Last year I posted some thoughts on Memorial Day and as we approach another, I’ve got a couple of other things to talk about. In my opinion, Memorial Day is the most important holiday that we, as Americans, celebrate each year. Without the sacrifices of our soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors (men & women), we all wouldn’t be here to trick or treat, carve turkeys, or trim the Christmas tree. But you know what? Some of those sacrifices didn’t have to be made.
Nosey slash nagging wife asleep? Ninja jammies equipped? Logged onto Kickstarter? Check. Check. Andddd check.
Greetings Nerd Consumers of the Free Market Economy! It’s been just over a year since I cannonballed into the Kickstarter pool. I thought it might be an interesting exercise to blog about some lessons learned in my foray into the world of crowd-funding.
New York 1776 by Worthington Publishing
Because one can never really ever have too many wargames, I’ve just jumped on as a backer of Worthington Publishing’s New York 1776 Kickstarter project. The game simulates one of the key campaigns of the American Revolutionary War. It’s one I’m not very knowledgeable about, so I’m excited to tear the shrink wrap off of this one.
Dude…Do you even OWN dental floss?
I didn’t take real good care of my teeth as a youngster. Remember the Cavity Creeps? “WE MAKE HOLES IN TEETH!” That was my dental situation pretty early on. I was that idiot kid that would wet his toothbrush at night and yell, “SURE DID!,” if my parents asked if I’d brushed. That master plan didn’t pan out too well later on in life, especially when I added U.S. Army dentistry into the equation. I shudder to even estimate the amount of money I’ve spent on keeping my piehole looking pretty and functioning as designed.
So yeah, I have alot of porcelin and silver amalgam in my head. Even have a dental implant way, way in the back. It makes me feel a little bit Terminatorish if I’m being honest. The rest of my body…not so much. Obviously, all this china in my head isn’t as durable as natural tooth. You should see my wife’s face anytime I crunch down on some hard candy or something. Not a happy visage. I can almost feel a telekinetic wave of psychic energy screaming, “IDIOT!” eminating from her eyes.
My kind of bookmarks…
So, the It Came From The Nerd Cave family was out doing some pickin’ and a thriftin’ yesterday morning. Stopped by a local thrift store and made a bee-line to the book section. As part of my efforts to expand my knowledge base (shout out to my brother-in-law for teaching me that phrase), I’ve been keeping an eye out for books on collectibles, antiques, and misc. stuff–price guides and such. And while I’m not a coin collector and don’t plan to become one, I noticed a 1984 Coin Values book and picked it up.
Give it up Pekar. You can’t take it with you…GIVE IT UP!
The title of this post is a line from the film American Splendor. Main man Harvey Pekar is a record collector and sells a few albums on the side. This was pre-Craigslist & eBay days so he mainly hits the flea markets and swap meets or trades with his collector buddies. He has an exchange with crotchety co-worker Mr. Boats in which he’s accused of holding back the primo albums from his collection and only selling the crap that nobody wants.
Well, duh Mr. Boats. Any collector worth his salt doesn’t easily part with the gems of his collection…that’s the point of collecting! And therein lies my dilemma. And yes, as you might have noticed if you’re a regular reader…I have a lot of dilemmas in my life. Apparently they’re my thang.
I should get some Spandex! These clothing bills aren’t exactly tax deductable.
Seven organisms reside in our home. Four humans and three felines. And we all knew this day was coming. The day when my personal Nerd Cave would outgrow its own four walls and leak into the rest of the house. As Dan Patrick might opine, “you can’t stop it…you can only hope to contain it!” But while I’m quoting folks, remember what Bill Clinton said…”It depends on what your definition of ‘contain’ is.”
It’s a problem that probably faces every nerd collector/hoarder type out there sooner or later. You’ve been given/allowed/granted a specific amount of space for your crap–a basement, an attic, or, as in my case, a spare bedroom. Four walls in which your various hobbies, loves, and interests must be contained. There aren’t too many significant others out there who are enthusiastic about a Star Wars-themed kitchen. But what does one do when you’ve simply run out of room?
It had been a lovely evening until a ninja throwing star came out of nowhere…
Well nerds, here we are. My two year anniversary as a world-renowned blogger, gazer of navel, and pusher of all things nerdy. Well, maybe not world-renowned. But I’m pretty dang renowned within my circle of 7 loyal readers.
BTW, if you don’t get the reference in the title of this post, then check out this video but please come back after you get done grooving to the sweet, sweet stylings of the Little River Band. Takes me back to the Summer of 78…
So, you ask, what’s going on with It Came From The Nerd Cave? What are we doing? Where are we going? Why does it smell like Fritos in here? I’m glad you asked… Continue reading
This is probably kinda what it looks like inside my head when I’m standing in line at Wal-Mart on a Friday night…without the F bombs.
Did you happen to notice the new banner at the top of the page? Kinda hard to miss I suppose. I added it a couple of weeks ago but I’m just now getting around to commenting on it.
I liked the previous banner OK. But it was never meant to be a long-term thing. I’d originally composed it as a place-holder for the blog while I was learning Photoshop–until I could come up with something better. Then a combination of laziness and “Hey, that looks pretty good” took over and it held that place for almost two years.
Death Star Spray Paint Stencil Art by Rebecca Gallaher aka “beckosaurus” on Etsy
The walls of my Nerd Cave are what my wife often calls “busy.” I may be a little dense, but I don’t think she means it as a compliment. But however you want to describe my art collection, it’s all done by design. I love the crowded look. I don’t necessarily design the room for other people, but I do enjoy watching folks walk in for the first time and not quite know what they should look at first. Or second…Some people end up looking like a kitten watching a laser dot bounce around.
One of the things I’ve tried to do in choosing art is to look for things that fall outside the realm of traditional rectangular, framed art. I want different. I like oddly shaped pieces, 3-D art, and such.
Recently, while lying around contemplating my life, I typed “Death Star” into the Etsy search box and stumbled upon Rebecca Gallaher’s Death Star art stenciled/spray-painted onto an old vinyl LP. My Spidey sense went off with that “I gotta have it” vibe so in the cart it went. You know the rest. My almost fully operational battle station arrived last week and I love it…