Retro, Warm, Prison time, Clean
I received my birthday gift from Torrin last night, one of those retro NES consoles that have 30 classic NES games preloaded. The console itself is about a quarter of the size of the original system but has an original sized controller. It also has been updated to be powered off a USB port as well as utilizing a modern HDMI video port.
My initial concern was where I could hook it up so it would be convenient and practical to play. The answer was right in front of me, I had an open HDMI port on one of my two massive computer monitors. The only other issue was getting sound since my monitor does not have a speaker built into it. I was able to address that by plugging a cable from the headphone out jack on the monitor to an input on my PC speaker system. It looked and sounded great.
The experience is exactly as I remember as a young adult. I only tried a couple games but got the biggest kick out of Punch Out, a long time favorite of mine. Cindy played Galaga, which is probably her all time favorite video game. She had fun but also found herself swearing uncontrollably when things didn’t quite go as planned, it was funny to watch.
Having the console right there on my desk is ideal and means it will probably get more use than if I tried to hook it up to the TV. The cord for the controller is way too short for conventional TV play anyway. It was a fun experience that reminded me of a time 30 years ago where the responsibility was much less and the focus on just having fun day to day was more natural.
Yesterday Cindy bought a small space heater to put in the garage near the baby chicks to keep the space as warm as possible. This is in addition to the heat lamps we already have positioned above the run. Yesterday was quite chilly by Florida standards with lows overnight that touched the 40’s. It seemed like the combo did a decent job of keeping the two car garage comfortable. When I checked first thing this morning the thermometer in there read 70 degrees which isnt bad. The chicks seemed content. It’s funny, after only a month all of the birds have distinct personalities. It will be fun seeing them grow up.
My neighbor across the street emailed me to let me know that the guy that replaced our pool screen around 5 years ago is going to prison. He always seemed shady and I guess that feeling was accurate. He evidently was doing work after the hurricane without a license and then taking money for work that he never did. There was also something about a grand theft charge as well probation violation. Anyway, he got an 8 year sentence followed by 10 years of probation. Some people just go through life bumping into the same obstacles, never changing their direction to avoid them.
I had my dentist appointment this morning. As I hoped I got a clean bill of health with no further remediation necessary. It’s such a contrast to my childhood where trips to the dentist felt like I was going to the gas chamber. I was terrified of it.