The game of cornhole was created in the suburbs of Cincinnati in the late 1990’s.  In just over a decade, this simple backyard tossing game has exploded in popularity across the country.  Cornhole is a sport that involves tossing one pound corn-filled bags a distance of 27 feet and landing them on a piece of plywood board.   These cornhole bean bags should measure 6” square and be made with high-quality duck cloth.  The boards have a six-inch hole drilled out of their center.  A bag on the board scores you one point.  A bag in the hole earns you 3 points.  First player/team to 21 wins.

After its inception in Cincinnati, cornhole quickly spread across the Midwest and East Coast.  Hubs of popularity sprung up in Indianapolis and Chicago.  Eventually the game took off down South and across the West to become a national phenomenon.  Tailgate parties, family reunions, 4th of July parties, charity events, corporate picnics; you name it, cornhole is there.

The game has even spread to international markets such as Canada and the UK.  Recently, the sport has taken off with members of the US military.  Games have popped up at bases in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as onboard Navy vessels at sea.  Celebrities and professional athletes have taken to setting up cornhole tournaments to generate interest and money for their favorite charity.  Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is one such example, and his yearly tournament is a major revenue generator for local causes.

Although the name of the sport may vary by region, the equipment used and the bean bag toss game rules abided by remain the same basically everywhere.   It’s difficult to gauge why this sport has grown so quickly.  Perhaps it’s the addictive nature of the game.  Or, maybe it’s the fact that anyone can play, regardless of age, or arm strength; most people can toss a one-pound cornhole bag.  It’s time to start tossin’!

I have an odd sense of humor. Luckily, so does my ex-husband. When we were married, we’d always try to trip each other up as if we’d forgotten each other’s birthday or our anniversary. We started out stupidly and sincerely negligent a few times but then it slowly developed into a game…into one of those ridiculously unspoken jokes that you can never discuss (or it ruins the whole effect). It gradually evolved into annual competition to see who could freak the other person out by demonstrating self-absorption and a complete lack of awareness.

The only consolation we had was knowing that we loved each other dearly and we were only trying to outdo the other person with our clever shenanigans. It was subtle and required sensibilities too difficult to articulate. For example, in the late late evening of our last anniversary, I called him and said, “Hey, I have something to tell you.” To which he chuckled and replied, “Yes indeed, you do.” I then proceeded to tell him that I thought the inground pool needed to be shocked because there were tiny flecks of algae growing along the liner and I hated for that to become an expensive problem so we should get on the fix in the AM. He laughed out loud and I giggled to myself and said, “I’ll be home, later.” Of course, at about 11:45 pm, I arrived at our house with all kinds of specially selected presents, beautifully wrapped, which I knew he would love.

And he did. And we laughed at the fact that I knew that he thought I forgot. Believe me, it was good times. In all this joke-ishness, I forgot the card. I always completely and utterly forget the card! It’s maddening. I mean to get the card but then I run out of time and I end up having to take a little 3 x 5 card and write something silly on it because I don’t want to give a gift and not say anything. I know I’m not alone in this negligence. I know that cards are often an afterthought and expensive, but still, it stinks to give a gift without any card attached.

I recommend bulk cards, particularly bulk anniversary cards because when you buy bulk anniversary cards, you’re hooked up for a very long time, perhaps even the life of the marriage. Say you purchase a box of 50 bulk anniversary cards and you get married when you are 20 years old. That takes you to your 70th year and you never have to worry about getting a card last minute or explaining why your gift has no accompanying card to go with it. You’re covered. And then you can play ignorant, self-absorbed spouse all you want.

You had enough selflessness to buy him a card. Way ahead of time. And if all else fails, you can slip a gift card inside one of these bulk anniversary cards and voila. Ici–an entirely respectable anniversary gift, happened. Anniversaries are hard in that it’s difficult to buy your spouse something you’re convinced they will love. In many casesm I hear one spouse say about the other, “If they want it, they’ll go out and buy it themselves.” And that’s true. If someone really wants something, most of the time, they will buy it themselves.

Except when they won’t. In my case, I walk around hinting at things about a month or so, beforehand. I let my kids know that if they ever want to buy something for me, that I’d really love a silver tennis bracelet…or whatever the case may be. Then I forget about it and pretend I don’t even notice someone forgot my birthday or anniversary because I know quite well, they’re just faking it.

Having a hobby can be quite fun. Almost all individuals have some type of hobby to pass their idle time away with. Some people engage in handicrafts, other people like to draw and paint, others like to read mystery novels, while others still prefer to combine their hobbies with the internet and make money online. Is it possible, you ask? Making money from your hobby while still having fun? The answer is a definitive yes. Almost all types of hobbies for men and hobbies for women can be used to make a small profit. While the money that you make online may never approach the amount of cash that you make with your ordinary day job, it will probably be more than sufficient to help you finance your hobbies.
For example, if you like to collect all types of jewelry, you might want to start trading with other people online or set up a photo blog of your collection. Starting a photo blog might be the wiser and safer option at first, although you probably do not want to fully disclose your identity for security reasons. People who are interested in jewelry will eventually flock to your website as long as you offer fresh content on a regular basis. For example, if you have been writing too many articles and making way too many photoshoots recently, try breaking the ice a bit with a webcomic if you know how to draw. If not, make a high-definition video tutorial and upload it to Youtube, Metacafe or other free video hosting site about stuff such as how to spot fake jewels and how to tell if a pearl is real or not by rubbing it in-between your teeth.
If you like dresses – and a lot of them, you might consider setting up your own online shop for free where you can sell and trade dresses with other people who share your interests on the internet. This also gives you an opportunity to meet people with common interests all over the globe.