When I first noticed gas prices begin creeping past the $4.00 mark, I burst into tears sitting right there in my car.  Okay, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but FOUR DOLLARS?!  SERIOUSLY?!

Some columnists have suggested that rising gas prices may actually be good for the environment, if people are more compelled to save money by driving less.  So, our question of the day is:  How are you handling rising gas prices?  Are you carpooling?  Have you changed any of your summer plans?  Or are you just gritting your teeth like I am and shelling the extra cash?

Cue the eerie music...

All of us here at Gamesville HQ were totally blown away yesterday to see that Gamesviller stevenjr1 won $4,193 in Three-Eyed Bingo ... on the same day that we posted the interview about her Three-Eyed Bingo win from 2000!  We'll strike that one up to a true Three-Eyed Bingo Moment of Destiny.   Congratulations, Sherry!

GV: So how did you feel when you found out you won Three-Eyed Bingo again?

SM:  I was pretty jazzed!  There were four numbers left to call and I had three of the numbers I needed.  I watched it and watched ... and when I found out I won, I started shaking!  My son was up and getting ready for school.  I yelled for him to come in and look at it to make sure I was right about winning.  I was shaking so badly, I could barely fill out the form!

What are you going to do with the money this time?                              

We're going to have fun with it! My teenage son wants his own computer, so that’s the first thing we’re going to buy.  And we’re going to take a vacation.  I’m not sure where yet.

So I have to ask ... when I called you for an interview before, did that compel you to start playing Bingo a lot more or had you been playing steadily all along?

I had been playing pretty steadily. Whenever I have a free moment, I would get on and play.  I wake up very early, so I play from about 4:30 to 6:30 in the morning. On weekends, I try to get in about five hours.  Last week the jackpot was at about $3,500 and I  had a feeling that I was going to hit it!

I love chips.  And things that come in tubes.  Thus, it follows that I believe that Pringles are the best of all possible potato chips. Once you pop, you can't stop, indeed.

The brain behind the Pringles packaging tube, Fredric J. Baur, passed away on May 4 at 89 years old.  He was so proud of his design that he requested for his ashes to be buried in a Pringles can in Springfield Township, Ohio.  

Rest in peace, Mr. Baur.  I'll think if you every time I pop open a can of those tasty Sour Cream & Onion chips. 

Yesterday, we posted a 2000 interview with Sherrie Meyer (Gamesviller stevenjr1).  Today, let's catch up with Sherrie. 

GV: What did you do with the $1862 you won on Three Eyed Bingo?  Anything fun?
SM: It went towards household and bills and stuff like that.  I would have loved to have spent it on fun stuff. 

What are your current favorite games on Gamesville?
Still Three Eyed Bingo!  I do like Magic 21; that is pretty fun.  

We are actually relaunching the Bingo Zone with a new design and real time cash prizes … you should check it out!
I definitely will!

Do you like playing Bingo in real life too or just online?
I do occasionally go to the local Bingo halls and play.  The most you can win there is $250.

What has been some of your most memorable experiences since we spoke last?
Since the last time, I moved back to my family’s hometown in Cool, California, which is a very small community.  All we have is a stop sign.  There are no stop lights or anything.

And your family is originally from there?
When my dad retired from the Navy, after I was already an adult, they found this community up here in the foothills.  Every time I came up here to visit, I thought I’d love to live there.  But most jobs are a 45 minute drive away and when we were younger, we weren’t willing to commute.  Both my parents have since passed away, and all 5 of us kids live up here now.  

How many people live in the town?
There are less than 10,000 people in my town.  A lot of people are moving up from the Bay Area.  

What’s your favorite thing about living in Cool?
Peace and quiet – the only thing you hear are wolves, coyotes, foxes – its real country living.  We just got our own grocery store in town.  It was a big thing when it happened.  We had a little gas station and a country store before, but the grocery store ... that was the big thing to hit Cool.  

You must see a lot of wildlife...
Being that we’re not originally from the country, it can be funny. One day my son went out to the front yard and there were two mules standing there.  He looked at them and said “Hello there!” and they just proceeded to walk up to the patio.  I was laughing so hard.  My landlord eventually came out and got a rope and led them back to where they came from.

Do you want to be a featured Gamesviller? Email us at members@gamesville.com and tell us your story!

In 2000, Sherrie Meyer (Gamesviller stevenjr1) won $1,862 playing Three-Eyed Bingo.  We found out more about Sherrie in the following interview that we posted on the site eight years ago.

Tomorrow:  We learn about what has been keeping Sherrie busy over the past eight years - including entertaining unusual guests at her Cool, California home.

GV: What inspired your username, "stevenjr1?"
SM: My eight-year-old son.

How will you spend your winnings?
Most of it will go to paying bills! Then, I'll treat myself
to a day at the spa.

What do you do for work?
I'm a homemaker.

What do you like best about your job?
Being there for my son.

Name a book you highly recommend:
Anything by Lawrence Sanders.

Name a recent movie you've enjoyed:
"Ghost."  (I just love Patrick Swayze.) 

How do you think the world will end?
We'll destroy each other, probably with nuclear weapons.

What do you wish you could learn with a snap of your fingers?
Computer programming.

What do you wish you could forget with a snap of your fingers?
Bad eating habits.

Name something hiding in your closet:
A skinny black velvet dress — that one day, I will fit into.

 
Do you want to be a featured Gamesviller? Email us at members@gamesville.com and tell us your story!

Gamesviller oly6pk won $4,999 playing Magic 21 on Sunday. Congratulations, oly6pk!

I have to admit, I was pretty fascinated by last week's best pet, Rosie.  I talked to Gamesviller Rosiestricks about her super special pup's television appearances.

"I tried out for David Letterman in San Francisco. The producers fell in love with her and her tricks because she is so intelligent.  The shows are actually boring to film and so rushed, but going to New York was a blast for someone who had never been there.  I didn't really have any time to see the sights. 

On the shows, she read minds and did her math. She has done these tricks for 12 1/2 years!"

Bingo Zone was the first game launched by Gamesville in 1996 and was one of the Web's first "free games for real cash prizes."

With the all-new Bingo Zone debuting this week, we thought we'd take a look back at the history of the game. Here is what the Bingo Zone homepage looked like in 1997:

And take a look at how the Bingo card looked in 2000:

Here is a slightly cooler looking version of the Bingo card from 2003:

Yes, after much anticipation (and impatience from some of you!), the day you've been waiting for is finally here!

We're thrilled to introduce a brand new version of our classic game ...

 

The Bingo Zone is now bigger and better than ever with features including:

 

• A slick new design with larger cards
  
• A new chat game we like to call "Dickie's Bonus Balls," and of course ...
• REAL CASH PRIZES!

Play the redesigned Bingo Zone and let us know what you think!

Edited to add:  Thank you all for your comments and feedback about the new Bingo Zone!  We are working on the issue regarding the game freezing after some wins and hope to have it resolved quickly. It is not affecting wins, however, as you can see. Thanks again!