home > Fly > style> Anatomy of...> Habitat
Mark’s Man Cave
Bryan Flynn
Amber Fleur De Lis Cups, The Everyday Gourmet, $25
by Bryan Flynn
November 16, 2011
When my brother-in-law, Mark, and his wife, Cathryn, were looking for a house a few years back, he knew that she would decorate it as she saw fit. Fortunately, the house they wanted to buy also had a 23-by-11-foot workshop that Mark instantly claimed like an explorer planting his flag on new territory. Mark and Cathryn got the house, and laid plans for Mark to have a man cave.
I am not sure when the phrase "man cave" came into use, but it has become popular for men to want a place of "manness" in their home. The man cave has become a real-life version of Superman's fortress of solitude.
Many men use their man cave as their personal space. They can do anything, say anything and decorate it their way. The popularity of the man cave has spawned websites and a TV show on the DIY network.
Mark likes his man cave simple. Plain white walls and a floor covered with dirty-looking tiles cover the floor. A workspace takes up a quarter of the man cave. Pegboards line one end of the man cave so that he can hang his tools. In this space, Mark works on his motorcycle, rebuilds computers and tinkers around.
The other three-quarters of the room is set up for entertainment. Mark has an entertainment center-like setup with a big TV on a stand with a surround-sound system on a shelf above it. It is here where Mark can watch his beloved LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints, stream movies on his X-Box, play video games, surf the net or just relax. Heat or cold doesn't keep Mark from his man-oasis because the man cave has a built-in air conditioner and a space heater that he added in.
"You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a man cave," Mark explains. "The furniture, TV and table were all things other people didn't want."
Mark likes to invite friends over to watch sports. On many occasions, I have come over for LSU against Florida. Mark drags up his grill and fills a cooler with our favorite beverages. We eat, drink and are allowed to smoke while we watch the game. Mark lets his dog join us sometimes when we are not eating.
The man cave has become the home sanctuary for men. It is a place for us to be ourselves without upsetting our wives.
Mark is quick to tell newcomers that it is like Las Vegas: What happens in the man cave stays in the man cave.
posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/16/11 at 06:08 PM. [printer version] Share |
COMMENTS
:: recentcomments
May 25, 2012 | 02:20 PMJRA Says Ugly Garage Ramp Must Go
justjess: Not a problem and for sure, not a priority. In an ecomomy where people are concerned about the State's infrastructure (unstable bridges, sreets in desperate need of repair ...
May 25, 2012 | 02:17 PM
BREAKING: JPS Agrees to Overhaul Discipline Policies, Settles Lawsuit
lizwaibel: Also today, the US Dept. of Education released a resource document that says restraint or seclusion does not reduce the occurrence of ...
May 25, 2012 | 09:32 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: I'm not sure where the "@" came from, but I think golden eagle's response was directed to me, so I will respond one more time. First, the inclusion of the word "facts" and the phrase ...
May 25, 2012 | 08:01 AM
[Dish] Cobby Williams, Young Gun
Queen601: That first question is classic! LOL
May 24, 2012 | 09:34 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: @notmuch, here are some facts about voter fraud, straight from the Brennan Center's website: Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare. Most citizens who ...
May 24, 2012 | 07:14 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: Oh, I have hundreds of those right-wing sites, and I couldn't say which ones are more "partisan"--they all include those pesky facts. Yes, when dead voters and multiple voters under ...
May 24, 2012 | 07:11 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
justjess: @ golden eagle. Thanks for the spell check. I didn't just spell assassination wrong ONE time, I did it over and over. LOL! You are right on the mark; I was trying to use the word ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:46 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: I don't think you could've found a more partisan right-wing site than the Daily Caller. The fact of the matter is that the right is using this issue not as a means of improving ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:10 PM
[Dish] Cobby Williams, Young Gun
trusip: WOW! was this a real interview or a joke?
May 24, 2012 | 05:00 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: I don't think you could have found a more liberal example of a "non-partisan" site, but even so, their evidence seems to consist of 250 carefully chosen instances in one area of ...
May 24, 2012 | 04:48 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: Rather than using ideological websites to support your argument, I'll use the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice. Really good site.
May 24, 2012 | 04:30 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
notmuch: I might be missing something here, but I am a little confused by Golden Eagle's points: "the fact is that voter fraud is extremely rare"--so it is of no consequence that some ...
May 24, 2012 | 11:26 AM
Nick Hanauer's 'Controversial' TED Talk -- Tax the Rich?
RobbieR: TED is an elite academic conference.
May 24, 2012 | 10:18 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
DonnaLadd: No, Darryl, no one blocked you. Stop being paranoid. We just typically open comments in moderation during non-office hours. To me, a bozo isn't someone who disagrees with me. It's ...
May 24, 2012 | 06:18 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
Darryl: That's funny that you blocked my last comment...
1e-mail newsletter
Sign up for the JFP Daily Newsletter to receive breaking news, local events, music listings and more by e-mail.
jfp best bets and recommended
|
Guests online: 219
© Jackson Free Press, Inc. - portions of code by CC with EE. User agreement and privacy statement. |
