My Cave, My Rules

As my project came to a close, there was a smattering of finishing details that required my attention.  I finished all the trim carpentry, filled in my finish nail holes with wood filler, lightly sanded the trim  with 180 grit sand paper, and applied 3 coats of tung oil.  With trim completed, I caulked all the trim-drywall interfaces and then moved onto my finish electrical work.  The next step was installing and hooking up all the AV equipment including the recessed surround sound speakers.  I slowly chipped away at these tasks over the following weeks until finally I had done all I could do...the next phase was flooring.  I sub'd out the carpet installation which for the most part went flawlessly....the only snafu was that they managed to scratch all my baseboards when installing and tucking the carpet.  Another quick sanding and few coats of tung oil remedied that.   With the carpet installed, I was able to move in my couch and other "domstic" items and was also able to hang my doors.

Main Entrance/door to Mancave....can you guess what "FP54" stands for?

Of all the items I was most excited to move into the cave, my Chexx Bubble Hockey arcade game was definitely at the top of the list.  Prior to the carpet installers arriving, I built a small wooden pedestal to improve the game's ergonomics (it's base is a little small for someone my height).  I then had the carpet guys wrap the pedestal with the same carpet used for the floors to give a seamless look.

Custom pedestal (not permanently affixed to floor)

Behold!  Chexx Bubble Hockey in all its glory!

In the interest of keeping your attention and sparing you more narrative, I'm just going to include some photos to give you a sense of how I outfitted the space:

Our old couch resurrected (has been living under a tarp in the outbuilding for almost 2 years).  It looks a little sad, but its incredibly comfy

Here's a few of my mancave movie picks:

Relics from my glory days adorn the top shelf of the entertainment center.  The Evel Knievel puzzle was given to me by my college buddy to recognize "the legend" who's canyon-side dirt bike jump is still visible today from the second story of our home

 With all my stuff moved in, the final step was to install my barn door.  In all, the install went smooth:

Barn door hung...rolls like "butta"

And now, for the big reveal...

Cecilia does the honors

Ladies and gentleman...I give you, "The Penalty Box."  This area of the cave is dedicated entirely to all things hockey...specifically, the legendary 1980 semifinal Olympic game in Lake Placid, NY between the Soviet Union and the United States.  You may also know this game as "the miracle on ice."   Do you believe in miracles?  If not, watch this:

                                           

That's right folks....don't you ever forget it!  In 1980, a handful of amateur college kids took down the red giant in what would become a defining moment in Olympic history.  And why do I care so much, you ask?  Because I am from Wisconsin where hockey is a way of life and also where 2 of the teams players came from.  In fact, the center and one of the team's lead goal scorers, Mark Johnson, grew up on the same street as my mom.  I'll even take it a step further...Mark Johnson was very close friends with several of my mom's brothers and to this day is still close with my mom's youngest brother.  Because of this incredible connection, I scored this:

Autograph Inscription:  "To Jon, Believe in Miracles.  Mark Johnson, 1980 Gold"

That's right people....my uncle hooked me up and got THE Mark Johnson to autograph this iconic photograph of the moment the clock ran out and USA declared victory over the Russians. As you can see, this now hangs directly above my Chexx Bubble Hockey arcade game.  

 

But oh folks, it doesn't even come close to stopping there...

When Chexx Hockey first came out in the early 1980's, the players were painted to resemble the USA and Russia teams from this iconic match up.  After a few years of production, ICE, Inc (the maker of "Chexx Bubble Hockey") stopped making the USA vs. CCCP games and changed the teams/players to generic Blue vs. Red.  When I bought my Chexx arcade game about 8 years ago, my guys looked just like the players below:  

 

Generic Red v. Blue.  Boooo!

Well, well, well...I'm sorry, but that's not going to pass muster in this household.  The first thing I did after my game arrived 8 years ago was to disassemble it and ship the players off to a Canadian guy I found on the internet.  This guy hand paints Chexx hockey figurines as a hobby and side business (yes, its a narrow niche field of work, I know).  Say what you will, but this guy is amazing....he can paint your guys to resemble any team (pro or college).  I connected with him and explained I wanted my guys to have historically accurate jerseys, numbers, and names for the 1980 Olympic semifinal game.  I researched the players on the ice when USA won and sent him the roster along with my guys.  A few weeks later, I had the most authentic recreation of the 1980 Lake Placid game of anyone I know:

Historically accurate down to he last letter!

I even customized the rink....look at the boards.  I printed decals for the official 1980 Olympic sponsors onto sticker paper and also added a few decals of the official 1980 Olympic logo to the boards

Had enough?  Come on now, you're in the penalty box!  Of course there is more!  When you enter the penalty box, you have to follow the rules.  That means you wear your respective team's replica jersey when you play this Chexx Bubble Hockey game!

Replica 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Jersey

Replica 1980 Russian Olympic Hockey Jersey

I don't care how small or how cute you are....you wear the Jersey!  Remember...my cave, my rules!

But wait, where do the jerseys live when not in use?  On custom Chexx Hockey hooks, that's where!

I made the hooks by sacrificing a few extra players I had.  I welded the threaded half of a lag bolt to the player's mounting stem and then I screwed it into a stud.

The Jerseys await the next players

But what happens if you're in the middle of an intense Chexx hockey battle and you can't hear the football, soccer, or hockey game playing 7 feet away on the 70" LCD TV with 5.1 Channel surround sound?  

 

"Oh no, I can't hear the game from here"

What then?  I'll tell you, what then....BAM!!!

Speakers inside the penalty box

Channel B!  That's what!  Just flip on "Channel B" on the receiver and viola...the audio from whatever is playing on the TV (or stereo for that matter) is pumped right into the penalty box.

So it appears I have thought of everything, right?  WRONG!  What about tasty beverages?  Everyone knows a mancave session isn't complete without some libations.  But where to place your beverage...hmmm?  Wouldn't want to put it on the Chexx Hockey game now, right?  After all, a frantic game could result in a spilled drink.  Well fear not...I installed wall-mounted beverage holders behind each Jersey:

I see no cup holder here!

BAM!!!

What is that thing?

DOUBLE BAM!!!

Does it even work?

TRIPLE BAM!!!!

Enough ridiculousness for you?  In all, it was a fascinating and highly educational project for me.  It has been completed for several weeks now and we are using it more than I could have hoped.  Cecilia loves playing the Chexx Hockey with me and we often go out in the evenings to watch Pixar movies before bed.  Cecilia and I even had a sleepover in the cave one night...it was fun, but not necessarily the best night of sleep I've ever had.

With this milestone behind me, it is now time to turn my attention back to the ORIGINAL project.....Fry-Pan.  Although, before I can start on the truck, I have a few more small things that need done first.  Not the least of which is cleaning up this mess....ugh.

Hang in there Fry-Pan, it won't be long.