BINGO BUGLE

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Head of a Dog” – 1870. How cute is THAT?!

by Gayle Mitchell
Special to Bingo Bugle

“I Won the Jackpot” is the sound of dreams coming true. With the ever-increasing progressive jackpots offered by casinos, the Big Hits are what we seek. This report details four of these winning stories from the lucky winners. It is interesting that the first two winning tales occurred on different dates, different slot machines at casinos far apart, yet both are almost equal in winnings. Curious, yes? Enjoy your read.

1) Super Wedding to Come
Colin Savage of Lowestoft England was visiting Vegas for the first time with his fiancée, Tina French and made stop at the Bellagio Casino. He chose a Quartermillion$ progressive that was soon to pay out $596,149. “I put $100 in the machine, but only planned on playing $20,” said Savage. “We are going to pay off the mortgage and then have a fantastic wedding. “This still has not sunk in. It’s truly unbelievable.”

2) Locked in a Win
Jane Schwaegerl, a nurse from LaCross, WI, related her winning strategy after hitting a $595,109 Wheel of Fortune MegaJackpot at a dollar machine. “If I am successful on other machines, I try the 3X slot to see if I can win more and this time it worked. It was unreal.” “I realized that the other machines scrolling numbers had changed and my machine locked on the winning amount.” Schwaegerl had played about $100 at the Majestic Pines Casino in Black River Falls, WI. There will definitely be presents for the grandchildren and Jane plans to invest the rest.

3) A Rewarding Detour

Sharon Haggard, 54, of Oakdale, CA is a legal assistant who stopped in Reno with her sister during a road trip. Upon arrival at the Grand Sierra Casino, a 50-cent Wheel of Fortune progressive was selected along with a wager of $100. The casino is a favorite stop for Haggard and her husband who compete for slot winnings. It will be difficult for her hubby to top Sharon’s Megajackpot win of $1,595,843. As she stated, “Mama’s got her mojo back.” The future does not include retirement for the new millionaire, but assisting her mother, son and daughter is a definite plan.

4) She Returned to the Wheel

The anonymous winner from Las Vegas explained her huge payday of $6,978,753. this way, “I had decided to walk away from the machine, but after a while, I opted to come back and play one more time. That was the best decision I every made. This is a dream come true.”   Before walking away, she had asked a man at the Orleans Casino in Vegas sitting next to her how she would know if she won the jackpot. “He told me to keep an eye on the middle line and watch for five Wheel of Fortune signs all lined up in a row,” said the 52-year-old Korean native. Future plans include paying off her car and house, helping her children-grandchildren and donating to her church.

Gayle Mitchell’s site is www.GamblingTeachers.com and www.gamerisms.com

San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino made this HILARIOUS video, where men are dressed as Bingo Balls and have a wild night on the town!  Check it out:

Become a Facebook FAN!

The guys at Blendtec are amazingly cool. If you haven’t seen their videos on YouTube, it’s certainly worth a visit:

Blendtec’s YouTube Channel

Their latest video places me in a bit of a dilemma, though.  Part of me would like to own an iPad (starting at $499), but after viewing the video, I’m thinking my money might be better spent on one of their amazing Blendtec blenders ($399.95 + s&h).  What’s a girl to do?

Everyone is on Facebook these days. Companies big and small, your mother (uh oh), your mother-in-law (double uh oh), your kids (they’re embarrassed you’re here), your boss (triple uh oh), your co-workers (this could be bad, or good), and your real world friends, including those “fab” gal pals who make it their mission to post snaps of you taken when you’ve had too much to drink and decide you’re a really, really good dancer.

It’s hard to create a Facebook page for yourself that reflects your many “interests” yet keeps you out of trouble with everyone. While “everyone” is probably okay with the fact that you like to post photos of dogs dressed up in holiday costumes (sample below), your boss might not like to see that update you made about falling asleep at your desk, or how much time you spend on Farmville. And while your friends may love those too-too-tipsy shots of you shaking your groove thing, I can guarantee your mother-in-law will use this against you somehow.

Bunny doesn’t want a bland Facebook page, but, then again, Bunny doesn’t want to get fired either. If you have any tips on making Facebook work every which way for everything and everybody, through privacy settings, or creating separate profiles, or some such, post your comments here please!

Everyone loves a parade, sort of.

Is it just me, or do these people look completely nuts?

Mmm Mmm Wood!

If seeing abandoned Christmas trees awaiting the chipper bums you out like it does me, maybe this article will cheer you up: http://www.peoplepets.com/news/cute/rescued-goats-eat-discarded-christmas-trees-like-candy/1

(Should I be embarrassed that I often log in to PeoplePets?

The plot of “Twilight” in less than one minute:

My sister sent me this link (how she found her way here I do not know) and within seconds I was living vicariously through this self-described recovering control freak new yorker who isn’t ashamed to chase a waffle truck and has replaced her television with a tray of gin (it was love at first blog-entry). I will be checking in here from time to time, and you probably should, too.
http://katenyland.blogspot.com/