…MAH JONGG IS EVERYWHERE!!! And now mainstream America continues to celebrate the Year of the Rooster! Check this out!
Our good friend Donna in Central California sent me this ad from Adidas…Adidas celebrates the Year of the Rooster with Mah Jongg tiles on their sneakers!!!
Our dear friend Boots in Central California sent me the following email and photos:
“Hi Ann,
My friend who just learned to play and is a fab player just got this set from her brother. She figures it was her grandfather’s who passed away in 1946 in SF. We found a similar set on p. 21 in your book. We need 4 blanks to add to the extra 4 blanks that are with the set.”
Here’s today’s first shout out for help: If anyone has 4 orphans to match this set, these are the measurements (thanks to Donna and her husband!): the length of the tiles are approximately 1 and 3/16, the thickness is 7/16, and the width is 13/16.
Now enjoy looking at this lovely – and well-preserved – bone and bamboo set from the 1920s by the Mah Jongg Sales Co. of America…
And here is Maggi, the proud recipient of this wonderful gift from her brother (and I note that she happens to be reading Mah Jongg: The Art of the Game!!!):
And now, one more shout-out for help – a while ago I posted a call out for Mah Jongg teachers in the Virginia Beach area. Jane just now saw the posting and sent the following email so, if anyone is looking for lessons in the VB area, let me know and I will connect you with Jane.
I know that most people think that it is only women playing American Mah Jongg – and perhaps it is true that the majority of players here in the U.S. are women. But we are seeing more and more men taking up the game…and loving it! Here’s proof of that by way of our dear friend Donna in Central California –
“Hi Ann,
This is funny and should bring a smile to your face.
Today we played at our Sr. Center in Santa Maria. There are always 8 tables set up but the most we have ever been is 29. Today we hit 32 people including all 4 men! All 8 tables were filled and some of the regulars weren’t even there.
What a fun afternoon we had. We play from 12-4 with some people coming early and a few leaving before 4. We are thrilled with this turnout. Although some people complain about the noise level getting a bit too high when a game is over but it passes. I ring a little bell when it gets “too much”.
Anyway.. three of the men happened to be playing with my sparkly pink set that Boots fondly nickname the “Barbie set”. I had the 4th man sit down for the pic and they were laughing about “tough enough to play Barbie”.. what fun..
The second pic is “packing up Barbie”. The man in the red shirt is one of the very best players. I was a little skeptical when I bought the “sparkly pink” set that people wouldn’t like it but I wanted something different and everyone thinks it’s fun, including me!
There was so much going on today that sometimes I feel more like a “social director” than a player but it’s all in good fun.
Smile… hope you are feeling good!
Hugs,
Donna”
While waiting for a few of my star students to come over today for some Mah Jongg game play, a package arrived chez moi. I didn’t remember ordering anything and I was very curious as to what this could be. The label told me that this package was from darling Donna in Central California and it made me laugh out loud:
And then I saw the return address label and laughed even more (and if anyone has orphans of this tile pictured, please let me know so that I can get them to Donna):
Opening the package I found it filled with wonderful gifts such as two Mah Jongg themed luggage tags and a yummy chocolate candy bar:
a beautiful “sun catcher” that now is twinkling from my bedroom window:
the cleverest card that I will keep forever and forever:
and then finally, the topper that brought tears and tears and tears to my eyes, a beautiful get well card from Donna, Boots, and their entire Wednesday Mah Jongg group:
I am so touched by these thoughtful and fabulous gifts – along with all of their kind words – sent to me by these wonderful and caring people. I wish I could find the right words to thank you but I don’t think there are any words that could express how I am feeling about the very special, thoughtful, and caring contents in this package. So, all I will say here is thank you a million times over to Donna and Boots – and of course, to the rest of your Wednesday Mah Jongg group. I hope you know what your gifts meant to me.
Oh, and by the way, happy birthday to Boots!!!
On May 8th our friends, Donna and Boots, will be hosting a very special Mah Jongg event. They have a really wonderful event planned but asked if I have any ideas to add to the day – I appeal to you for your input. Let me know and I will post your thoughts. Let’s help out Donna and Boots make this the best Mah Jongg day ever!
Donna wrote:
Boots and I have invited all the city Recreation "mucky
mucks", along with Mayor, city council and Parks and Rec
Commissioners. We'll see who shows! We are having an Asian
theme, telling everyone to wear their MJ jewels, and we
will have 8 hands written on a poster board with one
lottery ticket attached to each of those hands. When the
hand is made the lottery ticket is taken. We will also
have people donate a dollar to the "pot" and every time
you get a MJ, you get to put your name on a slip of paper;
at the end of the afternoon a name is drawn and you win
the pot.
Mah Jongg and Me 