YoshiM
12-30-2002, 11:33 PM
Okay, I know that the subject is a bit odd, but I'm so happy and sappy about it I had to share the story:
My wife and I have known each other since we were kids. The reason for this is that, through family marriages, we have the same uncles & aunts (no don't even go down that sick road, we ain't related, I checked). Her family would visit my Mom's brother on a regular basis. When the adults all talked about, uh, adult stuff, the kids went downstairs to play my uncle/aunt's Atari VCS. This is pretty much how I met my future wife and sister in law and spent my time with her. Many rounds of Dodge 'Em, Pac-Man, and others with shouts, curses and even sexual innuendos (when we were older) were tossed about to distract our game. All good strong fond memories. It was a simple commonality that we grew upon.
Well, a couple of weeks ago our cousin called me up to ask me to fix his PC. We got to talking and he wanted to pay me for my time (I usually don't accept money from family). He was insistant, so I asked him about the Atari his Dad had. His eyes grew wide, amazed that I had remembered it and that yes he did have it. So I received the venerable VCS as payment for services rendered. The poor thing was covered in dust and grime from years of improper storage. The carts were also dirty and some a bit more worn than I remember, with the joysticks taking the brunt of the wear. After some extensive cleaning, I got the system running but the joysticks were shot. Luckily an auction on E-Bay saved the day as I bought some replacement contact caps which brought the joysticks back from the dead.
My wife just smiled when she saw it. Memories came flooding back as we played Pac-Man again. My sister in law's reaction was surprising. I told her I got "the Atari". She kinda looked at me funny and then her eyes lit up and her smile went from ear to ear "you got THE Atari!! HOW COOL!!" (she was the resident Dodge 'Em addict). So with that, this VCS is never getting sold come Hell or high water.
It's one thing to own a piece of memorabilia from your past and still mean something to you. It's totally different when you own the ORIGINAL item that means even more to you than just a "blast from the past".
My wife and I have known each other since we were kids. The reason for this is that, through family marriages, we have the same uncles & aunts (no don't even go down that sick road, we ain't related, I checked). Her family would visit my Mom's brother on a regular basis. When the adults all talked about, uh, adult stuff, the kids went downstairs to play my uncle/aunt's Atari VCS. This is pretty much how I met my future wife and sister in law and spent my time with her. Many rounds of Dodge 'Em, Pac-Man, and others with shouts, curses and even sexual innuendos (when we were older) were tossed about to distract our game. All good strong fond memories. It was a simple commonality that we grew upon.
Well, a couple of weeks ago our cousin called me up to ask me to fix his PC. We got to talking and he wanted to pay me for my time (I usually don't accept money from family). He was insistant, so I asked him about the Atari his Dad had. His eyes grew wide, amazed that I had remembered it and that yes he did have it. So I received the venerable VCS as payment for services rendered. The poor thing was covered in dust and grime from years of improper storage. The carts were also dirty and some a bit more worn than I remember, with the joysticks taking the brunt of the wear. After some extensive cleaning, I got the system running but the joysticks were shot. Luckily an auction on E-Bay saved the day as I bought some replacement contact caps which brought the joysticks back from the dead.
My wife just smiled when she saw it. Memories came flooding back as we played Pac-Man again. My sister in law's reaction was surprising. I told her I got "the Atari". She kinda looked at me funny and then her eyes lit up and her smile went from ear to ear "you got THE Atari!! HOW COOL!!" (she was the resident Dodge 'Em addict). So with that, this VCS is never getting sold come Hell or high water.
It's one thing to own a piece of memorabilia from your past and still mean something to you. It's totally different when you own the ORIGINAL item that means even more to you than just a "blast from the past".