Birthday Pinball Extravaganza!

Yesterday was my birthday, and my wife gave me possibly the best gift of all... she kept my sister-in-law and the boyfriend-in-law busy while I goofed off alone in the house with the dog. We actually kept my birthday a secret from them... my sister-in-law has an uncanny sense for coming to visit at the worst times. Once my wife told her specifically not to come around a certain day and the sis-in-law came during that week. This time we didn't tell them not to come, we just lamented their timing. It's not because I don't like my wife's sister, it was just that I had no desire to celebrate one of my rare prime numbered birthdays (47) with my wife's sister's boyfriend, who at the time was a complete stranger. So I informed my wife that we would celebrate my birthday after they left, and she was OK with that. And now that I've met the bf-in-law, I feel it was the correct course of action. I mean, he's OK, kind of monopolizes the conversation with stories of working for the Oakland city car barn, but he's not a guy I really want to party with. It's sort of like listening to my Dad's WWII stories, only boring and with no familial connection.

Anyway, so I thought I'd check the FSPA pinball location database to see if there was anything around other than Sole d'Italia's Family Guy. Well, there was! A Fish Tales in the Potomac Community Center, only one of my favorite games on a street that I take home from work when the Beltway is backed up (more or less every day)!!! E. Yoink. Exclamation. Point.

So I drive down there and the game's in great shape! It's there with a bunch of video games in the game room. They keep them turned off so parents can regulate their kids' gameage. FT kinda was a little tilted in the wrong direction so the ball goes SDTM a little more than I'd like, but cheeze! I got a couple of free games, and at one point I had six three foot kids clustered around watching me because the Halloween party had just let out. That was kind of funny. Anyway... frickin' awesome. A game I like on my way home from work. A great surprise on a largely covert birthday.

But the hits just kept on coming today! In league, I was 2 points away from a perfect night! I came in demonstrably first on three games and second on the fourth... recall that when the 2nd and 3rd scores don't add up to the first place, first place steals third's point. I was making my shots... jumps in No Fear, 3 or 4 Borg shots in a row in Star Trek, an awesome Penthouse Party in WhoDunnit... and if I had kicked ass on Twilight Zone (possibly by getting the extra ball that was lit but I couldn't seem to hit), I could have done it. I feel bad for the guy in my group that came in 3rd on all three games, because I think he got 0 points (*cringe*). But I can't feel too bad for him, because he was 3 points behind me in our division. Honestly, I think I could have handled him getting a few points instead of me completely destroying him, but I guess that's the way the pinball bounces. Now if I can just do that well in the Wednesday night league, maybe I'll be getting somewhere.