Bam Bird, Anyone?

Last Friday my sister texted me about hanging out. "We could Mahj!" she tempted.  I was in.  Unfortunately, the rest of the foursome were busy/out of town/not available (and her kids each said no); when I realized it was just the two of us I worried we might have to cancel.  But, I shouldn't have...she learned that we could play two hands each!

So Friday evening found me knocking at my sister's door, juggling Costco sushi, Dots' Pretzels, and wine.  She was ready, her new sherbet-colored tiles on the mat, game cards and dice ready to go.  Playing two hands at a time adds a level of complexity to American Mahjong, which is an already-complex game.  But, it provides a certain amount of flexibility too - as you are working with 28 tiles rather than 14. I love some of the rules as well - sneakily stealing from the discard pile with those blank tiles...game changer.  And, discarding a Bam Bird means Cheers all around.  Fun!

Our first game started at 5:30, and we chattered on about family and life and forgetting who had drawn or discarded last. I don't know how many times we both had to count our tiles to see who was up next.  That first game took almost two hours, but I managed to get both of my hands to the final Mahjong.  We played that night until 11:30 - and the hours flew by.  

I love a Friday evening - the work week is over, the weekend is beginning, there are no obligations until Saturday.  Hanging with my sister and playing Mahjong was exactly the right way to celebrate.