I am about to hop on a plane back to LA after having spent the weekend in Albany, New York visiting my grandparents. Whenever I make it here it is always a reminder of all of the fun times my brother and I used to have when we would make the trip up from DC for fun-filled, parent-free weekends. Many of our elaborate Lego escapades are still on display, most likely untouched since we first proudly positioned them on the dressers years ago.

There is one toy that holds a very special place in my heart. The top-loading NES that still works perfectly in the basement has been the provider of countless hours of entertainment to all of the cousins. As one of the older grandchildren, I remember my devious instructions to my younger cousins that they could “help” me by controlling my fire with the second controller while I was dedicated to working my way through the bosses in Megaman. This was the only way to ensure that I was “sharing” while also working my way towards Dr. Wiley.

While I actually prefer the “dog bone” NES controller that shipped with the top-loader, I know there are fans who consider the redesign blasphemy. I also found this console to be more reliable than the original that served as my home console for many years.

The gap between my home console(s) and the NES that has remained in Albany has widened of the years, but there is always a sense of satisfaction and happiness in throwing on Super Mario Brothers 3 in a non-emulated way on a TV as old as I am and getting in some quality gaming time. Ah, nostalgia…

Greetings readers! On a personal note, I am going to be in NYC for the next week. I will be in Williamsburg for the next several days, and then staying midtown. If anyone is going to be around, definitely drop me a line. I am planning at least one visit to one of my favorite watering holes, “Barcade”, which combines my love of vintage arcades with my fondness of microbrews. I am coming in from Vermont, and about to board the train in Albany, so I’ve gotta dash in a sec…

Also, you may have noticed that the site has gone through a major overhaul in recent days. I have been spending my vacation migrating everything over to WordPress so I can update it more frequently since I am no longer tied to software on my home Mac. I promise to update more regularly now :-) Please keep checking back, as I am still working out some new features, such as my photo galleries, better mobile integration, and more.

Happy Holidays!