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Sunday, January 12, 2020

Hobby Hideaway

My little corner of the world

FLAKEY.  It’s that time of year - when the snow falls at will, and the sun makes limited appearances. With my lengthy disappearance from all things bloggy and twitty, it may seem that I too, am flakey. I won’t go into detail right now, except to say that part of this time away was personal. My life is simple, uncomplicated.  It’s unusual for me to have a case of the blues. Coming back, I’ve found a few fellow bloggers who've struggled with losses far greater than any I’ve experienced in sometime. Parents and children passing, jobs lost. These major life events are more than any situation I’ve dealt with these past few months.  While this doesn't invalidate anything I’ve been working through, it certainly puts some perspective on life.

Billy, Ernie and a vintage 60s cake topper.

I've shied away from Twitter. Initially I found it to be a great way for keeping in touch with the hobby during the busier summer days of 2018. No matter how clean I kept my feed - arguments, politics and half-naked women seemed to find their way in.  I gave up trying to hide it all.  This world is in turmoil: on fire, at war, far left, far right, no room for the gray. It's either/or, right/wrong.  My heart just can't take it all in. Twitter hasn't seen me since June. 

Babe, Mickey and the Long Ball!

During this outage of sorts, the hobby was still close at hand. I holed-up in the hobby room. Music, lava lamps, toys, cards - all serve to take me back to a childhood that's been missing most of my life. It's never to late to have one! The time available was spent quietly entering my collection into THE database which was quite therapeutic. All PCs were entered, leaving me quite surprised to find Mike Piazza is the number one player in my collection! I expected Altuve or Mr. Ty Cobb to hold this position! At this moment, I rank as the number one Altuve collector on TCDB. That's fun! Naturally as soon as all PCs were entered, another crop found its way into the house and waits to be entered and filed.

Jose and Buster


Trading Card Database may not be for everyone but I suggest checking it out if you're looking for a way to catalog. There are countless methods to track our collections. Using this system has given me 'control' over mine.  I still need to add team sets, mini-collections and small insert sets. And oh, do I have them! I also spend a little each month to support TCDB. This also keeps the half-naked women off my screen. Ad free! {What is it with these bimbos and their insatiable need for attention???} My up-to-date wantlists can be found there too.  A user profile is not required to view it and the list is searchable via player name, set or team. So no matter how you sort trade bait, finding a little something to send a pal is easy as cake - or pie or ice cream.  


I'm still interested in trading with pals but it's PWE style for now. I've found it easier to send 18-24 pocketed cards inside a heavy-duty envelope. So far there have been no issues with damage - and mailing costs less than $1.40!  The downside for trading is the lack of new product in my house. The new stuff just isn't doing much for me. I completed a GQ set this year and picked up a few stray packs of Prizm, Gallery, Archives and Stadium Club.  My last card show was in March or April. Having less to spend keeps me focused on inexpensive vintage, Tigers, Cobb and Altuve.

Patrick Kane and Tony Esposito

If you've made it this far, then it's time for a small reward. Pick Pockets has been updated with 153 new cards to choose from. Read the PP introduction for instructions and pick your nine cards!  I hope to add additional pages in the near future with a few stray football cards.

Thank you for the warm welcome back. There's always something to learn from you , a new discovery - and always, always - one more card out there I never knew I needed. NEEDED. Until next time, I've got my eyes on you.




48 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. thank you Dennis! I never go away completely...like that spot on the carpet that keeps coming back.

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  2. Great to see a new post from you Julie!

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    1. Brian, thanks so much for stopping by!!! I miss you guys!

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  3. Good to hear, and, read, from you!

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  4. Replies
    1. Hi Nacho Man! thanks for stopping by! Maybe one day, I'll have a card or two you need.

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  5. Super happy to see you posting again. And it's always cool to see blogger's collecting corners. Any chance you'll do a review on the Blake's Rainbow Seeker Cider?

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    1. Hi Fuji! Although I'm not given to adult beverage reviews, perhaps I'll give it a mention. ;)

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  6. Nice little serene corner of the world. Looking forward to more posts!!

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    1. I do enjoy it so. It's like a step back in time, minus the shag carpet. Don't think I'm not tempted...

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  7. Welcome back Julie! Sorry to hear it's been a little rough for you. Glad you've fully embraced the Database. It has so much to offer.

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    1. Thanks Billy! Your encouragement to use TCDB was greatly appreciated. Some day down the road, I'll enter cards for trading. The free time available to me is going to be used blogging and trading with pals here, esp while the weather is chilly.

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  8. I agree that this hobby can be therapeutic. It definitely keeps me busy and looking forward to my next card-collecting activity, whether it's trading, buying, sorting, scanning, paging, blogging, commenting, etc. And of course, baseball season is just around the corner. It's great to see a new post from you--you rock!

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    1. the hobby can sometimes be a solitary joy but the connections I've made here have given collecting new life. i find myself pondering what should be sorted, scanned and paged at the worst possible time of day...on the clock.
      Thanks for the kind words!!

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  9. I often wonder why in the heck I'm on Twitter sometimes (or, more truthfully, most of the time). It's a polarizing place, and like you, I often find myself retreating into my own card spaces (physical & mental) to maintain my sanity. I very much hope things are better on the personal side of things for ya, Julie! I look forward to reading more posts from you in 2020! (Also: incoming email on the Pick Pockets!)

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    1. I worry sometimes about becoming a recluse. It's much easier to close the door, draw the shades and hide within books and cards. Of course before doing so, I bring all the cats inside...

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  10. Great post. The old baseball in front of the catcher. Does it have a story?

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    1. I do love that baseball because it looks old...and real. It's actually a paperweight. Sorry there's not a more exciting story to it. Thanks for your support, Fred!

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  11. Wow, this post truly rings home with me. I feel like I should copy & paste it onto my blog... The only thing I'd have to change would be the part about Piazza being #1 in my collection. Vogey! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. It's funny. While I do like Piazza, quite a lot, I never set out to own so many of his cards. A couple hundred of these have come through trading, another 100 from dime boxes. Tom, I'm glad you could relate to this post.

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  12. Twitter is a challenge, and this just-passed holiday season was very depressing for me, for reasons I still don't understand (other than it being the holiday season).

    ...But it's good to have you back, and I'll certainly check out your wantlists and try to Pick Your Pockets (copyright pending).

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    1. Do pick away... Holidays can be difficult for so many of us. I hope the New Year finds you happier :)

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  13. How I roll:
    Funko Pops? No reaction
    A stack of Time-Life "Sounds Of The Seventies" CD's? :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

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    1. My 60s/70s collection "Flower Power" is in the background. The CD player holds five discs. I can't (or won't) tell you how many times I've sat there through all five to completion.

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  14. Replies
    1. CrazieJoe, I may be crazier than you -for being gone so long!

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  15. Hope you find time to do things that make you happy, whether hobby-related or otherwise.

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    1. Michael, I don't believe we've met. Thank you for the comment. It's true. We are each responsible for our own happiness.

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  16. Hello......My name is John......:) My cards are a 24/7 safe haven for me, thank goodness I only spend 16ish hours a day on them. They might get tired of me otherwise I do the whole 24! I don't need no stinking twitter.

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    1. Hello Johnny! Something about you does sound familiar, even wacky. I can't imagine what you must do with the remaining 8 hours!!!

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  17. Lava lamps. Nice touch there. Thanks for sharing some photos of your little corner, and here's to a great year of collecting and blogging!

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    1. To you as well, Niner! I can't commit to black light posters but the lamps, oh do I dig 'em!

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  18. Glad you're back. Thought you'd been quiet for a while. Hope you got it all worked out.

    For a while I considered joining Twitter too - even though I consider it blogging for short attention spans. But I was never convinced that I was missing anything significant. Especially the spam and the chicks. (That's what Instagram is for).

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    1. I wasn't assimilated anyway. ;) Yeah, I don't think I'll be spending much, if any, time there in the future. It's not for me.

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  19. It looks like half these people didn't see your previous post :)

    Twitter is a challenge, that's for sure. And in our modern world, especially our modern internet world, there is absolutely no place for a gray area, that would require logic... which just so happens to be another thing that there's no longer a place for! This is a big reason why I've been trying so hard to limit my time spent on the internet, all of these people and their "complications", it's just too much.

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    1. Technology has given us so much to be thankful for but it's taken a lot away as well. One BIG thing I try to avoid in my life is drama. This momma has no time for self-created drama. Except for my own of course. I thrive in it. Oh wait...can't have it both ways? My drama better than your drama? (8^D)

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  20. Where's these half nude girls you speak of?

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    1. well if I were to tell you, it would take all the fun right out of your search. Missed you JJ! Now go away. See?? I really DID miss you!!! I can't talk that way to anyone else.

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  21. I also live in Flakey-Ville lately :-) also looking to get back into writing. Welcome back!

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    1. I've been checking your blogs. there's room here for more 70s goodness! Come back anytime! Thank you for stopping by here! :)

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  22. Oh wow. What a great surprise. This is why I don't prune my RSS feeds. Twitter's a mess. Blogs have been good. Glad to see you're still doing it.

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    1. Hey Nick! Thanks for dropping by! Great to see you here!

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  23. That's a neat little corner you've got there! I like the Starting Lineup figures in particular. I almost always stick with PWE trading on TCDB too. It makes things so much easier. Glad you're back! :)

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    1. Chris, thank you. I have more figures but no room to have them all out. I kept these trapped in their little plastic coffins for far too long. Time to rip 'em open and enjoy!

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  24. I always enjoy bloggers' pics of their hideaways...bonus if Starting Lineups pop up! Welcome back, although I'm afraid to say I didn't really notice...my third shift job plays havoc on blog reading, so I wind up reviewing several posts from someone at once going back a few months...it doesn't go well with contests and giveaways.

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    1. i understand. I do the post review thing too. Always enjoy seeing your name pop up though! Thanks for the interaction!

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