Anyone for a game of Bags....

I’ve got 10 months left in Chicago (mrrrrrr) so the new rule is that each week, I have to do something new. If that something new is ultra Americano – then brilliant. But it just has to be something new.

So, this week there have been a few new things. I tried to mount a giant moose in a beer garden at Mountain’s birthday drinks….that was an interesting experience, particularly as I don’t like heights, nor animals (whether real or not) and the frozen ice really didn’t help with the proceedings. Thankfully, I had Schoolyard one side and Dusty the other to catch me if I fell……what was I thinking.


This week also saw Nicole and I entering a 'bags' tournament. Now for the English among us, bags (or cornhole as it’s sometimes called) is a very Chicago thing. It’s basically two boards with a hole and you’ve got to get your 4 bean bags either ideally in the hole (3 points) or on the board (1 point). Now there’s not a massive amount of skill involved and you don’t need to be a Sri Lanken spin bowler to achieve such a task. So when I saw a chance to play, in a bar, drink beer….and win tickets to the baseball – it seemed like a no-brainer. The ‘Bollockers’ as we had named ourselves were for sure going to win. (brilliant that bollocks isn't used at all in the states).

Oh how I could be so so wrong. There were 6 teams including us (and then maybe another 2 last minute teams…randoms from the bar) and the 5 main teams you could tell play weekly. They were like professionals. They literally made a 3 pointer every shot and it was only when the pressure was closing in at around the 19 mark, did you see these dudes faulter. So Nicole and I reverted to the only tactic we had left. Flirt like hell, get them drunk and hope they take pity on us. It worked (in the short term) and a few times I swear they missed the board on purpose….but in the end the Bollockers came second from last and unfortunately did not win the legendary Cubs tickets (thankfully we weren’t the worst team, who were some dudes from somewhere miles away….and they really did have the touch of a …..)

So my career as a bags shark was short lived...if lived at all. But it was a bubble and we did gain a few new fans thanks to Nicky (or is it Niki?) Val you know what I mean.

This weekend has also seen one other new first….that I’m not really sure is bloggable. I can’t wait for gno and talking about this one….Shreadles will hate it!