The Batcave

I’m not usually one for posting entries with those online quizzes. Yes, they’re amusing, but given the nature of my blog, they just don’t really fit with my format. That said, I’m making an exception today, and I’ll explain why.

A few months ago, my wife and I moved our office into the utility room. We painted the walls black, and I spent several hours (I had expected this to take all of fifteen minutes) trying to figure out a way to run the cable for the high speed internet into the new office. As you can imagine, I spend quite a bit of time down here. If I’m not writing, working on my blog or just surfing the Internet, then I’m hiding from my fatherly/husbandly duties (at least I’m honest about it). That latter detail prompted my wife to nickname the new office... the Batcave.

Fast forward to the present, and I see one of those online quizzes on Sandra Ruttan’s blog. The topic? “Which Action Hero Would You Be?” I couldn’t resist giving this one a try, and wouldn’t you know it… I’m Batman. I’ve spent the past few days going around doing my best Christian Bale saying, “I’m Batman,” and getting a real kick out of it, thank you.

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You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause. Batman, the Dark Knight 83% Captain Jack Sparrow 75% Maximus 67% Lara Croft 54% The Terminator 54% El Zorro 54% James Bond, Agent 007 50% William Wallace 46% Indiana Jones 46% Neo, the "One" 42% The Amazing Spider-Man 42% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

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So as I’m discussing the Batcave, a few updates on said office. The cave survived a recent flooding. When the heavy rains hit the northeastern U.S. last month, Richmond got caught in the downpour. Well, a box on the back porch, destined to be thrown out, fell over and covered the drain that keeps water from flooding the utility room. I was asleep at the time, and when I awoke to go pick up my wife from work, I stepped into a huge puddle. Not a good way to start my evening. Had the water gotten an inch higher, it would have gotten into the power strip on the floor. We dodged a bullet on that one. The office smelled like a swamp for a week after that, but I finally aired it out a few days ago. I’m going to be a bit more vigilant about keeping that drain clear of debris now.

There’s another matter I need to tend to. The last time I did an entry on the Batcave, one of the Lair’s readers asked what the story was with the desk. The reader in question is blogger-extraordinaire Patrick of “Patrick’s Place” and “A Stop at Willoughby.” Patrick’s also a fellow Richmonder by way of South Carolina (as I am), and we got to meet at last year’s James River Writers Conference. I recently realized I’d failed to ever answer Patrick, so let me amend that oversight.



The desk that occupies the Batcave came into the marriage thanks to my wife. This old spinet desk was given to her by her grandmother and was in quite dismal shape at the time. A few years before we married, the desk was refinished. It’s only major flaw is the front, right leg which isn’t really attached. The weight of the desk just keeps it in place, and the minute you try to move this desk,the leg falls off. I keep meaning to screw it in place, but I’m terrified of making a mistake and messing up the desk. We had an actual computer desk for a long time, but when we moved into our new house earlier this year, we got rid of it to save some space. I won’t say this desk is ideal for a computer, but it does the job.

Hope everyone has a happy Fourth of July. My kids and I celebrated it with the best fireworks of all, watching on television as the space shuttle launched. This was the first time my kids ever watched a shuttle launch, and I must admit to breathing a sigh of relief that it went well. I can’t think of a more fitting day on which to share a shuttle launch with my children.