Right now we have two pinball machines in our front room. Makes it hard to get much else done, I tell ya. When we were moving into the house, we arranged for our pinball machine (Star Trek - TNG) to go to the spa. We had the repair guys come and pick it up with the intent of geting it serviced and delivered it back to the new house. That way we didn't have to worry about how to get the behemoth up a narrow flight of stairs. Good idea, right?
Sort of.
Pinball repair types are a specialized and rare breed. From our experience, they're kind of...I don't want to say flaky, but they're definitely quirky. Ours is no exception, which is why one year later we still don't have our machine in the house. At wit's end and in an elevated pinball-withdrawal state, the Husband rented an Addams Family for the month. That's machine number 1. He called the repair guy (again) and gave a drop-dead date for the ST-TNG to be back in our house. "Blah blah blah the CPU, blah blah....what? Wait! You have another machine in the house? From my competitor? OMG! I'll be there this week with a Star Wars machine that you can use until yours is ready." That's machine #2. And that's why my knitting sits forsaken on the coffee table.
dude. you are one lucky muchacha.
Posted by: melanie | May 20, 2006 at 18:28
The Adam's Family game was my FAVORITE!!!! I used to work at a bowling alley and we had it there. I spent HOURS playing that game with my boyfriend. We got pretty good. I played it about a year ago and OMG do I suck!
Posted by: Sachi | May 20, 2006 at 18:48
I so want a pinball machine in my house, whaa!
Posted by: Jen | May 20, 2006 at 20:07
I don't know anyone else who has a pinball machine in their house. That sounds sooo fun! I didn't know you could rent them, either... hmm...
Posted by: Karma | May 20, 2006 at 22:09
I dare not show this post to my husband, he'll be on the phone ordering a pinball machine if i do!
Posted by: Nichola | May 20, 2006 at 23:23
Heh. Well at least you don't have to wait for turns with two of them there.
Posted by: Karen | May 21, 2006 at 11:03
caro -- OMG! Pete & I want a pinball machine. How does one go about finding one in good working condition?
Posted by: Julie | May 21, 2006 at 12:30
I have an Addams Family machine in my living room! We're down to just this one now, but for several years we owned a Police Force and a Funhouse machine as well. My darling SO bought the Addams Family machine in horrible condition on Ebay, completely removed every single part from the playfield, replaced it with a new one along with MANY, MANY other parts (read $$$) and then put the whole thing back together. It was amazing and now the thing is super duper nice. So not all pinball fixer guys are flakes (quirky, yes, but in an absolutey loveable kind of way :)), but it did take him months and months of amassing of parts and then and entire winter to complete.
Posted by: splatgirl | May 21, 2006 at 13:07
That is so great. I grew up with the fabulous Pinball-A-Go-Go. The sound of a Sunday afternoon full of bells and servos and shouts is one of my fondest memories.
http://www.pinballrebel.com/game/pins/a_go_go/a_go_go_pinball.htm
Posted by: David E. | May 22, 2006 at 01:07
This is worse then the DIY network, the cooking channel and blogging. It is worse then a new magazine or a good book- I LOVE pinball.. yeah, wouldn't be getting anything done either if I had TWO in the house.
hey, BTW where does one buy a machine? this could be a really fun adition to our new casa, don't ya think? (and they were never seen again)
Posted by: NessieNoodle | May 22, 2006 at 15:21
This is worse then the DIY network, the cooking channel and blogging. It is worse then a new magazine or a good book- I LOVE pinball.. yeah, wouldn't be getting anything done either if I had TWO in the house.
hey, BTW where does one buy a machine? this could be a really fun adition to our new casa, don't ya think? (and they were never seen again)
Posted by: NessieNoodle | May 22, 2006 at 15:22
is either place called two-bit score? they're by my house and they always seem so enigmatic.
Posted by: karen | May 22, 2006 at 15:45
AH! I thought boys playing Nintendo was annoying. You have an entire room of it!
Posted by: Kelli | May 22, 2006 at 17:06
How funny! And addicting!
Posted by: Laurie | May 22, 2006 at 19:48
I sooo love the Star War pinball machine!! There was one in a cellar at the Royal Institute of Technology where I studied for many years. Is this the Star War pinball machine where you must "shoot the deathstar" ... and that asks "R2D2, what are you doing?"? Miss this cute machine!!
Posted by: mama therapy | May 23, 2006 at 04:28
I'm SO jealous. I haven't been playing much pinball for the last few years, but when I was at Bard I was so into it I actually had a pinball bruise--it was on my right thigh, flat along the bottom edge and fading upwards, the result of leaning into the machine and jiggling it.
Posted by: Susan | May 23, 2006 at 14:35
Star Wars kicks ass on Star Trek anyway!
Posted by: melmel | May 25, 2006 at 16:14