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The Pinball Podcast Episode 224 - TEE PEE EFF 2024 Preview

The Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·32m 2s·analyzed·Mar 13, 2024
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034

TL;DR

Jessica joins Barrels of Fun; hosts preview Texas Pinball Festival games and tournaments.

Summary

Jeff and Jessica preview the 2024 Texas Pinball Festival (TPF), with Jessica announcing her new role as quality control manager at Barrels of Fun, the manufacturer of the critically acclaimed Labyrinth pinball machine. They discuss upcoming games at the show including Jaws, Looney Tunes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pulp Fiction, Elton John, and various homebrew projects, while also covering Jessica's booth presence at TPF and Jeff's participation in the Classics tournament.

Key Claims

  • Jessica recently took a position as quality control manager at Barrels of Fun in Houston

    high confidence · Jessica directly announces this at the beginning of the episode, describing the role as her 'dream job' and 'favorite ever happy place'

  • Barrels of Fun is producing Labyrinth pinball with Jim Henson and David Bowie IP

    high confidence · Jessica states: 'Barrels of Fun aside from being my dream job and favorite ever happy place um is making the new labyrinth pinball machine uh jim henson david bowie all of the movie goodness'

  • Labyrinth pinball will have a booth at Texas Pinball Festival with 'Ello's Tea Room' for preorder customers

    high confidence · Jessica confirms: 'They're, you know, we're moving them. They're going Tee'd Off be at Texas Pinball Festival. So there's a big Barrels of Fun booth. There is Ello's Tea Room for anyone who's ordered a game, pre-ordered a game'

  • Jeff adjusted bumpers on his Blackout machine and made them more responsive

    high confidence · Jeff states: 'I adjusted the bumpers in my Blackout and now they're like really responsive'

  • Jaws Premium Edition hasn't shipped yet, but demo versions will be playable at TPF

    high confidence · Jessica says: 'so it's going Tee'd Off be there they usually do have the Premium Edition versions ready Tee'd Off play even though they haven't been shipping yet'

  • Dave Peck is bringing a Motorhead homebrew machine to TPF with art by Brad Albright

    high confidence · Jessica mentions: 'Dave is bringing one from Motorhead so Dave Peck had Brad Albright who's an amazing incredible artist does a lot of cool 3D stuff do all of the art they've been working on it for quite a while'

  • Spooky Pinball is releasing Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the same layout (similar to Ultraman and Halloween)

    high confidence · Jeff states: 'I mentioned Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They're the same layout, kind of like Ultraman and Halloween'

  • American Pinball is releasing Barry's Barbecue Challenge, a tribute to Barry that originated from the Deep Root Pinball auction

Notable Quotes

  • “I am over the moon about the job”

    Jessica @ ~2:30 — Jessica's enthusiasm about her new role at Barrels of Fun, emphasizing her excitement

  • “I inspect every Labyrinth that leaves the factory at this point... with my sticker”

    Jessica @ ~19:45 — Jessica's personal quality control commitment; she adds inspection stickers and personal notes to each machine

  • “it appears Tee'd Off be all the makings of a hit and the momentum um is there Tee'd Off carry forward into future projects”

    Jeff @ ~24:00 — Recognition of Labyrinth's positive reception and momentum for Barrels of Fun's future

  • “I've had so many seconds, though. Yeah, that would be on brand. I would love that”

    Jeff @ ~42:15 — Jeff's humorous acknowledgment of his tournament second-place pattern and his goal for the Classics tournament

  • “This is the year, Jess. I've gone in there or similar interjection for second. This is the year.”

    Jeff @ ~41:30 — Jeff expresses determination to aim for second place at the upcoming Classics tournament, treating it as an achievable goal

  • “the best crew of humans Tee'd Off be working with, too. Everyone's so lovely.”

    Jessica @ ~26:00 — Jessica's appreciation for her colleagues at Barrels of Fun

  • “Jaws is deceptively complex in there or similar interjection the things that are going on there”

    Jessica @ ~37:00 — Jessica's analysis of Jaws' gameplay depth despite initial appearances

  • “I would have expected a couple of more, like at least one, maybe 60s game or so, but this is cool”

    Jeff @ ~48:30 — Jeff's critique of the Classics tournament lineup, noting the absence of earlier-era games

Entities

JessicapersonJeffpersonBarrels of FuncompanyLabyrinthgameTexas Pinball FestivaleventJawsgameLooney Tunes

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Jessica describing intense vendor booth hours (approximately 22 hours/day with ~2 hours sleep) during Texas Pinball Festival, indicating demanding operational requirements for manufacturer representatives

    high · Jessica states: 'Which basically means that I'm there non-stop and sleep about two hours each night?'

  • ?

    community_signal: Barrels of Fun implementing personalized quality assurance with Jessica adding inspection stickers and handwritten notes to each Labyrinth unit shipped

    high · Jessica states: 'I inspect every Labyrinth that leaves the factory at this point. Yeah, with my sticker... I will leave a little personal note in there or similar interjection your game if you purchase a Labyrinth'

  • ?

    community_signal: Texas Pinball Festival maintaining strong competitive infrastructure with Classics tournament featuring diverse game selection spanning multiple eras

    high · Jeff provides Classics lineup: 'Ice Fever, Sorcerer, Barakora, Meteor, Harlem Globetrotters, Alvin Gottlieb Dragon, Cleopatra, Mars Trek, Superspin, and Far Out' with Jessica noting expectation for 1960s game inclusion

  • ?

    community_signal: Barrels of Fun distributor network in Texas (Joysticks) providing hands-on play opportunities through free play nights and demo access for customers before purchase

    high · Jessica describes: 'they're a distributor for Barrels of Fun and Labyrinths. So if you're in there or similar interjection Houston and need a Labyrinth, talk Tee'd Off Charlie at Joysticks... they do kind of like free play nights the first and last Friday of every month'

  • ?

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.096

0:00
hey everybody it's the pinball podcast it's episode 224 this is jeff and i'm here with jessica jess how are you doing i am doing great jeff how are you um i'm in an apologetic mood so i'll get that out of the way first sorry my voice sounds like trash but uh my podcaster mike my trusty blue snowball died. So I'm yelling at my webcam, which is about three feet away from me, and hoping it's not too echoey and bad. But, hey. You sound great.
0:43
Ish. Anyway, yeah, so that's how we're kicking things off in this very special pre-TPF episode of the Pimmo Podcast. But before we get to the big show in Texas, let's talk a little bit about what we've been doing in pinball.
1:03
I'm going to let you go first for two reasons. One, you're a lady. Some would argue that. And two, mine's huge, and I will be upstaging you. So what have you been up to in pinball? um you know i haven't really been playing a lot uh i've been pretty busy um moving from florida to houston texas um because i got kind of like a like a pretty cool job i guess um yeah so i am over quality control for a new company called barrels of fun i don't know if you've heard of them i've seen them in recent pinball news yes uh would you like to explain what this is um barrels of fun aside from being my dream job and favorite ever happy place um is making the new labyrinth pinball machine uh jim henson david bowie all of the movie goodness The game is stunning. I think we talked about it after Expo, how much I loved playing it. I love the company philosophy. I love everything that they're doing. And I loved it so much that I took a job there. I was charmed, fully charmed by them at Expo and going to work at the factory. So I went to visit and work a couple of days and I didn't want to leave. I never want to leave. They have to kick me out of the building every day. I love what I do. you have to stop cuddling the machines, Jess.

high confidence · Jessica notes: 'There's that Barry's Barbecue Challenge. Have you seen that that American Pinball's doing?... with the whole Deep Root Pinball auction, that was the stuff that came out of there. This was Barry's food truck design that I think that they've modified'

  • Texas Pinball Festival Classics tournament lineup includes Ice Fever, Sorcerer, Barakora, Meteor, Harlem Globetrotters, Alvin Gottlieb Dragon, Cleopatra, Mars Trek, Superspin, and Far Out

    high confidence · Jeff provides the official list: 'It's Ice Fever, Sorcerer, Barakora, Meteor, Harlem Globetrotters, Alvin Gottlieb Dragon, Cleopatra, Mars Trek, Superspin, and Far Out'

  • Jeff has won second place finishes at multiple pinball tournaments including California Extreme, Denver, and Texas Pinball Festival

    high confidence · Jeff states: 'I've won a second from California Extreme. I've won seconds in Denver. I've won in Denver, but seconds in Denver, seconds at Texas Pinball Festival'

    • game
    Texas Chainsaw Massacregame
    Pulp Fictiongame
    Elton Johngame
    Dave Peckperson
    Brad Albrightperson
    Danny Peckperson
    Sean Irbyperson
    Soft Plunge Double Jack Dangercompany
    Barry's Barbecue Challengegame
    Flintperson
    Joystickscompany
    Blackoutgame
    Wormholecompany

    design_philosophy: Spooky Pinball leveraging shared playfield layouts (Looney Tunes/Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ultraman/Halloween) to offer theme choice while maintaining design consistency

    high · Jeff notes: 'I mentioned Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They're the same layout, kind of like Ultraman and Halloween... because if you fall in there or similar interjection love with the design but you're not happy with the theme, you have an option there'

  • ?

    event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival 2024 will feature multiple game debuts including Premium Edition demos and homebrew machines in competitive and casual play settings

    high · Jessica and Jeff discuss multiple games available for play at TPF: Jaws Premium Edition demos, Looney Tunes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Motorhead homebrew, 8 Ball Beyond homebrew

  • $

    market_signal: Barrels of Fun leveraging exclusive merchandise collaborations with Soft Plunge Double Jack Danger (t-shirt/long-sleeve designs) sold at Texas Pinball Festival as community engagement strategy

    high · Jessica mentions: 'At the Soft Plunge Double Jack Danger booth, we will be selling the two new Barrels of Fun t-shirt designs... It is a DDSP Barrels of Fun collaboration'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Jessica transitioned from freelance/enthusiast role to full-time quality control manager position at Barrels of Fun in Houston

    high · Jessica announces: 'i kind of like a like a cool job i guess um yeah so i am over quality control for a new company called Barrels of Fun' and describes visiting the factory and taking the position after Pinball Expo

  • ?

    announcement: American Pinball confirming Barry's Barbecue Challenge as game tribute, derived from Deep Root Pinball auction materials featuring Barry's food truck design

    high · Jessica discusses: 'There's that Barry's Barbecue Challenge... with the whole Deep Root Pinball auction, that was the stuff that came out of there. This was Barry's food truck design that I think that they've modified Tee'd Off make it like a very specific Barry barbecue'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Jaws Premium Edition has not yet shipped to customers despite being available for demo play at shows

    high · Jessica states: 'so it's going Tee'd Off be there they usually do have the Premium Edition versions ready Tee'd Off play even though they haven't been shipping yet'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Jessica expressing sustained enthusiasm about Labyrinth after initial exposure at Pinball Expo, indicating positive trajectory for game reception in community

    medium · Jessica states: 'I was charmed, fully charmed by them at Pinball Expo and going Tee'd Off work at the factory... the buzz has been nothing but positive and i don't know like i've kind of like that itch Tee'd Off just try something that looks and feels different and that game just has all the little secret passages'

    • 2:52
    No, I need to make sure that they're perfect and that they're swaddled and cleaned and tested and all of those beautiful things. Yeah, it's awesome. I, we've been sitting on the news for a while cause you want to make sure everything is not going to work out that you're going to love it, that, you know, it was a good time to mention it and it's a great time. So on a scale of, Let me think.
    3:19
    I should have prepared the scale first. Let's say on a scale of... Do you like the job? On a scale of do I like the job to... Am I over the moon about the job? Because it's the latter for sure.
    3:43
    Okay. Over the moon is great. I was trying to think of like two pinball machines and I was going to let you kind of like figure out what the ends of the scale were. So it's like Stern's James Bond to Monster Bash.
    4:01
    Yeah. See the scale goes from Thunderbirds to Sea Witch. Does it ever go that low though? Can it go that low? I mean, if you were sold into trafficking or something. the kind of job it would have to be i am i'm well beyond the sea witch you know if this was a charity fundraiser and had a thermometer it would be bursting through the top with confetti yes okay cool yeah yeah well i for one am happy for you have been thank you and those listeners if they They're, you know, people with hearts are also happy for you.
    4:44
    Yeah, it's amazing. And I genuinely hope that everyone gets a chance to play Labyrinth. Tell me what you think about it.
    4:53
    They're, you know, we're moving them. They're going to be at TPF. So there's a big Barrels of Fun booth. There is Ello's Tea Room for anyone who's ordered a game, pre-ordered a game to come by and get a little present from Ello. I know that his name is William, but for Henson purposes, they wanted us to call him Ello. So Ello's Tea Room is happening and right across from the Barrels of Fun booth is the Soft Plunge Double Danger booth. So I will be floating in between those two places pretty much all weekend. And I am so, so happy because the last show that I was at, I was just a swooning fangirl and now I'm a swooning fangirl who works there. Yeah, that was going to be one of my questions is which booth we're going to be in. So I will be back and forth for sure. And then there's some other like special things that I need to go take care of at different points in time, which I just found out about. So it's going to be a really fun show. I cannot wait to see everyone. Please, please come by to both of the booths and I require hugs and possibly snacks and caffeine. But at the Soft Lunch Double Danger booth, we will be selling the two new Barrels of Fun t-shirt designs. I guess one's a t-shirt and one's a long sleeve shirt. So those are both going to be available. They're available for pre-order, but I don't know when this episode is coming out, so I'll just say, come by the booth at TPF. It is a DDSP BOF collaboration.
    6:39
    I like it. Yep. Yeah. If you're going to bring Jess caffeine, she likes Dutch Brothers energy drinks, so.
    6:49
    I do. Is there a specific flavor? They have the one, the Rebel, so it's not Red Bull, it's Rebel, but a an iced passion fruit rebel is a beautiful thing.
    7:03
    Yeah. So if you're bringing gifts, I don't know, one or two cases of that, you'll make a friend. I'm so excited. I did not go last year, and it was a really big show last year. Yeah. But first, wait, wait, wait. Do you have more of what you've been doing at Pinball, or are we ready to move on to my big thing? No, I really want to hear about your big thing. And this is pretty much like all consuming, wonderful, lovely. There's, you know, fun Houston stuff. Like I went to the Wormhole, which is a really cool location. They do great streams and met the people there. And I'm looking forward to actually playing there because I just went to visit and meet everybody.
    7:44
    So, yes, I still need to explore all of the Houston things. And I looking forward to how easy it be to travel over to Austin and San Antonio to go check out stuff there So if you are in Texas and there cool stuff I should go do pinball or non pinball related Please let me know That it Now I want to hear your news Well, first though, I'm going to be in Texas for the eclipse in April, um, in the San Antonio area. Curveville. But, uh, we should just meet up the Alamo.
    8:19
    Yeah. You can, you can meet in the basement and, uh, you could meet my family. Would you love that? You'd love that. Oh, I mean, that's a thing. Yeah. Why not? I will put you through that.
    8:35
    Jamie will be there and she's a lovely girl. Um, I would love to meet her finally. I know. Okay. So we don't have a, we don't have a drum roll.
    8:45
    Um, let me see. We have drums, but that's not, that's like our drum roll. Yeah. Okay. So this is big. I adjusted the pop bumpers in my blackout and now they're like really responsive.
    9:09
    You're such a dork. That's great. I'm really happy for you. Yeah. Okay. On a scale of Thunderbirds to see how happy are you with your pop bumpers? I mean with the pop bumper specifically we are very much approaching see which character territory but there's an issue one of the caps and they're all the original art this is why I haven't changed but one of them has a chip in it and I don't notice it while I'm playing it but when I turn the game off and just kind of sweep my eyes around it they just lock onto that because it's a really pretty blackout otherwise yeah so I'll be digging around at the parts booths to see if there's a pop bumper cap for a blackout. Or if anyone out there has a pop bumper cap for a blackout, I would be willing to share with our, our friend of the podcast, podcaster Jeff.
    10:09
    Yeah. I don't know what I was about to say there. My mouth just stopped talking to my brain. Oh, you could have said master pinball technician, obviously, or, uh, like extensive pinball guy. Cause that's a lot of, that's a lot. Like I've done a lot since the last show. Yeah. You're pretty much like sleeping, breathing, eating pinball. Yeah. I haven't been to any tournaments. Um, I did play jaws. Um, have you played jaws? I have not. Okay. So, uh, why don't we segue over to the next part of the show?
    10:47
    All right. Sorry. okay so if you haven't played Jaws you'll get a chance this week will I? so it's going to be there they usually do have the premium versions ready to play even though they haven't been shipping yet right? so I played the pro and I really want to play the premium to see how it affects things but But I think you'll enjoy it. I think there's some good things with that game.
    11:26
    But let's talk about the show as a whole. How many games are there that you know you haven't played that you're looking forward to seeing? Oh, gosh. Okay, well, let's not count homebrews because I don't know how many are going to be there or which ones I have or have not played. I will recommend that everyone play Sean Irby's 8 Ball Beyond because he is bringing it to TPF Dave is bringing one from Motorhead so Dave Peck had Brad Albright who's an amazing incredible artist does a lot of cool 3D stuff do all of the art they've been working on it for quite a while for this Motorhead machine so it's a full on like fully realized art package rules music like the whole thing and i cannot wait to see it in person and play it and to see danny peck because she is coming and she's just fabulous oh man every time i think of danny i think about the time we played rupaul's uh music track sissy that walk for our show intro because you requested it. Yes.
    12:39
    The pecs are awesome. They're the best. If you ever make pinball friends with them, seek them out, be annoying, and follow them around for a little while.
    12:50
    Eventually you'll break them down and they'll accept you into their hearts. It'll take about five minutes.
    12:56
    I swear though, the New Zealand and Australian crews, which you're well aware of, they roll hard. and they're super friendly, so they're no exception. So, yeah, definitely see Dave's game. You get a chance there. Okay, well, have you played Looney Tunes? Has anybody? I don't even know what's going on. Has it shipped?
    13:17
    I don't know. Yeah, I have not played either version of the game. I actually haven't even really. Same with Jaws. I haven't really looked closely at, like, play field pictures or anything else. I've kind of forgotten that other pinball exists aside from. I've been lost in the labyrinth, Jaws. no i get that and i labyrinth is the one i'm most excited to play uh not just because of you but because when they debuted it from that time on like the buzz has been nothing but positive and i don't know like i've kind of got like that itch to just try something that looks and feels different and that game just has all the little secret passages and all god it looks it's so great it's so great i'm really really proud of what we're doing and like every time when i started i was just i will tell you a very quick thing but when i first started and you know i'm going through and checking over all these games i'm a very obsessive like detail oriented person i want everything to be perfect and it's hard to get to that point but i've been working super hard, but the first time I had to sign an inspection sticker and put it in a cabinet, I had a mild panic attack. I'm like, what if something's wrong?
    14:33
    Does it say inspected by... Yeah, me. So if I buy one, can I make sure you inspect my game? I inspect every labyrinth that leaves the factory at this point.
    14:47
    Yeah, with my sticker. That's awesome. Yeah, but I will leave a little personal note in your game if you purchase a labyrinth. That goes for anybody. If anyone buys one and wants me to leave a little note in their game, I will do so. Yeah. You should bring some of those inspected by stickers and stick them on people's backsides.
    15:13
    You told me what elevator eyes on them. I don't know if that's HR compliant for me to inspect. Well, just go to your you're good pinball buddies. So sure. Sure. Okay.
    15:26
    Yeah. So like, or soft one shirt, she'll slap a sticker on your butt as you walk out. By Jess. That's awesome. Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's, I'm really, really proud of it. And I'm, I love like helping people if they have little things or they want to dial their games in or they have questions. like I really enjoy helping people get to a place where they're so so happy with the game and I try to keep in touch with anyone who I talked to to help you know dial in a certain shot or whatever it is You know something just not quite clicking right now I just like oh just check this one little thing and then it fixes it. And they're just like, that's great. That makes me so, so happy. So I just love this job and I love this game and I could not be more proud of what we're putting out there. And I couldn't be more excited about like the future of the company and my future with that's kind of like one of the most exciting things is it appears to be all the makings of a hit and the momentum um is there to carry forward into future projects and when you're like able to see other concepts and things floating around i just can't imagine the excitement with all that yeah yeah hopefully this is a big show for you guys i have a feeling it will be based on buzz from past events. Yeah. And it's just like the best crew of humans to be working with, too. Everyone's so lovely.
    17:00
    That's fantastic. Okay, so that's game number one I'm super looking forward to. I mentioned Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They're the same layout, kind of like Ultraman and Halloween. Halloween, yeah. Which I think is kind of cool of them to do that with their designs. because if you fall in love with the design but you're not happy with the theme, you have an option there. So I love the spooky guys and gals and non-binary pals.
    17:31
    So I always like to see what they're doing. There's that Barry O's barbecue challenge. Have you seen that that American's doing? I have. Yep, I've seen photos of that.
    17:45
    It's interesting because with the whole Deep Root auction, that was the stuff that came out of there. This was Barry's food truck design that I think that they've modified to make it like a very specific Barry barbecue. So this is the final design? Yes. So I haven't looked side by side at what's changed from the pictures of food truck versus the pictures of Barry's barbecue. But I do love that it's a you know a tribute to barry and um you know that's you know he's greatly missed so seeing his name and face be pride of place on the machine i'm interested to to check it out for sure yeah me too i still haven't played pulp fiction that's way over jeff i know but i didn't go to TPF last year and I haven't been to a show since. That's fair. When I visited Lloyd out in Minnesota at SS Billiards, he was just about to get it. Just bad timing.
    18:52
    Well, I'm excited for you to play that one as well because I really enjoy it. Cool. And I haven't played Elton John yet. Okay. I've played maybe a dozen games on Elton John.
    19:05
    It's not bad. It just looks very multi-ball heavy. It is. I mean, but so was GNR and that seems to be a recurring situation. But yeah, I had a couple of short games and then I was at Joysticks, which is a distributor in Houston. they do kind of like free play nights the first and last Friday of every month. So we were there because they're a distributor for barrels and labyrinths. So if you're in Houston and need a labyrinth, talk to Charlie at Joysticks. I'm not meaning this to sound like a labyrinth commercial, but this is all this is going to be for me for the next infinite future. But they had a milk jar there. Yeah, I was going to say, it's all you've been doing for the last, like, what has it been like, six months? um not quite not quite yeah i know it's it seems like it but um yeah no it was november when i first came out so um yeah but it's you know it's great to have a distributor who has new titles on the floor that you can go and play i always appreciate like next level out in oregon always does that they always have the game so you can play it and you can also order from them. I know Will at Old Town in Florida tries to do that as well, but they have it at Joystick. So Labyrinth is there that you can go and play anytime. Elton John is there that you can go play anytime so you can make appointments with them. Or the free play nights are really fun. So I played Elton John on the last free play night that I went to there and had like a couple meh games. And then I had one really good game at the end and I was like, okay, like this is kind of cute cool um yeah so i'm excited to play that i don't know as far as any other new games if i haven't played yet um i like said i'm really excited to see the premium version of jaws i know that a lot of people are kind of like disappointed oh the shark doesn't eat the ball blah blah or or that um certain art things are left off whatever i kind of get that i walked up to it and lately I've been skeptical of a lot of newer games um but it didn't take me long to settle into Jaws and kind of get a feel for what they were going with there and the shots are fun they really are um there's a lot of things that happen very quickly so your first two or three games you kind of just don't know what's going on um I think that's kind of typical of Elwynn's games. You know that the shooting feels good and it's fun, but Jaws is deceptively complex in the things that are going on there, so we'll have to sneak over and play some games together if you get a chance to get away from either one of your booths. You get the vendor hours, though, huh?
    21:58
    Yes. Which basically means that I'm there non-stop and sleep about two hours each night? Yes. Yeah. Where are you staying? during the trip at the embassy okay so you're staying right there there yes okay that's good i'm staying in the hotel it's across the street which is funny because it's actually a shorter walk from the hotel room to the show floor i know it's so silly so silly but uh yeah i i wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go. And so what I booked, I booked across the street just to leave those other rooms for other people.
    22:42
    I don't mind. Yeah. Well, you know, it's going to be fun. Like I, having not gone for a year, it feels like a long time. And lately I've been going every other year cause I have every other year with my kids for spring break. But this will be fun to get back into it.
    23:01
    Okay. So are you playing in any tournaments? I mean, are you able to? Didn't think so. Not able to, but also don't have the desire to. Like, I'm happy for everyone else to go play and have a lovely time. Yeah. I have only played in the main tournament once. I qualified for finals and got one of the plaques. I didn't get a wizard, which is, like, the coolest trophy. So I do have a plaque from TPF, which is cool. But this year, I didn't go for the main. I did go for the classics and got in. Sweet. Yeah. So we were down in Vegas. We went and saw U2 in the Sphere. Okay. And, like, right around, I can't remember if it was our dinner reservation or whatever, but that when they were releasing the tournament tickets So I sitting there on my phone refresh refresh refresh There they are And I got my ticket but I got my player ID and it looks like I just barely got in So I haven't been like in a good pinball competition for a little while.
    24:16
    And I've done well, done well at TPF. I actually, I think it was four years ago. I qualified for Classics finals, but that's when they were running concurrently with Main. And at the end of the qualifying, I had to, like, let it go on the Classics. I can't remember exactly what that situation was, but that's when I got my Main plaque. But this is the year, Jess. I've gone in for second. This is the year. Second place has your name written all over it.
    24:49
    Or at least adjacent to it. I'll take third. No, no, you need to stay on brand. Second place. I have so many seconds. I've got a second from California Extreme. I've got seconds in Denver. I've won in Denver, but seconds in Denver, seconds at TPF.
    25:07
    Pinberg I did not get second, but I did get the finals. I don't know. I've had so many seconds, though.
    25:15
    Yeah, that would be on brand. I would love that. That would be awesome. The field is going to be ridiculously tough. Oh, yeah. Well, classics is always just so much fun. You know, like the games in classics, I tend to enjoy classics tournaments more anyway. But it's definitely a different play style than like going through a generic maiden tournament. Oh, let me actually tell you. So here is the.
    25:44
    The list for classics, I think it sounds awesome. It's Ice Fever, Sorcerer, Barakora, Meteor, Harlem Globetrotters, Gottlieb Dragon, Cleopatra, Mars Trek, Superspin, and Far Out. That's a very cool lineup. It is. I would have expected a couple of more, like at least one, maybe 60s game or so, but this is cool. Like, I'm excited. yeah that's very cool I like that there's a bunch of games that you don't usually see like Ice Fever I haven't played since Pinball Outreach Project had one there and it ended up being given away as like part of a raffle that C-Bar did but that was the only one I've ever seen I've probably played it but I don't remember um oh i have played it yeah okay i just looked it up is it a white body i think it is i didn't think so no it's not it's not um okay i know this game i've i think i played it one time at california extreme okay so uh yeah it's got like the weird goofy four pop bumpers okay yeah so that one kind of excited me like oh cool Sorcerer's great Barakor is great, Meteor's great Harlem Globetrotters is great Gottlieb Dragon like who's the person that's got all of the um like who even has experience on that one like I don't know you just from that area you see a lot of other Gottliebs instead but this one's a cool game it's gorgeous I would leave with it if I could well add it to your list you never know I mean there's Saturday swap meets yeah do you think I could take it as a carry on you could maybe take the back box and then come back for the rest sounds smart I'll leave it with you anyway so I'm looking forward to this tournament I'm looking forward to hanging out with you. It's been a while hanging out with all the pinball buds. Yes. Even other pinball podcasters.
    28:24
    Oh dear. What else? What are we missing? What's cool. Oh, if you are looking to check out some other cool vendors at TPF, go and check out Flint's booth with his amazing art. he usually sells through his pieces pretty quickly last year his daughter was there and she makes cookies like oh my god I cannot tell you how many of those cookies I ate throughout the weekend last year but they were what was keeping me vertical at that point and we have a few pieces of Flint's art just like a really cool chill guy and he does some really fun stuff so he'll do like skate decks or paint on different mediums. He does some pop culture stuff, some tiki stuff, of course pinball stuff, but his art is always very original. He has a very unique style, and he's one of my favorite people to go look for at TPF, so go check out Flint. Flint's booth.
    29:25
    Double Danger Soft Plunge, Barrels of Fun, the Measel Mods. I don't know if they have a booth or not, but just say hi to the measels.
    29:35
    Yeah, of course. um, Flint's booth is right behind ours. So if you come to the barrels, soft plunge, double danger area, Flint, we're grouping Flint.
    29:44
    Oh, I haven't seen a map. Where are you guys? Roughly, you know, uh, we're in the far back corner. Okay. Um, so you walk in and you just keep walking until you can't. Yeah, pretty much. When you think you're at the janitor's closet,
    30:01
    keep going. It's like that scene from spinal tap. Hello, Cleveland. Yeah. Yes. So, okay. So we'll know where to... Yep. We can Marco Polo. It'll be great. Yeah. Other than that, just kind of like since it's been so long since I've seen everybody, I just want to like hang out. Let's play some dollar games. Let's play some stall ball. Yes. Let's hang. So people, don't be shy. I might have a grumpy face on. It's for other reasons. It's not you. So come say hi.
    30:39
    Yep. Same. Same goes for me, please. Everyone come and say hello. But you have Jeff, you should come say hi. I will. But you have resting pleasant face. So you'll get approached.
    30:54
    Thank you. There are some people who would disagree with that. But thank you. I try when it's not my resting frazzled face. Oh no, face.
    31:09
    Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and I need to take a breath. Come say hello. Disrupt me for a minute. Hugs. Always welcome. High fives. Fist bumps. Hip bumps. Whatever. We're in it.
    31:28
    That's about it for me. We'll do a recap show obviously kind of wanted just to get this out to say hi to everybody and apologize for my microphone which will be replaced by the next show so sorry about that um but thanks for listening to us thanks everybody i'll be back with a regular episode soonish sounds good i'll see you soon jeff yes so soon okay all right bye everyone bye