Sorrow and joy
Skipping ahead. Denver, Kansas City, Davenport, Urbana-Champaign. Too much to just be done with in a few sentences. I will get around to describing these places and their marvelous hackerspaces soon.
Heading for Chicago, a black day in this trip. Relations between me and travel-partner flyko have been deteriorating. I only met him at eth0 this year, and the pressure of spending time in each others company 24/7 highlights some personality incompatibilities we were not previously aware off. We decide we can’t go on like that anymore, and our ways part. I feel sad, yet also relieved. It was destroying our friendship, I saw no other way to go forward.
It feels lonely, but I also see chances. While it is convenient to have flyko around, as he knows the culture and can quickly connect with fellow Americans, I can now witness the real America as well as show more of myself. I’ll miss his jokes, proximity and above all his support, but I guess some things just aren’t meant to be.
After all that drama, I almost forgot I have an appointment on holy ground: Stern Pinball Inc. The last pinball manufacturer that is still developing and manufacturing new pinball games. I enter the facility through a side-door, which brings me right onto the production floor. After a short wait, I’m met by Jim Belt. He shows me around. All around, workers are busy assembling and testing new games. If you see this, it is hard to believe that pinball is not as popular as it used to be.
After the tour, I get to meet Gary Stern, the man behind this company that is keeping pinball alive. He’s interested in how the games are doing over in Europe, and asks me about themes and their popularity. All in all, this was truly an amazing experience, one I would never expect to have. I’m a happy man.
Next time up, more on Chicago, Detroit, Toronto (if I am allowed to go there, and then back into the US) and a flashback to the places i mentioned at the start of this short post.
