Category: bell works

My Year in Hobbies 2019: December!

December 2019:

I visited NJ during December, and while I was there, I stopped by Bell Works, the former Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, to see how things had progressed in the few years since I saw it in its very early stages back in 2015. It’s coming along well, as a few restaurants have opened, a number of businesses have moved in, the Holmdel Public Library has a branch, and a bunch of public sitting areas have been installed in the main corridors. I’m enjoying seeing this legendary, historic building be converted into something new that the general public has some access to, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

People mill about the front lobby of Bell Works, the former Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in Holmdel, NJ.
People mill about the front lobby of Bell Works, the former Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in Holmdel, NJ. The lobby is beige and graphite, neo-futuristic space encased in glass, designed by Eero Saarinen in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Whether it’s for nostalgia’s sake or because they haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet, the original mustard yellow carpet is still installed in the center sitting area of the lobby.
One corridor of Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ. The ceiling is made of glass panels, allowing light into the space. Along the side of the corridor, offices line the space for 6 floors. Planters are visible in the distance on the ground floor, near sitting areas.
One corridor of Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ. The ceiling is made of glass panels, allowing light into the space. Along the side of the corridor, offices line the space for 6 floors. Planters are visible in the distance on the ground floor, near sitting areas.
Another corridor of Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ, which ends at an entrance with a 6 story glass wall and glass elevators. Artificial turf covers the ground on a sitting/walking area. Along the side of the corridor, offices go up to the 6th floor.
Another corridor of Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ, which ends at an entrance with a 6 story glass wall and glass elevators. Artificial turf covers the ground on a sitting/walking area. Along the side of the corridor, offices go up to the 6th floor.
A 1949 Bowman Carl Furillo baseball card. Carl Furillo, a man with white skin and dark hair, wears a white Brooklyn Dodgers uniform with blue trim and a blue baseball cap with the letter B on the front of it, as well as a dark-colored undershirt. Carl's swinging a baseball bat, though only the hilt of the bat is visible. The card is only in partial color, as it was printed in greyscale with the blue highlights on the uniform, against a red background with beige trim.
A 1949 Bowman Carl Furillo baseball card. Carl Furillo, a man with white skin and dark hair, wears a white Brooklyn Dodgers uniform with blue trim and a blue baseball cap with the letter B on the front of it, as well as a dark-colored undershirt. Carl’s swinging a baseball bat, though only the hilt of the bat is visible. The card is only in partial color, as it was printed in greyscale with the blue highlights on the uniform, against a red background with beige trim.

How’s it going, Carl?

Toward the very end of the year, I found a nice deal on a ’49 Bowman Carl Furillo rookie card. It presents pretty well, and I paid for it near-entirely with COMC sales. Definitely one of the highlights of my Brooklyn Dodgers collection now.

First-run movies watched in December 2019 (2): Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Parasite.

The Star Wars movie was a lot of fun as long as I didn’t think about it at all. I haven’t had a chance to watch it again since I saw it in the theater, but I’m curious as to how it’ll do with me now that I have thought about it, and now that I’ve heard from the maker of every hot take on Earth about what they liked and disliked about it.

Parasite, which was the annual “go to the movies on December 25th” movie for our household, and which we kinda chose on a whim because it was that or Cats (though we still need to see Cats), was stunning. Knocked the wind out of our theater, particularly because it seemed like the patrons were the type of people satirized and attacked in the film. Deserved the hell out of the Best Picture Oscar that it got. Not a perfect film (it’s ambitious, and it doesn’t hit all of its marks), but a great film nonetheless.

And that was 2019.

Back soon, hopefully, for the 2019 wrap-up and 2020 goals post (which will likely be a very different post than it was when I started this series). Thanks for your patience on this series, as it’s taken me forever to get this far.