Funspot

Located in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, Funspot is an amazing "family fun" style establishment and is home to the American Classic Arcade Museum. In 2008 the Guinness Book of World Records named it the largest arcade in the world with a count of over 500 games. The facility also has bowling, indoor mini-golf, bingo, a restaurant and a bar. 180 of the games are from the 70's or 80's and their warehouse holds 100 more or so from those decades.

On my bike trip to Canada this past summer I planned the route to include a stop there. I first learned about Funspot in the documentary The King of Kong, a David vs. Goliath tale with the colorful world of competitive gaming as the backdrop. If you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Even if you don't know a thing about video games, it is engaging film with unforgettable characters that will stick with you far past the conclusion.

I knew this stop would certainly be memorable, especially for my inner child. I spent countless weekends at places like Putt Putt Golf and Games, Diamond Jim's, Aladdin's Castle, Galleria Fun Country, Show Biz, Vestavia Bowl and Magic Mountain (all of which should ring a bell for anyone who grew up on the 80's and 90's in Birmingham). I had no idea the scope and quality of this establishment. Funspot is full of games and the majority of the cabinets are in perfect working order and in fantastic shape.

I grabbed a $20 worth of tokens and got to it. The only downside to my visit was my lack of time. I could have spent to days pumping quarters into the machines. Memories of childhood came rushing back, some general and others very specific. I thought about having to rush for the change machine before the 10 count to continue without losing your progress or having to give up the machine to whoever had their token on the screen's ledge. I remember the satisfaction of slamming the uppercut button on Punch-Out...the frustration of getting your ass handed to you the first time you tried Dragon's Lair...the guilty pleasure of shooting a villager in Operation Wolf...never being able to kill the pterodactyl in Joust.

I left with an overwhelming sense of joy and a huge smile on my face. If you were ever into games as a kid, this is your Mecca. Should you ever find yourself ever remotely close, you owe it to yourself to take some time to visit. Funspot will not disappoint.

Below are some pictures of my favorites. You can see their entire list of games here.




Yeah, that a sit down version of Spy Hunter.




The one that started it all...



Taken with flash off, awesome cabinet.



Gorgar, the first talking pinball machine in perfect playable, talking condition.


(Showbiz in Vestavia had this game forever...awesome)

CB Radio

Put one in the wife's Honda today, have had one in the truck for years. When I was in high school, before everybody had cell phones (but everyone had pagers) we all had CB radios to talk car to car. Back in those days, we used to drive around everywhere, smoking, drinking, and bullshitting. We'd always have the windows down, the stereo up and the cb on.

Most vehicles I've had since high school have had CB's in them. One had a scanner too, but that's a different story.

There are long stretches between here and the wife's hometown during which you have 0 cell phone reception. This gives me a hair more peace of mind, though I doubt anyone still monitors channel 9 for emergencies. Hey...at least it is something.

A guy I work with is from England and when he got here he demanded to his wife that they get a CB in his Mustang cause he saw them in Smokey and the Bandit. They were huge in the 70's and many cars from the factory with them. Everyone was on them...and car movies from the 70's forget it.

They are all but a dead technology now, except among long haul truckers who are keeping it alive. There are still some folks around my neighborhood that I talk to from time to time, old guys with wicked base stations that can transmit for miles. I hear them more when the weather is bad. For some reason I've always loved them and can't see truck now without one.

Ghost Rider-A review

Neil Peart of the rock band Rush dealt with not one but two tragic losses in a ten month period. After the untimely death of his teenage daughter followed by the loss of his wife, Peart was left feeling empty and alone with nowhere to turn. The next logical step? A cross country motorcycle trip of over 55,000 miles covering Canada, The United States, and Mexico. Peart recounts this trip in his book "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road."

Peart's journey is outlined through narrative cobbled together from his journal entries as well as letters to his colleagues. His recollection and attention to detail is superb and he has a knack for pulling you into the surroundings with engaging descriptions. He is extremely passionate about small things, some of which you would expect, others not. For example, he is sure to note if a meal in a particular restaurant or hotel is especially good...or bad. He also makes note of the value vs price of several of the hotels he stays in. As someone who has ridden a motorcycle to one side of the country and back I can tell you, this is no small thing. Sometimes you get the deal of the century, other times you get bent over. It was interesting to read him talk about his experiences with this.

The book is not all about the motorcycle trip. There are sections of the book that delve deep into the grieving process. He talks candidly about his strides and setbacks. Though it may be a big new age-ish for some, Peart outlines the different personalities within himself and discusses how they are affected by the loss and he swaps from time to time to deal with moments he encounters. A unique mechanism, it seems to have served him well over the years. By far the most guarded member of the group, it is a bit of an oddity that he is so reserved in the spotlight yet so open in his books. It is easy to imagine he deals with social awkwardness, a troublesome condition for someone in a high profile profession.

While I spent the majority of the read deeply engrossed in the book, there were sections that lagged. His letters get repetitive. Back to back to back, he recounts his days and the time spent at his home skiing, snow shoeing, and birdwatching. After the first letter, it became unnecessary. The other thing that got under my skin was the overuse of key phrases. It seemed like they were purposely worked into every chapter. It just got old.

The book ends on a good note but seems abbreviated. There is an event that seems to shift Peart's focus and you can't help but wonder if that was what took him off course from a proper ending. That being said, it doesn't ruin the experience or take away from the book. It just leaves you wanting a more fleshed our resolution and end.

The right motorcycle can take you anywhere you want to go, physically and emotionally. For many, it is a cheap and highly enjoyable form of therapy. Peart was the first person I had ever heard make the connection that the soothing feeling of motion is first instilled in us during our time in the womb and a motorcycle can replicate that soothing. Additionally, on a long ride you are left in the solitude of your helmet, you are free to ponder whatever questions or work out whatever demons are in there with you. Peart's book is a fine recounting of one man's quest to do just this. I highly recommend it for anyone who is a long distance rider or aspires to be.

Score

Picked this up today. If you are into film scores, electronica, the London Orchestra or just bad ass instrumental tracks...do yourself a favor and grab this. I have been listening to it since I got back from work today and man it is killer. It is 100% Daft Punk but quite a departure for them. Sample free and very minimalist. I am looking forward to seeing how well it fits into the film.

Here's a sample. If you haven't seen any footage from the film yet, this clip should get you amped.

My first electric guitar

Years ago as a teenager when I was learning to play, I desperately wanted an electric guitar. I begged and begged for what seemed like forever until I finally got my first electric.



Yamaha RGZ-112P
Standard Strat copy with more aggressive, less classic lines. I loved this guitar and played the hell out of it. I kept it as my main instrument ever preferring it over a Les Paul Studio I bought in high school and unloaded less than a year later.

Over time I made some adjustments. The pickguard and electronics are all out of an Ibanez series 2 RoadStar. The stock neck pickup has been switched out for a DiMarzio single space Tone Zone Humbucker. The middle pickup is stock Ibanez and the bridge is a Bill Lawrence made Keystone Humbucker. It is wired with a switch that will activate the neck pickup even if it is not in that position. This guitar is hot, it screams.

In the early 2000's, my (now ex) wife needed some money for her child custody case and trying to be a good husband who was no longer working as a musician, I pawned all of my gear to pay her attorney's fees. A pa, keyboard, two guitars, two basses, and my guitar and bass rig all went. Among them was this guitar.

For years I felt like I had made a big mistake letting that guitar go. I was sick thinking about the electric guitar I learned on was gone and I'd never see it again. I learned a lesson that day: some things are worth holding onto.

What must have been six or seven years later, I was out and about just driving on a Saturday and I came up on the pawn shop where I sold all my gear. I decided to go in and take a look just if by chance, they had any of my gear left. I walked in, moved over to the musical instrument section and there hanging on the wall...was my guitar. Not the same model, not one similar, it was unmistakeably my guitar.

It seemed like it hadn't even been touched since I left it. I think it ever had the same strings. I don't think I've ever reached for my wallet so quickly. I took the guitar home and it's still here with me now. It is by far not the nicest, most valuable, rare, or sought after thing I've ever had my hands on but it is mine and that gives it more value to me than any replacement.