Cold winters= lots of bowling alleys
Lots of Polish people= lots of bowling alleys
Lots of bowling alleys= lots of pinball machines

Bare in mind, I'm talking about 70's, 80's, 90's in this case, not the present.

I'm in the club!

Marvin's in Farmington Hills and The Arcade in Brighton each have both.

Hey Guys-

I need a new pin and soon!! haha. I sold of JM and ES over winter break. I thought I'd be able to snag something else without a problem since I had time to look. There was nothing, and I mean nothing. So, here's where I am:

AVLE Hulk-- Advantage: The seller is willing to meet me in Columbus, OH. Disadvantage: This would still be quite a drive for the both . Other advantages: He's ready to move on and priced to sell with mods and it's a game I really want.

IM-- Advantages: Local, another game that I've liked the more I've played it. I still think it's overhyped, but it seems like a fun in your face game to have for a while. Disadvantages: While pretty nice for a routed game, I've never had a Stern that wasn't HUO. I don't know how well they hold up. Also a reimport from Canada. I don't know if that's a big deal or not. Plus I can get it for a little better price than his best price here.

AC/DC Premium: Advantages: Local. In fact, Pen is very close. Disadvantages: I've given it a couple of chances to grow on me while playing in the wild and it's just never connected with me. Some say the game takes time. On the other hand, it might never happen. I'm more of a "that's a pretty sweet shot to take and I like they physics of it or how the ball looks as it's moving" than "Can I figure out these complicated rules?" But I do like games that grow on me. It's kind of like music. The easily digestible stuff sounds catchy, but is short lived. Well-written and performed songs stay with you for a lifetime.

Ron B- Are you really thinking about selling Astro's JM? I inquired about that one and then boom, it was gone. While I sold JM, I really do think it was a mistake and I miss it. And Astro's seems marginally better than mine, especially with the redecaled reds.

Haha. You don't even know me that well and yet you know that about me. YES! I turn them over quickly. My wife has a funny way of bringing that up to. I'm almost getting self-conscious about it- haha

Hulk has landed in Canton, MI. Just picked up TAVLE Hulk and absolutely thrilled. I've wanted one since it came out. This is one of those "I don't care what anyone else thinks" situations. I play all the newer Sterns at The Arcade and they have ALL of them. No matter what, the Hulk kept drawing me back and drawing me back. Very, very happy to be an owner.

No expo for me this year. It really stinks. I committed to chaperone for my school's Washington D.C. trip this year. And while I'm happy to help out, I'm really going to miss this the expo. The good news is that there are other options now that I might take a chance on instead, like the Zoo or the Museum. The irony is that pinball serves as a diversion for me from teaching in a middle school in today's stressful education climate (keeps me from turning to things like alcohol instead). And instead of doing something pinball related on the weekend, I get to go on a trip WITH MIDDLE SCHOOLERS!! AHHHHHH. But seriously, the kids who sign up to go aren't typically behavior problems, so it shouldn't be that bad. Might actually be fun.

Hey Bax-- I'll be there on Saturday as well. We live pretty close to each other as well. I'm in Canton.