Celebratory Conga

i won a hundred dollars. i won a hundred dollars.

said, of course, to a conga line beat while i roll my arms around each other, then make like i am tipping my hat from side to side while touching alternating heels to the floor on either side. this is of course, all in my head.

well, no. not all. i did win the hundred dollars. but the celebratory conga is all done in my head.

today, i went to play bingo. the first attempt at infiltrating the bingo world was a huge disaster. apparently we showed up too late and we had already walked in to creepy stares and purchased our bingo dabbers when we were loudly informed that we could no longer buy tickets to the session (around two hours) while everyone continued to stare at us. mind you, they stare at you all the time so it's not like one stare versus another stare really means anything different. this is what they do. they play bingo and stare at people. it's not a game that requires much sociality. in fact, it's a might of a hindrance. i almost missed my bingo today for talking. the caller was mad and told everyone that it was a missed bingo, when i already didn't stand out enough as a new face playing only a half. and one with only one bingo dabber and zero troll dolls at that. i was blaspheming in the church of bingo. shes's got bingo?!

a: well, i've gotta run. i'm going to bingo.
church director in the church basement: church and then bingo. you're a real old lady.
c: oh and you already have the cats!

basically, though. i love bingo. even though it was a missed bingo, i still got my money. the lady, i think, thought that s - working as a volunteer bingo card girl - did not call it loud enough the first time, and that it took until the next ball was called that she spoke up. but this is not true at all. i was just talking to c and s and didn't notice that little N30 at the very bottom of my card, which of course, was the second last ball to be called. and then i wanted to take a moment to check that i did indeed have two lines, because i sure as hell didn't want to draw more attention to myself, being the bingo blashphemer, by calling a wrong bingo and slowing down the precious precious gambling. so i called it late. i didn't think it might cost me the prize - still unsure if that is actually the rule - or make the caller lady get so upset. if there is no consequence to a 'missed bingo' - as they call it - then her calling attention to it was just unneccessary. apparently, i hear from s that caller lady is going deaf and i guess is a little sensitive about it and gets defensive when she doesn't hear something - or in this case, thought she didn't hear something. she really gave s a bawling out about it. it was pretty hilarious. and i got my money.

i won a hundred dollars. i won a hundred dollars. *conga in my head*

for all the games after that, i kept imaginary conga-ing. and i didn't care if i won. it would have been a super huge bonus - and in the case of the jackpot round, a thousand dollar bonus. i was going to buy a bass guitar for me and c and s. it would have been awesome. but even just thinking about that was fun. i didn't expect to win at all.

i won a hundred dollars. i won a hundred dollars.

that's still fun. bingo is fun.

if i were in to gambling, i would play bingo. you'd probably lose your money a lot slower.

i'd probably be in to horse racing, too.

i am going to ride a horse this summer. i am going to do a lot of things this summer, but this was added to the list today. apparently s rides horses. man. who knew? i might have known that at one point. but i guess what shocked me now about the information is that i was basically ordered to go horse back riding with s - have i mentioned i love that girl. not that i needed ordering.

when i was little. i have no idea how old but in the ten's. (as in eleven to fourteen). i wanted to ride horses so bad. i wanted to ride horses so bad and my parents knew it. one day, i got the special little horse riding helmet for my birthday, or something. the hat represented the horse back riding lessons i was to receive in the future - like the picture of the keyboard i got, the never materialized.

but then. one day i left my shoes outside. come to think of it, i think one of my siblings was being dumb and put my shoes outside, but because they had done it i refused to go out and get them. well, of course: it rained. of course. so then. because i had wasted money so frivilously like that, i was no longer worthy of the horse back riding lessons.

eff.

i used to take that helmet out and put it on. i held onto it in the hopes that one day i still might get those lessons.i even kept it for a few years after it didn't fit me anymore. and i would still take it out and balance it on my head as far as it could go. it was a weird feeling inside that helmet.

and then i didn't think about horse riding for years and years and years. and somewhere along the lines i lost my courage and it seems a little scary to me now. but i am still excited. i think i will love it. i think it will be something that is missing from my life. i think it will be exhilerating. i think it'll great vibe with the earth.

you wouldn't believe the places i've been in twenty-four hours. it's a ride this mind of mine.