Monday, January 05, 2015

2015: My Home Office Re-Booted



I haven't posted any new pictures of my home office and toy collection in some time...primarily because things sort of got out of control.  

The office was suffering "toy creep," which occurs when Joel and I play with items but they don't get back on the shelf in the right place, or back in their boxes at all.  Before long, the whole floor is a disaster area.  I've been living with the room like that for too long.

But after three or so days of cleaning and re-organization during the winter holiday, I have officially re-booted my office to a new (and hopefully neater...) configuration.

As you probably know (or could figure out, if you're a reader of the blog): the vast majority of these toys are ones that I have had with me my whole life...so they aren't all mint-in-box by any stretch of the imagination.  Most of the boxes (if they were kept) are opened, so that I can share the toys with Joel, who is now eight.



One thing I did on this go round was box up virtually all of my Playmates Star Trek ships and props (phasers, communicators, etc.), because they were taking up a lot of space, and I realized that -- at heart -- I'm much more of a 1970s - 1980s collector, in terms of my interest.  

And since space isn't infinite, I had to make some tough choices and attempt to show off my most beloved toys to their best advantage.

That said, my Playmates action figures are still pinned to the ceiling, so I didn't take down everything...



So...this is my office, starting out the year 2015.  Joel says the room looks too big and empty at this point, and that I need to collect more.  Kathryn, meanwhile, still insists I'm a hoarder.

Perhaps, but I'm a neat hoarder.

Here are some more views of the office.

First up, the bookshelf corner, where all the books I have written are now neatly shelved. You'll also see my Pulsar collection (Pulsar, Life Support Station, and the evil Hypnos!). In the upper corner, I also have the picture of America that Joel drew for me.





On the long wall (with the action figures stretching to the ceiling...) I have, on the far left, a kiosk on wheels that I can move around from place to place.  Right now, it is holding just a few collectibles, including those from Star Wars. And if you're wondering where the bulk of my Star Wars collectibles are, Joel has taken ownership of them.  

He's got the Death Star, the Droid Factory toy, the Ewok Village, the Millennium Falcon, Mustafar playset, and just about everything else.  Which is fine with me: I would rather that the toys get played with than just gather dust in the office.  And besides, I don't have room for them.

But here's the kiosk:


Next over is the long row of deep-set pockets, six across, and three high. Starting from the left, top and working down, here's Column #1. This is mostly Star Trek stuff, but the bottom shelf has some Dinky toys, and some from Lost in Space as well.




Next up, Column #2, top to bottom (Space:1999 stuff):





Here is Column #3, top to bottom (Planet of the Apes and Buck Rogers





Column #4 (top to bottom) (Miscellaneous, including Space Academy, Big Jim, Diener Eraser Toys, Flash Gordon and Electroman).




Column #5. This column has Ideal's Star Team at the top, and then goes into Black Hole toys, and a variety of toys from the 1980s (including Kathryn's Pee Wee Herman, which she donated to the JKM Museum)




And the final column (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica, and then some random stuff).





Across the office and around the other corners, I have some other shelves and toys as well:






So that's it for noq. 

I feel like I weeded out a lot of stuff, but also kept the bulk of the collection intact, and hopefully it is displayed in a way that shows it off to its best advantage.  

Honestly...I need a loft-sized room...or a museum-sized floor.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:10 PM

    Sometimes I feel a little guilty about collecting all these books and movies on DVD. Then I see this office and feel a lot less guilty. Nevertheless, your office is awesome! It can be hard to rearrange a sacred place like that. Also, I like the picture of America.

    -T.S.

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  2. I am in serious lust here... although I confess, I have quite a few of these items myself, just not as well organized/displayed... kudos for being willing to play with them and not just keep them in the boxes. That's something I struggle with. I see the wisdom of actually using and enjoying them, but I also have this compulsive need to keep them, well, mint... I'm getting better... :D

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  3. Your office is "wow!", John.

    I now realize I am not much of a collector. I noticed the "Sub Search" game. I still have mine from Christmas of 1973 (?). Great game.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow. When are the store hours?
    That is an impressive Star Trek and Space:1999 collection.
    Lots of purple and pink back in the day for packaging.
    I have to get The One To Be Pitied to grant me more space like that. Sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. John your 2015 pics of your office are great. Now that is an office that will be a catalyst to inspire your writing. Awesome!

    SGB

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  6. I am in awe of you, my friend.

    ReplyDelete

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