This is partly why I got deeper and deeper into this hobby! The friends I've made, it's amazing. But my best story so far - all true - met a lady on line selling parts for PB machines. Turned out her husband (and dog) had recently passed away. After several purchases and emails we too became friends. I tried to help her get a machine working that her late husband had been working on, just as a simple way to express my gratitude to her. After several phone attempts, I get on a plane and fly down to help at her house. (It was a Thanksgiving weekend and I had no place to go) I did all I could ( was then and still now a newbie) but I couldn't get the game going.

I listed the problems here on Pinside, and then the help arrived. Someone say "Cavalry"? I wont mention names (to protect them from bombardments of requests) - but one person sent us an MPU board to get it to boot, another helped me get the SDB working, then subsequent follow up's from other selfless people here, and we got the machine working. Over the next year I actually acquired the game from her, we stay in touch weekly (if not daily) and I hope in some small way I've helped her move past the pain of losing a loved one. She, along with several others here that I've met, are now life long friends.

"Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, But I'd of had to miss the dance"