fun back in middle america

I hang out with Sal for less than a couple hours on Wednesday night, and that was all it took for me to be committed to a festive idea for this weekend that promises to involve me spending several hundred dollars and perhaps a mild amount of dignity. Stay tuned.

Before getting together with Sal, I got together with another friend who, in place of whatever highbrow leisure pursuit, really wanted to play whack-a-mole. My replying that I didn't know where one could play whack-a-mole in Madison was met immediately with "Chuck E. Cheese." I had never been in a Chuck E. Cheese before--indeed, I was pretty ignorant about the entire "Chuck E. Cheese" concept--but sure enough, they have whack-a-mole:



And, better still, skee-ball:



And, better still, pop-a-shot:



And we were there late enough on a school night that there were few actual kids there. Those that were seemed only interested in the video games. Alas: no wonder you never see Americans taking home the gold medal in skee-ball anymore.

(Thursday night I drove from Madison to Evanston, where I'll be spending the day Friday and then returning to Madison on Friday night.)