Décor wars

I have a skeleton in my closet….ok actually it’s more of a monster…. It’s an approximately 10” high replica of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.  We also have some Star Wars movie posters, a collection of Star Wars Pez dispensers and a framed map of middle Earth to name a few things anyway.

When my geek and I moved in together I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of geekery that surrounded me.  It seemed that everywhere I turned there was a Sith to face down or a dragon lurking above me.  I’m not talking about a few items here and there-I’m talking excessive stuff-it was a fanboy’s dream. It seems that along with being a geek there comes a lot of “stuff” to show off just how much of a geek one is.  The more geek interests one has, the more stuff there seems to be.

I must admit that at one time, I too contributed to the geek “stuff” around his apartment.  When I got him a plush Darth Vader doll he was elated.  This of course stopped when we started co-habitating.  I vowed to myself that the geeky décor would have to come to an end-at least in part.

I started off slowly, removing smaller items off of the cluttered shelves.  Of course I did this with his permission-mostly.  I reasoned with myself that I was a grown woman and frankly it was all a little much.  There comes a time right? I promised that when we bought a house someday that if space allowed, the items, well, some of them anyway, could re-emerge in a games room…

Before you throw me to the lions...er I mean rancor, I didn’t make him put all of it away.  The large wooden D20 that he built with his grandfather a few years before his grandfather passed is nice looking and I know it has a lot of sentimental value for him so it sits on prominent display on our shelves in the living room.  While I did move the D&D dragons, I gave up some of my storage shelves so he could organize his dice, magic cards, minis and other gaming items all in one place. His suit of armor, even though it has caused countless people to have near heart attacks, is in our spare bedroom; a symbol of his bravery at beating cancer when he was in his teens. At Christmas we even have a variety of Star Wars ornaments that grace our tree-including a Yoda which, while green, does not spread Christmas cheer with the constipated look on his face.

Now that all being said, I know this is a two way street.  I have vowed never to make him curl up at night under an overly floral or excessively girly duvet cover.  He will never have to look at pictures of babies dressed up in cute costumes on the wall unless they’re our own some day and while I love to read and write I promise not to make a secret shrine to my favourite authors without his expressed written consent. I want our home to be a combination of both of our interests and our shared tastes.

Last night he lamented that I wouldn’t let him get this gaming table he’s been drooling over.  I told him once again it would have to wait for his games room.  Gollum on the other hand I’m afraid will have a permanent place in the closet even if he does get his wish someday.  It’s not that I don’t like the Lord of the Rings-he’s just creepy.