Introducing The Man Cave.

A couple of weeks ago I found a much needed beer fridge on craigslist for the Man Cave for $20!   Its nothing special, just a box to keep my refreshing beverages cold.   In honor of the newest upgrade, and multiple reader requests, I would like to invite all of you to the Man Cave this morning – and even though its early – enjoy a beer with me as I show you the ropes.   So go grab a cold one and sit back and relax, the tour will begin in 5.

…(5 min later)…

Welcome to the Man Cave.

To start, lets give a little history.   The principles of the Cave have been instilled in me since birth because I grew up with a game room in my house.   It was the kids sanctuary and we could do whatever we wanted out there.   First beer(s)….game room.   First girl(s)…game room.   First party(ies)…game room.   First run in(s) with the law…game room. That safe haven practically raised me and all of my friends – now deemed the Man Cave Dwellers.   We had it all from the time we were in middle school, thanks dad!   We had a pool table, foose ball, ping pong, air hockey, darts, and more.     It was awesome!   Naturally I have always wanted a game room of my own and when we bought this house last year I saw great potential in the garage.   After I “broke ground” Katie officially deemed it “The Man Cave” and thus was born a new generation with the same late nights, the same great friends, and the same games.   The nights are a little further apart these days, but when they happen they mean so much more than they did 15 years ago.

Now the important stuff.   The Man Cave ultimately revolves around an ongoing game that we created many moons ago in a galaxy far, far away.   World Domination, as we call it, is basically our own version of the board game RISK.   It is played and tracked here with a world map that’s up on the wall:

Each player has their own colored pins and we play battle for the countries of the world (more on that in a minute).   Once a game and countries have been decided on, the battle ensues and when one party claims victory, that player can put their pin on the map to claim their land.   Each game the player wins gets them one step closer to world domination.

What are the battle grounds you ask?   Honestly, anything imaginable!   There has been everything from Wii bowling wars to who can toss an empty beer can into the trash can that’s 20 feet away.   The game allows for any number of scenarios.   However most conquests rise and fall either on the pair of dart boards:

Or on the pool table:

The pool table is what enticed me to “break ground” on the Man Cave.   I found this baby on Ebay for $100.   Its a slate 8′ table with a ball return and it even came WITH the beer light!   I had to have it as soon as I saw it.   When I went to pick it up from the guy’s basement it was in ok shape.   After i got it home, I tore it apart, replaced the bumpers, and recovered it with nice new felt and new rubber pockets.   It plays like a dream now!

(Side note – getting a slate pool table out of a basement is no easy task, which is why its in the garage and not in our basement.   I will never go through that again!)

Right now there are 5 principle players; Robert (Red), Me (LtBlue), Brett (Orange), Justin (Yellow), Gary (Green).  Then there are a few other guest stars that play for what I like to call the  “A Team” (David, Christon, Annie, and anyone else that wants to play).   If you paid close attention to the map photos you might have noticed that the red tacks are all over the board.   Robert passed away a few years ago and being one of our brothers, we had to include him in the new game.   So the rule stands that each time Justin wins he places one tack for him and one for Robert.   Anytime Justin loses, Robert’s pin remains.   This really means that Robert is the only one that actually stands a chance in dominating the world…   Which is very fitting for him.

That about wraps up the tour.   All and all it took me around three months to redo all of the electrical, install the insulation and sheet rock, and build all the custom oak pieces.  My main goal was to leave it as a functioning garage.  All my tools and crap are all over the back wall and the garage door is still functioning which is awesome in the summer because we can open the door and the Man Cave can become part of the party that’s on the back deck.  There is still a long list of work to do out there and every time I’m playing pool another improvement or upgrade pops into the ol’ noggin.   Its the perfect little ongoing project and I’m glad i could   share it with you all.

Cheers!

-Chris