Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

LTG : )

Glad you’re doing well. I’m also happy with how things are. I have terrific 4 and 7 year old kids, great wife and a good job. I’d be content if things could stay like this forever. I don’t need it to get better. I’ll take what I got right now

I SOOOOOOO badly want to start a roast on this, but... no.

Props.

On my 3rd Stoli Cranberry, The wife just called and bringing back fried chicken and a cigar. I'm with you Levi.

Wishing everybody continued happiness and prosperity. It is 52 degrees out here on the Chesapeake Bay so I am sitting beside a fire drinking a strong pour of Bookers. Life is good!

72554117-1FD3-412D-8AEB-89DC8EC54DB3 (resized).jpeg

Is this the anti-pinflation thread? If so... I approve.

You started a thread and forgot to blame Stern for ruining your life. That isn't how this works anymore. Start over.

I am lucky to have worked all my life from 16 years old and now successfully retired with a decent pension I can live on for the moment (stop taxing us to death). I have a warm place to sleep at night and food to eat on my table. Last year, after saving my pennies, I bought my first pinball and joined Pinside to learn how to fix it and keep it going. With the help of many folks here (advice, parts, telling me where to go) I have a wonderful functioning 29 year old WPC89 Bally pinball. I have gotten to play all the latest new games, as arcades have started to feature them again. The rules are so complex and the balls drain so fast, I will never understand them. But it is fun bash around in them. How does anyone ever get to see the video screen that is playing, while trying to keep the balls in play. Happy Holidays to all of you that make this hobby fun.

I’m all good .My wife is wonderful and puts up with me, so thats a huge plus .2 boys (12/13) are great ,couldn’t ask for anything more from them ,they get it .Been in the hobby close to 2 years and I did what I had to do to get a nice collection started so looking forward to a break and working just my day job until spring .Lastly I get to meet Brobra tomorrow night as I’m trading my beloved LZprem (Kids don’t play it ,it will be back ) for a real beauty,a Met prem all prettied up that Ive never got to play in a home setting .Thanks for the thread Levi ! It’s always good to step outside the day to day and be thankful for what’s right in front of us .

Had my septic tank sucked out this afternoon. Toilet flushes better now.

Too funny! Just cracked open a box of Opus X Sharks and lit one but having Tequila shot with it.

I'm at My house in Temecula... maybe our smoke will meet in the air over Hemet!

Refreshing to see some positivity on here with this thread. I’ve come a long way recently so I’m extremely grateful. Life can get rough at times - Both of my parents got diagnosed with Cancer at the same time and I lost both of them a few years back. Also was on the receiving end of a breakup and lost my job all at the same time so it was a rough go for a while and I Struggled with depression for a bit. everything eventually worked itself out and I’m in a good place now. Getting into pinball a year ago was a great help and it’s been nice chatting with some fine folks here on pinside. Cheers and happy holidays to all of you guys!

I'm really worried that The Masked Singer might get cancelled, but other than that, I'm good. Kids and granddaughter aren't in jail or the hospital. Winning.

I'm in good spirits. A giant weight was lifted off my shoulders a couple weeks ago.

2022 is going to be a great year.

LTG : )

Currently nothing is brewing, and we’ve run out of material at the Crazy Levi Upstate fan club, I’m beside myself.

Great thread topic. I've been on pinside a little over a year now. This site has been an amazing resource and I truly appreciate all the help I've received from so many here with my random issues I've had with my 3 machines that I bought since joining this hobby. Times are crazy to say the least. The last two years have been pretty rough for me and for most if not all of my co-workers. I work as an ICU nurse, so I see firsthand what most do not see, and what some feel isn't "really that bad" or not real at all. This is another topic altogether and I don't want to sidetrack this rare positive discussion. I may start a thread someday detailing my experiences if I get around to it. My whole point is that we all have a lot to be grateful for whether we know it or not. I think it's so easy to focus on the negatives today that it's hard to appreciate the positives. For me, I ended up with a far better life so far than I deserve. I have an amazingly beautiful wife that has somehow managed to put up with me for over a decade now and together we have four amazing kids. All healthy! My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer, but thank God it was caught early. She starts treatment soon, and she has an amazing healthcare team. The oncologist is confident that the treatment plan will be a success. On a lighter note, I'm off for the weekend! To celebrate I just finished smoking a couple racks of ribs, and just poured myself a fresh brew from a local brewery. Once I get the last straggler to bed I'll probably head down to the game room and try to knock my son off the high score list on Judge Dredd. stay positive guys, pour yourself another beer, and play some more pinball.

Nup, the week before xmas is not a good time for me

You know those Hemet folk, could be slight hint of 420 smoke mixed in with the fine Dominican.

giphy.gif

Oh man, Lloyd. Easy on the sarcasm.
But seriously, I’m happy for having a good job good wife, and good kids.

And of course like Levi, happy that my covid ravaged football team got their game moved back so they wouldn’t have to forfeit.

My first year of retirement is in the books. Haven't been happier!

No complaints here either. Both of us healthy, still married after 40 hard years of farming. 2 great kids and 3 beautiful granddaughters, all under 4 yrs old. Semi retired, got back into pinball 4 years ago and have met some of the coolest people, some in person, some I just regularly talk with here. Happy holidays!!

BF93F439-ED1C-4EA8-949C-C5FA2BD7A356 (resized).jpeg
I've been to prison once. I've been married twice.

I was once drafted by Lyndon Johnson and had to live in shit-ass Mexico for two and a half years for no reason.

I've had my eye socket punched in, a kidney taken out, and I got a bone chip in my ankle that's never gonna heal. I've seen some pretty shitty situations in my life. But nothing has ever sucked more ass than this.

Yeah, it feels liberating to put the RAZA debacle to the grave in '21. Now I just gotta' wait for delivery of Big Lebowski. Common' 2022!!

Merry Christmas one and all.

All in all, I can’t complain. Sometimes I feel guilty about how well my wife and I have done thru life, especially when I look at how childhood friends compare. But, I’ve come to peace with myself, by realizing we are responsible for our actions. Easing the guilt is our benevolence.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. May your flippers always work, and may all your machines never break.

Bill C

2021 has been a crazy year! What I am most thankful for is that my wife and daughter are healthy and happy!
As for me it has been another challenging year on this journey I have been on. What I have come to understand is that challenges in life make a person more grateful for what they have (family, friends and life). In that way my illness has been a gift to me, I am present in every moment and I cherish everyday with my family.
I have a really good feeling about 2022 and no matter what happens I know I’m going to be ok.

To my Pinside family thanks for all the entertainment and support over the years!

Merry Christmas!

Had a rough passing, but teaching the next generation not to be a pussy by fearing Novus
20211218_020335.jpg
Edit: yes you socially awkward dipshit, she knows its "an abrasive."

Best pinball cat name ever: Novus 4.

I got a promotion at my job. I have 4 pinball machines. I have a full fridge and pantry. My 7 year old is doing well in school. I have a nice girlfriend. Everything is awesome.

Not much a complainer.
More of a adapt and go with the flow type of a guy.

All of this positivity from a New Yorker and not even a “go F yourself”? I feel ripped off.

Good to hear people are doing well. Can’t complain myself. Any petty BS in my life currently is usually my own damn fault.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

get all this positive BS talk out of here, this site is for complaining only.

Great thread. I, too, am thankful for what I have and the life I'm able to live. Lord, forgive us when we bitch about petty first-world "problems"!

No complaints here. Just finished a kitchen remodel and 2 more days of work until January. Good to go!

Life is good. So good, for example, I spend quite a bit of my time with hobbies like pinball and computers.

Had a great year this year even though I had a few family setbacks. Got a new machine that doesn’t look anything like a pinball machine. Very thankful for what we have. Very thankful for the Pinside crew.
Never feel guilty for doing well in life. Just be sure to give back once in awhile…

270AF4E8-FE04-45F7-846C-5CE31CDDEB3D (resized).jpeg

I’m feeling incredibly blessed and thankful, especially at this time of the year, where my perspective is better as to what’s truly important.

And Levi, I think this thread is showing that the pinsiders who are content far outnumber what you can count on one hand!

So far I’m still doing better than I deserve.

But that can all change in the blink of an eye.

Unless you’re running marathons, you’ve got nothing to brag about!

I am envious about how much you seem to dine out.

Carry on!

So when does this turn into a 10k topper thread so we can end all this positivity on pinside? Lol

Glad to see all is right in the world with so many on here Happy holidays!

Overall, I can't complain. Happily married, still have my health(mostly), my house is paid for, got a nice little pinball collection, just finally cracked the top 100 in IFPA. But right now, my job sucks so bad that I'm rarely happy. If I can just make it another year or two I think I can retire. Looking forward to that day!

Thanks man! It was a great weekend. I was truly happy for those 3 days! Finished 2nd and 1st and met some really great people.

Negative. I've only had Zep in one tourney and it was so nerfed it was terrible. Played it twice and had a 1st and a 3rd. Nobody was even breaking 100M!