Our family has a Betamax video taken at a public swimming pool on a beautiful summer day.  Everyone is outside swimming and having a good time, but my brother Aric and I are notably absent. Later, two pale tweens stumble onto the bright patio, squinting at the bright sun. We were in the game room for who knows how many hours. Aric was probably playing Zaxxon, which he could do indefinitely on a single quarter. I was probably watching him, Tempest having relieved me of all my change long ago.

I was in the lower-middle class of video gamers — nothing to get excited about. I could maybe get to level 4. Last weekend, however, I found myself at an arcade filled with classic games and I owned Dig Dug like I never have before. It was beautiful.

And while I’m on the subject, didn’t old games have the best plot lines? So there’s this guy, “Dig Dug,” and he has to dig holes because there are tomatoes wearing goggles and fire-breathing alligators he has to exterminate by inflating them with a bicycle pump. Kids will love it!

I saw this water stain guy in the sidewalk on Sheffield today.  He looks like he belongs in Loco Roco.  It’s no Virgin Mary, but I like him.  I hope he’s still there tomorrow.

My cousins from the Bay Area have been coming into town for the last couple thanksgivings. Like many families, we spend the weekend eating non stop, catching up, and playing games.  Last year I happened to have an XBox with Dance Dance Revolution on it so I brought it up to my parents’ house where we all could play. After my brothers and cousins and I sufficiently humiliated ourselves, we tried to get our grandma to give it a try. And wouldn’t you know it, she did.

I don’t think she really knew what was going on, but she had a big smile on her face as she poked the buttons randomly with her cane. I think she did better than my dad.

This thanksgiving, Guitar Hero was the game of choice.  All three of my living grandparents were there.  They weren’t big fans of the music, complaining that it was too noisy and they couldn’t understand the words.  They complained, that is, until Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” came on.  For some reason they all liked that song.

GRANDMA JANET: This one’s pretty.
GRANDMA BEVERLY: Cheer for cherry pie, Jerold!