Our Hobby

This post is for Anonyvox.  I've been making mysterious references to which she is curious about the meaning.  It's been so nice getting to know Anonyvox online. We've never met in person but I think we could have been separated at birth or something because we have so much in common.  We have mutual loves for food, ONJ, camping (especially tent camping), LUSH, dogs... the list goes on and on. 

I realized there is a very fundamental aspect to my life that people in the real world know because it's literally pretty obvious. I take it for granted that people know about our hobbyobsession-gone-wild. We like pinball.

Teehee, OK, that's an understatement. We love pinball. We collect machines. We have a LOT in our basement (see pic below), and I'm cool with that. There is a culture across America, and actually the world, of people who love to play pinball. Most of the spouses of the men who play and collect do not appreciate the hobby. The games are big, expensive, and they complain because it takes time to work on the machines. A hot deal may require an emergency cross-state road-trip adventure to obtain that must-have machine. Or you talk a relative into picking up and storing a machine until your next visit. Most women resent the hobby. To which I respond "Poppycock!!!". Why not embrace something your hubby loves. Maybe get into it and enjoy it for yourself. I'll get off my soapbox now, cause this little post isn't going to convince them to stop their whining. Just saying, you might give it a try.

So in 1996 we bought a Police Force. It's a nice Williams machine that is a lot of fun to play.  I remember the day we brought it home.  Little did I know what was yet to be.

From there the hobby turned into an obsession. It's like potato chips, you can't have just one. Why? Aren't they all the same? No. They are not.  They all have their own individual personalities. Pinball machines come in different themes and from different eras. There are the old ones with wooden side rails and wooden legs, and then wedgeheads with a distinctive antique kind of feel.  Then the latest games have the most visually advanced displays with videos and 3D graphics.  Past manufacturers include Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, Data East, and even Atari (there are more, but these are the ones I know).  Current manufacturer is Stern (and I think another one possibly but can't remember the name).  Did you know the first pinball machines had no flippers?  You were supposed to bang and push on the side of the machine to get it to go where you intended, and the ball pretty much had one shot down the playfield.

We collected a few over the years. Whatever would fit in the basement. And then the garage. And then we expanded the garage to store more. And then stored some at a neighbors house. An then another neighbors house. And then Todd got a storage area... 

We currently have an awesome house with a nice open basement, just perfect for our games.

Here's part of our basement.  Yes, it's an arcade.

There is a community of pinheads in KC. We are so happy to be back in the area so that we can see our friends again and gather for pinball events.  There are new people to meet since we left & came back.  More women are getting into it too.  There is one tournament we enjoy going to monthly.  Actually, here is an article about the tournament.  I happen to be the one in a black t-shirt playing pinball (recognize my ring Mrs. Irritation?).  You might recognize the guy in the picture, too. 

We went last Saturday night, and I tied for 5th place in the tournament!  I beat the first 3 guys I played.  I had a couple of awesome games!  It was exciting to say the least.  And then the guy who ended up winning first place beat me.  I don't mind.  I usually don't play very well, so this is a big deal for me.  I knew the guy who beat me first was going to place very high, and he took first, so I was beat by the best.  Last Saturday night was good pizza, good pinball, and good friends.

Plenty of pinheads available to jump in and fix a game that developed a problem.
This was at the tournament a month ago.



Dawn, the Boy and Todd having fun at the event a month ago

We also travel across the country to attend pinball conventions. Yearly conventions for us have included:

• Texas Pinball Festival (TPF) yearly in March in the Dallas area (we still attend this one every year).  This is my favorite show from a party perspective.
• Pin-A-Go-Go in Dixon, CA (used to attend when we lived in NV)
• Pacific Pinball Expo (PPE) in Marin county (San Francisco area) in the fall (used to attend when we lived in NV and a couple of buddies would fly in from KC to go with us).  This by far is my favorite show from a machine perspective.  HUNDREDS of games from the 30s to the 70s plus a few newer ones.  This show made me appreciate the oldies. 

There is the Stern pinball factory in Chicago that you can tour. We've never been, but I could see going to that some year.

I've had a brush or two with pinball "royalty". 

• Once at PPE, I was waiting in line to play a tricked out Metallica machine (based on an Earth Shaker that someone had seriously modified in a most cool way), and just before it was my turn, Steve Ritchie walks up to play. Being that he is a well known designer of pins, I offered to let him go ahead of me. He declined, knowing I had been waiting. I said "OK, I'm not that good so it probably won't take long". I played with him watching and to say I was a little nervous was an understatement. I'll be darned if I didn't have an awesome ball or two! I had a respectable game.

• This past March at the TPF, I happened to get into an elevator, and someone was rushing in to catch the elevator at the last second, and it was Steve Ritchie.  I had just stood in line for hours to play AC/DC a few times, and I don't remember exactly what I said but he asked if I was having a good time.  I told him I was and I told him how excited I am about the AC/DC machine and he did a really great job.  It makes me excited about pins again.  I waited in line to play that game about a dozen times that weekend.  Some day, I'll have one.  Some day.

• One time at PPE, Larry Zartarian shared with me the strategy for playing Coronation.  I had a few great games on that machine and found myself drawn to it over the other several hundred machines.  Understanding the strategy from a pro made me appreciate the game even more.

If you find yourself in a pizza place and there's a pinball machine, give it a whirl!  Especially if you see an AC/DC machine--that will be my next acquisition.  Some day.

My score was the top one!