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Sunday, January 6, 2019

I QUIT!

Eighteen posts in 2018.  What a year for poor time management.  It feels that way although I know I'm not completely to blame. I traded actively throughout the year but spent little time organizing my collection or being present on the blogs. It's made me sad on more than one occasion.

What will change this year? What can I do differently that will allow more time for the hobby and other worthwhile activities? Do I end all trading activity? Shut down the blog altogether?  Quit my job?

I'm making a positive change in life for 2019.  The answer is ... I quit!  I've shared on numerous occasions that my job responsibilities have become ridiculous: more work for fewer people with an accelerated completion time. The managing partners should stick to what they do best - bring in the business. When they are so out of touch with the processes that complete their client's work it's not long before a collapse. I do not intend to be around for the inevitable.

2000 USPS postcards Cobb and Cochrane
1975 TCMA Colavito and Kuenn
courtesy of my Canadian friend, Fred Pike
I've been off work since Friday, Dec 21st and return tomorrow. This weekend, I applied for a couple of positions locally, both outside the tax business line, that would shave off more than 20 of the current 30 mile one-way commute. Living in the country means most work out this way pays a LOT less. I'm also over-qualified for these positions. I hope to find new work before March 1st because I will not be there on the 2nd - no matter what.

The improvements a change like this would bring are many. Working only 15 minutes from home adds nearly two hours to my day.  A tank of gas will last three times as long. There will be time for little league games, the hobby and most importantly, relationships - friends and family! Blogging?? I'd like to believe weekly posts [for the first time ever] are a real possibility! Ultimately, a new job will greatly decrease the stress I'm under 40+ hours per week. No more tax deadlines.

The downside is the large salary cut I'll be taking.  There won't be a lot leftover for the hobby. Dime boxes will be my besties for sometime to come. My want/wishlist will grow.  In anticipation of these changes, I'm moving towards PWE trades. I've been doing this with Canadian friends for a couple months now.  12-15 cards per envelope is affordable and working well.

Now with all this time off work, you'd think there'd be time for the blog and hobby. I took the down time to step away from the internet a bit; read a couple books and hang out with friends. I spent three days in Northern Michigan, in the Gaylord area. Only over the past three days have I taken time to begin the long overdue card organization. I finally compiled a list of all binder sets - and labeled the binders! Some are short only 2 to 5 cards and have been added to my current set needs. Crazy how I could need only one or two cards from mid-90s sets!  I will continue to eliminate cards from my collection via 3D posts [Dupe Dump or Dwindle] or possibly as giveaways. My house is not growing, even with all the rain. No new space but more efficient use of the space I have, is the solution.

A few featured here are various Kay-Bees, 89 Ames, 1990 Topps Magazine, 87 Hostess Whitaker, 90 BBC mag Biggio
also from Fred - thanks friend!

2019 is hopeful as most new years' are. I have the power to make this change in life. How about you? Are you also making big changes or looking for new opportunities in 2019?  Many wishes for a positive and blessed new year for all of you. Thank you for sticking around, even when I'm not here.

38 comments:

  1. Happy New Year! Big Bold things are in the works for you & I truly hope you having a swift job hunt and find something that's better for you as many ways as possible with the fewest sacrifices.

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    1. Thank you PKS! I feel at peace with my decision. I can live comfortably on less pay, certainly not to the extravagant means I do now.

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  2. It's about time! Those people don't deserve you... we do! I read a post on Reddit a number of years ago about people leaving their high stress/high paying jobs for one's that were less stressful/less paying (lawyers and doctors going to work at Walmart, that sort of thing), the consensus seemed to be that everybody who had done so, was now much happier and had greatly improved their quality of life - I think that you are now on the path to doing so as well :)

    Btw, which books did you read?

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    1. Thank you Jon! I've decided they don't deserve me either. Retail would never work for me. Back trouble and being on my feet all day keep me from those marvelous Target employee discounts. Any position has its stress but my office is on overload. So let's see for the books: Ty and The Babe-Baseball's Fiercest Rivals A Surprising Friendship by Stanton; and two memoirs- Don't Stop Believin' by Olivia Newton-John; The Removers by Andrew Meredith. I'm a true dork.

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  3. Happy New Year Julie! Nice to see you back and I'm hopeful that your career changes will have a positive outcome for you!

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    1. HNY Adam! Thanks! I have a small lot of cards for you. It's the last thing on my hobby table to mail outside future PWEs.

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  4. Happy New Year!

    Good luck and you have my admiration, the "take this job and shove it" avenue is a dream I share with millions of others. I don't think I'm in as dire a work situation as you, but there is definitely an increasing workload, fewer employees and ominous clouds in the future.

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    1. HNY to you, N.O.! In all my working years, I've never felt this way. They push our buttons all day long. I already have my letter of resignation drafted. I get the last "push". Hope you can retire at will when you're good and ready! Thanks for the support!

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  5. Good for you! I had a similar situation last year -- I made the long-overdue decision to leave my bookstore job that was making me miserable (and it didn't even pay well). It was nerve-wracking wondering where I was headed in the months between jobs, but I didn't once regret quitting. 'Twas also nice to have a little time off for the important frivolities in life (aka books & cards!). Worked out well in the end though, as I found another bookstore job that wasn't as straining physically or mentally. I'm sure things will turn out A-OK for you in the end, Julie! A very happy new year to you and yours.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words! I'd love to work in a bookstore but can't be on my feet all day. I certainly would've left for the books a long time ago if my back would allow! I'm happy you found pleasant work, Nick! Hopefully you receive a nice employee discount! Happy New Year!

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  6. Congratulations! It sounds like you'll be much much happier. I'll send out all of the positive vibes I can muster and hope you get a job you enjoy by the 3/2 deadline. No major changes like this for me in 2019 as of right now. But who knows what tomorrow holds. Happy New Year Julie! Here's to an awesome and enjoyable 2019!

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    1. thank you Fuji! Bring on those vibes! I'm looking for a positive outcome and will accept nothing less! Thank you again for the holiday cards!

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  7. For some reason the first thing I though of was this... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083163/ :-) Don’t know how that movie stands up to the test of time, anyways... Congratulations and hope you have a great and 2019 with less stress!

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    1. Hey 1975! It's not a movie I've seen but looking over the link makes me want a cold beer! Thanks for the good wishes! Happy 2019!

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  8. Goodluck moving forward. Tough choice but you have to be happy. Looking forward to a great 2019

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    1. It was a tough choice initially. While off work for a nice streak of 17 days, I knew it was the right decision. Have a great year, Mark!

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  9. Happy New Year, and good luck on the change. Being in the industry, I know the situation you are talking about (luckily not first hand), and you are right on as to how it will play out...not pretty at all.

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    1. Hi Crazie! Hard not to like you; what, with you being nuts and all that. Accounting probably brought some of it on. ;) It certainly has me talking to myself a lot more these days. I startle myself, looking around asking 'did anyone hear me?' Time to move on! Thanks for the support!

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  10. Congratulations, and good luck!

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  11. Best of luck Julie! I hope whatever comes next for you is much better!

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    1. Billy, I appreciate it! It MUST be better. It can't get no worse...

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  12. 30 miles one way? Luxury.

    https://youtu.be/ue7wM0QC5LE?t=129

    I've been pulled into the office daily for the past 6 weeks, and have a couple weeks more. One way: 46 miles. My commute home (at 3:30p) has ranged from 90 min to 150min (that's two and a half hours if you don't want to do the math).

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    1. Crikey, I feel for you JJ! When the roads are freshly snowed and messy, my commute has taken 3 hours on more than on occasion. Crawling along, I'd think of those times living in Dallas, traveling to OKC. That was a 3-hour road trip with a sense of accomplishment. BTW, I watched the link. Not sure how I'd missed it before. Probably because I was living under a bridge with Sea Monkeys for company.

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  13. Good luck with the job hunt! I got let go from my company at the end of the year so I didn't have the opportunity to plan ahead like you did.

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    1. What a rotten end to 2018! I wish you the best of luck finding something you can enjoy or at least tolerate well! Take care!!

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  14. It's a bold move. Good for putting your happiness and a shorter commute time first!

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Hey Adam! Thanks so much! I feel pretty brave right now.

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  15. Happy New Year, sounds like you have thought it through well and are making a very positive change. congratulations!

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    1. Hello there! I've been pondering the move for months. It was long overdue. Thank you!!

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  16. My first reaction when I saw "I Quit!" was OH NO. No more blog. By the 3rd paragraph I breathed a BIG sigh of relief. The blog lives on.

    Good luck in finding a job that hopefully is more enjoyable. An enjoyable job! Is that an oxymoron?

    Anyway, best of luck in your job search. I trust everything will work out fine for you.

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    1. It could very well be an oxymoron, Fred. My only fear is to find I was a moron for quitting a good job. It's become too much a strain mentally for me so I must make this work in my favor. Thanks for the good wishes!

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  17. I wish you all the best in 2019 and glad I quit didn’t mean blogging and trading. We just started!

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    1. We did just get started! I hope to be around for years to come. As long as others show up, I'll be here. I'd probably be here anyway but then, just talking to myself. As in life, so it is on the page.

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  18. Congrats and I hope the new job you find treats you well and frees up the blogging time.

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