Still Alive

It feels like a long time since our last post, but worry not comrades, mynintendodimension is running business as usual.  Actually I just got back from vacationing down in Florida, and I had a great time… thanks for asking;)  This is a picture of me buying games at a flea market down

in Daytona Beach.  In the entire flea market there was only one video game seller.  He had some decent games, but overall wanted too much for them.  I don’t know who actually pays these prices, especially since the invention of a cell phone where it takes two seconds to look up what the game is worth?!  Anyways he had a pretty good deal on his common games… buy two get one free.  This worked out as there were three games that I didn’t have at this shop.

There was another flea market that we went to just north of Jacksonville that had a few video game dealers.  Prices varied, but generally the common titles were going for three for $10 which seems very fair.  One guy even had a R.O.B. in the box, but claimed that it was “already sold, and that they buyer was paying him in instalments”.

Seriously?  He wanted $250 for the thing which seems to about right for what it goes for… more than I would ever pay though! I just couldn’t justify the purchase for it is only useful with two games (Gyromite and Stack Up) and these titles are kind of boring to play.  So aside from looking cool, and being seemingly the cutting edge of home video game technology of the ’80’s, it really isn’t all that.  I still want one though and hopefully will find one at a yard sale this summer:)

So most of the games I scored were common titles that I didn’t have, and the price was right so i figured why not?  My wife wasn’t that impressed that I literally spent all of our cash, but what are you going to do?!

The only really exciting purchases were a copy of Qix for the NES (sells for $23, purchased for $3), and Super Mario Sunshine for the Game Cube (sells for $28, purchased for $5).  Two titles were bought that I already have (Dungeon Magic, and Platoon) so clearly I’m an idiot.  I’ll put them up for trade.

This last picture is of me in a Burger King on the drive home… I think it was somewhere in West Virginia.  My wife wanted to take this picture because we had never seen an interactive soda dispenser before.  It had one nozzle, and a touch screen where you could choose the type of beverage you wanted to drink.  We selected the vanilla root beer, but honestly it wasn’t that great.  The best part about the drink was the machine it came out of.  It reminded me of the replicators in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where you could say nearly anything to the computer, and it would be made for you.  Of course alcoholic beverages were synthesized so as you wouldn’t feel the effects of the alcohol… this begs the question:  What’s the point then?  I imagine Picard would like nothing more than a nice alcoholic drink or two after a long day at the office.

We did stop by Ricky’s Restaurant and Lounge (owned by Billy Mitchell’s family) in Hollywood, FL and despite the outside appearance of a gentleman’s club, inside it is just a normal looking bar with better than average food.  Their brand of hot sauce is also quite good.  Unfortunately Billy was not around so I was unable to get his autograph:(  Maybe i’ll send him a letter some day to ask for it.

Anyways it was a great vacation.  Warm weather, beautiful beaches, and an ocean to swim in.  I can’t wait to retire down there!