Lest you think a city rabbit’s life is all museums and consumerism, I’m uploading a few photos of my recent visit to an arcade. I may have missed the golden age of video games by twenty or thirty years, but that doesn’t mean I can’t turn off the home system and venture out now and then.
Granted, it’s hard to get the party started when Rob’s in a life-or-death struggle with the change machine.
Rob’s just gonna turn around and use this for that set of Trouble-themed tarot cards he’s always talked about, isn’t he?
This has to be the strangest bocce court I’ve ever seen.
...and clearly, I need a lot more practice.
Worst budget safari ever.
Well, maybe we’ll have better luck at Kidspace in Pasadena. Lauren invited us to accompany her boys Kai (who’s 4) and Liam (almost 2), and who are we to turn down some educational fun? The entrance alone was practically worth the trip—could this be the coolest foyer ever? It just might be.
Kidspace has a few different themes going on, but the big one is the secret lives of insects, so a lot of acreage is dedicated to scaled objects that give you an idea of what it’s like from a bug’s perspective. As if human-size stuff isn’t pain enough for me to negotiate.
Oh, the company I find myself keeping these days.
There’s also a geology area, with exhibits on erosion, seismic activity, strata, and so on.
Oy. I knew I should’ve taken that left turn at Albuquerque.
Man. I am so gonna serve up some thunderbolts right now.
Rawr. I am Godzilla. Rawr.
But really, the best fun is the kind that comes from your own imagination, I find. Trite, but only because it’s true. When we came back to Kai’s place, he all but tipped over his entire toy box for us. Look, I made a four-faced idol! Here, he shows us his alarmist aspect.
But it doesn’t all have to be subversion and adult-oriented humor—I can do straightforward material for the pre-K set as well. See? “TROUBLE + KAI = FUN.” Wholesome enough for you?
“...and that’s how you reconfigure those same blocks into a basic ziggurat.”
But don’t think for a minute that I won’t revert to type in a heartbeat, especially when it comes to competitiveness.
You just got pwned by a rabbit, kid.
And on a completely unrelated note, Happy Chinese New Year! On our way out of the Valley, we hit 99 Ranch, the Asian supermarket. Hey, Rob, should we get lychee jellies or candied winter melon for dessert?
Wouldn’t you know, Rob opted for coffee-flavored wafers instead. Oh well. Gung hay fat choy!
