Fun Times and Rubber Duckies at the Mermaid

The Mermaid is a banquet hall/bar/restaurant/bowling alley/entertainment venue located in the 'burbs. I've never been there, but I think my brother and SIL met there. On New Year's Eve, many years ago? Am I completely off base here?

D and I went there Saturday night to celebrate a friend's birthday, and it was SO MUCH FUN! Yes, the capitalization is needed there.

When I was a kid, we did not have video games. No, not because I am so old that they didn't exist. Because our parents would not buy us an Atari or Nintendo or whatever else they could have bought. I played Lemonade Stand on an Apple IIC and I liked it!

My sister and I also never spent any time in arcades playing video games. Why? Because our parents wouldn't give us quarters.

So, Saturday night at the Maid was really my first experience at an "arcade", although I think they call it a game room. I was a little leery at first, and just wanted to head over to the bowling alley in the other side of the bar. Everyone else was getting $10 game cards though, so I went along.

I even added $10 more to my card, I was having so much fun shooting zombies, giant spiders, jumping rope electronically, and racing! My favorite was a game where you and a partner sit in a "jeep" and go on a journey through a jungle. Then, your guides are killed by giant spiders and you and your partner on on your own to protect yourselves! You fight off spiders, big worms, and a giant preying mantis. I actually worked up a sweat in that game!

At the end of each round, the game gives you and your partner a compatibility quotient. Turns out D and I are about 33% compatible. Oh well.

Those of you reading this may also realize that most arcades have games like Skee-Ball where you get tickets for the number of points you get. I've never played any of those games either. My parents* never took us to Chuck-e-Cheese.

With my tickets, I got some race car crayons for Nathan.

And these rubber duckies. Aren't they cute?

All in all, it was a fun evening and I got to act like I was in high school again, although doing things I never did in high school, and with beer and margaritas involved.

*I love my parents and think they did a great job raising me. Despite the lack of video games and such, I do not feel I was deprived at all.**

**Well, maybe a little bit.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Close-Your bro and I did meet on NYEve but not at the Maid. But, we did go there on our first official date.
He met some friends there before NYEve and they invited him to the party.
Tee Hee! If they had only known...
Anonymous said…
those toys are cute. The nathanator will love them.
Now, I don't think you are giving the 'rents enough credit. I know that we have been to Chuck E. Cheese. We saw our bus driver there, remember?
And I know I have played Skee-Ball, so surely you must have also.
And, we did an allowance and later had jobs, so we had access to quarters.
But you are right, alas, we never had Atari or whatever at home. Oregon Trail and Lemonade stand all the way!
Michelle O said…
Access to quarters does not equal an environment in which using said quarters for video games was encouraged!
Meema said…
You’ve been tagged!

Using the top 100 yarns on Ravelry (by number of projects), tell the world what you think of the yarns you've worked with or would like to use. You get to add comments as desired, and then pass the meme along to five other knitters/crocheters. Link back to the originator and the person who tagged you. That’d be me. :-) Links and further details can be found at today’s post:

http://themeemafiles.blogspot.com/2008/05/good-bad-and-ugly.html

Woo hoo - yarny games!

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