Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Comics-Related Goodness in the Home or Office -- Revisited!


Doug: Today we get to revisit a post we ran back on April 24th entitled "True or False: I Have Comics Related Goodness on Display in My Home or Office." I started the conversation with a measly photo of a Captain America and a Spider-Man action figure adorning my desk. I knew, though, that once David B. came along he would dwarf us all with his description of his own office space. About a week ago David emailed Karen and I some photos of his space, and he wrote:
David B: HB summed it up best..:
 
“I have to say, DaveB, that yours sounds like just about the most comfortable, friendly, retro-pop-cultural womb that anyone could ever hope to visit-! The creeping plants are a perfect touch. In spite of the Little Shop [of Horrors, what I used to describe the creeping nature of my plants..] connection, they very much bridge the gap from being potentially geekily-off-putting to having an eccentric but welcoming vibe.”
 
He certainly nailed it.

Doug: So without any more hot air from me, here are the pix David wanted to show today. As he's generally one of our early commenters, I'm sure he'll be along with a little blow-by-blow narration of all of his goodies. Enjoy!




15 comments:

Edo Bosnar said...

Ha! Excellent. If you have to spend a big chunk of your life in a cube, that's the way to go...

david_b said...

Greetings all, my apologies for my delay this morning.. My thanks to Doug and Karen and all the rest of you loyal BABsters for inviting my space to start your post-Memorial Day (for you US readers..) **shortened work week**.

As mentioned in the post, HB mysteriously conjured up just the right feel of my workspace, just from the meager description I offered a few weeks back. It certainly won't be near as entertaining as the host and guest posts of late, but as Jim Reeves once sang....

'Welcome to My World...'

I work in a federal facility here in Milwaukee WI. Actually, the locally-known Miller Park Stadium (built after they tore down Milwaukee County Stadium, once home to the Milwaukee Braves..) is actually built on federal land, donated to the city of Milwaukee. Our VA Hospital here is one of the original 14 soldier hospitals commissioned by Abraham Lincoln in this great country.

Back to my workspace, I am here quite a bit (occasionally evenings and weekends..) doing my work as the Imaging Manager, plus I get my case work done as an Inspector General in the Army Reserves. My boss has chided me every so often, praising me for 'my constraint' in decorating. I don't have some of the items I initially mentioned because I tend to change things out. Still some MMM '60s toys are there, along with my Spiro Agnew speech album, next to my 'jet fuel only' coffee cup.

One interesting note on my plants.., I was recently advised to remove the one huge creeping plant that has covered my window. I checked the OSHA regs and it's within regulation parameters; the inspector who came by then cited some non-enforced 'site policy' about no plants due to potential of spores, etc.. I equate it to trying to return something to a store and they invoking some mysterious 'store policy'.. I'm not worried, but I have cut it back quite a bit to less-monstrous, more palatable sizing.

Well, enough from me, hope everyone enjoys this day, and my humble thanks again to Doug and Karen for showcasing my work space.

Come visit some time..!!

Doug said...

David --

I know exactly where you work (well, not exactly). Last summer, after celebrating my in-laws' 50th anniversary with a family vacation to the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, WI, several members of our clan chose to end the wonderful week with a Brewers game on our way back to the Chicago southland. Me being notorious for missing turns, I decided my life would be somehow better if I went past all the markers for Brewers parking and instead ended up touring the VA facility adjacent to the ballpark. It's a nice campus, but those snake-like roads would not be my first choice while attempting to navigate back to my true destination. Oh, well -- had I known you were in there, I'd have just asked for directions!

And thanks for sharing your office space with us today -- I dig it.

Doug

david_b said...

One uber-geek 'holy grail' I love is in the 3rd picture ~ My prized Ideal 1973 Spiderman playset.

Originally seen on sale at a Kmart all those years ago, I remember unsuccessfully begging my Mom for it on one of our cross-country trips. A whole whoppin' $2.99 for a playset with wonderful John Romita-drawn goodness. Ideal originally made only three: Batman and Robin, Superman, and ol' Spidey.

I managed to spend a hundred bucks a few years back and get it still-wrapped in it's original cello and had a custom-sized acrylic display case made for it.

Unlike most of you all's prized collections, I don't have too many rare comic gems in my collection (nor obviously at work..).., 'cept this one's a fav.

Redartz said...

Justifiably proud, david_b! Great workspace indeed. I'd bet you have a tendency to draw visitors to your cubicle, just to peruse and admire the view...and when you make periodic changes, it would be like having a handy rotating pop culture museum exhibit!

Martinex1 said...

Very cool David. I particularly like the Giant Hank Pym by the phone. And is that Dr. Strange battling Hydra goons on the shelf above it? If it is indeed that, did Strange ever battle Hydra? Awesome all around. Much cooler than my tan walls. So we have Chicago and Milwaukee represented; on our way to the MLB National League Central or the Great Lake Avengers!

Anonymous said...

David, thanks for sharing. I had all 3 of those playsets at one point. I "found" all those Romita Spidey cardboard figures in my parents' attic a while back, but not the actual set itself that you have in the picture. Seeing it brought a smile to my face.

Tom

Dr. Oyola said...

Looking good - I had a handful of toys and things in my old office - but after my R2-D2 got stolen, I was less enthusiastic about bringing the little stuff I do own in. . .

These days I share a tiny office with 2 other people who have been there longer than me, so except for a calendar, I have not done any decorating. I have even less stuff to share these days - but dream of having my own space in a house one day (my wife lie in a 2 bedroom apt - where one is shared office) and putting up these neat classic comic cover prints I have (once I get them framed).

Speaking of "decorating" (and my apologies for spamming), but The Middle Spaces has a new look - so if you get a chance skip on over to my blog and take a look - also the latest "If it WAUGHs Like a Duck" installment is up.

david_b said...

Hey, Martinex1 great question.., I'm such a Silver Age Strange Tales fan, I figured I'd celebrate/mix the Doc Strange/Nick Fury worlds somehow.

Near impossible to see, but I also have a tiny Legends YellowJacket (from the Wonderman set) wired/flying next to 'ol Doc to add that glorious short-lived '70s Defenders and Henry Pym vibe.

"Excelsior, indeed..."

Anonymous said...

I like that pic of the cube corner; Gerber's Howard the Duck, Hunter S. Thompson, and Frank Zappa...somewhere, all three of those guys are hanging out and talking philosophy or something.

Mike Wilson

Anonymous said...

David_B, dude I gotta have that lava lamp!


- Mike 'groovy baby' from Trinidad & Tobago.

Humanbelly said...

Oh, there is just so much to love with all this, DaveB-!
But one of the overall achievements that I love best is that you've managed to strike the perfect balance of an unassailably ordered environment in spite of the impression of comfortable, aesthetic clutter. Do you suppose the officious office-inspector guy was put off by your workspace on principle, but simply couldn't come up with any tangible violations? Hence, the obscure plant-spore infraction? I mean, even your Post-It notes are level and centered in their spots-! It's just great, as (to my eye, at least) your space so aptly embraces the fact that you are both a free spirit as well as a proud and disciplined ex-military fellow.

Hmm-- do you get any raised eyebrows from other Service Member types?

What if Thunderbolt Ross were to walk in-???

Great stuff, partner-- thanks so much for sharing it with us-!

HB

Anonymous said...

Awesome workspace, David! I particularly like the framed Howard the Duck treasury edition! Thanks for sharing.

- Mike Loughlin

david_b said...

Thanks HB.., but I do have to mention I'm STILL serving in this man's Army. I'm doing the 'Army Reserve' once-a-month bit now, after serving in Germany on Active Duty and doing a couple of 1yr stints over in Kuwait.

I was just promoted to 'full-bird' Colonel (like Colonel Potter on 'MASH'..), and will be 'mandatory retiring' come September of 2018.., 32yrs in. That's when the Army officially gives me the boot.

Yeaaaah, I believe 32yrs in is enough. :)

Humanbelly said...

Excellent, DaveB-- VERY much appreciate the clarification. I'm honestly pleased that you're still representing us aging Boomers (and our pop-cultural fixations!) in our modern armed forces. You're our Man in the Field, as it were.

My late father-in-law (an absolutely great, fantastic guy) was a full-bird in the Air Force when he retired. What always kind of irked him was that a LOT of his buddies, peers, and classmates had made the jump to general. . . and he never quite did. His default setting was to always transfer praise and recognition to his co-workers and subordinates-- never claiming the limelight, downplaying his own achievements-- and I daresay that may have worked against him in the long run.

Say, wasn't Tony Nelson's superior officer (the psychiatrist, I think?) in I DREAM OF GENIE a colonel?

HB-- never lettin' a tangent go!

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