Tag Archives: mahjong

Notes from a voice from the past…

Hello to all my dear Mah Jongg friends! It has been over a year since I last published anything on this blog and I must say that I have missed you all. So much has happened since you last heard from me…I am living in beautiful Hudson, NY and teaching high school up here in Columbia County. And I am happy to say that there is a lot of Mah Jongg being played up here in the country! Of course, I’m still playing every week with some of my NYC friends – online – and I look forward to those games and staying in touch with my city peeps.

Today was the last day of school before winter break starts for all of next week. I am exhausted and am looking forward to the vacation. But when I walked into my apartment building lobby I saw a group of my neighbors sitting at a card table and I must knew they must be playing my favorite game! So I walked on over and asked if I could watch for a while and they very graciously said yes. And what a lovely group of people they are! Debbie said to me, “whatever happened to your blog? I looked forward to it and got recipes from it and loved seeing all your gifts and ideas.” Well, Debbie inspired me so HERE I AM!

Now I must say that WordPress, the host of this blog, has changed and I have a big learning curve to catch up with and try to figure out how to get back in the habit of blogging. So, I will leave you here today and hopefully will be back in the habit of blogging most days going forward. I’ve missed you all and send thanks to Debbie for inspiring me to get back on my computer and connect once again with all of you.

And if you have any questions or Mah Jongg news to share with me, I’d love to hear from you. You can always email me at ann@mahjonggandme.com.

May the Jokers be with you! Ann xxo

I’M IN TROUBLE!

My dear friend Sandra has been very busy lately – I just went on her website and couldn’t get over the amount of new and fabulous Mah Jongg-related items she has up for sale. I’m putting together my list of all the things I want and, as I wrote above, I’m in trouble…I want it all!

For example, have you seen her wonderful Mahjong Mask Holders? I can’t decide which one I like best so I might have to order all of them (see what I mean…I am in trouble!) because I suspect we will be wearing our masks for still quite a while.

And how about these great key chains – at their price they are great little gifts for all of your Mah Jongg-playing friends.

Now I know this next piece of jewelry – the inspirational necklace – is not necessarily Mah Jongg-related but I have a feeling they might bring good luck to the wearer at the MJ table! Besides, I just love them…I wonder if Sandra would consider two or three of the charms on one leather cord…

Well, I have a lot of shopping to do on Sandra’s site so here is her Etsy address if you are interested in doing some browsing – and shopping! – for wonderful Mah Jongg jewelry and other types of goodies. BTW, Sandra is the best – you will love her!

MAH JONGG MONDAYS!

 

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Fern Bernstein, the author of Mah Jongg Mondays: a memoir about friendship, love, and faith.

But surely Fern was not calling me about her book…no, Fern was calling to ask if I would be a guest on her podcast, Mah Jongg Mondays. I was so honored to be asked! Fern has been doing these wonderful Mah Jongg-related podcasts for a while now with a new version airing each Monday. As Fern writes, “A podcast where we talk about all things mah jongg. Informative discussions and exciting guests help me create a fun and engaging podcast. Whether you are a new player or have been playing mah jongg for decades, this podcast has something for everyone. Bam! Crak! Dot! Let’s talk about mah jongg!”

So, I digress. As I said, Fern had called me and asked if I would like to be interviewed on her podcast. A date was set up for us to do the interview which would then be sent off to her producer for editing. Fern asked me to send her my bio and, at the same time, she sent me an outline of the interview. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciated her professionalism.

At exactly the time on the date we were scheduled for the interview, my phone rang and it was Fern. The interview followed the outline and there were no surprises. Fern is a skilled interviewer and I enjoyed the entire process. And so, I hope you will listen to and enjoy Fern interviewing me on this podcast called – what else?!! – Mah Jongg and Me

P.S. Take a look at these Flowers…don’t be fooled into thinking they are Winds! Even though they have NEWS on them they are definitely the Flowers from this set!  I talk about these beautiful Pung Chow tiles on the podcast!

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN…

                 Hi all – and Happy New Year!!!

Believe it or not, it is time to place your order for your 2020 National Mah Jongg League card. Remember, the earlier you place your order, the sooner you will get your card when the mailings begin in late March/early April. 

If you have followed my previous advice, you have saved your membership number (or look on the label of the NMJL newsletter that you recently received). Then, with membership number in hand, go to www.nationalmahjonggleague.org and click on the gray box that tells you to order your 2020 rule cards. It’s that easy! And, if you can’t find your membership number, not to worry! You can still buy your cards – it just is quicker and easier if you know your membership number. So, don’t delay – order your card right now!

happy new year

 

CALLING ALL MAH JONGG PLAYERS

We love our game of Mah Jongg but we also love our winnings. And now there is a way to give back some of those winnings to all of those who suffer from the devastating disease of Alzheimer’s. This is a national fundraiser and I am happy to say that Mah Jongg groups all over the country are holding events in June to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. But we need more…won’t you include your group?

Join the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day Fundraiser through playing Mah Jongg and Mah Jongg for Memories.
Players will be helping fund care, support, and research for the over 5.8 million people in the United States who are living with this disease and other dementias, and the nearly 16 million caregivers.
In the month of June,  Mah Jongg groups across the country will be dedicating their regular play-days to the Alzheimer’s Association by making donations to the cause.  Also, other players will be holding more elaborate and larger day-long fundraising events.  Some will have lunch and silent auctions, while others will enjoy snacks and donate their day’s winnings.  All, however, will combine the fun and challenge of Mah Jongg with the objective of ending Alzheimer’s, the all-consuming disease that threatens the mental ability of every Mah Jongg player.
For more information and how to register your club or team. Please contact
Lucy DeNardo, Senior Constituent Events Manager, ldenardo@alz.org or 646.793.4862.
Here are a few examples of what is happening with some of the country’s Mah Jongg for Memories events – let me know what your group is doing so I can post information about it for all to see:

http://act.alz.org/goto/mahjongdice (our good friends Dara and Donna!)

A GREAT GIFT FOR A FRIEND OR…FOR YOURSELF!

Every once in a while a terrific new Mah Jongg product comes along that we had not seen before. Well, it has happened again with this great idea from the team of Dora and Donna at Modern Mahjong – finally…dice that make sense to use for our beloved game! Check this out:Yes! These are Mah Jongg dice! And they can be yours simply by going to Dara and Donna’s website at www.mahjongdice.com OR emailing them at modernmahjong@gmail.com. These wonderful dice come in several different styles and colors and are just a fabulous gift to give to your favorite Mah Jongg player (who might just be YOURSELF!). These special dice will elevate the beauty of your game, whether you play with a new set or an amazing vintage one.

How nice it is to support these two best friends who bring their entrepreneurial spirit to our Mah Jongg community!