We played Bingo last Friday night. Having not played in a few years this was a new experience for us. Although we were warned to expect changes in the game, we still were caught off guard.

   Walking into the building the first thing greeting us was an organized line which branched off to a few counters. You paid for your games here ordering how many "packs" you wanted to purchase. The woman behind the counter explained what was included in a pack, and what games if any had to be purchased individually. She explained that the lap boards we were used to playing on are a thing of the past. Naturally the plastic or magnetic bingo chips and wands were gone also, and the fancy containers we kept them in. The only thing you need now is a Bingo dabber for all the games are played on paper.

   Holding our game packs in her hand she then asked us if we wanted them loaded into a hand held computer. "Computer you say? We can play bingo on a computer?" "Oh yes," she said. "All you need to do is key in the number called and press enter. The computer will keep track of all your cards and will even chime when you have a bingo at no extra charge!" As good as a saleswoman as she was we took the computers.

   The night was longer than we were used to with the session lasting almost three and a half hours. The prizes were exciting ranging from three hundred to twenty-two hundred dollars per game. Although needing one or two numbers to claim a twenty-two hundred dollar game had us on the edge of our seats, the night still proved to be somewhat boring, compared to what Bingo used to be.

   Bingo in the past was an adventure. Just walking into a Bingo hall was an art in itself. It was necessary to stop every several feet as my mother and her friends greeted each other. It seemed like everyone in God's creation knew my mother personally and she knew them on a first name basis.

   Making our way across the hall we now picked where we would sit. If we were by ourselves we needed one table. If others were meeting us we'd have to save places for them, usually two per table. Mom played "up and down," two rows of cards, one over the other, so no one was able to sit across from her. My sisters brothers and I played "across," one line of cards, so people at these tables sat across from each other.

   Once the table seating was set, we now made our way to the board area, one at a time while the other sat saving the tables. Picking your boards was an art. You had certain numbers you looked for, like birthdays, anniversaries, lucky or hot numbers included. While searching for these numbers you had to be defensive as others reached over or around you to get what they thought might be a winning board. You had to be especially aware of the older women who would think nothing of climbing over you or even knocking you on your rump. Between you and a Bingo board these "ladies" considered you expendable.

   Boards now procured, The others arrive and other things need to be done before the games begin. Paper specials need to be purchased, food and drink need to be ordered, and most importantly Bingo bags need to be unpacked. I just carried my canister which contained my chips and magnetic wand but mom carried a canvass shopping bag with BINGO on the sides in big block letters. Out of this bag she unloaded her chip canister and wand. Next came her lucky trinkets, the miniture troll dolls with long hair, the unicorns, the angels, the horseshoes. You name it. If she thought it brought luck, it was in there. They were placed on the table at the top of her boards. Each seemed to have a special place or order to where they were placed. Looking around the tables she might spot something she hasn't seen before and would ask that person where they bought it. The next Bingo session she would pull the new item out of her bag.

   Last but not least came the scotch tape. It was time to tape all your paper specials together which prevented them from sliding all over the table as you blotted them with your dabber. No one brought tape except mom and we had to take turns waiting for the tape to be passed around. Once she taped her specials she took out her supermarket rags, such as the Enquirer, the Star or the Globe. She read them all and could tell you anything your inquiring mind needed to know.

   Finally game time has arrived. The Bingo balls were checked to make sure they were all there. As you hear them drop into the glass box everyone at the table says, "good luck everybody." As the games progress talking has to be almost at a whisper level, for people around you have been known to get pretty irrate when you speak loudly. Making a noise would bring occasional "shushes" or "be quite please!" Mom would constantly warn us we were talking too loud. My brother Mike and I would constantly tell jokes trying to get someone at the table to laugh.

   Looking around the table you can look at a person and tell if they are waiting on a number to win. Some moved their lips, mouthing the number they are waiting on repeatedly. Some fidgeted continually, moving their fingers or tapping their feet. Mom usually placed one of her lucky charms on the number. Her favorite was the plastic Bingo chip with the moving eyes. When they did this I would stare at them asking, "whatcha waiting on?" They wouldn't tell me because they thought it brought bad luck.

   Occasionally people do things at a Bingo session that would draw laughter from everyone. You would think that you would never be guilty of any of the following:

   ***Playing a game on the lapboards that was scheduled to be played on paper specials or visa versa.
   ***Setting up your boards and realizing you have one regular and ten admission boards.
   ***Hearing the next game was a scheduled paper special and realizing you didn't purchase any specials.
   ***Having your dabber spring a leak all over your paper specials.
   ***Spilling your coffee or cola on your specials.
   ***Yelling Bingo when only three numbers were called.
   ***Playing the wrong game such as the letter "T" instead of "X"
   ***Clearing your boards of chips then realizing the game was going into the "cover all" or "full board" part of a game.
   ***Breaking the silence during a big game as you tried to get the attention of the concession girl by yelling "pizza!"
   ***Dropping your container, spilling all your chips on the floor.

   We seemed to have a better time then playing Bingo. We played less games, we had a good time playing and we laughed more which made us all feel better. Today all I have is this strange looking computer staring at me, and what hurts much more is I have yet to hear what the chimes sound like.