The Rush of the Game

In college, I never "rushed".


In grad school, I started a book club (which is still going on to this day) but I dropped out because...well, because I found cramming the night before book club to read the damn book to be too stressful. 


In Santa Barbara, I attended a Junior League informational meeting with my friend, Jenn Hall....but then we moved to San Diego a month later.


In San Diego, I was Grant's "Room Mom" for his first daycare and attended PTA-like meetings that fizzled out after 6 months.




....So, when I was invited by my friend Camille to attend her Tuesday night/once a month "group"...I was...let's just say...skeptical.


Let's face it: my track record for joining "groups" (as described above) is not stellar.


But this time, it wasn't a book group, a baking group, or a bible group...
.......but it does start with "B".....


Have you guessed it yet?


Another clue: It rhymes with "drunko"


That's right:  a BUNCO group!  


Me to my friend Kathleen after being invited: "What the hell is Bunco?"


I believe her answer was something to the effect: "It's a dice game that isn't hard and you drink wine the entire time and chat".  

Inner monologue: "Wine? Night off from mommy duties? There is no reading required? Now you're talking my language!! Sure, I'll join this group"


I was all excited for Bunco. As Tuesday night approached, I learned a little detail that sent me into a bit of a nervous tizzy.


I was a "substitute" Bunco player. 
I wasn't "in" the group.


Inner monologue: "Should I still go? What if they don't like me? WHAT IF I SUCK AT BUNCO??? Maybe I should bail...I can just drink wine at my house. I hate "groups" anyway."


But the appeal for a night off from mommy duties and all of it's glorious nightly rituals including changing shitty pull-ups (WHY won't she poop in the toilet?!!?) bath time fights over washing hair with soap, and stalling during bedtime pushed me to keep my obligation as a "substitute" bunco player.


....and the $5.00 buy in was going to Susan J. Komen for the Cure.


So, I borrowed a pink t-shirt from my cousin (pink is NOT my color, unlike my daughter who, just this morning I had to fight to get a green dress on instead of her usual pink) 


...I quickly decided I should bring something to snack on and I remembered one of the Hershey kiss/ pretzel recipes I pinned the other day....and whipped these babies together:  

I met Camille at her house up the road and we walk to the Bunco host house. There, I meet around 16 fabulous ladies...ranging in age from 35 to 75 (approximately).  


All of the ladies live in the neighborhood, but "The Greens" covers a huge area (it is surrounded by The Rancho Bernardo Inn and it's golf course, and the Rancho Bernardo Country Club course---hence the name).  


I quickly learn that I was the only one from the "the other side" of the RB Inn.  


Inner Monologue: "Is being on the other side of the Inn like being from "the wrong side of the tracks?" ...I mean, I STILL have a membership to the Swim and Tennis Club after all."


Mrs. Host made a delicious turkey taco salad (NOT STORE BOUGHT TACO SEASONING--find the recipe here.


We all filled up our wine glasses, ate, chatted, and began playing Bunco...and chatted...


 I won't bore you with all of the details and rules of Bunco...if you are interested, read about it here.


 But what I WILL tell you is that: I had 6 wins, 6 losses, and 2 buncos...


Now, if I was a glass half empty person, I'd say that I lost 50% of the time, but of course, I ALWAYS keep my wine glass full, so that's more like I won 50% of the time 


My Inner-wishful image of myself playing Bunco:

At the end of the night, when the wine was put away and coffee brought out and and the tally made for whom won that night...I hear a "clink,clink,clink" of someone's spoon on their glass. 

I look around to see our host attempting to get everyone's attention:


Mrs. Host: "Ladies, we have a few newbies here tonight that we need to take a vote on"


All this time, I felt like I was "one of the gang" and the reality set in that this COULD BE MY LAST BUNCO night out.


Inner monologue as I feel my face beginning to match my tshirt:, "Shit! Was my two Bunco's enough to win over the crowd? Did they like the hershey pretzels well enough? Maybe they don't want someone from "the other side of the Inn?"


Other Bunco gals: "We need some fresh faces around here!" They're in!!


Whoo hoo!! I'm in! I'm part of the Tuesday night/once a month/we say we are doing it for the dice game but in reality it's to drink wine and socialize group!"






Lessons Learned:

1) A Bunco is when you roll 3 of the same number on 3 die for the number that you are playing for at that time. (ie. if you are rolling for 6's and you roll 6 on all 3 of them). This is worth 21 points.


2) A mini-Bunco is when you roll 3 of the same number for any other number except for what you are rolling for--this is worth 5 points


3) Bunco really isn't about the game. 


4) Bunco is my kind of group.