This Is Framingham

I think it was somewhat recently this store, Game Universe, opened on Route 9. I read about it somewhere because otherwise I’d never have known about it.
The store front doesn’t really stand out but it’s next to EO Noodle, then you go down stairs to the basement and there are games set up like a video store. 
There’s a section further back with large flat screens for pre-teen/teen kids to play the more modern games.  And they have a follow-the-dancestep game that I am never brave enough to try.  No classic arcade games there : (

They sell all sorts of video game cartridges and since I recently acquired a free Atari 2600 I figured I’d check out any classics they have.  Sure enough they had my all time favorite, Pitfall- in the box!

The box wasn’t in great condition but it wasn’t any more expensive than Pitfall without the box, plus it came with the original pamphlet so for $5 that was a great deal. 
I also got Frogger for $5 too.

My only wish was that they played up the whole basement location and made it look like someone’s basement with fake wood paneling and late70’s plaid sofas or something as kind of an “homage” to the era of when home video games were born. 
Also, they have their offices and warehouse in downtown and I wish they had opened their store in downtown to bring a fun business there but what can you do.

 Its easy to forget with all the heat we’ve had lately that plants are getting ready for the fall – or maybe our shrub is just dying but I think it does this every fall. 

I wanted to like this place, and I guess it’s ok but they don’t really have anything I want. Just cookies that look old and what looks to be an interesting deli counter although I’m not a big deli person.  I did get some lox there once, which was really good but is randomly available, When I asked them if they had whitefish salad the lady behind the counter didn’t know what I was talking about.  They also have beer and vodka and chocolate and a bunch of other stuff.

They don’t acknowledge you or seem to want you in there if you don’t speak Russian got the Skazka out of there.  I’ve actually stood in front of the door pondering if I should go in there again but so far I haven’t made it back inside.

I’m guessing this mural just rakes in the sales at Stardust Diamonds.  I thought they would take it down after DeBeers stopped using their eerie silhouette ads in the mid-90’s but here we are in 2006 and there’s no sign of it getting painted over.
I know if I were younger I’d definitely have nightmares about this wall.  There’s something about these phantom-like shadows with giant, senselessly floating jewelry that’s disturbing to me.

The whole wall is weird but the one that would definitely give me nightmares is the weird twisted-torso bald-alien-lady hugging herself behind a hovering ring.  I’ve though too much about how that’s supposed to be appealing.  It’s like a riddle with no answer!

I don’t have much to say about this, but I’ll bet the person who lives here has a type A personality.  I wonder if some guy found the perfect way to watch the game in his lay-z-boy AND flip burgers at the same time.
Someday I hope to walk by and see an arm with a spatula emerging from the window.  (I will post if I do!)

Some of you may have seen the article in the MetroWest Daily News about bloggers today. I got a little blurb in there at the end.
I can bet no one even noticed or cared that in my picture at the bottom, I look too serious. 
I just wanted to point out that this was the 200^th take because I could not stop laughing.  It was so weird to have a camera in my face while I pretended to type. The poor photographer, he was such a good sport and so patient with me while I kept bursting out in laughter. It was like the more I tried to forget about the camera the more I thought about it and felt ridiculous and then the giggling fit would ensue.  I finally tried biting the inside of my cheek and he snapped this photo right before I started laughing again.I just wanted to point that out since everyone else looks laidback and I look like I’m typing about conspiracy theories.  Anyway, it was nice they did the article and to read about other bloggers. Thanks Claudia and Mark.

Today we went to the Learned Pond beach and the ice cream man was there. We don’t get one in our hood and I was so excited to see the truck, but about  20 minutes earlier we had got frappes at Gerard Farms so as much as I wanted to go up to the window and order a hoodsie or a screwball, I just couldn’t manage it.  Although we did end up getting a treat in that the beach was not crowded at all. I’m guessing because of the on and off rain we had today.Last time we went to Learned Pond, it was an absolute zoo.  The water was crowded, people were ignoring the lifeguards who we heard yelling repeatedly, “Stop doing that!”.  Then there was a little confrontation with a kid’s mom and the lifeguards.
I guess this girl was told to stop doing something and she kept doing it so a lifeguard shouted for her to stop.  Then the mother came stomping onto the docks and yelled “Hey! You don’t yell at my child like that, OKAY?” and the life guard explained that the girl had kept doing something she’s not supposed to and the mom (now accompanied by her friend who was chiming in too) said “You don’t yell at my child okay?? You have no right to yell at her!  I’m the one that gave birth to her -OKAY?”  This attracted more lifeguards and it went on for a few minutes.  Just when I was expecting everyone in the water to start chanting “JER-RY, JER-RY!” it came to an abrupt end with the mother yelling “I’ll see you in court! OKAY??” and then she grabbed her kid by the hand and stomped off with her friend following her.

I could see that last statement making sense if the lifeguard wasn’t doing her job but I’m not sure why the mother was threatening her with court for doing what she was supposed to and enforcing beach rules. I give the lifeguards a lot of credit because on busy days that beach can be pretty unruly. We go there pretty much because we can walk to it, but we’re considering getting in the car and driving to a quieter beach.