bunco night

This is one of those women things. Or maybe one of those southern-women things. I don't know.

My women's group is having its annual Bunco night. (We don't do the money "betting" thing, where you put together a kitty - so everyone but the winner "loses" $2 or $5 or whatever. We do prizes instead. But I had to buy one of the prizes because I'm an officer in the group. And I'm also a hostess [at least it's not at my house; I'm just a food-bringing hostess]. This is an expensive bunco night for me).

The thing is...and this is where I look around nervously to make sure no one yanks my southern-woman card (which I think I have finally EARNED after 12 years living here), but I really don't enjoy bunco.

I suck it up and go, because I'm an officer, and because it's only once a year.

But I really don't enjoy it. I can play happily for (maybe) fifteen minutes, and after that, I'm all, "Okay, I'm ready to go home now." Part of it is the chaos - you're surrounded by women shaking dice and yelling out numbers and periodically someone will jump up and yell BUNCO! and because I'm an anxious type to begin with, I find it kind of unpleasant.

I'd rather...I don't know, I'd rather play a game like Apples to Apples or something that involves words. And that is more a game of cleverness than a game of dumb luck. (Because that's what bunco really is; you're rolling dice). Bunco gets tedious for me after about fifteen minutes. (And the games really do go on for like three hours. It'll be nine o'clock, we won't be done yet, and I'll be all, "Guys, I have an 8:00 class tomorrow" and they are all "Ohhhh, just ONE MORE ROUND." What I really should say is "Guys, I get up at five freaking a.m. to work out, and I got up at five freaking a.m. this morning. I AM WORN OUT." The problem is that most everyone else is retired and they sometimes forget about the concept of having to be somewhere - and be on your A game - the next day.)

The thing is, women get REALLY into this game, and are like "I wish we could do this EVERY meeting."

Bunco: I don't get it. Of course, I also don't like slot machines or bingo, so it's probably just a trend with me.

I'd really rather spend the evening knitting or reading, but as I said, I'm an officer, so I sort of have to suck it up and go.

The worse thing? The week of the month it is for me. I caught myself three different times today interpreting (in my mind; I didn't say anything) some neutral comment another person made as a slap or insult aimed at me. Of course, intellectually I knew it was a neutral comment, but emotionally I felt it. So not really up for an evening around other women.