...and Bingo was his name-o...

Well, I just got back from my first experience with Bingo--ever. I must say, I was very apprehensive at first when my friend called me up...

"Hey, Michelle! They're having Bingo at South Riding Town Hall tonight. We should totally go!"
"I dunno. Isn't it a bunch of old people?" I asked.
"No!! It's South Riding! There are no old people in South Riding!" my friend said with confidence.

So we ventured out with our other friend Daynah. Three brave souls attempting to conquer the world of Bingo. As we entered, we were greeted by two 70 year old women.

"Are you members?" she asked.

My friend Daynah said no, it was our first time and we were promptly instructed to pay the full fee of $7 (as opposed to the $5 member fee) and fill out name tags. We filled them out dutifully and Daynah put her alias, "Cookie" on hers. I guess she didn't want to reveal her true identity to the shady underworld of Bingo. All three of us got 4 cards each, thinking that was the "thing to do".

As we sat down, we were greeted by more eager 70 year olds--their eyes gleaming at the sight of three 20 somethings.

"Ooooo... FOUR CARDS! You guys must play a LOT!" they would exclaim. Little did we know we were the ONLY ones with four cards. Everyone else had two or three.

It was about 15 minutes into chatting with the 70 year olds that we realized where we were. This Bingo night was for the "Primetimers Club" and apparently was a regular thing. We started giggling as the Primetimers kept referring to Daynah as Cookie and they proceeded to offer us baked goods that they had brought for this special occassion. The leader started off telling jokes and apologized for the last Bingo night being cancelled. Apparently, they had to cancel because she was in the hospital for some ailment. They then exchanged tidbits on how you can get cheaper prescription drugs at Costco and you don't even have to be a member! And apparently, stamps are 25 cents cheaper a roll at Costco than if you were to buy them at the post office. "Amazing!" the primetimers gasped at this knowledge.

The worst part of the evening was when Stacy turned to me and said, "Do you realize you have a gray hair?" As she plucked it out, I almost cried! My first gray hair is found in a BINGO HALL during a PRIMETIMERS meeting. It was all too much.

All in all, between the 3 of us and our 12 cards, we ended up winning 7 games for a grand total win of $18. We were the envy of the hall as there were only about 10 games or so played total.

It was fun. It was cute. But I don't think I want to be an official "Primetime Member" for a long long time.