Holiday greetings and Spring salutations from your festive Bubbe on this multi-celebrational weekend!
Spring is a time for rebirth, for blossoming hope and the fertile growth of ideas. Certainly the new NMJL card itself gives fodder for innovative strategies, and sometimes fresh opportunities even come across our path...if only we're brave enough to try them!
Last month, I wrote an extremely fond recollection of Fern Bernstein. Since 2021, Fern had been the first person I would discuss the card with, on her podcast, "Mah Jongg Mondays." She was my trial audience, my sounding board for all of my crazy ideas and mnemonics. Sadly, Fern passed in September of 2025, and as the 2026 card debut approached, I was particularly missing my friend, wondering about how to cope with her absence. I decided that my article would to coincide with the first Monday after the new card came out, in her honor, but I definitely knew I would miss our give and take.
Fortunately, another dear friend, Johni Levine--founder of the "Mah Jongg, That's It!" Facebook group--had me in mind. She was contacted by a fledgling podcast, Tile Talk, created after Fern's passing, that was looking for a guest with whom they could discuss the new card! Johni asked if I would be willing, and passed my name and contact info on to its two co-hosts, Christina Nonni and Elizabeth Wallace. (Note: They always have a male mahj "civilian" in the studio with them, an engineer who sits in on the discussion and asks occasional questions, but the lineup has varied from session to session)
Christina and I had a great introductory phone chat. I was a little bit thrown off to hear that she wanted our recording to be on VIDEO as well as audio. Bubbe would have to brush her hair for this, whereas Fern and I recorded audio, only, sitting around in our pajamas... but I was still excited to connect with people who take the game as seriously as I do!
Through the miracle of technology I was able to record our interview from my house in New Jersey. Meanwhile, Christina and Elizabeth recorded from where they reside, in Northern Florida. I will hereafter refer to them as my Tile Talk Gals (TTG's).
The podcast was taped earlier this week, and I certainly had a great time. I hope you will take some time to listen to it (or even watch, as soon as I get the link up!!). The TTG's are younger than I am, and it gave me fresh perspective on a new generation of mah jongg players. They came up with some great, sometimes unconventional or unexpected, questions--and I look forward to talking with them again soon!
Give it a try, and check out their previous recordings, too. Let me know what you think about their podcast (including the special announcement at the end for Tile Talk listeners)... You can always reach me at bubbefischer@gmail.com
Talk to you soon!!
Bubbe
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