Category Archives: Places

Where I’ve been and where I’m going.

Safecracker

Safecracker draws people in on a primal level. A simple objective, mysterious board game, and of course the lure of shiny coins. Fundamentally, that little gold disc popping out of the machine is the closest most people can get to tangibly winning a pinball game. And then there’s the BOGO drink. In my experience, very little about getting that coin is directly related to being good at the game. Regardless, pretty much everyone smiles in delight when Candy shuts up and shows you the money.

Gold doubloons notwithstanding, I keep playing for a different reason. It’s deceptively simple, Safecracker teaches you to stop fearing drains the same way Fathom teaches you to embrace outlanes. Persistently firing balls no matter how many attempts are made, she rewards patience with time. From, there you have the freedom to try whatever you want until the clock runs out. A unique meditative opportunity amid glorified chaos, the single player experience is unparalled.

Needing laundry money and new to pinball, $2 for five games seemed like a solid investment. That’s how I chose Safecracker. I never anticipated how deep it would go. A recovering rage quitter from ages past, Safecracker taught me how to relax and have fun playing games again. I played that specific machine for nearly three months before branching out into pinball on the whole. When I did move on to Medieval Madness and Addams Family, my sense of control felt amplified. Safecracker’s compact playfield is more like a tricycle than training wheels. Getting on a big-boy machine after that is liberating and dangerous, comparatively.



Marathon

Never stop moving. Just go from one step to the next until you’re done. That’s how I approached the impending month. Scheduled to work every day of August, I knew it wouldn’t shake out that way. Small concessions from co-workers broke it up into 3 legs – 9 days, 7 days and then 11 in a row. That leaves 4 days off, one of which was a dentist appointment. Working eight to ten day stretches feels like a relay race with my rent payment except sprinting and stopping is more like conditioning than an event. It’s not something I can do faster, I merely endure a set schedule. I come up for air by deliberately excavating free time well in advance.

The hard part of working every day isn’t the work. It’s the boredom. It’s being surrounded by people I can’t talk to. Free time is not longer a solid thing. I melt into the moments between obligation, finding time for necessity and luxury in weighted measure. Times like these, freedom is more intoxicating than the alcohol I drink to commemorate the occasion. A day off involves ceremony and certain tributes around my favorite locations. It’s important to maintain a presence when you are the most unavailable.

The strength of my family is the only thing getting me through these moments. Not my blood family, who still seem to stymie my dreams at every turn. The people I can reach out to when I need real help. My co-workers at Streamline and the handful of people I’ve met in the neighborhood. An ex-husband in Memphis and the ghosts of too many dead friends. There’s a certain bartender that likes to remind me how far I’ve come. Even some random dates have provided great companionship at just the right time. These things have laid a foundation more solid than concrete.

I met someone this time last year who just completed his first half marathon. I logically asked when he planned to run a full marathon. He stated that full marathons are silly because they push someone past rational physical limits. I was flabbergasted. To be clear, I don’t run for recreation. It’s a personal choice and I don’t hate on people that like doing it. But when someone chooses to run a half marathon and states that full marathons are irrational, I just assume they don’t understand the word marathon. If you’re measuring accomplishment by a specific factor, what sort of person only strives to complete half of it? This is just one of the many unanswered questions I have for a human I never got to know.

Women’s March

“Maybe we should take a break after this,” he sighs on the third ball of Medieval Madness. It’s about eleven on Friday night. The crowd has thinned slightly and this first date is bordering on bad. Thanks to an excess of 1st dates, I’ve developed intuition for match potential that outclasses any existing algorithm. Especially when it comes to the internet. Communication is difficult even under ideal circumstances and my superpower is filtering bullshit. Meeting amidst the romantic morass of OK Cupid, Allen began with a brick-through-the-window statement, “I want to meet you.” Continue reading Women’s March

Scott Rosen

“Do you mind if your partner smells bad?” is one of the questions that matched us at 89%. He answered, “Not as important as you may think.” Looking around the condo expertly manicured in a tetris of modern American style, I’m not so convinced. Easy-going isn’t one of his strengths. And yet he seems so relaxed. Perhaps that’s the independent wealth he gained from childhood tragedy. After all, that is why we forgive Batman for spending his wealth on narcissism instead of something useful. Sure, capricious vigilante justice looks like a good idea but do you know how many orphans we can feed with that same budget? Continue reading Scott Rosen

Trivia Night

Someone on this bus smells like feet. I hope it’s not me. Continue reading Trivia Night

Quintron and Miss Pussycat

Completely worth $12.  Not sure I like the advertising policy of The Stranger. $10 online, $12 in person. Justified by the service charge that makes the online ticket $14.75 after the fact. What about cash covers that go to the talent? It’s a terrible standard to expect your local talent to perform for free. A psychedelic punk rock puppet show combined with appropriately catchy dance music. I met two hard-core fans before the show and their enthusiasm embodied an entire crowd of fans.  The crowd itself was substantial as well. Continue reading Quintron and Miss Pussycat

Is it 2 1’s or 2?

Sitting behind a group of friends playing games together. I’m at work and playing a video game. The game is a grind because nothing in my life is easy right now and my mind wandered. Only voices to me, I developed caricatures of the group at my back. The main voice, describing the game seems tall and thin. The others are a various smattering of the Rat Pack mixed with the Lil’ Rascals. I can’t say there’s a huge span of demographic in my images. Most of my visual thoughts occur in grayscale. There’s a smattering of sepia when I’m feeling nostalgic. I’m just not that great of an artist. Continue reading Is it 2 1’s or 2?

The Secret Cultural Disparity in America

I’m less of an asshole when I’m stoned. If we are going to start segregating society into different slashtroverts with various social impairments can we at least agree not all the substances out there have consistent effects? I know when you get stoned it means you are stupid and silly. Being “stoned” has classic connotations that vary depending on your generation and cultural identity. I personally feel way more stoned on an opiate than cannabis. Some people take adderall to feel normal. Others take it because it’s an amphetamine. Vices exist in every corner of our psyche but are differently governed depending on your flavor of upbringing. Continue reading The Secret Cultural Disparity in America

A Nice Boy

My date last night was pleasant. He’s a persistent fellow. Kept in touch with me on Tinder for weeks, a notoriously inconsistent medium. Rewarding dedication, we met in person and chatted about all types of things. He let me ask questions about growing up in another culture and I talked intelligently about yoga with another human for the first time in months. His interest in me seems genuine, even if it’s misplaced. Overall the experience was a 5 of 10 – mainly because we were at the Mecca and that adds an automatic +2 to any situation. Continue reading A Nice Boy