Lucky Find - Mirco Machines Star Wars Figures

I made a lucky find today at the house. A dozen or so metal Micro Machine Star Wars Figures. I found them in a box in the attic, which probably should have burned to ash but didn't thanks to the asbestos popcorn ceiling we had.  

You can see these are from a few different sets. I have a couple from Hoth, including Luke and Han. There is also a single regular Stormtrooper, Vader, and Boba Fett. 

There were two figures I didn't recognize in the same box: plastic Gamorrean guards.  

eBay sparked a memory. These are from the 1983 Parker Brother's game, Battle at Sarlacc's Pit. I recall having this one but I have no idea where the rest of the game went. I did not die in the fire, I had lost it long ago. 

Anyway, things are moving along at the house. We have windows, a toilet and kitchen cupboards. It's all looking up. 

Iron Buffalo Coffee Review and a Swag Plug

I had a chance to stop into Iron Buffalo Gaming yesterday and picked up a bag of fresh ground coffee. The place was rockin' at 4 in the afternoon. 

Anyway, Iron Buffalo Gaming has a coffee "problem". Well, not a real problem, but a strong sense of good coffee. They had the coffee bar open and it smelled wonderful. They are also able to do many other styles of drinks, such as an oatmeal latte.

They have a slot on their website for ordering coffee, but right now they are not in stock. I'll update when it becomes available. 

I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to hang out and have a cup. That and they have a mask policy in place, so I had to take mine home. William, the owner ground it on the spot so it was totally fresh. Not that it would be old or stale being made over at Tipico Coffee on Elmwood Avenue here in Buffalo, NY. You can't get fresher coffee than that. 

This brew is a light roast. 

My son and I had a cup after dinner and it was great. While advertised as a light roast, it is full-bodied with a delicate persimmon overtone. I love saying "PERSIMMON", I've always wanted to say that. 

As promised, I have some swag to share, too.

A few months ago, I started offering some small items on Red Bubble, including these great coffee mugs. They are typical mugs that are perfect for relaxing with a good coffee. They are 11 ounces or 325 ml. which is just the right size for quality coffee. None of the wacky, "Venti® Americano, Starbucks Coffee" crap. 

You don't need 20 oz. of good coffee to be satisfied. I have this hysterical Starbucks monolog about "a venti what?" that I do when I go to Starbucks. It hinges on venti is Italian for 20 but Italians have been on the metric system for ages, so I want "venti litri di caffè americano". 

Enough joking, on to the commercials! 

These two mugs are available for a little over $16 on Redbubble.com, but if you order two the price drops to a smidgen over $13 each. I have both white and black available. The design is called "Rockets into Adventure". You are probably familiar with this design from my Pandemic Disaster posts. 

The black cup is pictured to the left, with the bag of coffee and a small hint to my next review. 

Review - Iron Buffalo Gaming. A game store with a coffee problem.

Name: Iron Buffalo Gaming (and Coffee!) 
Location: 656 Millersport Highway, Amherst, NY 14226
Phone: (716) 541-0336
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ironbuffalogaming
Website: https://www.ironbuffalogaming.com/

Coffee and games are two of my favorite things and Iron Buffalo has them both. I love this shop and not for the excellent coffee smell that permeates everything. We have some great gaming shops in the area but this one is my favorite for the coffee connection. 

Iron Buffalo has a great assortment of games, D&D, OSE, X-Wing plus paints, dice, and other gaming supplies. The last time I was in there, it was the height of COVID and there was no coffee. Local places have been taking a pounding from this crap. 

I somehow managed to not take any pictures when I last visited, which I really regret. The inside of the building is wonderfully laid out, with everything having its place. It is so easy to find what you need. I am planning a trip tomorrow or the next day, so maybe I'll not forget myself and take a picture or two. 

I hear scheduled events will return Friday, March 18th, so check them out on the web or their Facebook page. As I understand it, Iron Buffalo still has a facemask policy, so be prepared. If you follow them on Facebook, you'll get status updates which include event scheduling, new products, and other fun stuff happening there. 

One of the things that blew me away was they had an actual copy of Old School Essentials' Rules Tome. My wife gifted it to me for Christmas. This is one of the reasons you need to shop locally for things, whether it's a shop like Iron Buffalo or your local shop. It keeps the chain intact. A little shop investing in a tiny book floats at least two different companies and keeps the industry going. And it's more than "going" if a non-gamer like my wife can pick out a great game at a local shop, sight unseen from my dinner time blatherings.  

If you are in the Western New York Area, you have to check this shop out. 

Update From The Real World

We've got about 43 (correction - 56.) days until we return home. Progress is really happening now. We have a heater, walls, floors and now paint. Windows come next week as do cabinets. 

It is unbelievable how much work was needed to get this back to livable. 

Before	After
Kitchen	Kitchen (reverse angle)
Bedroom 1	Bedroom 1
Living Room	Living Room
Dining Room	Dining Room (Reverse angle)
Bedroom 2	Bedroom 2
There was nothing left to take pictures of Bedroom 3	Bedroom 3
Bathroom	Bathroom

As we are coming to the end of this project, my oldest son Paul has stepped in to do the drywall, mudding and painting. My wife picked out the paint colors. 

Obviously, we need a toilet, tile, actual floors as opposed to the shown subfloor. But it's coming along. 

It's been a long 226 days.