I guess that’s why it’s okay to keep coming back to the same place; it doesn’t change, but we do

The kids want to know what we’re doing on Chol Hamoed.

They already know half the answer: Dave & Buster’s on Wednesday, because games are half off on Wednesdays.

They’ve already discussed the next prize they’re saving for: one of those “hutrongous” (dust-collecting) teddy bears. I wonder if they’ll win enough tickets this time; the games they’re playing now are not the same games they were playing last year.

We went to Dave & Buster’s between camp and school this year, and my oldest got the high score in Pac-Man more than once. “It’s sick!” he says. There are no tickets for high scores in Pac-Man, just bragging rights. He used to play the Monopoly game, which is worse than chance, it’s pure luck, and if you used enough credits and played long enough, you were bound to end up with a lot of tickets.

My youngest used to play the coin pusher game with me, and we’d win a million tickets. But the last time we went, he wanted to play virtual bowling and skee ball. In both cases, the ball often veers wildly off course, hitting innocent (unamused) players nearby. He might’ve scored negative points; he definitely did not earn any tickets. I think there’s still a skee ball stuck under the bowling game (no hyperbole).

They still love the place, but their experience is different. I guess that’s why it’s okay to keep coming back to the same place; it doesn’t change, but we do.