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9th June 2012
HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS...WINS! by cromwell

HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS...WINS!

photo 161
The rain just would not go away, so it was time for a selfie. This is me in my Monster Toy Room. It started a few years ago when I got a lone figure of Freddy Kruger which I place on top of my computer moniter. It has grown a bit since then. The shelves actually cover three walls, like a big U. You're only seeing the back wall (lol). When the grandkids come over THIS is the room they want to go into. Hunter loves it, but is still afraid to go in it alone (the zombies might get him!). I figured I better get a shot of it before I start packing them up for the move.

PS: This shot is mostly for my buddy Aaron. :-)

I hate doing selfies! Not because I don't want to share my beauty with the world, no. It's because I don't like NOT being behind the camera and in control. This shot would have been infinitly better had I been shooting someone else. When I'm detatched from my camera I loose all creative control. I'm a freestyle hand-holding photographer. I need to be one with my camera to create the magic. I also HATE using tripods! It better stop raining because I don't want to do anymore of these. ;-P
Comments
thank you fr sharing your toys with us
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow!! What a collection! Great selfie and insight into your life :) (my boys would love this!)
posted June 9th, 2012  
oh. my. god. I'll take one of everything off the Star Trek shelf! Squeeeee! And maybe a dragon just because they are cool.
posted June 9th, 2012  
What a cool collection! I can see why the grandkids love it!
posted June 9th, 2012  
fav.......this is way cool Crom!! i had a feeling you were a great grandpa (not to be confused with great-grandpa), now this proves it!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Great selfie! It is nice to put a face with your name. You have quite the collection. Your grandkids must love it!
posted June 9th, 2012  
So nice to see your smiling face! And the toys! Can my 35 year old boy come play. That is his element! Cool shot. And why are you moving?




posted June 9th, 2012  
Whoa! look at all that....I'm sending my boys round for a play date after dinner =)
posted June 9th, 2012  
What a collection! My boys would love this room too so I'm not surprised it's your grandkid's favourite! Great selfie despite feeling a lack of control in taking it!
posted June 9th, 2012  
oh my!!! Thats some collection you've got there Crom....i like the big one in the middle, holding the other toys....oh wait sorry that's you!! I will have to show this to Jade, she will love that top shelf of bobble heads, she has a small of collection of those herself! Great shot btw!
posted June 9th, 2012  
I'm not sure what makes me more jealous: the Star Trek figures or the Universal monsters! Most impressive!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow! You've got a really cool collection there :-). And I have to add - you look way too young to have grandchildren!!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Well I Love this one - I'd forgotten what you look like behind the monkey mask :) Great toys.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Am I right in seeing some Star Trek characters on the second shelf? You wouldn't happen to have a Mr Spock figurine, would you?
posted June 9th, 2012  
Crom....what an amazing collection!!! and only grown "a bit" !!!You look cool in there!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow! Impressive collection! I love that abominable snowman. Great seflie, too!
posted June 9th, 2012  
@mgozzard -- Now Margaret, you can look, just don't touch. :-p

@mummarazzii -- I'm sure your boys eyes would grow wide as saucers if they walked in there. I've yet to meet a kid who didn't. :-)

@msk1p2 -- As a matter of fact I do have a dragon in there (out of frame). The one from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. :-)

@tryeveryday -- One of the many reasons that I am the cool grandpa! There's always drama when Hunter has to go home. The tears flow and my daughter says he tries to climb out of his car seat all the way home crying for his "Pa-PAAAAA!" LOL

@paulaag -- Every kid should have at least ONE cool grandpa, don't ya think? :-)

@jenniferruge -- Yes, that's my face...and I'm stuck with it.

@cdonohoue -- House rules. Pa-Pa's toys are for looking at. NOT playing with. But you 35 year old can come over and look. :-p As for moving? No job + No money = No home.

@mantha -- The more the merrier!

@aleksandra -- Might as well bring your kids over too. We'll make a party of it. :-D

@trude -- The big one in the middle is a rare "Special Collectors Item". They don't make them anymore. :-)

@366days -- Oh Suzanne, just hearing you identify the Universal monsters makes my heart a-flutter! I may have to marry you now. ;-P

@hannak -- Thanks Hanna. If you act young. You look young!

@filsie65 -- I just shaved for this picture is all.

@spock -- Oh yes, Mr. Spock. That whole second shelf is loaded with Star Trek figures. Except a little to the ledt are some Lost In pace guys...and you can juuuuust catch a glimpse of the Jupiter 2 on the end. All the robots are on another shelf.

@ruthmouch -- It stopped growing when I ran out of shelf space.
posted June 9th, 2012  
@cmc1200 -- The kids love that one. If you press the secret button on his arm he roars and then sings "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas"!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Oh, my, Cromwell! It was very clear to us that you already had all the toys. . .but the evidence is overwhelming. It is SO special for us to get to see your selfie and to enjoy a little bit of what must be the most fab grandparent house in the world. Hope the move helps you find a place where there is more security but still access to all you love. Good luck!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Very impessive!!!!
posted June 9th, 2012  
I've help off complaining about your photos for a while now but I see that today is the day I have to do it. Please upload a larger photo! This is too small on my screen for me to see everything and when I hit the zoom button, it doesn't get any larger! Bigger photo please. ;-)
posted June 9th, 2012  
@lyno -- Thanks Lyn. Drop in sometime. I'll be the guy living in the cardboard box under the bridge.
posted June 9th, 2012  
@jwlynn64 -- John, if you could explain to me how to do that I will. I'm a techno-retard and don't know why my photos can't beed viewed large here.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Aaron LOVES this shot and has spent the longest time looking at it. He was so excited and animated pointing out all the different figures, and he especially likes your Frankensteins "mum I need to get some more, I only have 1.......why does the Bride of Frankenstein not look like Frankenstein" so many questions lol :-) It's such a cool collection, and thank you from Aaron......you've put the biggest smile on his face, and it's a fab selfie! :-)
posted June 9th, 2012  
I am so sorry, Cromwell, that you have to move. I hate that for you. I may be joining you soon. I so keep hoping things will pick and get better so we can all find jobs again and support ourselves. America is such a heartbreaking place today.

I think your selfie is pretty great. You have quite the collection. I've been trying to sell my collection of foreign dolls for a while now. I sell one here and there. Kind of sad to have to sell your childhood. All of my good jewelry was the first to go. We can thank the blood sucking socialists for it.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow! And I thought I was bad with my toys LOL.... Do I see Uhura???
posted June 9th, 2012  
my 34 year old daughter would be afraid to enter your room :-)
posted June 9th, 2012  
wow that is wild!! neat though! and i think its a great shot
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow..this is quite a collection! And a great selfie!
posted June 9th, 2012  
When I first saw the shot I thought you were in another Disney store - then I read your commentary...!! I like that growing old does not have to mean growing up. I must remember that myself sometimes, not having enough fun at the moment. Maybe I should start collecting fun stuff :)
posted June 9th, 2012  
@allisonrap -- Hearing that Aaron got such a big kick out of it really made my day. See, I told you I would eventually take a shot of that room for him. :-)

@marlboromaam -- Sorry you are on the same sinking ship, Mags. I may up selling this collection myself. I probably won't have any place to display it wherever I end up. If we get another four years of that idiot in the White House I'm seriously thinking about moving to another country and starting a new life there.

@jsw0109 -- Yes, Uhura is up there in all her red miniskirt glory. :-)

@jolefont == Aw, it's not so scary. I have RoboCop in there to protect her.

@tbats22 -- Heeeeey, Tiara. I've been missing you girl! :-D

@groovygirlrn -- Thanks Sheri. Dont get used to seeing too many more selfie's out of me though.

@lauralatham -- Don't grow up, Laura. Trust me, it isn't any fun at all! :-p
posted June 9th, 2012  
OMG.....Cromwell.....Thats one heck of a collection you have got there!!....Incredible!!......Loving the hat too! : )
posted June 9th, 2012  
@cromwell I can't imagine where either of us could go that isn't in just as bad of shape or worse. Still, if the idiot and his cronies are thrown out of the white house... I think the damage has gone to far to fix, even in 10 years or more.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow, what a collection Cromwell! What fun you must have when the kids come over (and even when they don't)! Great fun selfie!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow - wonderful collection, love Nightmare Before Christmas! Sorry to hear you're moving, things aren't any better in the UK either!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Impressive collection. It must be really hard for your grandchildren if they are allowed only look and not touch.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Fabulous selfie and display!!! Enjoyed this peek into your life!
posted June 9th, 2012  
Cool toys.

Where did you work when you were working for Disney?

I worked at Disneyland for five years in the 80s.
posted June 9th, 2012  
@webfoot -- I worked at the Magic Kingdom from 1995 to 2003.
posted June 9th, 2012  
Wow !!! FAV
posted June 10th, 2012  
A kid's heaven, terrific selfie
posted June 10th, 2012  
@cromwell I am so very sorry on the way the economy has effected you. It sucks right now (can I say that here). I sure do hope that things look up. I keep hearing that it is changing and read, I think today, that the outlook is worse again.
posted June 10th, 2012  
@cromwell This photo is 800 pixels by 482 pixels and is 72 pixels per inch. I think that if you upload a bigger image (twice as big maybe) we would get a larger image when we click the magnifying glass icon. Thanks.
posted June 10th, 2012  
@jwlynn64 By the way. Sorry to hear about your work situation. Don't get any funny ideas but you seem to be a nice looking fella. Midnight Cowboy ring any bell for you! =8-O
posted June 10th, 2012  
Wait a minute... Didn't he end up in Florida! =8-O x 2
posted June 10th, 2012  
Yes, I think you win :)
posted June 10th, 2012  
@jwlynn64 -- "This photo is 800 pixels by 482 pixels and is 72 pixels per inch. I think that if you upload a bigger image (twice as big maybe) we would get a larger image when we click the magnifying glass icon."

Yeah, this is Chinese to me. You have t tell me exactly HOW to change the size. You must have missed the part about me being a techno-retard.
posted June 10th, 2012  
Fantastic selfie. Those toys are amazing. You must be like the coolest grandad in those kids eyes
posted June 10th, 2012  
Like it! Shows you are a man who is a kid at heart! I thought you said you had a beard? Are you hiding it, or did it suffer an untimely demise?
posted June 10th, 2012  
@rockinrobyn -- The beard is there. It was short trimmed and salt n peppery (heavy on the salt) so hard is to see in this photo. It's gone now. I just saved it off this morning!
posted June 10th, 2012  
holy crap! you have more figures than I have lego!!! lol I am impressed by you dedication to the world of figure collecting!
posted June 10th, 2012  
@crimper_chun -- If you saw the whole room you'd really go "Holy crap!!!" :-)
posted June 10th, 2012  
@cromwell I've been thinking about the growing up/old thing and what I said about collecting fun stuff. from September I'll be teaching little kids again (4-7 years old) and I always used a magic wand (they're easily persuaded!) so I've decided to build up a fantastic collection of new magic wands, rather than keep using the same old one or two - what do you think!?
posted June 10th, 2012  
@lauralatham -- Smashing idea! I wish I had a pretty teacher who could wave her magic wand to enchant us kids. I had a bunch of mean nuns who smacked us around.
posted June 10th, 2012  
When you save your photo, just pick a setting that saves a better quality photo. Do you have your camera set to a low resolution? Is it set to one of the S settings? If not, when you use the program that puts the border around it, does it give you a choice of saving it in different resolutions. Use the larger sizes if you can.
posted June 11th, 2012  
Oh Cromwell its great to see you and some of your personality!! I thought you were a grumpy Old Man!! lol! ..I am with you no tripod unless absolutly a have to! Hand Held mostly but them again i have to sanp a few hundred times because i have such shaky hands! None the less love the freedom!! This shot is a definit Keeper!! :)
posted June 11th, 2012  
Oh sorry i forgot to FAV!! I am sorry you are having to move but i am with you ! One Big Ass Mistake America!!!!
posted June 11th, 2012  
WoW, You win! That's a whole lotta toys! Great and fun selfie!
posted June 11th, 2012  
Very cool collection! Was at Magic Kingdom in 99. :-) faved
posted June 11th, 2012  
What an amazing collection and great selfie! It's nice to see you!
posted June 11th, 2012  
ohmigod! this is just soooo much fun!
posted June 12th, 2012  
@aud_c -- Thanks! I was in Rome in 2010. :-)
posted June 12th, 2012  
Look at all those crazy fun toys! Quite the collection!
posted June 12th, 2012  
I would like to be in this room myself! You have more than what the toy shops have here and that of course can mean 2 things (our toy shop lousy).
posted June 12th, 2012  
That is the coolest room ever!
posted June 12th, 2012  
Woah! Very cool collection Cromwell, congrats :)
posted June 13th, 2012  
I am not sure how I missed this one, but goodness. You must be the envy of every kid on the block. Your grand kids must think you are the coolest! This reminds me of a room my late uncle had. Every wall was filled with baseball caps.
posted June 13th, 2012  
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