Ok, so Whitesnake Here I Go Again is playing full blast in me head!

Church was boring. I confess I snuck out 95% of the time to the corner store 200 feet away and played Frogger and Donkey Kong back then. (no pins there to play).

I got away with it, because it was a very big church, and I could sit way away with some friends, and go to the rest room, a very long rest room trip.

I never missed any time in Sunday School though, I liked everyone there and it was not boring.

But, as we got older we were supposed to move up, and none of us wanted to.

Then one time our Sunday School grown up person (teacher) was out sick, and we had to move to another class that none of us wanted to be in.

In that class that day me and the oldest ones were 16, and the youngest ones were 10?

Anyway, this grown up person (teacher) was a ass, and we all knew it, and why we never moved up after turning 16.

Anyway, that day a 10 year old just whispered something to a friend, and that grown up (teacher) went nuts, I am going to go drag your Moms out of their class and tell them you were talking in my class.

F-that. That was the last time I ever went.

All my years in public school I had never seen a grown up (teacher) act like such a dick.

And back then I did think everything was cool and all these people were there donating their time.

Nope, I seen a bulletin talking about finances, and the lady on the piano, and the lady on the organ were getting paid like 30k a year, and 30k a year was pretty good back then for a part time gig.

I do wish all of those people the best, I have no ill feelings or anything, it was just time for me to move on.

Anyway, behind the church, a short walk for me and other kids around here back then, there was a basketball goal/post, whatever you call it.

We would go there a lot and play HORSE or whatever I can not even remember now.

And we would run water out of the water spicket on the side of the building to drink water when we were thirsty.

One time a old crippled man that seen all that asked if we felt it was ok to drink the water from the church like that.

I said hell yeah, it is holy water.

That old man just laughed like he probably had not in years.

Around that time I was like Opie Taylor and likeable, like 7 years old.

That old crippled man was cool. He was nosy, and would just ask you all kinds of stuff.

He was not a pervert or predator or any of that. He was just crippled (legs in the steel stuff, missing a arm from a car wreck), but he was a awesome dude.

He was born with polio or something and that was why his legs had the steel stuff, and he was missing a arm because once he had been side swiped while driving his car with his arm out on the door.

That dude loved sugar daddies (the candy). Anyone that would talk to him on his front porch he would feed that candy all day long.

Anyway, Mom was friends with him and his wife, and all was cool. (they were just nosy people).

I was into coin collecting at a early age, and it turned out he had worked for a store for a while and he saved all the silver dollars and everything else cool he had saved, and when I was around 12 he sold me all that.

I will never forget that day, and my Mom was visiting also, and this old crippled guy gave me a awesome deal on the stuff he had saved forever.

I guess because he was nosy, he knew I liked coins and I would not just go spend them for face value like his grown up kids would have done had he died and they inherited the collection.

And my Mom told me several times through the years, Mr. Hulsey was always so impressed with me.

He said many times I have never seen a kid work so hard when they did not have to.

He seen me at my house splitting firewood and stacking it, back when we kept a fire going in the winter.

If there was any work to be done, I was always working while the other kids were playing.

And back then my hobby was picking up money back bottles. Back then that paid 5 cents a bottle.

(I picked up enough bottles to get a pretty good rare coin collection going back then).

(I did blow a little of the bottle money also on a few comic books, some RC Cola, and Choc-O-Lunch crackers back then also).

It was cool back in my 20's I ran into a Lance employee, and for a long time I was able to get those awesome crackers for wholesale for a long time.

I confess that yes I can have some Oreos, and they are ok, but those Lance Choc-O-Lunch are the best ever!

And a box of Cracker Jacks is a hell of a lot better than a box of Crunch And Munch, and not only because they have a prize in them.

And yeah, I confess, as a young kid, I did suffer through a few boxes of breakfast cereal that sucked, because whatever bullshit prize was in the box I begged Mom to buy that crap.

And back to the old crippled man. Mr. Hulsey.

30 years ago? His daughter talked them into moving in with her and selling their place on my street.

My Mom still talked to them on the phone, and best I remember that daughter just took every penny out of their house and anything she could get her hands on, and basically had her parents living in a tiny closet in the basement. Her name was Gina.

And names may or may not be real, but as old as I am and them being older, they would never know anyway I posted this.

I never once met Gina, but 30 years ago my Mom talked about how evil she was, and did her parents wrong.

Oh, and with Halloween coming up, no way in hell would anyone trick or treat at that house, that old crippled man would just keep on talking, and waste your whole night.

I miss that old man, I am glad I spent as much time with him as I did when I was a kid.

Shit, I just remembered that his wife worked for Nabisco, and from her work they also gave us lots of good snack foods, but at the moment it slips my mind what they were.

Anyway, thanks LTG for the stories the last few days when I was in bad shape!

And thanks to everyone!

I am 90% great now! I am almost done with this health mess I was dealing with.

It has been over 24 hours without any bs soup that I really did not want to eat but I had to, BUT, I did miss the excuse of taking naps the last 24 hours.

(and next week my main customer that I do work for has a project I do not want to mess with...and I confess...that even though I am better...I am a good man...I never lie...I plan to lie and pretend to still be sick because sometimes life is just too damn short to deal with some things when you really do not want to, and just want to be left alone a tad longer).

And I was just going to tell the dude that I quit, and my girlfriend is pretty wise and said no, just tell him that you are not interested in this project, but do not just quit.

She is pretty good.

She kicks my ass at cornhole sometimes, and Golden Tee sometimes, and on a pin sometimes, but so far I am winning Big Buck Hunter every game.

And I am part blind in my shooting eye.

And that totally sounded like me when I was a kid. Awesome memories!

THANKS!

I wish all of you the BEST!

So a guy came into my townhouse complex, did a u turn, and spun his tires. I was outside of my garage, and yelled ‘slow down asshole’. He stopped a few houses away, and I told him that there’s kids around, and no need to be spinning tires. He told me to relax, and I told him to go puck himself. I didn’t care if other neighbours heard me, as he was a young ignorant asshole. Maybe I’m just getting old..

My short street is one of a couple that a lot of thru traffic cuts down and people gun it to get down the street a LOT. I scream and yell at people all the time too. Lol.

A few times I thought I was going to really get into it with some people. I felt embarrassed yelling in front of neighbors a few times and said sorry, but they actually thanked me and agreed (Many of them have kids).

One neighbor (since moved) used to have a paintball gun he would leave set out in the summer...that's all I'll say on that one....he was a pretty hardass guy and didn't have interest in backing down if he got angry. But he was a nice neighbor.

Tossing a basketball or tennis balls in front of them as they come down the street is what the old timer next door to me used to do

Pushed an empty wheelie bin in front of a regular every day idiot a few years ago. Got out wanting to fight until he had a good look at me and then got back in and didn't come that way anymore.

As a child in the early 60's an innate fear of nuclear war was instilled in my psyche. We went though drills in Elementary School, Fallout Shelter signs were everywhere, it was always in the back of your mind.
My Dad took us to High Point Road in Greensboro to tour an open house bomb shelter, they had installed it in the front of a Mobile Home sales lot. The price was too high for a Milkman.
We canned, froze, dried and pickled food constantly.
During these years over 100 open-air nuclear bombs were detonated World wide
I am thankful to Jesus I am still living.

I confess that though I trust most people on pinside, I consciously have not put much personal information on this site (name, location etc.)

I 100% agree with you, can not be too careful these days.

I confess my last name is not Pinball.

And in general, I am ok with giving some info out.

BUT, if I am ever asked what planet I came from before I settled here on Earth, I will lie every time.

Wait, what?

Next thing your going to tell us is your not a 00?

I thought I had already talked about all that.

In school I was the candy man.

The last few years I am in friends phones listed as Johnny Firewood.

I wanted to be Johnny Pinball, but that was taken, so I tried Johnny Pinball 2, nope, but Johnny Pinball 007 went through, while I was just goofing off.

When I joined here I had already been here for 2 years reading top 100 comments to help me decide what games I wanted to get back into owning.

I confess, I joined here in the first place in case I may want to sell a game down the road.

That all worked awesome!

In the meantime I am happy with all the games here now, and although I sold like 5 earlier this year I think I will not be selling anything else.

While watching NFL games also while ago we only played one game, Big Buck Hunter arcade, and we played it for 2 hours.

I have not used a rifle in 30 years, and my girlfriend has never shot a gun, and this game is just so awesome and different that we are hooked on it.

Sunday night I did not play anything, I watched NFL and season finale of Wicked Tuna, while my girlfriend played Big Buck hunts.

I forgot, later we did play round of Golden Tee, and the first time I messed up I said hell, I am just going to practice trick shots, I don't care if I lose.

And I did lose, the 2nd time in a row, and got accused of letting her win.

I can not lose, because if I do lose I get accused that I just let her win.

I am not complaining, this is a good thing, she loves all the games, and because I win most of the time, she actually thinks I let her win when she does win.

I tell her for the 1000th time, I have never let anyone win, beat me, you won fair and square.

Any game I mess up in I cuss, when I mess up.

I am not a sore loser, I will brag about look at how awesome you did, and you have the top score now when I lose.

And it is so funny, while I do tend to cuss a lot anyway, my girlfriend rarely does, but Big Buck Hunter makes her cuss a lot, with the does or cows running in front of what she is trying to shoot.

I enjoy all the games here, but she just mainly wants to play Big Buck Hunter anymore, and that is fine with me, it is a awesome game.

And while ago things went awesome! A customer that I do a lot of work for I knew would be calling about a job I have no intentions of messing with, called me at a awesome time so I would not have to lie.

A week ago I was sick, I am not 100% now, but a lot better!

So when my phone rang, and he said what are you doing, I said I am in the bathroom again. He said, oh, you are not well yet, I said no. He said call me if you get to feeling better.

In the meantime I am not 100%, but I was only in the bathroom at the time of that call because I was trying to help my sink to drain better.

I confess that I have been uncomfortable all week about having to lie to avoid a job I do not want to mess with, and I did not even have to lie when the phone rang.

I did not go into detail and tell the whole truth, but at the same time I did not lie.

Life is short, I am way too tired of bs, and older and wiser now so I can stay away from bs.

And other than the fact I am making excuses to stay up later for one more beer, and not put up with any crap I do not want to put up with, everything else has been boring. No ghost or anything around lately.

I hope to never encounter the ghost again. I hope it is always happy somewhere.

And it is so cool how it approved of my girlfriend, while before that running a bad girlfriend out of here.

I confess I never knew what the ghost did that ran the bad girlfriend away, and I never even asked.

And I do wonder a tad, what happened, but not enough to ever try to talk to her again to get her story.

The ghost here is awesome! IF, you are awesome.

(and I have no clue what made me think of ghost stuff in the first place).

And I confess I really hope LTG will tell another funny story soon!

I confess I have been thinking a lot lately about getting a Big Buck Hunter ...

I've discovered that not only do I get sellers remorse (dang, I shouldn't have sold that game) and buyers remorse (dang, I shouldnt have spent that money), I admit i also get non-buyers remorse (dang, i shoulda grabbed that thing).

One funny story coming up.

Junior in high school. Machine shop. Everyday as soon as the teacher took attendance, me and a friend left for breakfast across the street. The teacher always yelled bloody murder if we left again. We didn't care. He's the one allowing students to leave his classroom, the school building, and the school grounds.

So one morning we left. Had a nice breakfast. No idea why but I thought we should bring him something. A coffee and a burger.

Go back to the class room. Walk in. And the teacher is sitting in my desk. I'm thinking what the hey ? I look to my left, and there is all his glory is the principle looking none to happy. I look back at the teacher who is sliding down in his seat. Probably contemplating what his next job will be.

I looked back to the principle and said, "please excuse me. Mr. Teacher missed breakfast this morning and since I had a study hall I ran across the street and got him some food".

The principle said that was very nice of me. Ignoring I'd left the school building and school grounds. I walked back and set the coffee and burger in front of the teacher. He looked like he might die. I said, "here you go Mr. Teacher".

I walked back out of the room. Apologizing to the principle again for the interruption.

Next day the teacher read my the riot act. Blah blah baa, etc. etc. As soon as he took attendance we left again. He was still yelling at us. I mentioned with an attitude like that I wasn't bringing him back any food today.

That was my last year of machine shop. Our senior year they made us sign up for classes, to acquaint us with what the UofM would be like. When we got to Mr. Teacher's table. He hid his sign up sheet. He wouldn't let us register for it.

Oh well. I had enough credits to graduate, they wouldn't leave me out early and lose the federal $15 a day to teach me. So instead of machine shop, I had another study hall. My senior year when my friends that had been screwing around had a full schedule and were hoping to get by and graduate. I had one class, four study halls, and one teacher aid.

So everyday I was gone by about 11am. You couldn't leave the school without a pass. They locked the back doors. So everyday I walked by the office and out the front door like I owned the place. Nobody ever challenged me.

LTG : )

Thanks LTG! You always have awesome stories!

I was lucky, I was in the work program and got out at 11 and got credit for it. (and I faked the paperwork and was working for myself).

And it is so funny, we have been playing so much Big Buck Hunter, and right now we are playing Golden Tee, and every animal I see on the golf course I am looking for the gun.

It would be so cool if they could combine these 2 games and you could hunt animals for extra points while playing golf.

Here is a short one.

In my senior year, a lot of kids that had 4th period study hall would leave and not come back for 5th or 6th hour.

So two teachers came up with the skip program. You skipped a class. They called your parents. A second time you and your parents had a conference with the teacher whose class you missed. A third time you were out for the semester, even if it was a required subject.

So one morning I'm at the bus stop about 11am heading downtown to my father's arcade. One of the two teachers that invented the skip program saw me. Pulled over and offered me a lift. She was so proud of the car she bought. Low mileage, from a little old lady that bruised the front fenders and quit driving.

She was so proud of that car. Kept talking about it. I kept bragging it up too. She gave me a ride downtown to 6th and Hennepin. Never once thought to ask why at 11am I wasn't in school.

I miss school.

LTG : )

I have never missed school. I have nightmares that I am still in school. I hated school!

I never skipped, I was there every single day for 12 years, and a little college after that.

I wish I could have just dropped out after the 8th grade and worked and saved.

My savings account was making 10% at the time, I wish I could have worked and padded that more.

I just wanted to get out and make money. To me school was just wasting my time.

Damn I love your stories! Reminds me of stuff from my past also.

Time for a Prada pic! (any good pet stories)?

You Rock!

This is from when she was in her, "if it has a squeaker it must come out phase". And dad had to get it before someone swallowed it and might need surgery.

LTG : )

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Here is another school one.

My senior year. They took attendance in home room ( before 1st hour class ) if you weren't there they hung your attendance card by the door and someone came around and collected them.

They changed my home room to a different room and different teacher four times in a couple weeks. They gave us the attendance card and we had to report to the next home room. After the fourth time I kept the card and didn't go to the next home room. Great. I would never be late or absent.

Downside was lockers and auditorium seating was by home room. Oh well, didn't need them.

So one day they announce a special auditorium. Me and a friend left for Wisconsin for a drink and early lunch.

I get back to school. Every person was asking, "where were you?". I'm like what the hell. How did anyone know I was gone much less everyone ?

It turns out the special auditorium was to award the new members of the National Honor Society. Being an easy achiever of course I had to make that. There in front of the entire school. Teachers and students. They called out my name four times. And checked attendance. I'm there ?

It doesn't take long to think "oh sh*t".

Now I knew the teacher who was in charge of the honor society stuff. Had her for a class. When she forgot to order a projector for her class, I knew the electronics teacher in charge of projectors and would get her one and set it up.

So I went to her right away. She asked where I was. I told her I was helping the electronics teacher 1st hour when the junior high kids came over for a class. And that I spilled circuit board etching solution on my pants and it kept burning and couldn't be cleaned. So I ran home and changed and came back. I told her I shouldn't have left school without the office okaying it. But that would have taken even longer and I was in pain.

So she gave me all the stuff for the honor society and I never heard any more about it.

LTG : )

I confess that while I love a awesome movie as much as anyone, I do not have time for a movie that ends up not being awesome, and I read the wiki plot a lot of the time, to see if the movie is worth my time.

Sorry to be so short, I am trying to behave tonight.

And thanks again LTG, you always have awesome stories! Please keep sharing!

Are you off the Natty train tonight?

It was a shorter train.

Soooo...shorty bottles?

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LTG : )

My last year of high school. I did a LOT of things that could get me in trouble.

We had a new electronics teacher that year. He came from a vocational school where kids wanted to learn. He wasn't ready for the public school jungle. He asked me and two friends to help him. And in turn he helped us.

I'm in a class early one day. Phone rings. Teacher was blunt, "Lloyd Olson report to the office". This was not looking good. Several of my class mates were saying, "you're in trouble now". Getting called out of class like that was pretty rare.

So I get up and leave the classroom and headed towards the office. Dragging my feet. Contemplating what they had me on and if there was any way out.

All of a sudden the electronics teacher came running down the hall yelling, "don't go".

Seems he tapped into the school's phone system and called to have me sent to the office. To get me out of class. Sure scared the crap out of me.

I miss school.

LTG : )

Bah going to post in the covid thread! I’m going out with guns blazing!

https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/add-a-ball-amusements-seattle-arcade-finds-a-way-to-play-pinball-touch-free/281-4b76478c-ee01-450e-b72c-75473dc0d51e

I confess that I am thrilled that at least one pinball location in Washington is open. But I also feel that it would be weird to play pinball with ones feet. However, I think it's a great idea, and I am inclined to go give them a little business.

And lucky me!

I needed a new #, and I ended up with 867-5309.

Trust me, that # still gets called a lot, and you will have to change it again very soon.

(just trying to be funny), and a long, very long Natty train, just no time to play here right now.

Thanks for all the awesome stories LTG, please give us more!

10-4 over and out, I am down for the count at the moment, and I am south bound and down.

When the video game Tekken 2 came out. They were going to follow up with a kit. I had one of the big Atari show place cabinets I was going to put a kit in it.

Tekken 2 had a feature that after a couple weeks it would release a new character once a week until all the characters were in it. The test one in the arcade my friend M worked at had the test one. And the first game had an issue where they needed to be turned on all the time for the character release to work. So a new board was sent to the distributor to send to the arcade with the test game.

Now the Wednesday of MEA week in October ( Thursday and Friday no school, used to be a huge week for business ) I was at the distributor for something. Sitting in S's office. The parts guy came up and asked me if I'd run the new board down to M. I said sure.

He gave me the board and left. I asked S when they needed the old board back ? He said he was sure there was no hurry. Then he got a sick look on his face, he knew what was going to happen. He was like I don't know ANYTHING about this.

So off I run. I'm about 8 miles north of M's arcade. So I call him and tell him I'll drop the board off. M was always rabid for the newest and greatest. So he said great. I said get the old board ready and I'd stop by the side door and we could quick exchange them without me being tagged for stopping on the street there.

I added, after you get off work tonight. Would you come to my place and help me wire it in ? He went ballistic. He's like F YOU, I'll get fired. All kinds of crap. I pointed out I'm coming up to 494. I can go downtown or to my place. DECIDE - you going to help me or not. Another round of swearing at me. I told him to hurry up. That game is going in my cabinet today. New board or old board. I don't care which. DECIDE.

So he finally agreed to help me. So I dropped off his new board and took the old one. And came out that evening and helped me rewire the cabinet. So I had a beautiful Tekken 2 in a big screen cabinet with stereo for MEA weekend.

I returned the old board first thing Monday morning. My kit came in a few days later. Stick the board in and marquee and control panel labels and I was good to go.

To sum this all up. The manufacturer never found out, they wouldn't like somebody making their own game. The arcade didn't have the only Tekken 2 in the area that weekend besides having the small screen cabinet version. Pulled a fast one on the distributor. And M in his state of mind helped for free. I always paid him for helping, he forgot and I wasn't going to volunteer anything.

I was rather proud of that one. I didn't just get one or two. I got them all !

LTG : )

I think Pat Sajack has a brake pedal that he uses on the big wheel to help/hurt players.

Confess that for the last week i've been trying to figure out why the skin above my right knee feels rough and a different texture in a patch about the size of my palm.

Kept rubbing it trying to suss it.

Yesterday i was sitting on a chair talking to someone when i realised what was causing it. Crossing my left leg over the other and putting my shoe and sock on top of my thigh is a habit that i wasn't aware of.

I didn't realise i was doing it as often that's for sure, kept arresting myself in the act last night.
Going to the junk shop today to buy a pink garter and putting it on for the next week, or until i stop it.
Picture to come.

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Can see myself copping some shit at pinball comp tomorrow. They were already looking at me funny at the news agency this morning.

I think it goes great with the skirt.

How bad on a 1-10 scale is it that i have been in the hobby for 10+ years and just found out I have been living dangerously like an idiot all this time....I never knew there were vertical bolts to secure the head of a pinball machine..always used the single hex bolt or clamp on the back ..I’m putting this at an 8 for stupidity.

When I was buying up routed WPC games they rarely came with them and I rarely bothered replacing them. I wouldn't put it on location, but the latch was fine for home use. Probably not the best practice, but I never had any issues in 14 or so years. I like the way Stern does it now with the bolts on the back.

I confess that I am concerned that I have not seen JohnnyPinball007 on pinside recently. Hope everything is ok, I miss his long posts!

I think several regulars must have went in their Bunkers or out sailing on their motor yacht. Every time an interesting thread starts it gets deep sixed.
Starting to get boring.
Happy its a good place for Clubs.

Johnnypinball007 disappears...... Vid1900 reappears...... just saying, I've never seen them both in the same room together.

Up this morning, scrolling through the forum page and see The Confessional and 6 hours since last post. That would put the last post as approx. 2am, Natty Time. My first reaction was “hey! I bet Johnny’s back!”

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Confession:
I set the DVR to record IMSA auto races and add 3 hours to them to make sure I don’t miss the end. After one race, there were two informercials on after it ended. It was back-to-back time/life CD/DVD collections....70s/80s Country music and Cher.

I now watch just the two infomercials when I can’t find anything else to watch on tv or I am doing chores around the house.

Confess that i just ordered a pallet of beer.

Further admit that i don't intend to share it, although i may share space in the beer fort.

WatchThisSpacePunkin

I think you're giving JohnnyPinball007 a run for his money!! I bet its not Natty!

Nah, i'm a mid strength ale drinker. Can't do bland lagers.

I usually buy 10 at a time as it means i don't have to wait for the bottlo to open at 10am so often. i drink 1 a day, so this should last a bit over three months.

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PlusIGetToBuildABeerFortPunkin

Yeah, dito. He hasnt been here for quite a few days now..

JohnnyPinball007 - we need another long post!

For some reason Johnny doesn't seem like the type to just butt out without explanation. Hope he is doing well and if anyone knows him let us know.

He was sick recently. I hope he's okay.

LTG : )

I confess my standards have dropped when purchasing EM projects. Since I love to fix basket cases and the repair process is almost as fun as playing one it became necessary to accept bad back glasses, burnt plastics and a little more planking.
Unfortunately my desire for perfection will demand much more effort to bring some of these back.
Still, to find a virgin project that hasn't been "Restored" makes it all worthwhile.

Beaters with rebuilt flippers and pop bumpers are the new Frontier. Low end Pin Club was close a year ago, now the rules have changed.
Bad back glass? Fix it. When I use colored gel material, Createx paint and enamel paint markers it can get close enough when illuminated. Everybody dreams about a new back glass but sometimes it never happens.
Meantime, you have a Player thats a measure above while lacking cosmetic standards of a year ago.
Its all about the mechanical soundness of a machine. It plays,good, or excellent, close to what it did in 1968 or whenever.
Cosmetics?
Get over it, half of the machine isn't visible in a row of other beaters.

Johnny, come on back.