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What Really Matters

meegis

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2013
1,192
119
63
Woodbridge
Grats on the new home. I know how much of a pain it can be to move pins. If I'd have known, I could have helped out.
 

brewmanager

Active Member
Nov 14, 2012
623
107
43
Scarborough, ON
My pleasure Mike - you are not only a great guy but a good friend as well! Glad we were able to alleviate that stress for you. I just feel bad I didn't help unload as well.

It's tough to quantify what the forums are/were. I've been in the hobby for 5 years now and I certainly find myself pining for the good old days, but I'm not doing much contributing online to alleviate it. Mostly organizing Bluffs and Pinball for Change takes up most of my hobby time, to be honest.

We need more late night dimsum for sure.
 
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DRANO

Super Member
Nov 15, 2012
2,821
517
113
Mississauga
Oh, dim sum.... I miss that.

It was kinda funny to see how much you were stressing Mike.

Glad we could help make that part go away.

Now I just have to convince you to get at least one non-DMD in your new space and my work will be done :)
 
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meegis

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2013
1,192
119
63
Woodbridge
Oh, dim sum.... I miss that.

It was kinda funny to see how much you were stressing Mike.

Glad we could help make that part go away.

Now I just have to convince you to get at least one non-DMD in your new space and my work will be done :)
No ramps either
 

mwong168

Administrator
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
6,652
1,397
113
45
Toronto
Walt I am so grateful you showed up despite being out till 3am the night before. Plus you had a hand in helping bring all 12 of my pins up so nothing to feel bad about. Now Reg (bigbossfan) on the otherhand I was let down since I had a special moving task just for him.

IMG-20161126-WA0015.jpeg

Just kidding ya old timer and I know you had been sick and feeling like crap all week. Hope you are feeling better.

Drano you didn't see me the night before but Steve could probably tell you what a wreck I was but he stuck it out with me right till the end at 3 am when the last head was lined up.

I have been pretty content with my current collection and have been through 40+ dmd titles since I got into hobby in November 2010. I don't know if I will have any room left at my new place for another pin. Maybe I will upgrade to a tankless hot water system and can fit that SS or EM next to my very small high efficiency furnace :)

Thanks for the congrats and kind words dnewman and meegis.

Super Pinball you did an amazing job on that drawer and quick turn around time too. When can I drop off the other ones?? :p

The stress is still not over as I am still packing and preparing for Wednesday's moving date. It is crazy how much stuff or crap I have accumulated. I would never wish moving even on my worst enemy!
 
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Menace

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Nov 14, 2012
2,440
255
83
Santiago de Aurora
As I had been telling Mike for days leading up to Saturday, with all the prep and the amount of people that were on hand I knew this move would be cake and all things considered I'd say it was. Friends coming together to solve an issue, doesn't get better than that.

I had planned to be there most of the day but family obligations kept me away until 5pm. At least we got all the games up on legs and almost half of them with heads on and harness connected. I'll get the rest sorted for you Tuesday night, and if we have time I'll see if we can figure out the JD issue.

D
 

websherpa

Active Member
Feb 10, 2013
280
53
28
60
Waterdown, ON
Late to the party as always but thought I'd chime in on the OP (if I'm not missing the point of it). And congratulations Mike on the new move and also for maintaining those friendships!

In the end what really matters is family, friends, integrity, health, happiness - in that order.

But I think we almost all burn out of pinball / arcade fever eventually. I got up in the thousands of posts (wasn't it like 5,000+) at the old MAACA, was doing the league rounds despite battling social anxiety disorder, had close to 20 machines before I had a virtual falling out with Sparky (over God knows what, to this day I still don't know and think he may have just had a screw come loose), started selling, and that all put a damper on my whole "Internet Pin Friends and Forums" vibe.

Life, kids and debt caught up to me and the fever left. All my remaining machines are either folded up or tucked away at friend's houses (some for over a decade now - who knows if I even still technically own them). I have one Black Knight in pieces in boxes, another complete but stood on end, never even turned on since it entered my world. I have an entire basement and a another shed of pinball and slot machine parts old, new and nos. Everytime I walk by it all it seems too overwhelming to know where to begin to start over and I wonder how I manager to get here. And yet the fever picks up a little each year, especially at this "nut gathering" time of year. And so I lurk, and dream a little, and live a little vicariously while I wait for the infection to come back to me.
 
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DRANO

Super Member
Nov 15, 2012
2,821
517
113
Mississauga
Wayne.. I thought you'd have filled that new GarageMahal by now.

I guess the moral here is that everyone has a different lens and that lens is certainly impacted by how we have chosen to make our way through this hobby and the interactions that we have with others.

Some of us have been luckier than others. Some of us may end up in the same place, even if we can't fathom it right now.

I think several people have already commented on what things are truly 'lasting'... here in this hobby as in life.

For me, I try to keep my 'lens' as positive as I can. Doesn't always work... but it's kept me pretty happy in the hobby. Remaining engaged and not pulling away from forums and other collectors has allowed me to keep a good outlook and stave off burnout... for now ;)
 

stiffler4444

Active Member
Nov 20, 2012
387
46
28
49
Crystal Beach, Ontario
Good comments Wayne. I too once was full to the brim with pinball fever (obsession) and had a nice little collection. Unfortunately, my other fever (being the automotive bug) took over and decimated the pinball fleet. I now sit with one lonely machine............but no worries. The infection does lie dormant and return when least expected. I am now 'feverishly' hunting for #2 and we all know that leads to #3 and so on.
Will my interests wander in the future? Of course! But I've go a long life to go and I know it will be back.
 

bstock

Active Member
Apr 1, 2013
325
48
28
Montreal, Quebec
It's already been mentioned, but it's so true that I feel the need to say it again. The important part is the people and the meaningful relationships. As this hobby continues to grow and prices continue to skyrocket, there are always more and more people coming out of the woodwork who are just in this for themselves. To make a quick buck and get the fanciest shiniest games they can. Don't get me wrong, I love nice games as much as any other pinhead, that's not the point.

I've only been involved in this hobby since around the end of 2011. I've seen things change even in that short period of time. Luckily I had some of the "good guys" take me under their wings early on, and they are still my friends to this day. I'm still young and working on building my life, paying for a house, building a career. Lately pinball has been sitting rather quietly on the sidelines. Haven't played my games a lot, haven't worked on any pinball related projects, haven't acquired or sold anything.

Regardless of my lack of contribution lately, my friends are still there. They are still happy to talk pins with me, and life for that matter. I've found that it's these people in the hobby who are a rare breed. I truly admire how well these folks are able to balance pinball with the truly important things in life like family and friends. The amount that some of these people give to this hobby while still remaining role models and providers for their families is truly admirable.

When you have something to offer, or something to sell, or a big collection of games to play, it seems like everyone in this hobby is your friend. But when it all slows down, the games are turned off and nothing is for sale, it's the people who are still standing around laughing and smiling with you that truly matter. These are the people who have made my experience in this hobby exceptional. And if someday I decide I don't have any interest in pinball, and lose money on every game I own, I know that I didn't leave this hobby empty handed.

Sometimes people get caught up in the buying, selling, wheeling and dealing. In the end, the relationships and the friendships are far more important than making a couple bucks off every sale/deal. Those of you who might be laughing while you read this thinking, "It's not just a couple bucks, it's thousands and thousands of dollars", well, you just don't get the point, and you probably never will. But it says a lot about someone (and humanity in general) when people are choosing money over relationships.
 

eh97ac

Active Member
Nov 19, 2012
636
149
43
Mississauga
Life, kids and debt caught up to me and the fever left. All my remaining machines are either folded up or tucked away at friend's houses (some for over a decade now - who knows if I even still technically own them). I have one Black Knight in pieces in boxes, another complete but stood on end, never even turned on since it entered my world. I have an entire basement and a another shed of pinball and slot machine parts old, new and nos. Everytime I walk by it all it seems too overwhelming to know where to begin to start over and I wonder how I manager to get here. And yet the fever picks up a little each year, especially at this "nut gathering" time of year. And so I lurk, and dream a little, and live a little vicariously while I wait for the infection to come back to me.

I was there once. I was the crazy cat lady of pinball, 4 pins in a condo and boxes filled with parts and accessories. I thought I could get by with stashing everything away.....didn't work.

Sold pins, parts, manuals, tools....everything. Best damn thing I ever did in this hobby! I kept the proceeds and 18 months later with the support from my wife, I slowly got back into pinball at the right pace. Yes prices had gone up but it didn't matter :cool:
 

goodmanners

Member
Jun 17, 2014
121
24
18
Mississauga
In the end what really matters is family, friends, integrity, health, happiness - in that order.

I agree.

I have pinball machines because I like to play them, I like my friends to play them, I like to look at them, and I like to repair them - in that order.

I'm kind of a lone wolf and not really involved in the community. I went to a TPL night and I’m glad the group is here if I want to go again, but I’m not really dedicated to pinball. I have lots of other things going on in my life.
I really just like to play and tinker and admire. I'm glad I can have a collection that I really like to play. That's What Really Matters to me.

And yes I sometimes scour Kijiji looking at what's for sale, lol, but deal hunting? That's not the be all and end all of the pinball hobby for me.
 
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libtech

Active Member
Nov 14, 2012
290
44
28
Edmonton, AB
Here is what I am doing in the hobby today...
Right now I am in the process of removing all the heads on my 12 pins in preparation to move them up my stairs in current house which suck big time. The stairs are my new house are marginally better but because there is a 90 degree turn near the bottom and no landing means machines will have to be hand bombed down. It's a good thing the heads will be off which should make things easier. I can't wait till this is all done so I can finally settle in and adjust.

Ill have to make a video next time I move a pin to help guys like you out, I also have a 90 in my stairs (which sucks bit time!!) so figured out a winch system that does 95% of the work on the stairs. Without it I honestly dont think I could get games out of my basement!
 

medvet

Member
Nov 28, 2012
96
48
18
Ottawa
I was there once. I was the crazy cat lady of pinball, 4 pins in a condo and boxes filled with parts and accessories. I thought I could get by with stashing everything away.....didn't work.

Sold pins, parts, manuals, tools....everything. Best damn thing I ever did in this hobby! I kept the proceeds and 18 months later with the support from my wife, I slowly got back into pinball at the right pace. Yes prices had gone up but it didn't matter :cool:

Hold it here!!! How can you be the "crazy cat lady" of pinball when you are a guy????? And I think I have dibs on both the title of "crazy cat lady" and "crazy cat lady of pinball"!! Lol The old timers on here are just rolling their eyes right now and shaking their heads in agreement lol. Just teasing you OP but not joking about dibs on the titles!! Although I am finally purging some games but I think it'll take another 20-30 to lose the "crazy pinball lady" title. The cats however are staying!!!!! ;-)
All kidding aside, it really is the friends you make in this hobby that mean the most. I have been very quiet in recent years in the hobby but I count the people I have met thru this crazy hobby among my best friends even if I don't get out to meetings much anymore to see them in person. I also know they will be there in a minute to help (right Zak?) as I would be for them. That's what this hobby is about to me. Games will come and go but the friendships stay.