Well I was going to post a big Monday morning update about all the fun stuff I did this weekend, but Mason just left the doctor’s office and they told us he has pneumonia. So … tales of fun will have to wait. We’re waiting for a call back to see if he has to go to the hospital or not.

Got to Dad’s house around 8:30am, just in time to head out to a video game auction. These auctions used to come through Oklahoma all the time, but stopped for some reason. They’re back now though, and they take credit cards.

The auction was held in the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, in Norman, OK. Dad and I got there around 9:15, with the auction scheduled to begin at 10. Now, some of you may remember that I had 6 or 7 arcade machines before I moved to Spokane, but I was moving 1,800 miles away into an apartment, which forced me to sell them all.

There was a significant lack of newer games at this auction, which is just fine by me. The age I’m looking for is 1984-1994. Games before 1984 (Pac-Man, Centipede, Donkey Kong, etc) are considered “classics” and go for ridiculous amounts of money, as do the newer games. However, during those years where video games were a dime a dozen, games made during those years can be picked up very reasonably.

I really had my eye on that Mortal Kombat II with the 25″ monitor, but in closer inspection the monitor was pretty faded and the cabinet was huge. Dad had his eye on some slot machines but the prices skyrocketed in a hurry. As expected, a Robotron went for $450 and a Ms. Pac-Man went for $500. All the pinball games went between $400-$600. A non-working Joust went for almost $400, which is insane. Anyway, fortunately nobody was really interested in Bucky O’Hare ($75), Shinobi ($150), and an electronic dart board game ($100), which is how they found their way into my house. (Note: I just did the math, and I only bought 2% of the games there. That’s not so wrong, is it?)

I love my wife very, very much.

That’s right. In all his green and wrinkled glory. Available in both traditional, and Christmas outfits. Not sure where the twin’s final resting place will be, but Susan has assured me it will not be the kitchen table.

Doesn’t Mason look thrilled with his new playmate?

Not much going on around here. Spent the three day weekend on call, so we didn’t go anywhere. Next three day weekend (President’s Day), we’re planning a road trip to Chicago. This Saturday is a big video game auction in Norman, so you know I’ll be there bright and early! If you want to know what Mason’s been doing, just click on this link to find out. If the video doesn’t stream, just click on the link and do a “save file as”. You will need Windows Media Player to view the file.

It seems like there was a good reason to not give Mason a bowl of spaghetti and let him at it. Oh yeah, now I remember …

This day became known as “the spaghetti incident.”

If you have to ask, “did he really bid (and win) those?,” then you really don’t know me.

The twins should arrive next week.

“Here’s a picture of the new, exciting GTO that was unveiled earlier this week.

Wow. Nothing inspires nostalgia like … a Dodge Intrepid with a GTO sticker on it.

102 degree temperature yesterday at daycare, which gets you (A) sent home (Mason, not me) and (B) banned for 24 hours. We’re starting to learn that when you have a kid, your “sick leave” isn’t really for you, anymore.

On a different subject … what in people’s nature makes them think that they don’t have to wait in line like everyone else? There are three intersections I travel through daily that have an area where two lanes merge into one. How hard of a concept is that to understand? You know it’s coming, MOVE OVER. But no. People decide that THEY DON’T HAVE TO, THEY CAN DRIVE IN THE LANE THAT’S GOING TO END AND GET AROUND THOSE OF US WHO MOVED OVER. Argh!!! Well not any more, sister. I’ve been watching COPS and think I can pull that PIT maneuver off.

Sigh. Halfway through another week. How long until Christmas? Or at least summer, that would be nice.

Haven’t done anything interesting in the last couple of days. Susan went to class Monday, and my mom came over to visit. We ended up going to Souper Salad for dinner and then hitting a dollar store. Neither were great, but it was a good way to kill an evening. Susan has class again tonight, so maybe me and Mason will brave out on another adventure — or maybe we’ll watch Toy Story again, who knows.

Last night I watched Inbred Rednecks. If you like two and a half hour long movies about cockfighting filled bad acting, no budget, and tons of stereotypes, then this is the film for you. Otherwise, skip it.

The weatherman said it was going to be 75 degrees today, so I rode the motorcycle to work. Turns out, that 75 degrees doesn’t necessarily apply to 7am, which is when I rode in. Hopefully it’ll be nice when I leave.

So, I’ve switched from the “low cal” diet to the “”low carb”” diet. I love diets that start out like this: “Make a list of everything you like and KISS IT GOODBYE, FAT ASS!” All this darn genetics cloning and they still can’t make a vegetable that tastes like a jelly doughnut. Stupid science.

Susan’s school starts back up this week so I am babysitting Mason Monday and Wednesday nights by myself. Remind me to feed him lots of cheese on Sundays and Tuesdays to keep him from pooping on my nights. He’s getting to be a handfull (even more than before), but it’s always fun in the end. You just have to remember that when you’re, well, not at the end yet.