Why I Haven't Updated This Blog in a While and a Few Interesting Links 

Why I Haven't Updated This Blog in a While and a Few Interesting Links

I know it's been four months since my last entry but I was incredibly busy. First there was this art class I was taking in Basic Design that was kind of stressful because our original instructor left his job midway through the class because he had another job offer in another state and his new employer wanted him right away and didn't let him finish the semester. So I had to adjust to a different teacher with a different teaching style from what I was used to. I did okay in the class but it was still jarring to switch teachers in midstream like that.

I also was doing some volunteer work for my church that was getting increasingly time-consuming and I became fed up with arriving for Sunday morning service only to be greeted by fellow members who wanted me to do something for them that was related to (or were complaining about how I was doing) the volunteer work instead of the usual greeting of "Hello, Kim, how are you?" so I ended up quitting that volunteer position. Then there were other aspects of my everyday life that also took up time, which I don't care to go into details about. Plus I spent a week in Ocean City, Maryland with some members of my family and I've recently returned.

While I was in Ocean City, I checked out a couple of places on the Boardwalk that I mentioned in this blog last year. I visited Pop's Joke Shop, which had a vintage Popeye videogame console that still worked last year. The good news is that the Popeye game is still located in the same location--namely a little alcove that's off to the side of the main part of the small store. The bad news is that the alcove is now completely blocked off so it is impossible to play that game. I was bummed because I saw the videogame right behind the blocked-off area and I had looked forward to playing it. As a result, I only visited that store once on my trip. I have no idea if the blocked-off area is temporary or if the videogame still works.

I also revisited Marty's Playland, which has an area full of classic games. The good news is that not only are the games still there (which includes Tetris, Space Invaders, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Tron) but there are a couple of additional vintage games that have been added since last year. One is a vintage Tapper game. Another is a special 20th anniversary edition of Dragon's Lair. Needless to say, I spent more time in Marty's Playland than I did at Pop's Joke Shop.

I'm glad that I devoted this blog to classic games instead of the latest and hottest videogames since, during busy times in my life, I don't feel pressured to add the latest videogaming news on--let's say--the upcoming Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game that is scheduled for release within the next few months. Let's face it, how often do you hear the latest news about--let's say--Q*Bert or Tapper these days?

Here are a few interesting links I've been collecting for the past few months but haven't gotten around to adding to this blog until now.

Classic Gamer magazine is now offering free downloads of its first two issues.

hello, nintendo is a blog that's all about Nintendo. (One sample entry is a lament that Dance Dance Revolution hasn't been released for the Gamecube.) X-Box and Playstation 2 fans need not apply.

The Video Game Museum, which is self-explanatory.

Water Cooler Gamers is an interesting blog about videogames.