The Effects of Your Cel Collecting

My coworkers actually seem to think that it's a pretty cool hobby. Then again, most are males in the 20-25 year old range who occasionally enjoy anime, even though none of them collect cels themselves.

At times I think my wife wants to give me grief, but then she remembers her own hobby which is horses. Between the monthly board, vet bills, shows, etc., her hobby is at least as expensive as mine. So, she really wouldn't say anything to me about it. I've tried to get her to collect cels depicting horses, but she won't have any of it.

Nobody I know who knows I do this (and that is very few people) think it's cool, strange: yes, cool: no.

However it does effect me in another way. We want to remodel the kitchen. I am having a hard time not thinking what cels I could buy with the money we'll spend on appliances, tile, cabinets, fixtures, lighting, etc, etc.... I need a different perspective to get through this.@.@

when I first started collecting cels, my parents gave me the hardest time (no matter how old you are your still thier child) why did I spend so much on one cel? then it became why did I buy one when I could have made a replica for much cheaper? why do I have multiple cels of one character? they didn't see cels as an art form.
Things that helped the most, hmm, well I guess seeing that it wasn't a phase, taking them to a gallery that sold cels, taking them to an exhibit at the walters (they had an exhibit on warner bros. through the years). But the bigest thing that helped was actually when they met a couple of other people who also collected and realized I wasn't crazy. Over time they're still not crazy about it but they accept and even go as far when they see a empty package ask to see whats new.

For the most part, my wife and I have a don't ask don't tell policy. She likes my cels, and I try to only keep one hobby going at a time. I usually am selective with the people with whom I share my collecting passions. Cels, unlike my reef tank (older hobby), still have residual value. When the fish or coral die in the tank, they are pretty much worthless.

I'm constantly being berated for buying cels or as my friends and family call them "little pieces of plastic". My parents major problem is that I'm currently paying off college loans, and shouldn't invest in such an expensive hobby. But they don't yell, they just kinda roll their eyes. I handle it by passing my addiction on to the younger sisters, that keeps them off my back for a while (or at least until they figure out who got them started)