Maison

Where do we go
When we no longer have a home
The flowers under the concrete
Mom, tell me
Where do we go
Do we ever really know one day
Or do we pretend, all the time
Where does the heart go when it gets lost
In doubts and winters
Why do the days look alike
Do we end up seeing what we assemble
Mom, tell me
Beyond
The storm there is
Love, love, love
When the sky opens
Everything becomes calm again
And everything is fine
Where does it go
Happiness, this fragile thread
When it wobbles and breaks
Mom, tell me
Where does it go
Why does the world seem so big
When we become a little bigger than before
What happens to the dreams that flee
And the memories we forget
Will I always have questions
Maybe I’ll make songs out of them
Mom, tell me
Beyond
The storm there is
Love, love, love
When the sky opens
Everything becomes calm again
And everything is fine

Leather-Bound World War II Album

Upon revisiting a thrift we had been to already today (looking for something Dad missed), they had put out this leather-bound version of a book I already have… there are only two of these on eBay, the cheapest listed at twice what I paid, and the other one was at five times what I paid, and this was in perfect shape! Considering I’ve been very much into these kind of deluxe volumes lately, this was an A+ find!

Stratego 1961

I picked up a 1961 copy of Stratego at a garage sale yesterday for two dollars, and it is in great condition! Unfortunately, I think this now certifies me as a collector of Stratego games.

The copy on top with the battle scene is the same version that I learned on at my grandma’s house. The one below it with the General making a move, that is the same version (I don’t know where my original copy ended up) I received for my birthday in the 1980s. The white version with the father and son playing is the copy I just bought.

In addition to these three, I have a really nice bookshelf version in a wood case, it goes on a bookshelf like a book (I have a version of RISK like this, too).

The last Stratego is from a thrift store and is the more modern version, but thankfully not with the reverse piece-numbering. The original games had the most powerful piece as “1”, and the weaker pieces going down to the more pawn-like “9”. For some reason, the modern versions are backward, from 9-1 instead of 1-9. Why did they do that?

Unfortunately, there is a Pirates of the Caribbean version of the game, as well as a 50th Anniversary version. I must have these, but only if I come across them. The good thing about having more than one copy though, is that if one is missing a piece (the General version is missing a “9”), I can substitute one from a different game.

The modern version also didn’t come with a board (a common risk at the ARC Thrift Store, where they seal the used games so you can’t inspect them. But if they didn’t do this, there would be total chaos because kids already leave a mess everywhere with the bigger toys in that area as it is). So, I can just use one of the four other boards I have.

This is a lot like Classical music cd’s, or books and DVD/Blu-ray… so much value for next to nothing in cost. And no commercials.

Odyssey 2

On Saturday, I aquired something I’ve wanted for many years: an Odyssey 2 video game system, circa 1982 or so. My cousin and I used to play this, along with his Colecovision (which had an Atari 2600 add-on) all day long, day after day, in-between riding bikes, playing guns, (pow pow!), jumping on the trampoline, and watching R movies like Predator, Robocop, and Aliens. This program upgraded in 1986 when the original Nintendo came along. Good times.

These Odyssey 2 game consoles are all over eBay, but I could never justify the purchase and was uneasy with purchasing this kind of thing from there, as to whether it would work or not, etc.

After several dud garage sales this Saturday, Dad and I hit another bad one… except I saw this, in a good-condition box, too! The price was a bit lower than eBay, and the people selling it were, to my judgement, very reputable and honest. The machine itself is very clean, but I need to decide how I’m going to hook it up to my modern television, and I have ordered a newer power adapter instead of the aftermarket, multiple-voltage one that came with it. Just to be safe.

I’m going to go through a VCR, which has what is needed built-in into its antennae input. I’m not sure of the specific terms, but after several YouTube videos, this is the cost-effective way to go instead of specific adapters I’d have to buy. Once I get this sorted out, I can go ahead and shop around for the classic titles we played back in the day. This unit came with seven, but only two were familiar to me, and none of them were our really big favorites.

In any case, if I hadn’t picked this up, I’d be kicking myself forever because it is such a nostalgic blast from the past, and the games we played are going to be fun to go through again, after all these years. It isn’t enough of a priority to spend big money on, but it is something I can’t pass up if the opportunity presents itself like this.

Last year, I compiled lists of the games we played on all three systems (Odyssey 2, Colecovision, and Atari 2600) so that if I ever ran across them (They are usually dirt-cheap when found in person), I’d be ready to select the right games.

I’m pretty happy about this find. We almost didn’t go to that sale!