Ouch. My head hurts. This past weekend has been a whirlwind for me. Work at my regular job. Work at the business I’m in with my dad. Transferring all my items from a small storage unit to a much larger one. Spending time with my new girlfriend. All that and still maintaining the level of OCD-cleanliness my condo is used to.
I’m exhausted. Physically and mentally.
Now that NYCC has come and gone, and I’ve feverishly devoured and then calmly revisited all the news, pictures, reactions, comments, and pure unadulterated & justified gushing (i.e. Jeff Cope on DCIH)…I’ve re-evaluated my station on collecting toys.
I’m back in, baby. Back in at the best time I could possibly be. There were too many signs to ignore, which I’ll gladly illuminate for my one or two readers out there. 
The first and most obvious reason is cash. I’m doing very well at Pier 1, and it not only pays all my bills but affords me spending money each week. With a pretty elaborate wine fetish I need to keep my wine cabinet stocked. However, since I started as a partner in my father’s business three weeks ago I’ve started to become ‘comfortable.’ In this way I’m feeling like an adult…and I rather enjoy it.
The second reason is acceptance. For those that have known me a while, they know my relationship history…and the fact that all past "significant others" have never accepted my collecting. It’s important to be yourself and have someone accept you for who you are, and I’ve always compromised my ‘inner geek’ to shoehorn myself into someone else’s world. No longer bound by that restriction, and in the past week I have really started to let my woman know what makes me happy. I even went so far as to send her to http://www.dcuc.info to look around at the 4H sculpted goodness therein. You know what her initial comments were?
"That Green Lantern figure is hot."
"Wow, Nightwing is really hot. You have some competition."
"I think this will be another fun hobby to attach myself to."
"I think it would be fun to just have a toy room (in our house)."
I was cleared for takeoff. Seriously…how damn cool is that? I have found the perfect woman.
Thirdly, the product revealed at NYCC further cemented my belief that it’s the right time to jump back in. Honestly…can you imagine a better time to be a DC toy collector? DCUC by the Four Horsemen with seemingly no regard for characters that are recognizable…DCIH with all that and the volume to back it up…and the triumphant return of JLU, with a vengeance. I’m ready for this, and so excited I could pee myself. Hang on while I change my shorts…
…and I’m back.
…and happy.
…and excited about toy collecting again. I’ll never have to leave it. You guys have no idea how that makes me feel. I feel so good I’ve scanned in six Bruce Timm pieces for ya. I hope you like them.
Chip, good to have you back, sir.
I wanted to let you know I’m having difficulty seeing the Timm images your posting at the end of each piece. I’m on IE.. what are we on now, 7?… and all I see are some tiny little periods, and I have a devil of a time mousing over the microscopic hyperlinks to acces the scans. Regardless of technical difficulties, thanks for sharing them.
C.
Congratulations…! Not for getting back into the game, but for finding the perfect woman. I went through the same thing and I can’t believe how lucky I am that my wife shares my toy collecting pride…! Even after 8 years and 4 kids later my “vice” is absolutely acceptable. Have fun!
Welcome back! However, I think with the level of output that we should be anticipating from Mattel, you may need to pick up a third and fourth source of income!
I myself was a little skeptical about DCIH at first, partly because of my devotion to JLU, but also because I already seriously collect DCSH/DCUC as well. but lately I am starting to rethink my original feelings…
Now we’ll have (3) lines with a serious amount of DCU characters taking up a huge chunk of shelf space. . If I could only see a little bit more, I may finally get hyper-exited about it.
also, congrats on finding the perfect girl! I dream of someday convincing the wife for a toy room, but for now am confined to one shelf and my custom table. someday…
btw, I’m also having trouble seeing the Timm-pics as well. I’ve only seen Wonder Woman thus far
Glad to hear it. The job. The girl friend. The passion for toys. Glad to have you back in the game.
I can see the pics now…they’re beautiful! thanks!
Chip,
Reading your blog made me smile from ear to ear. I am so happy for you!
It’s good to know that the rough days are behind you and you’re walking into the sunshine. Life is good!
I hope you and your girlfriend are as happy as my wife and I have been for these past 36 years!
Yeah man! My wife actually thinks my collecting is cute. Sometimes she makes me tell her character back stories with all the details. Anyhow, I hope she works out for you .
-R