February 2024 Reads and Arcades

Recently we saw this machine and it brought back some fond memories. I grew up in an era where arcades had air hockey, bubble hockey, pinball, pool tables, bumper pool, space invaders, and other mechanical games that could be played for a quarter.

 

My town's arcade was near my school. During my lunch break, I would go to the arcade and play. Pinball was normally my game of choice as I could play alone or compete with whoever was there. I liked being able to influence the ball traveling down the field, hitting the bumpers, ringing the bells, and racking up points and free games. If I was focused I may avoid the tilt sensor. However, at times I would nudge activating the tilt sensor and one of the machines would penalize me with a loss of game. 

A few times a year my husband and I sit down and revisit the movie JAWS. In January 2024 Stern Pinball, Inc. announced their newest pinball game featuring JAWS. I have looked at the field and I like the sculptured shark, animated lighting effects, and stand-up targets but what really caught my eye was the bucket of chum. I was happy to learn the machine includes John Williams theme music and speech by actor Richard Dreyfuss.

The International Flipper Pinball Association, stated Pinball competitions are still booming in America. I did love the old games as the new ones seem to be built for a different level of player than me.

February has been an interesting month! Today signifies that it is a leap year. According to NASA, it takes the Earth 365 days 5 hours, and 48 minutes to orbit the sun  - so we tag on a day every 4 years to make up for the extra hours. 

We have had quite a temperature fluctuation in our neck of the woods. One day it was 72 degrees which is unseasonably warm for us and the next day it got down to 24 degrees and was 14 with the wind chill. 

February was a great reading month for me. I finished an eclectic mix of books/genres this month and read quickly as am trying to get ahead of my yearly goal. Currently, I am 9 books ahead of my goal.

• Witchland Graphic Novel by Tim Mulligan 
• A Rainforest Adventure Jasper Amazon Parrott by  Sharon C. Williams
• Hinterland by  L.M. Brown
• Soul in the Storm by Nancy Wagaman
• The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain by Lorin Morgan-Richards
• The Child Wore Pearls by  Morgan Matthews
• Russell Brooks Thrillers 
• The Odyssey by Homer
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Evolution of Human Motivations: An AI-Illustrated Odyssey by John V. Wylie MD
• Among the Boat People: A Memoir of Vietnam by Nhi Manh Chung
• A Sweet Mother's Warrior Prayers by Jenn J. Simmons and Sandy Bohac
  

I completed an interview with John V  Wylie and we discussed his newest book The Evolution of Human Motivations: An AI-Illustrated Odyssey.

 I would recommend The Evolution of Human Motivations: An AI-Illustrated Odyssey to anyone as I appreciate the information he provides on melancholy and that he stresses the importance of using empathy when working with mental health. He also stressed disengaging from our endeavors, not just for relaxation, but to evaluate our actions as this reflection helps us identify what energizes us versus what drains us, guiding us to make necessary adjustments.

This month's book purchases were an Amish romance for my mom and a couple vintage novels to add to my collection. I was also able to speak with a clerk less than half my age and have a good discussion about what we were reading

This blog's top 10 countries viewership was from The United States, Singapore, Belgium, Germany, France, Vietnam, South Korea, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Cambodia. I was pleased to learn I also had some new views from Seychelles, the smallest African country, that made the top 20 viewership.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you found some books you love.