I was already an hour or two late for a bike ride to Alki Beach when I saw the Space Maze sitting there in the dish section. Have I mentioned how I love Value Village? This one specifically. It's a mere five blocks away, and its location on Capitol Hill ensures that all three floors will never lack for something I didn't know I needed.

Case in point: one Space Maze ($4) now occupies the focal position in our living room. You may know this sweet contraption better as the Labyrinth. We had one just like this when I was a kid, and in my old age I've grown fond of reaquiring such relics. :P

Being as we were in a thrift store, neither my friend Katie nor I could locate the ball bearing needed, so we decided to cut our losses and grab some late-afternoon pizza at Piecora's. You never know where you'll find that next ball bearing. We'd ravished the breadsticks and a veggie half-pie before clearing some space and pulling out the Space Maze (let's be honest - it never would have made it home in the bag). We knew we couldn't actually play it...we just wanted to admire it.

It seemed a bit off-kilter just sitting there, but the knobs worked fine and it was well-balanced after all. We were in the middle of this when the waiter walked by.

"Those are so cool! I give them to my grandkids each Christmas!"
*random noises of agreement and surprise from our direction*
"No balls, huh?"
*mumble...Value Village...ramble*
"Hold on. I'll be back in a sec."

He returned with not one, but two ball bearings. They were different sizes, and weren't really even the same color, but that just upped the odds that one would work out. We spent the next half hour amusing ourselves - and the waiters - with this contraption. Every pizza place should invest in one. We called it quits when we moved from playing with the balls in the maze to playing with the balls on the table top.

Where was the generous waiter? No where to be found. That's why his balls are now resting on my coffee table.