Pinball in Central Iowa

I've always loved pinball...from the early 80s when I would play every once in a while in the bowling alley while my parents bowled drank to the mid 90s working in an arcade, to 2000s and owning my own machine.  I like video games too, but they don't hold the same draw for me as pinball.  Pinball takes skill instead of just learning a pattern like on most video games...and you can get better with practice but still randomness and luck still play a huge part.  Even though I am a decent pinball player, I still have balls that drain right away.  Easy to learn, impossible to master.

Unfortunately, pinball has been disappearing from public places over the past 20 years.  It used to be in every bowling alley and arcade, and most bars...now all you get is Big Buck Hunter (which is fine, but it is not pinball).  Pinball is hard to find.  I am always looking for different games and new new places to play...so I am making a page to list all the games that I know about in the area.  You can see it on the right called "Pinball in Central Iowa."

I envision this as an interactive site where people can contact me to add new games and locations to the list...as a community we can make a comprehensive and up-to-date list of places and games to play.  In the future, I would also like to start a pinball club, where pin geeks can all get together and hang out one night a week and have some friendly and tournament play.

So please, stop by, contact me if you know of any additions, changes, or interest in getting together to play some pin.  Frequent these places and let them know that you appreciate them still supporting pinball in Iowa.


Update - as I was typing Derek from Des Moines Alive contacted me to let me know that they have a tag for pinball locations....so I am going to include a link for them at the bottom of the page.  Since I don't have a list of exact games at some locations, I am not putting them all in my list yet.  But am going to be working my way down the list to find out.  Thanks Derek.

Don't Screw Me Disney

I may have mentioned my love for Muppets once or twice...(or more).  But I am not sure what to think about the new movie:  The Muppets

The Muppets comes out on Nov 23rd, 2011 and is the first Muppet movie by Disney.  Disney purchased the Muppets in 2004.  I am not sure what to think.  My initial thought is that Disney is pretty responsible with its characters and will treat the Muppets right...keeping them from going the route of CGI.  But then I remember all the god awful straight to video animated sequels that Disney has forced upon the world in the past 20 years (think Aladdin The Return of Jafar, or Cinderella II and III).  OK, I've not actually seen most of the sequels because Return of Jafar was enough to make me very wary of Disney straight to video.

The poster really doesn't do that much for me.  I like it's simplicity, but find their legs creepy...and too fake looking...and I wish there were other characters instead of the big 5.  Where's Dr Dunsen Honeydew and Beaker, they are infinitely more interesting to me than bitchy Miss Piggy or chicken fetish Gonzo.  We've been there and done that.   I try to be hopeful, but it is hard.  I was hopeful for the 3 movies in the 1990s - Muppets Christmas Carol, Muppets Treasure Island,  and Muppets From Space - but once they actually came out in the theater I was not able to bring myself to watch them.  I think I was still a little disillusioned from Jim Henson's death and was afraid that the Muppets were going to be exploited in a way I didn't agree with.

I still haven't seen these three movies, but have since watched the OK Muppets Wizard of Oz, and am a big fan of the Muppets Studio youtube productions.  Both of these give me lots of hope for the new movie. I think a Muppet movie with actual puppets will be a really nice change from all the 3D CGI animated movies out there.  I am eagerly awaiting a trailer...and maybe, just maybe I will see a Muppet movie in the theater for the first time since The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984.  It has to be better than the Smurfs right (not even NPH's awesomeness can save that)?

My Precious....

I hate these

I really hate posts about no blogging but here goes anyways:

I am in the middle of training for several new job responsibilities, arriving early, leaving late...if you didn't know me you would almost think that I was career driven or a company man or something.

I assure you this is not the case and regular blogging will commence shortly when things start to relax a little.


I feel dirty inside and full of self-loathing now (but soon these pipes will be cleansed with new content).