When I was a young boy, my dad wasn't always home for my brother or I. He worked long hours as an engineer at GE and we usually only saw him on weekends because he worked the 2nd or 3rd shift most of the time. Anyway, one day he brought home a boxed 2600 and a few games. He'd hook them up to the old Zenith TV that we had and we would have a blast playing games like Trick Shot, Chopper Command, Eggomania, Kaboom, E.T and Bowling. It was always fun to play Atari with Dad and that's something my brother and I looked forward to. It was a way for us to bond with our dad, since he couldn't always be there for us. He later told me that he regretted this but I assured him that because we had Atari, it wasn't all that bad. He later bough a NES for my brother and I and we kind of abandoned the 2600 and games. They were stored away in closets in the house for several years. I later got a Genesis and then a Playstation. After a while, I decided to dig out the 2600 and try hooking it up to a TV. I became frustrated with the damn RF switch so I had to get another one. I managed to get the 2600 to work and I played a few rounds of Bowling. It was awesome though and my brother was amazed at seeing the 2600 in action again. I decided to put the systems I had on display for the first time and I wrote down on a piece of paper, all the games and systems I had at the time. That would be my first attempt at collecting/rediscovering Atari. The summer of 1996, I lucked out quite a bit. I used to pick empty bottles and cans for money and one of the dumpsters that I used to check had Atari games in it! Actually, it had at least two 2600 systems and games and it also had an INTV II with games(which didn't work at the time). I literally had to get into the dumpster to get all the games out and then find a way to get them home on a ratty 10 speed bike. I managed to get everything home where I cleaned it off and tested things. I had never made a find like this and I decided that I would keep looking for more old Atari games.At the time, EBay did not exist and there were plenty of garage sales around Swanton(where I'm from) and I managed to find a 2600Jr with several games at a lawn sale. I think I paid $30 at the time. I got two copies of Fathom, which would be the rarest game I had at that point (I traded my spare copy to witchfynde). It was really nice to have all the games bu tI would soon lose interest in them yet again.2 years later, I got a Playstation for Christmas and that got more attention than the 2600. I packed away the 2600s and the games and they would stay that way for at least another 2 years. In between that time, I found an Atari Jaguar at a lawn sale for $5. In 2001, I seriously contemplated the idea of moving out of the house to be closer to a job I had taken in South Burlington. My parents were against the idea right from the start but I pursued it nonetheless. When the day came to move out, I packed up all my 2600s and all my other systems and they came to South Burlington with me. I think I had 25 games at the time as I hadn't gotten into AtariAge or EBay yet. I don't remember how I found out about AtariAge, but I think it was an article about classic gaming in some magazine that drew me to this place. I signed up in December of 2002 and the rest is history. After discovering EBay, trading with others and the AtariAge marketplace, I now have 300 or so unique 2600 games. I've also expanded into collecting other systems as well. It's hard to believe, but I'm really glad that I didn't throw out the 2600 stuff. My parents didn't know where it was so they couldn't either! Now, my brother has expressed interest in Atari once again. I have purchased an A/V modded 2600 and games for him and if he can pay up, it will be his. I'm hoping he enjoys it almost as much as I've enjoyed playing the 2600.