Friday, August 2, 2024

OAMC #29 - The Card Room

 Organizing a Million Cards #29 - The Card Room

I shared some pics on Twitter of what I call the Card Room, but could be easily called the Hobby Room. 

After a second glance at the pics, I realized Card Room is correct as the room is dominated by roughly a million cards. As I have been logging them to TCDB I am seeing that this endeavor is going to take a while to put it lightly. To get to 1%, I have to log 10,000 cards. That sounds insane because it is.

Just look...


Right now, my goal is to get the main collection logged and some doubles as I go. Each day I just need to get a chunk done. Doesn't matter if it's 3 cards or 3,000 cards. Each bit helps.

Other than that health is still funky but hopefully getting better.

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 11,131
  • For Trade/Doubles - 2,337
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 0
  • Total Cards Logged - 13,468
  • Complete Sets - 4
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 2
  • Percentage of Collection Logged - 01.35%

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)

Saturday, July 20, 2024

OAMC #28 - Slow Progress

 Organizing a Million Cards #28 - Slow Progress

Buying a house is exhausting.  We Bought it in May. We are still unpacking--and realizing we need things. Everyday you get something done only to realize there's more to do. And this is why progress has been slow going. Well, that and a med increase.

Im a trying to stay the course, cataloging sets in order. The order follows the Beckett Almanac. Everything is Alphabetical and then by Year. So, every Bowman set by year and then Bowman Chrome.  It's a tedious process, but once it's done I will be able to finally know what I have.

The doubles will follow suit. In the meantime, there are some sets I have that I know everything else are doubles, so I am trying to help people fill their needs while I work on everything else.

This is a short update. Woke up with a headache and have a ton to get organized. I did get a new shredder today so that is going to be fun and productive.

Will try to stay focused...

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 7,447
  • For Trade/Doubles - 994
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 0
  • Total Cards Logged - 8,441
  • Complete Sets - 3
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 2
  • Percentage of Collection Logged - 00.84%

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)

Friday, July 12, 2024

OAMC#27 - The Last 5 Years or so...

Organizing a Million Cards #27 - The Last 5 Years or so...

was thinking about this and I realized most of the people who see this blog don't know what has been happening in the background. So, here's a recap of what has been happening. It will explain why trades have been off and I have been on again/off again with Twitter and logging the collection.

Roughly about 5 years ago, before CoVID hit, I was working at a non-profit that supplied apartments for elderly and disabled people at a lowered rate. The work was not difficult for the most part. I wasn't doing any manual labor and had a desk indoors. I enjoyed the job as I consistently made friends with the tenants. 

It was during this time that things started to go downhill--more than before.

In 2012, I was medically retired from the Army. At the time, I was on several medications which proved to make my life difficult. I was a walking Zombie on them. (I even spent a year in Afghanistan like that.) I worked for Gulfstream Aerospace for a while and then returned to the Army as a civilian in my old job--and off all of the meds. In February of 2013 the government shutdown came and all of us new hires were let go. A few months later I moved to Washington. 

But I will get back to that.

Anyway, it's roughly 2020 and I am starting to have some weird things happen. They have been on and off since I got out of the Army, but they seem to be amplifying. It started with the disequilibrium. Disequilibrium is that sensation of standing on a flat surface and feeling like you are on a boat in choppy water. Needless to say, driving is out of the question when it happens and it happened nearly every morning. This was coupled with my heart rate going up throughout the day and some random memory loss.

So, I went to the VA. I was put on blood pressure meds and had cut my caffeine intake by 7/8ths. (I used to drink 1 or 2 Energy Drinks a day plus coffee and sodas. Energy drinks will freaking kill you if you're not careful.) The blood pressure meds did nothing for me. My new doc then tried anti-anxiety meds which leveled out my BP but did nothing for the morning disequilibrium. 

Over the first year or so, I was subject to a barrage of tests and scans. I was also late to work a lot. I provided documentation from the VA, which is more than you are required to do and was at work every day during CoVID--even though I might be in a compromised state. I also stayed later to make up for lost time.

The second year sent me to more tests and eventually surgery on my nose to alleviate my constricted airways. This did not help the main issue.

Bare in mind, I also have 8 bulging discs, walked with a cane for a while, 2 bad knees and a number of other issues between the physical and mental areas.

Finally, I was sent to see the leading Doctor on MS in the VA. (I neatly fit the checklist of symptoms for MS.) I was scanned, poked, prodded and sat in dark rooms watching lights. They tested me for Alzheimer's, MS, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's, etc.

With all of that testing, they found--nothing.

The neurologist decided to try a med for migraines. It stopped the disequilibrium but made many other things terrible. So we switched meds. A few times....  

In the middle of this, I was fired by my job for the lateness. This was right before I was given the meds from Neurology that stopped the disequilibrium. I was mad. I went to EEOC and opened a case against my former employer. In the end, they settled with me as you can't fire someone for a medical condition. This allowed my wife and I to look for a way to North Carolina.

As we were planning this move, Neurology gave me a new med--and everything changed. There was a minor hiccup though--the meds fought with my other meds. So I stopped the anxiety medication. I was apparently going through something called Serotonin Syndrome--which can be fatal. We caught it early, so no real damage occurred.

I was able to plan, pack and function better than I had in years. Which was good because we would move again 9 months after getting to NC.

As of 2 days ago, we have upped my meds for the second time. 

I am in a better place now than I have been in years. The upping of a meds is always a weird and sometimes frustrating process, but I am able to function better. However there are issues with even having this level of functionality. As I am still not convinced that I don't have something more than Chronic Severe Migraines, I am requesting more scans when I see neurology later this year. 

This struggle was worse in Washington as I am affected by air pressure changes which can sideline me for hours. North Carolina has been kinder to me and this recent change in my meds is helping me sleep. 

I am telling you all this, because I'm not ignoring your messages and I do want to start trading again. The last few years have been a struggle with this as I have logged cards, forgotten where they are, found things I set aside, and then lost count. Now, I have a card room in a house that we own and can really start to track the cards and put them away as I do. I am also going through multiple therapies to help with the memory issues and other things. 

I may not be great,  I may not be on every stack sale or break, I may not jump on trades and I may not post a giveaway every week but I am already planning multiple packages for people in the hobby and slowly getting the cards I have logged on TCDB. 

I am getting there. I hope that the future will be less hazardous to my health.

Just know that if you are struggling with medical issues, you're not alone.

Also, thank you to all of the people who have continually checked on me when I disappeared. It means a lot.

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 6,780
  • For Trade/Doubles - 639
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 0
  • Total Cards Logged - 7419
  • Complete Sets - 3
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 2
  • Percentage of Collection Logged - 00.74%

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

OAMC #26 - The Reboot

 Organizing a Million Cards #26 - The Reboot

I'm back!

Well, we moved again. This time to what I hope is a permanent location with a card room.

The Card Room is mostly put together minus some finishing touches and a few boxes worth of things I haven't seen in 10-12 years. But, the cards are in their places. 

Well, most of them...

The numbered boxes that make up my collection are in order. The issue I ran into--again--is that I have no idea where I put the stuff that I logged in the last house.

So, I rebooted my collection in TCDB again. It makes sense. This time, when the cards get logged and put away, they will stay there. Except doubles, of course, which will be traded or given away,

The daunting task is cataloging the cards. I started this on 6/20/24. 

It's now 6/26/24 and I have managed to make it to 1990 Bowman. (Bear in mind that the order follows the big Becket catalog. Sets are in order by year and brand. So all the Bowman is together and Topps is a while away.)

I am confident that this will be the last time I have to do this. I have always wanted a permanent home and a place to keep this collection and now I have that.

This may also take a while as we are still unpacking and putting things together. A little each day is the best way to get these cards logged. Oh, and I have to find the ones that are now dominating the spare room...

Wish me luck.

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 1.315
  • For Trade/Doubles - 0
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 
  • Total Cards Logged - 1315
  • Complete Sets - 2
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 1

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)

Monday, March 11, 2024

OAMC#25 - Why are We Like This?

 Organizing a Million Cards #25 - Why are we like this?

was scrolling through Twitter and saw two threads that just pissed me off.

The first was a friend of mine posting about Trevor Bauer. She is one of many people who feel like Bauer should not be in the MLB. I agree with this. Bauer has been a massive pain since his debut. The accusations against him make it that much more noticeable. Obviously, I wasn't there, so I can't say he did anything or did not, but people are entitled to their opinions when you make millions playing a sport and do something reprehensible in the public eye. 

Personally, he seems like he would be the type and then try to cover it up, but I digress...

Regardless of your stance on the matter, when someone makes a statement about it, they have the right to make said statement without the male bravado and trolling nastiness that occurred. When a friend is attacked, I take it like a call to arms against the person attacking. When that friend is being attacked because she is a woman who likes sports, I am even more pissed.

My wife is a massive Red Wings fan. When you attack a female MLB fan online, I think of it like you were attacking her. Not happening. Enter PTSD rage...

The second thing I saw involved the lashing out at women or anyone who liked the upcoming version of MLB The Show. Adding the ability to make it to the Majors in Road to the Show mode as a woman adds depth and gives every little girl out there who loves baseball a chance to see what could happen. 

For the "alpha" males out there who believe this is unrealistic--how's your HOF two-way player that vaguely looks like you minus the receding hairline and gut but ended their career with 1,200 Homers? Realistic isn't it?

Why shouldn't women have a chance to play as a woman? Why shouldn't a woman be able to play in the MLB? If they can compete at that level, why should the lack of "dangly bits" stop them?

Again, for all the "alpha" males out there... Be nicer to people and maybe stop sharing your insecurities by yelling at women who celebrate steps forward. You are not the gatekeeper. And 99.9% of you "big" men have never seen a Major League pitch. Just because you weren't good enough to play professionally and you can't get a date you don't pay for, doesn't mean you have the right to take it out on my friends...

And that's the biggest part. These women--daughters, mothers, sisters, wives, etc.--are surrounded by equally badass women and a plethora of us men who understand that to be a "man" doesn't require being a "tool" or demeaning women.

Last thing...  To the guy who put in all caps "GET OUT OF OUR HOBBY"--who said it was okay for you to take up the mantle for men everywhere or for sports fans at all? I'm pretty sure if we put it to a vote, you would be banned from sports with your man-card rescinded and not be the one to speak for us.

I posted a comment that I stand by. I was in Combat in the Middle East for 4 1/2 years. The people fighting along side me came from every walk of life. Men and women--side by side--fighting a common enemy. I would trust my life in the hands of any one of those women--heroes--before I would even consider taking any of these "alphas" into battle. 

Be better. Be better men. Be better human beings. 

The next time you want to attack a women on the internet, don't...

It's that simple.

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 69,308
  • For Trade/Doubles - 4,226
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 237
  • Total Cards Logged - 73,771
  • Complete Sets - 64
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 15

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)

Thursday, February 22, 2024

OAMC #24 - 2024 Topps and Meds

Organizing a Million Cards #24 - 2024 Topps and Meds

Well,  the New Years plans to keep the blog going at least biweekly didn't really work out. 

As it goes, the Docs put me on new meds in December. They, in turn, reacted with my old meds and I got to go through withdrawals while getting used to a new med. The upside is that things are finally tapering off. The new meds are keeping the headaches at bay, but now my sleep is jacked. 

As my dad says, "You're a science experiment..."

On the upside, we found an LCS in Apex that is absolutely worth going to. If you're in NC, try Cardiacs. Such a good attitude which is a sigh of relief compared to my local LCS here...  

And of course, 2024 Topps Series 1 dropped on Valentine's Day. My wife went to get a message and I spent too much on retail, but was super happy to rip something on release day.

Say what you want, I love the new design. After a Jumbo, a Hobby, 2 Blasters, 2 Fat Packs and a Hanger--we finally finished the set. I have 5 duplicate Tyler Soderstrom cards and only one Elly--which is in my set.

The highlights for me:

1st Card: 






Favorite Card: Rizzo with a pinstripe....  Love it!





Most Valuable Card: Elly Homefield Advantage. Running between $150-175 online.







We also finally got some Stadium Club which is beautiful as always.

Hope all is well in the Hobby world and Hope to be more active again soon.

Joe

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 62,549
  • For Trade/Doubles - 3,922
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 231
  • Total Cards Logged - 566,702
  • Complete Sets - 58
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 15
  • Total percentage of Collection Logged - 6.95%

Joe

Saturday, January 13, 2024

OAMC #23 - The Set Collector's Struggle

Organizing a Million Cards #23 - The Set Collector's Struggle

I was hoping to make my first post of the year much earlier than this, but my health likes to play games and the VA likes to give out new meds to fix that. So, I have spent the beginning of the New Year transitioning off of one med and onto another. It has not been fun, but things are improving.

With that, I'm a little late to the party here. The big bombshell of the year so far is the Wander Franco arrest. Collectors are up in arms over the reprehensible act and the value of his cards which is tanking very quickly. A lot of people are going to lose money. This is their complaint. 

A young girl was manipulated. That should be the focus. Her well-being. 

With that off my chest, this still presents a conundrum for set collectors that makes them look at their very own ethics. Can you collect the cards of someone who is accused of something so terrible--especially when it involves a minor? 

Alas, this is a card blog, so this got me thinking. As a set collector with same insane goals (Topps Tek (all patterns), Topps Total, UD 40-Man, Documentary and Yankee Stadium Legacy to name a few crazier ones.), I have found a few major struggles that people like me deal with in the hobby. 

1 - What do you do when a player does something terrible? Well--unfortunately, their cards are part of a complete set. This means in order to truly complete the set, you have to include their cards. The one saving grace here is that you don't actively need to chase their parallels or autos. Just what you need and that's it. No reason to make them a bigger part of the collection than need be.

2 - Other collectors overreacting is a terrible thing for set collectors. Burning cards publicly, cutting cards up and just throwing them away are ways that some collectors have begun to deal with this. The issue here is that some set collector likely need that card to complete something. We are not proud of the fact that the card is of "that player", but we will likely buy it on eBay or trade you for it. So, just calm down. 

Also, some people have weird PC's where they collect the autos of criminals. There's always a market.

3 - The flippers. Not only has this killed retail for most collectors, but it takes another very twisted turn--the trashing of base cards and commons. You may not be able to flip a 2020 Joey Gallo card, but someone out there is missing that Gallo. To paraphrase the awesome @notgaetti, "Ever heard of Goodwill?"  

Someone out there wants or needs those cards. Most of us are even willing to pay shipping. There are also teachers, scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, etc. There is always somewhere to send your unwanted base cards. Stop throwing them out. That's just a travesty to collecting.

4 - Price gauging has been terrible forever but even worse since 2020. People will find a card or set and decide it's "Super Rare" or "Hard to find" and then charge an insane amount for it. Others then follow suit and the common collector is screwed. 

This is also true of new products. Do I need to bring up Bowman Draft and the Brady thing?

5 - Grading. Raw cards are not worth what a graded card is. Stop this nonsense of trying to get graded prices on a card that is worth $10 raw--when the card is raw...

So, being a set collector has its definite down sides. This current Wander Franco thing is the worst of it. Being a set collector doesn't mean I condone his behavior, but I'm not giving up my goals for this.

It's like I say often: "If I stopped listening to music because of everything the artists were accused of or did, all I would have left is "Weird" Al and he would have nobody to make fun of."

I hope the girl involved in the Wander case finds peace and justice is served to both parties involved in doing this to her. 

I also hope every one is having a better year than last year.

Now get out there and keep collecting. 

Joe

TOTALS:

  • Main Collection: 54,873
  • For Trade/Doubles - 3,033
  • 1991 Topps Glow Backs - 0
  • Mattingly Doubles - 230
  • Total Cards Logged - 58,136
  • Complete Sets - 50
  • Insert Sets/Errors - 12

Joe

(Vonnegut37 on TCDB)