The Worst Experience in Bingo I have Ever Had

 

BINGO BY FISH

    I have waited a few months before writing this post because it is not my intention to cause certain folks to look terribly bad or hurt feelings.  But it was a Bingo event and it happened to me and last night, as I enjoyed a Bingo at the Elks lodge in Cape Henlopen there were plenty of folks present from the venue where this awful thing happened to me who greeted me eagerly and recapped that event themselves.

So I am not nuts.

It was at the Lewes Senior Center, which has Bingo games every Tuesday night.  Let us hope they have better volunteers and callers at this time.  I waited a few months, have been to Bingo venues in Maryland, Delmarva, Willards, Seaford and more the come.  This area is perfect for Bingo games and they grow in popularity.

My daughter and I had started going to Lewes Senior Center for their weekly games and, indeed, my daughter won $1,000 on the so-called Cookie Jar at this venue, and over time we both made many friends, to include the lady in charge of Bingo at the time and the many very nice volunteers. 

I will not name names in this anecdote.

So I recently had a new heart valve, have had a quadruple bypass many years ago, and sport several stents in various veins.  I use a cane to walk and do have trouble getting around. I have an official handicap parking tag, issued by my Doctor thus I am considered legally handicapped.

It got so at the Lewes Senior Center (LSC) that standing in lines to obtain the required Bingo cards to play the game was a chore so I got permission for my daughter to be allowed to purchase my items for me.  This ability eliminated the need for me to limp in lines and understand, depending on the Bingo venue, there are lines for this, lines for food, lines to pee, lines to buy special Bingo cards, yada, yada, yada.  There is also a Delaware law, I insert here, that all Bingo events must provide access to the handicap for all activities.

Yes, I am very aware of Delaware Bingo laws and yon readers will be made aware in future readings.  

This method of me obtaining various objects via daughter worked for quite a while.  That is, until one day a volunteer took over the job of leading the evening of Bingo and the caller who supported her.

What a story.

So I come in the LSC as per normal and we both immediately stand in line to purchase our initial Bingo packet.  This alone is in violation of the law for the handcapped such as myself should not have to stand in line to purchase something the site requires purchase of in order to participate in the game.

But daughter and I got there early enough that the line was not too awfully long and I could stand for a while.

Then the giving of special Bingo activity which varies from venue to venue.  It’s not important what it was except it required, again for folks to stand in lines to purchase.  Up until the time I write about, I had been allowed to have my daughter to purchase the items I wanted.

As a side note, some Bingo events are restricted to amounts people might purchase to insure that enough special tickets are available to provide to all people present.  I don’t know how the Bingo venues figure this out but I know that you can’t have someone buying too many tickets that many others can’t.  THIS is why venues have a system to sell to individuals that will insure a steady amount available to all.  But LSC made even the handicapped stand in sometimes long lines, over and over as many tickets are often sold.  As I said, the woman who normally was in charge of all of this pointedly allowed my daughter to stand in line and purchase for me AND her.

Hey, why not?  I was sitting right there, anyone could see me and daughter buying for me.  We weren’t cheating the system.  I could not stand in lines for a long time and the lady who previously was handling this wisely allowed me to sit while daughter purchased.  All in frigging plain sight, please remember.

So the lady covering for the lady with good common sense, on the night I write about decided on that night that I MUST stand in line to get any tickets I desired because daughter would not be allowed to buy them for me.  I found out about this as daughter waved at me from across the room where she was in line.  I was sitting comfortably at our normal seat, a seat assumed by me, as per normal, after entry and purchasing the first set of Bingo cards.  My daughter shouted across the room to tell me that they won’t let her buy my tickets so I have to go stand in line.

I was exhausted already from walking and waiting in line, obtaining seat and didn’t think I could make it through the four or five lines normally required to buy the special games card.  I started to get up, grab my cane  and walk over, and got a terrible cramp in my leg.  I sat down and the pain eased but upon one more try I looked around.  I asked the temporary volunteer managing for this night why my daughter could not buy my cards as this has been allowed by then several months prior by the permanent person who handled this.

“Tonight we’re not going to change things,” she explained.  “Everybody has to stand in line to buy the special games cards.”

Which, as I point out, right there this is a violation of state law by denying me access as a handicapped person, to parts of the game.  But I really was hurting, my daughter was already in line, she was in view of everyone, she wasn’t going to rob anyone.  Why couldn’t she buy my cards and in plain view of everyone walk them right over to me that everyone could see?

Why couldn’t I, a formerly good client of the group, have the situation of my handicap handled with no bother to anyone?

So I stood up and shouted, yes I did I was a bad girl, but I shouted most of the above.  I shouted that Betty Boop, the woman normally handline these things, let my daughter do this.  I shouted that I’ve been coming here for over a year.  I complained about my pain.

Truthfully yon readers, I could probably have found a chair and pushed it around to keep me from standing in line.  I could maybe have done something but I ask again….

…WHY?

But it gets worst which is why I will never, not ever, go to LSC again.  Supposedly a senior center but they’ve sure been mean to me.

Because after intermission, after daughter WAS allowed to buy my cards by someone with greater authority I suppose, the Bingo caller gets on the stand and CHASTISES ME IN PUBLIC.  I should be kind to the volunteers, we should worry about feelings.

Why couldn’t the woman have just avoided it and let me go?  She was eventually over-ruled that same night.

WHY WAS I THE BAD GUY???

You know what, I did apologize, very loudly and publicly, for “being mean” to the volunteer, who was crying by the was, goodness you can’t make this stuff up.  But I apologized for making her cry and I screamed at this caller why couldn’t he discuss this with me in private?  What was the purpose of humiliating me in public?

I go to Willards now on Tuesday night and will never go back to LSC again.  Recall that I mentioned that many of the LSC regulars were at the Elks Bingo I attended and they all asked to come back.  Not many of them liked what happened that night.

As I am to understand it, LSC is now more organized and getting their act together so let me be fair.  And I state that my, -or my daughter’s halo- will NOT blind anyone.

But I will never understand the logic of how this whole thing as handled.

I will shut up now.

Prior Bingo Posts: 

 Introduction to Bingo by Fish

 https://patfish.blogspot.com/2024/06/we-begin-to-discuss-bingo.html 

Introduction to Bingo venues 

https://patfish.blogspot.com/2024/06/blog-post.html

The Worst Experience in Bingo I have Ever Had

https://patfish.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-worst-experience-in-bingo-i-have.html

Bingo Venues and How they affect the Fun of Bingo

 

 

BINGO BY FISH

Bingo Venues and How They Function

6/24/2024

I promised that I would discuss the Willards venue for Bingo but first, let us discuss just what a Bingo venue is and how it affects enjoyment of playing Bingo.

First, at least for Maryland and Delaware, and I suspect for most of the country, there are rules for playing Bingo.  For now, let’s us revue Bingo venues in the Delmarva area and we shall move on to one I consider the best of all in my area. 

A Bingo venue is comprised, usually, of tables upon which to sit, a desk set up for the caller, screens so that players can see the Bingo balls, a table that has volunteers selling Bingo cards and special packets and usually there is a place that serves food.

With a venue like this, Bingo players, often of the elder human variety, can show up and have a meal, buy the packages and specials, set up their Bingo-play surround on the tables and enjoy a four or five hour evening of socialization, eating, fun with playing Bingo and perhaps win some money.

Bingo venues have lots of nuances which we will cover at a later date.  For now know that the seating area to play the game is often equal to the amount of subscribers to play Bingo normally attend.  Check out the chairs for seating because in some you might want to bring a cushion.

The calling area and the screens where the players can see the balls being called are generally placed around the room and visible to all callers.  Just pick an area to sit that suits your line of sight.

The area where Bingo cards are purchased, along with the special cards, can be set up in all sort of ways.  How the volunteers normally behave has a great effect on your enjoyment of the game.  And yes I will have an example of volunteers so mean you think they might kill you.

But for the most part the volunteers are nice people who strive to serve you well.

Finally check out the food service.  Most venues have some sort of food service and by me, a night of Bingo includes a meal and snacks.  Also find out of a Bingo venue allows you to bring your own meals.  Some do not.

I will now give you an example of a Bingo venue that I consider the best around Delaware.

I speak of the Willards Lion Club.

By chance today I was having a few medical tests.  Some how the subject turned to where she lived and soon she mentioned that she lived in Willards.  I then told her that I love playing Bingo at the Willards Lions and she said her husband loved to play Bingo.  At some point she mentioned that while she worked in Delaware, at Beebe health center of Rt.24 in fact, that Willards wasn’t that far away. 

Which is my point.

BUT…but,but,but…Willards IS in Maryland.

At some point we’ll go over the different laws in Delaware and Maryland as regards Bingo which can be, at times very significant.

Willards is about a 44 minute drive from where I live in Sussex county Delaware to right over the Maryland state line.

The venue is very large and while the building itself is kind of in a very rural area, there are many attendees to these Bingo games.

Further, they have very good food served through out the game.  The volunteers are all very gracious and anxious to serve the attendees.

The Willards Lions Club is a great Bingo venue and a nice half hour drive far away from the summer tourists.

NEXT:

THE WORST BINGO VENUE IN SUSSEX COUNTY AND ONE WHERE THE VOLUNTEERS HATE THE BINGO PLAYERS

Prior Bingo Posts: 

 Introduction to Bingo by Fish

 https://patfish.blogspot.com/2024/06/we-begin-to-discuss-bingo.html 

Introduction to Bingo venues 

https://patfish.blogspot.com/2024/06/blog-post.html

We Begin to Discuss Bingo

 

BINGO BY FISH

Let us Begin....

6/21/2024

Of course Bingo is not one of the major past time of our lives.  Nor should it e. I expect that most of my folks reading this are interested in playing Bingo, to include the game itself, the chance to socialize for an evening, perhaps a meal that does not need to be prepared at home and, of course, the fun of the game.

So that there is no confusion, I live in Sussex county Delaware, am over 70, am not expert on Bingo but do play in different venues and have learned a thing for or two.

We will cover the game of Bingo as allowed by the laws of both Delaware and Maryland.  I will cover the different venues, both private clubs and by a part of a government bureaucracy. 

I have played Bingo in my life, but it wasn’t until after retirement that I became a Bingo aficionado.

And, ahem, most dedicated Bingo players are older and likely retired. 

I will also cover Bingo venues because Lord they are different.  You have volunteers here that work hard to earn money for their organization.  You have volunteers over here that are just plain mean or don’t know what they are doing.  And you have volunteers here that are mediocre.

Some venues are well-arranged and organized, some are a mess, often they don’t know the rules.

And you have Bingo callers and the venue meals and this will be my target.

Next Discussion…A Maryland Bingo venue…Willards!

The Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse and the Memories I Have.

 4/4/2024

The Day It Was Born; The Night It Died

It was 1977.  I was 7.5 months pregnant.  It was the month of March.  The new Francis Scott Key Bridge was scheduled to open.  I was excited.  Myself and my two male riders were happy to use the new bridge and FINALLY be done with that awful Harbor Tunnel we had drive for the prior eight years.

I insert here that obviously I was familiar with traveling under or over some kind of water, and also, for quite a few years lived ON, the Chesapeake Bay.  We all are in Merryland and we get used to it.

But the entry to the new bridge was not yet open that day so we had to drive down, get this, Patapsco Avenue, to get to the new FSK bridge.  There I am, big belly with the  only time I carried a child.  I was driving that day, my turn, and damn was it all so new to me that a dog ran in front of my car and I hit it.

I got so upset, and the cops somehow came, I didn't know how to navigate this avenue and sobbed that the dog might be dead.  My two riders told me to get in the back, they explained to the cops that they would drive...yada, yada.  Damn, no way could I drive over this brand new bridge after almost killing a dog but one of my riders took over.  The dog was fine, btw.

So that baby was born and she is now 46 years old.  The night this bridge fell down, which after hitting the dog I drove over daily for seven years, that "baby"  was sleeping in the bedroom down the hall in the house we now share as adults.

I was drowsy as I awoke, as I do , around 5 am.  Not hardly bushy and bright-eyed, I watched Fox and Friends in early morn as I do.  Eyes blinked sleepily as I watched images of a bridge somewhere totally collapsing until I heard someone on Fox say the Francis Scott Key Bridge had collapsed.

At which point I screamed at the horror and surprise of it.  

I called my daughter, who evidently likes to sleep later than 5 in the am.  It took a while, but she got up and tuned into Fox.  Then she phone HER daughter, my granddaughter obviously, who was already up as was most of Baltimore by this time.

So okay, I did not give birth on the Francis Scott Key Bridge but once I had a VW Rabbit with a hood that flew up in the air as I crossed the FSK bridge.  I drove it halfway by looking through the vent holes.

I did not fall in love on the bridge or meet my soul mate.  And yet, like so many of us around these parts, we all knew that on some level we were looking at a bit of history.

But there is also, now, a future that we can give a peek to and consider how we should now do this different.

Bearing in  mind that I am not scientist or builder.  I am, like most Americans, filled with common sense so allow me to share it those with none.  Also known as politicians.

Take a look at the picture provided.  Notice that the ship that collided with the bridge, is bigger than the tallest building in Baltimore.  This, of course, icould we lay them side by side and even if it were possible.

I'd been hearing right along that when the bridge was built the ships were less than half the size than they are now.  I ponder that, darn, suppose a ship was towing the Empire State Building under the bridge, suppose it gets to the point where logic goes out the window.

No protection around the bridge's legs and braces was built because it was never considered about how big these things could get over the years.  The population grows, more trade is conducted world-wide.  Such as the FSK bridge just weren't built for this hustle and bustle of a future.

No, I don't believe this was planned intentionally, a terrorist attack.  But like I say, I am no expert.

I watch the tape endlessly as the FSK bridge collapses like a toy and I remember how scared I was driving in the wind with my view only there through the motor vents on the hood.  That bridge seemed so DAMN BIG to me.

So it's back to the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel for a while because I have family in Merryland, some business at times.

I leave with this prediction....this bridge will be up and fixed within TWO YEARS.  Fixed and working and better.

Because that same technology that may have effectively caused its demise, this same technology will allow it to be build amazingly fast, better and safer.

===============================================================

TIME FOR A SMILE

Lefty's Alley and Eats...An amazing Lewes, Delaware place of entertainment

Grab your friends and redefine what it means to have fun!
Lefty’s Alley & Eats is an award-winning restaurant that elevates dining,
events and entertainment with style like no other.

https://www.iloveleftys.com/

The Francis Scott Key Bridge has fallen down but granddaughter, who lives within a few miles of this bridge, was scheduled for many days to visit us in Delaware for Easter.  This required granddaughter and her boyfriend to plan the way around.  Living in Merryland pretty much requires locals to learn to traverse the Chesapeake Bay/Patapsco River/Inner Harbor.  But their effort to get here did work and I wanted very much to entertain them over the Easter holidays, but holidays with questionable weather, daylight hours and now a bridge missing.

As a resident of Lewes I have been familiar with Lefty's as I have lived in Delaware now for over 21 years.  But I thought....inside....bowling....a big arcade....food.  THIS WAS JUST THE THING!

Worrying about my plan to go the Saturday before Easter and just how busy that might be, I went online and darn if I didn't discover the ability to reserve duckpin bowling aisles online!  Lefty's also has ten pin bowling and they too can be reserved.

Understanding, as I learned, that you must pay for the lanes you reserve, upon reservation, including the cost of bowling shoes if needed.  Should you have to cancel the reservation, within 48 hours, Lefty's will give tickets good for future date rather than a monetary refund. "Cause that's just the way we do it!" so they explain on the web site.

While I intend to summarize that Lefty's is indeed well-run and efficient, be aware it is not cheap.  With the cost of reserving duck pin lanes for three hours, and shoes, it cost me about $130.00.  The lanes were great, the bowling was fun.  Reservists got generously sized benches and booths.

The arcade was fairly amazing and totally current.  Much of the attempt to get free tickets involved claw machine type set-ups.  One can easily put a set amount of play money on Lefty's arcade card, using their own credit cards.

Lefty's does serve food, again, not cheap.  It cost me $82.00 for a meal that was very good, included one alcoholic drink, was eaten comfortably at a table to avoid the bowling hassle.

We did win enough arcade tickets to get a gift.  Lefty's has nice arcade gifts but be aware it take upwards of 5000 tickets to be redeemed to get some battery-operated gadget.  

At any rate, kids got home by going over the DELAWARE Memorial bridge of all things, we had a great time at Lefty's.

They were busy, but run well.  I thought they were worth the money for entertaining holiday visitors.