Not Dead... Just not Blogging Much Right Now

It has been... a rough year so far. And I don't mean the "Man it sucks that David Bowie and Prince died..." kind of rough (although aaarrrggghhh!!!). I mean the "Wow, I may be changing absolutely everything about my life in the next few months and my entire future is uncertain..." kind of rough.

My collection has taken a major hit as my lifestyle has changed, and so has the cave. I would say I have dumped a good 65% of the collection that once stood here in the Goodwill Geek Cave. My trips to Goodwill have dropped off significantly. In fact, in the past almost-four-months I only started going back out thrifting in maybe the last two weeks or so at all.

If you've been following my Instagram account, you'll know that I've certainly still been collecting toys (I know it's lazy blogging to just screen capture my Instagram pics and repost them here... but I'm cutting myself some slack... Please follow suit.):

I've certainly been adding more Funk POPS! to my current collection. Roller-Derby Harley Quinn, April O'Neil, Snakeyes, Cobra Commander, Ms. Pac-Man, FN-2187, Watson, and Sherlock all came home within the last month or so. Other recent additions not pictured here: Pinhead, Twisty the Clown (from American Horror Story: Freakshow), and the Crow. 

My daughter and I have started collecting Tsum Tsum toys together. These little guys are addictive! She loves them and there are characters that I consider must-haves like Perry the Platypus, Eeyore, Stitch, and Baymax. Since I had a HUUUUGe crush on the Little Mermaid when I was younger, I wanted hers, and Dumbo, the Chesire Cat and Bing-Bong were too cool upon noticing them that I decided I NEEDED them. The classic Disney characters like Minnie, Mickey, and Goofy don't really do much for me, and neither does Olaf from Frozen... but I gotta have complete stacks of three. It's a weird thing for me with these toys. Also not pictured are recent additions, Hiro (Big Hero 6), Flounder, and Scrump (Lilo's doll from Lilo & Stitch)

I'm more in love with these two new Bebop and Rocksteady action figures from the new movie line than I care to admit. I genuinely feel like these are the Bebop and Rocksteady that we DESERVED on the Nicktoon. The Nicktoon and I are not currently speaking anyway. My interest dropped off intensely when the Turtles took off into space and left behind everything they've spent the last few seasons developing. I am in no way interested in seeing either of the recent live-action TMNT movies, but I'm developing a taste for nice looking action figures based on moves I have no intention of seeing (more on this later).

I like the new Force Awakens Galactic Heroes figures from Hasbro. They don't go well with my classic Galactic Heroes figures from years ago... but I don't feel like they all need to interact anyway. New generation of Star Wars heroes... new generation of minifigures to represent them (not pictured are Captain Phasma and the First Order Stormtrooper figures I also own... and I am still hunting for the Kylo Ren single pack).

I've started a new love affair with Marvel Legends figures too. Until recently, I only owned a handful of figures, mostly gifts from friends or stuff I found at Goodwill. I tracked down a complete set of the Guardians of the Galaxy figures when those came out, but haven't really felt the need beyond those. And then... I got Captain Marvel sometime last year... and then Spider-Man 2099 was a MUST HAVE. And then the beautiful Spider-Gwen! After her, I picked up The Scarlet Witch and Machine Man on clearance. And at this point I own 14 of these things.

I am verrrry selective when it comes to what characters I want to add to the flock however. But I think if they do a 6 inch Spider-Man Noir, I will have to own that puppy.

Also pictured here are a couple of Wonder Woman toys. As I mentioned with Bebop and Rocksteady above, I've been falling in love with some toys that represent movies I have no intention of seeing. All of the Wonder Woman toys from the new Batman vs. Superman lines fall firmly into this category. I love Wonder Woman, and I really love the design of the character in these toys. I even snagged a PEZ dispenser!

I haven't completely lost my will to thrift... I hit the antique mall a couple of times in the past few months, and found some really fun stuff, like these puffy Michale Jackson stickers, and this old Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Dragonlance Adventures Hardcover! (I also got REALLY vicious trimming down my roleplaying manual collection... maybe a little too vicious. I'm regretting some of the stuff I dumped... but I think I'll be fine in the long run.) 

I still haven't lost my taste for random crap either! I love this little Teen Titans GO! minifigure pack, and as Poe Dameron demonstrates here, I am still collecting Star Wars Action figures. I picked up the Kroenen and K-9 figures the same day as the puffy stickers and Dragonlance book above.

Even with all the adapting I've been doing to events in my life recently, I've managed to have an adventure or two. I didn't go to Monster Mania in New Jersey this year, even after purchasing my tickets, but I did get to go to a local comic convention in Bangor Maine. 

 It was my very first convention ever, and it was a blast!

 My friend Brandon came along for two reasons: 1) He is a classic game collector! NES, Super NES, Genesis, you name it, and Brandon collects it. I have a weekly date with him at his place where we play old games and bitch about our problems. (I'll fill you in on reason #2 in a bit)

 I loved the geeky photo opportunities! Here I am with the TARDIS and R2-D2.

There were Mandalorians in greater numbers than I expected in attendance...

 As well as different chapters of Ghostbusters.

Brandon was determined to meet Troy "Mini-Me" Verner. The above picture (the best shot I got IMO) is of Troy warning me not to take the picture yet because Brandon's card had not been run through yet. 

 Here's the official, "legal" shot. Brandon had had high hopes that he could get Troy to hang off his arm or sit on his shoulders or something... but he immediately got the vibe that these requests might be frowned upon. I also sneaked a shot of Troy from afar TOTALLY BY ACCIDENT while taking shots of the convention floor.

This booth was magical. It featured several vintage roleplaying game accessories, including the mounts for the Warduke and Strongheart vintage action figures, the "Good Destrier" and "Evil Nightmare" toys. 

I had to physically peel myself away from this table! Of course, when the guy saw me ogling his supplies, he let me know he had a box full of action figures under the table that he would let me pick through (more on that later...).

There was a healthy but-not-overwhelming amount of cosplay. Lots of Whovians because Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor Who) was in attendance... but still a lot of cool costumes and ideas.

I was particularly infatuated with this table of custom designer toys. I was severely tempted to buy this 40 dollar Muck Monster... but ultimately couldn't pull the trigger.

In the end, I walked away with this one eyed fellow from the same table. He was 5 bucks and adorable so he came with me. Limbless as he may be, he helped me wave goodbye to good old Paul Bunyan as I headed to Chili's for lunch with Brandon. 

This was the pile of stuff I ended up bringing home with me from the con... some respectable loot. Some Secret Wars figures, a Robo Cop with his helmet... a Super Powers Flash, a vintage Lando Calrissian, a Sectaurs figure, a Dreadnok, a pile of TPBs and dollar bin comics... AND a Hook Horror action figure to add to my D&D vintage collection!!!

I'm going to end this here because I've already gone way longer than I had planned to. Don't know when I'll be back again... or IF I'll be back again. I'm not going to quit blogging... but in the near future my blogging goals may be changing. My life goals certainly have. We shall see. No promises then, about being back soon with more Goodwill Goodies. But I will certainly still wish you Happy Hunting!

This was not what I'd planned... But I'm gonna roll with it.

Hey there kids!

I was planning on participating in another Creepmas countdown this year, and then I got hit with my THIRD big illness of the season so far... and I ran out of steam. It's really a shame, as this seems to be shaping up to be the year of the Krampus, one of the tried-and-true heroes of the Creepmas movement... but I just don't have it in me to participate right now. Heck we're on day 7 and I don't even have the pictures taken I had intended to!

I feel like a Cotton-Headed Ninny-Muggins!!!

I blogged every single day in October for that countdown, and I think it kind of ended up hurting my enjoyment of the Halloween season this year, in some ways. In others, I think it actually enhanced my celebration... so I don't know where I'm going with THAT... but this December I haven't sat down to blog once (until now) and I find myself filled with a great deal more Christmas spirit than I had imagined I could be.

Like this guy. 

I took advantage of November this year, using it to dump over 20 posts from my other, now dead blog, and all I had to do there was tack on a quick explanation to beginning of each one, and program the auto-posting feature Blogger's got going on, and voila! I haven't really posted any NEW new content since October! And I feel great!

My heart's grown three sizes! And not due to cholesterol (although that probably helped).

SO what I'm getting at is this: I had plans. Not big plans, but plans for December. But I'm letting them go. I'm still recuperating from an illness, and I'm kicking off a vacation home with my family this week, so... we'll see what happens. But I feel like I'm probably taking a break until the New Year hits. I think I need it kind of.

Pretty apt.

I need to come back fresh to this blog and feel like I have something new to say, not just dump meaningless content in every day. I want to start talking about the stuff I'm finding at Goodwill in a new way as well. So I'm not just going: "Hey lookit what I found! Neat right?" Over and over, lather-rinse-repeat.

I just really wanted another Bill Murray reference... but you gotta admit how eerily well this fits.

So unless something exciting comes up (I may hop on here to review Krampus, or the Force Awakens, when I See them, or maybe not!) I will see you in January dear readers! I have a LOT of Geeky Goodwill finds from 2015 to catch up when that comes along, so I'll be getting pretty busy. Until then, Happy Hunting!

I'll Just See You in December... Okay?

Ugh. I have been trying to get the energy up to get into the cave and write some blog posts... but it just ain't happenin' Jack. Instead, I'm just going to continue to rest my blogger-brain for the rest of this month, and when December hits, finally start getting back into the swing of things.

I'll be kicking things off with the 13 days of Creepmas this year, an event I don't usually partake in... and then slide right into the 12 days of Christmas. I have some fun stuff planned for both, and I will be dropping a post every day from December 1st on until Christmas Day itself. And then I'll probably take another little hiatus until the new year, and THEN I'll get back on track.

I have a lot of packages from some incredibly generous people to share with you all, and it's looking like the New Year is when I'm finally going to get around to talking about all of those... so keep your eyes peeled boys and girls!

In the meantime... Here is my Geektastic Nativity scene from a couple of years back. I'm thinking it may be time to put another one together this year!

Remember, I'm staying active on Instagram and Twitter even though I'm not blogging for a bit. Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks also has a Facebook page too, where I post fun stuff from the web that I notice fellow bloggers doing, so be sure to check that out, and I am still podcasting with my fellow Geek Fallout geeks as well, so be sure to give us a listen!

And finally, feel free to drop me a line at thegoodwillgeek(at)hotmail(dot)com any time as well. I've received a couple of very nice e-mails from my new buddy Mark C. and I thought I'd give him a shout-out as a thank you for all the kind words, and for letting me know how he's doing! Mark has recently gotten his comic collection organized and is now working on sorting through all his action figures... and I wish him the best in that insanity, as I have just gotten rid of two giant rough-totes worth of books from my bookshelves, and the endeavor almost cost me my mind, my marriage, and my mortal soul.

So... Anywhoo... Hope you all have an awesome Turkey Day, and I'll see you in December! That's when I'll be back with some (say it with me!) Geeky Goodwill Goodies. Until then, Happy Hunting!

Halloween Countdown Day 29: I've Been Waiting...

I've literally been waiting ALL season to post this one:

Here are the TWO not ONE but TWO strings of Halloween Orange Decorative lights we picked up at Goodwill for .99 cents!!! They are still sitting in this exact state (tangled as ANYTHING) and will most likely not be used until next season. But they work perfectly! 

I have been waiting ALL season to post this one picture! Seriously! I think it's hilarious. And the closer I've gotten to Halloween without touching these lights... the funnier it feels to me. Anyway...

I'll be back soon with more Garishly-Orange Goodwill Goodies! Until then, Happy Haunting!

Halloween Countdown Day 17: Too Effing Tired.

I'm too effing tired after a really long day at work to post anything coherent... so here's some pink kitten heads for putting candy in.

Halloween everybody! Not really sure what the heck we're going to do with these (I do have a vague idea involving some of the new decorative Halloween lights my wife bought...) but they're Halloween and I haven't missed my post! When it comes to the Halloween countdown, let's face it, we want regularity... not quality. 

So... that's it for tonight ladies and germs! I'll be back with more Glistening Goodwill Goodies soon enough! Until then, Happy Haunting!

Be sure to check out all of the great blogs participating in this year's Halloween Countdown! You can do so by clicking this link, or clicking on the Cryptkeeper 2013 banner on the sidebar to the right! Also, check out the "Blog-O-Ween" Halloween Blog collective, again by following this link, or through the badge on the sidebar! Thanks!

Geeky Videos for a Lazy Sunday

Felt like posting some stuff today without really having to explain it all... so here's some short videos I've been enjoying on YouTube lately. The Geekier the better! Some of these are super old but I think they hold up just fine.

That's it for today kids! Enjoy! I'll be back with Geeky Goodwill Goodies real soon! Until then, Happy Hunting!

Goodwill Gaming Week Day 4: Just Some Lazy Reblogging. About Games!

So today I'm totally blowing off doing a new entry and pointing you back to my very first board game feature here on Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks: 

Hero Quest! Here's the link to my original write up of that game. 

Not enough? 

Then here's a link to a post that shows the contents of a cool seeming game called Emperor's Challenge. (Scroll down to the bottom of the post to find it).

Sorry for the reblog... but I wanted to find some way of tying in old game posts in anyway... so this is it. 

If you want to check out the earlier Goodwill Gaming posts (before I phoned this one in):

- Day 1 I checked out the MAD Magazine Board Game from Parker Brothers. 

- Day 2 I explore the bizarre world of Mexican BINGO!

- Day 3 I featured the Clarissa Explains It All Board Game! 

I'll be back with some original content and more Geeky Goodwill Gaming Goodness tomorrow! Until then, Happy Hunting!

All my Drawers are Junk Drawers

Another lazy post. I was going through my desk drawers in the cave and realized again why I get nothing accomplished when I sit down to write anything in there. So I took a few quick pics of the top three drawers and I've decided to share them here with you. Squint and you'll probably find something fun in some dusty corner. I know I get lost in these three drawers all the time.

Here's my top middle drawer. Candy, several cards I use as book-marks, and various sundry office supplies. There's barely anything grown-up going on here. 

To the right of center we have a dish full of dice and bouncy balls, and other random junk. The most interesting thing in there is the wooden box under that Halloween coffin tin. I'll never reveal what's inside there. Well... maybe someday. 

Here's the best drawer of all. Everything in this drawer is some sort of boredom busting fidget item. Tops, decks of cards, squeaky toys, bouncy balls, and more all just piled in together in the best drawer I own. 

That's it! That's all for now! I've got a payday Friday coming tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have some actual Geeky Goodwill Goodies to share after that trip! Until then, Happy Hunting! 

Some Lazy Shots of Stuff I Own

So I've recently gotten interested in digging into my old X-Men comics. It might have something to do with Shawn Robare on Twitter showing off some comics he recently tracked down from one of his favorite X-Men runs (Which led to me on Twitter, showing off the same thing). He writes all about it here on his blog, Branded in the 80's. 

Once I dug into those long boxes though, I didn't want to pack them all away again. So  I did what any full grown adult would do and I plastered a corner wall of the Geek Cave with them. It reminded me of the comic shop I used to frequent in Bar Harbor Maine, "Nostalgia Ink" back when these comics were actually coming out, because they would display pricier back issues on the wall behind the counter just like you see here. 

All of the issues I have displayed here are special for different reasons. The two New Mutants issues at the top are the very first comic books I ever bought that didn't star Harvey characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost or Hot Stuff the Lil' Devil. The entire 14 issue crossover of INFERNO is represented here (not including the INCREDIBLE Excalibur and X-Terminators issues, or the various and mostly awesome crossovers into books like Daredevil, Spider-Man, etc.) One of my absolute favorites is this little gem:

It features Illyana Rasputin in the most corrupted version of her Darkchylde persona, fighting her way through a demonically possessed city-scape. In one memorable scene she is tempted to drink a milkshake made of pureed nuns and priests. It doesn't get much better honestly. The green demon you see above is N'Astirh, one of the demonic big-bads of the event. 

But wait! There's more!

In addition, I felt like showing off the fact that I found another wooden CD case at Goodwill that is exactly like the other wooden CD case I already own and use to display toys. The new one is on the bottom, and has the Yo Gabba Gabba, Rescue Rangers, The Tick, and other various toys on it. That's all. Just wanted to show off yet another picture of my desk. I love my desk. It has some representation of almost everything I love on it. The only things I can think of that are missing would be classic toylines like MotU and GIJoe. But they show up elsewhere. And because I had the camera, and I was already taking pictures... I took some more. 

Here's the rest of my Star Wars stuff, Dreamworks toys, Knights and dragons, and robots. 

TMNT, Real Ghostbusters, McDonalds Happy Meal Toys (Actual McDonalds-themed toys only), Fisher Price Little People toys, and the beginnings of my Pirate display, which is not finished. 

The real purpose of this pic is to highlight the Super Hero Squad collection on the top shelf. But there's a ton of great vintage toys that I love here too. I've shown most of this stuff of before, but I've been making an effort to simplify and streamline things, so it doesn't look as cluttered. I've removed a lot of books to make shelf-space (a lot of them have been transplanted to a bookshelf in my bedroom, to my wife's delight). 

Here's my comic trades collection with all the rest of all my other, un-categorized stuff. There's a ton more to share, but like I said, I'm being lazy. So... here's a bunch of pictures of my stuff that you've probably already seen before, when I first unveiled the Geek Cave back in November. 

Sorry. I realize this post was all over the place. But... toys! Comic books! Enjoy.

I'll be back soon with more Geeky Goodwill Goodies! Until then, Happy Hunting!