Bridge stories and a recommendation

You don't have to know the first thing about bridge to appreciate these stories. Both happened to me, but I'd forgotten about them until this past week.


Recently, one of my second cousins was diagnosed with cancer and, while w/racking my brain trying to come up with something positive -- maybe even funny -- to say or share with him, I noticed that he had mentioned something in his e-mail about one of his bridge partners.

Well, I put together the words 'bridge' and 'doctor', and remembered a time when I had a urinary tract infection and went to see a urologist.

What a strange-looking man! Almost immediately, however, I forgot about his looks and my problem when he asked me what I liked to do for fun. Well, there are lots of things, bridge being only one of them, but the second I mentioned bridge (and the fact that I was a teacher) we were off and running!

It seems that he was a recent student of the game, and had questions about various hand configurations, point count, etc. What would I do with this holding? Would my bid change if I held thus and so, instead?

When I got back out to the cashier with a check in hand, she looked at me VERY suspiciously before she said, "No charge."


This next one I've remembered because, when I arrived at the site Tuesday night to play bridge, one of the other players came up to me and said, "I won't need a ride home tonight." We both just burst out laughing!

This story goes back a ways. Dolores and I had been partners this one evening. After the game, we were both standing out in the Bridge & Game Studio's parking lot, laughing and carrying on, when we noticed that one of the other bridge players was out there muttering to himself and saying how he was going to have to call a taxicab.

We asked, "What's wrong?" Well, it seems that -- running late (as per usual, actually) -- , in his haste to get into the B&GS and the game, he had inadvertently left his keys in the car after locking it. Not a new story, eh what? Think we've all done that a time or two!

"You don't have to call for a taxi," Dolores said, "you can take this one!" (Pointing to mine, of course.) "Oh, no!" he said. "That's Goldenrod's car."

At that point I chimed in by saying, "We can pretend that this is a taxi! (Which, indeed, it was!) You can get into the back seat and I'll turn the meter on. Then, when we get to your house you can pay me!"

All of which, of course, subsequently happened. To this very DAY, it's a deliciously funny story, don't you agree?



My recommendation?

I have been so enjoying the Olympics! I hope that you have, as well. I just last night 'discovered' this site, which has 54 wonderful photographs from the opening ceremonies. I have viewed only twelve thus far.

Last night, before hitting the pillow (and I didn't sit up nearly the whole night like I did the night before!), I watched a little bit of the Spanish-speaking TV stations. It was almost like being in another world!!

Soccer, taekwando (sp?), weight-lifting ... none of which is covered to any great extent by NBC! I'm really glad that I live in such a diverse city. You know, it makes me wonder what kind of coverage the Olympics are getting in Africa, for instance ... how about Canada? Australia? England? France? Germany? Russia? Of course they would be focusing on their own athletes. As are we, obviously.


What an absolutely wonderful world we live in!