I wonder what it will be…I guess you’ll just have to wait & see.

OCTOBER POKENO

Our annual Pokeno Halloween Party will be held on Saturday, October 18th @ 6:00. Since she truly is the “Queen of Halloween”, the spookiness will take place at Phyllis’ house. Costumes are mandatory. I don’t care if you come as a garbage sack…just please come dressed up. On the menu so far is assorted hoagies/wraps, clams casino & other various goodies. I’m sure your appetite won’t be scared away at this party!

RANDOM FUNNIES

Funny #1: It was Phyllis’ turn to call. She shuffled the cards, put them back down in front of her, and then she can’t find them! What? Oh look…there they are…right where you put them…right in front of you!

Funny #2: After Phyllis’ turn, it was Patt’s go. She was a few rounds into it & doing a fine job. Next thing we know, she’s in the middle of shuffling when all the cards “explode” out of her hands & fly all over the room! Oh my goodness…that was so stinking funny! We helped her pick them up & she made sure to count them before resuming game play. They were all there & the game continued on. Next shuffle, she was much easier on the cards.

Funny #3: I don’t remember who was calling, but they were 1 or 2 cards into their call when Debi throws up her hands & stops game play. “Everybody hold on!!!” We thought there was something seriously wrong. What could be so urgent that the game needs to be delayed? Debi noticed that a dime had found its way onto her card & needed to be removed immediately. I guess it was harassing her other chips? After she fixed it we could carry on again – after a good chuckle first!

WORDS OF THE MONTH

During game play, I mentioned that Debi was being a “cock blocker” because she took a pot that someone else was waiting for. I thought that everyone knew what this meant, but I was quite surprised when I learned that not everyone had heard this term before. The following definitions were found at urbandictionary.com:

1. Cock Blocker: A person (male or female) who intentionally or unintentionally stops the progress of two others getting their game on

2. Cock Blocker: used to describe someone who will do all they can to stop a man from hooking up with a girl (could be referred to homosexuals also)

The other word of the evening was “Ginko Gongloba”. What the hell is that? I’m not really sure which one of you fine ladies came up with that one, but I believe the herbal supplement you were referring to is called GINKO BILOBA. That’s the thing you’re supposed to take to help with forgetfulness. Something I think all of us Pokeno Sisters can use from time to time (some more than others…you know who you are…)

This will officially wrap up yet another edition of The Rag. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves this month. Now, get to work on your costumes for Phyllis’ party!!!