Buzz1126
New member
- Dec 27, 2013
- 258
- 0
Some of you may have seen several of my posts around the forum, and I guess it's finally time for me to tell you who's behind "Buzz1126":
I'm someone who, like many of you, found a machine that a group of people were standing around, intently watching another person use flippers to send a tiny silver ball shooting around a colorful table. He was scoring points, gently shaking the ball as it bounced off bumpers, zipped thru spinners. When the ball left the playing field, a collective "awwwww" was the only solace he got, as he did not win a free game. After he and his friends left, I dropped my dime (yes, machines took dimes back then), and begin to play. As I launched the ball, my field of vision began to narrow. All I could see was the table. I watched the ball, tracking its movement, shaking the machine as it bounced off the bumpers. I saw the angles that the ball would follow as I shot the drop-targets. As the fifth ball drained down the side, I was hooked! I knew that I had to play more. As I went to put more money in the machine (Gottlieb's Drop-A-Card), I noticed the time on my watch. Realizing I was late for dinner, I ran home as fast as I could, knowing I'd be in trouble, but it would be worth it.
My father served in the U.S Air Force. With every move the USAF required him to make, I learned where to find the pinball machines. The bowling alley, the snack bars, and the convience stores just off base. I've played pinball from Canada to California to Florida. Ive actually played pinball "from Soho down to Brighton". I've played the non-flippered machines. I've played the EM games with their scoring reels spinning, adding to the bells of the table. I've played the SS games, with their muted digital chimes, amazed at the designs that were coming out, KISS, Playboy and the others. I've played the widebody machines, the sounds of Paragon still in my head. I've played games that had a gerbil trail, then two, then three. The games began to change, scoring was first. Instead of 250,000 points to win a game, it was now 25 million. The ball count dropped from 5 to 3. And there was a time when a quarter bought you three games. Then it became hard to find a game that wasn't fifty cents to play ONE GAME. Finally, if you became good enough to win a game, "adaptive" scoring came along. If you won a game at fifteen million, the next game required twenty-five million!
After leaving home, I still played, yet had to balance playing with eating. After I got married, it became easier to have a little disposable income to play pinball. I played regularly, enough to amaze some people watching with deft flipper moves. While some people had liquid lunches, mine were played on an machine that was nearby. The "ooooo's" however were heard less often than the timeless "awwww" as the ball drained SDTM. As time passed, I noticed that my wrists began to swell. Thinking it was just my "supple wrists" getting a good workout, I blew it off. Then I noticed I was getting tired during the work day. Again, I chalked it up to getting older. Then, while helping a friend move, as I lifted the fridge, pain erupted in my back. In the non-critical doctors office, I recieved the news: my kidneys were covered with cysts, and their function was dropping. Fast. As both kidneys were losing function, the only recourse was a transplant. Many friends offered to donate, but weren't a match. After much discussion, my wife was tested, and to everyone's surprise, was a match. No, we are not related, both our family trees fork.
The transplant was successful, but getting transplant medication to "balance" is an ongoing work. Side effects of one affect others. We are making progress, a step at a time. To pass the time, the Internet became more important than I thought it would. It allows me to communicate with old friends and it entertains me. When I found TPA, it was like a dream come true! I'm able to play old favorites and hone my skills on the new ones.
So, when you see "Buzz1126" out there, or "BUZ" , that's me! I'm looking forward to the Third Season of TPA! See you there!!
I'm someone who, like many of you, found a machine that a group of people were standing around, intently watching another person use flippers to send a tiny silver ball shooting around a colorful table. He was scoring points, gently shaking the ball as it bounced off bumpers, zipped thru spinners. When the ball left the playing field, a collective "awwwww" was the only solace he got, as he did not win a free game. After he and his friends left, I dropped my dime (yes, machines took dimes back then), and begin to play. As I launched the ball, my field of vision began to narrow. All I could see was the table. I watched the ball, tracking its movement, shaking the machine as it bounced off the bumpers. I saw the angles that the ball would follow as I shot the drop-targets. As the fifth ball drained down the side, I was hooked! I knew that I had to play more. As I went to put more money in the machine (Gottlieb's Drop-A-Card), I noticed the time on my watch. Realizing I was late for dinner, I ran home as fast as I could, knowing I'd be in trouble, but it would be worth it.
My father served in the U.S Air Force. With every move the USAF required him to make, I learned where to find the pinball machines. The bowling alley, the snack bars, and the convience stores just off base. I've played pinball from Canada to California to Florida. Ive actually played pinball "from Soho down to Brighton". I've played the non-flippered machines. I've played the EM games with their scoring reels spinning, adding to the bells of the table. I've played the SS games, with their muted digital chimes, amazed at the designs that were coming out, KISS, Playboy and the others. I've played the widebody machines, the sounds of Paragon still in my head. I've played games that had a gerbil trail, then two, then three. The games began to change, scoring was first. Instead of 250,000 points to win a game, it was now 25 million. The ball count dropped from 5 to 3. And there was a time when a quarter bought you three games. Then it became hard to find a game that wasn't fifty cents to play ONE GAME. Finally, if you became good enough to win a game, "adaptive" scoring came along. If you won a game at fifteen million, the next game required twenty-five million!
After leaving home, I still played, yet had to balance playing with eating. After I got married, it became easier to have a little disposable income to play pinball. I played regularly, enough to amaze some people watching with deft flipper moves. While some people had liquid lunches, mine were played on an machine that was nearby. The "ooooo's" however were heard less often than the timeless "awwww" as the ball drained SDTM. As time passed, I noticed that my wrists began to swell. Thinking it was just my "supple wrists" getting a good workout, I blew it off. Then I noticed I was getting tired during the work day. Again, I chalked it up to getting older. Then, while helping a friend move, as I lifted the fridge, pain erupted in my back. In the non-critical doctors office, I recieved the news: my kidneys were covered with cysts, and their function was dropping. Fast. As both kidneys were losing function, the only recourse was a transplant. Many friends offered to donate, but weren't a match. After much discussion, my wife was tested, and to everyone's surprise, was a match. No, we are not related, both our family trees fork.
The transplant was successful, but getting transplant medication to "balance" is an ongoing work. Side effects of one affect others. We are making progress, a step at a time. To pass the time, the Internet became more important than I thought it would. It allows me to communicate with old friends and it entertains me. When I found TPA, it was like a dream come true! I'm able to play old favorites and hone my skills on the new ones.
So, when you see "Buzz1126" out there, or "BUZ" , that's me! I'm looking forward to the Third Season of TPA! See you there!!
