Spring cleaning, geek style
Sometimes... if you're really, really unlucky... cleaning becomes infectious.
ma61_turbo came over today to help me repair our deck. When I first moved into this house, back in 2005, he put up cafe blinds all around the outdoor entertaining area. Last month's big storms tore through four of them, wrecking them beyond repair. The damaged blinds needed to come down, and they needed to come down before next weekend's combined Halloween/birthday party. Thankfully, the two of us made quick, light work of our task.
That left my wife and I surveying the deck. I started brushing away cobwebs, she suggested hosing the whole thing down, I grabbed the hose, she washed off the furniture and... yeah. Before we fully understood our mania we'd cleaned the deck, the front patio, the carport, the comic room and our bedroom. And I'm talking hard core cleaning, man. Hell, I even unpacked, arranged and re-stacked everything in the damn shed! More than a compulsion, this was a sickness!
Still, there are benefits. The place looks amazing - showroom quality, ready for next weekend's raft of guests. Comic room tidying I'd been putting off has been done, our latest purchases (including Hunt for the Decepticons Elita-1) are on the shelves, and stareyednight's jewellery is organised and easy-to-find. Not to mention the fringe benefits of combing through the shed.
Justice League Unlimited figures were the very first thing stareyednight and I ever collected together. We both loved the show so, when we found the figures for $5 each at the local grocery store, there was no stopping us. They were on display in the comic room for ages, then were packed away to make room for other things.
Of late, LJ's been obsessing over the season DVDs (they're our weekend family viewing), and the girl and I have been throwing fic ideas back-and-forth. Finding all these guys in the shed today was just perfect timing. Pulling them out of the box and laying them out... to be honest, it made me really happy. They're a cool bunch of toys and they look absolutely awesome as a group. Bright and colourful, instantly recognisable, everyone iconic and as they should be. Small wonder JLU is my all-time favourite version of the DC canon.
The way I've arranged the figures is an in-joke for everyone who remembers the old Super Powers toy line. I loved those figures, too - they were the first chance I ever had to own an entire super hero universe. Never managed it, sadly (and, worst of all, never found a Firestorm!), but I have fond memories of the toys (and the TV show) to this day. Ah, the old days... when Batman had Adam West's voice, everyone else had Frank Welker's voice, and Superman was the coolest hero with all the best stuff. Good times.
Why are there gaps in the arrangement? Turns out the JLU line continued in the US long after our grocer gave up on stocking even the cheapest of toys... so those gaps are to help me remember which figures we need to chase down. That's right, ladies and gentlemen: I finally have myself a new collection to chase! No more bits 'n pieces of this-n-that for me, friends. I've a list on my desk with 64 names, and I'm going to love every last minute of hunting them down.
But best of all, stareyednight and I spent a whole bunch of time together. We worked as a team, hung out with one of our dearest friends and got a lot accomplished, laughing and joking all the way through. Productive or not, that's how all Sundays should be.
Sometimes... if you're really, really lucky... cleaning becomes fun.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
ma61_turbo came over today to help me repair our deck. When I first moved into this house, back in 2005, he put up cafe blinds all around the outdoor entertaining area. Last month's big storms tore through four of them, wrecking them beyond repair. The damaged blinds needed to come down, and they needed to come down before next weekend's combined Halloween/birthday party. Thankfully, the two of us made quick, light work of our task.
That left my wife and I surveying the deck. I started brushing away cobwebs, she suggested hosing the whole thing down, I grabbed the hose, she washed off the furniture and... yeah. Before we fully understood our mania we'd cleaned the deck, the front patio, the carport, the comic room and our bedroom. And I'm talking hard core cleaning, man. Hell, I even unpacked, arranged and re-stacked everything in the damn shed! More than a compulsion, this was a sickness!
Still, there are benefits. The place looks amazing - showroom quality, ready for next weekend's raft of guests. Comic room tidying I'd been putting off has been done, our latest purchases (including Hunt for the Decepticons Elita-1) are on the shelves, and stareyednight's jewellery is organised and easy-to-find. Not to mention the fringe benefits of combing through the shed.
Justice League Unlimited figures were the very first thing stareyednight and I ever collected together. We both loved the show so, when we found the figures for $5 each at the local grocery store, there was no stopping us. They were on display in the comic room for ages, then were packed away to make room for other things.
Of late, LJ's been obsessing over the season DVDs (they're our weekend family viewing), and the girl and I have been throwing fic ideas back-and-forth. Finding all these guys in the shed today was just perfect timing. Pulling them out of the box and laying them out... to be honest, it made me really happy. They're a cool bunch of toys and they look absolutely awesome as a group. Bright and colourful, instantly recognisable, everyone iconic and as they should be. Small wonder JLU is my all-time favourite version of the DC canon.
The way I've arranged the figures is an in-joke for everyone who remembers the old Super Powers toy line. I loved those figures, too - they were the first chance I ever had to own an entire super hero universe. Never managed it, sadly (and, worst of all, never found a Firestorm!), but I have fond memories of the toys (and the TV show) to this day. Ah, the old days... when Batman had Adam West's voice, everyone else had Frank Welker's voice, and Superman was the coolest hero with all the best stuff. Good times.
Why are there gaps in the arrangement? Turns out the JLU line continued in the US long after our grocer gave up on stocking even the cheapest of toys... so those gaps are to help me remember which figures we need to chase down. That's right, ladies and gentlemen: I finally have myself a new collection to chase! No more bits 'n pieces of this-n-that for me, friends. I've a list on my desk with 64 names, and I'm going to love every last minute of hunting them down.
But best of all, stareyednight and I spent a whole bunch of time together. We worked as a team, hung out with one of our dearest friends and got a lot accomplished, laughing and joking all the way through. Productive or not, that's how all Sundays should be.
Sometimes... if you're really, really lucky... cleaning becomes fun.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF