Mini pages, mega reaction

I go back and forth over whether I am naturally tidy or sloppy. I tend to think that I am tidy because my mother is quite the neat freak, and, oh, the random rules when I was growing up. Whether by force of habit or inherited genes, I tend to like certain things tidy.

But only certain things. My desk at work ranks only third in the sports department in terms of health department disaster area, but consider that I have been meaning to clean my desk there for 15 years and have never gotten more than five minutes into it. That's a lot of accumulation.

So it seems I'm only tidy about areas that matter to me. The kitchen, for example. Get those counters clear. Food is too important to eat in filth.

And, above all, baseball cards.

My collection is not as tidy as other collectors. I marvel at those who have their own dedicated card rooms and have constructed four-level shelves just for their binders. My goal is one day to have my own exclusive card room (my wife has even signed off on it), but it's going to be a few years before I get to that level.

Still, even though I must go to four different sections of the house for my cards, in general, they are neatly organized. Binders are preferred over boxes. But the boxes are always organized. Even the doubles boxes I try to keep tidy, although the incentive is low.

So it is quite trying for me that time and oddly shaped cards have conspired against my hobby-related OCD. For months, probably years now, random cards of all shapes have been sitting on my card desk and in random boxes tormenting me on a daily basis. THESE CARDS NEED TO BE STORED IN PAGES!

I have been most desperate about the minis that are sitting out in the open. Stuff like this has accumulated too much for my comfort:

All minis -- especially minis -- should be stored. They're mini. They need to be sheltered and protected.

I was most disturbed by my Dodger minis, most of which I've received from various collectors. The Dodger minis get first priority for my tobacco mini pages. I carefully slip them into order, painstakingly shifting other minis to get the new mini in its proper spot.

But many, many months ago, I ran out of tobacco-sized mini pages. And the backlog began.

It doesn't look like a lot (26 cards total), but that's just too much for me to stand. The elements! The potential damage! Close your eyes!

So, for months, the OCD part of my brain (YOU MUST GET THESE IN PAGES!) argued with the accumulating part of my brain (MUST. ACQUIRE. CARDS) and the accumulating part always won. I love new cards way too much, and nobody wants to see new pages on a card blog anyway.

I thought I'd never get the pages I needed to make the inner-wincing go away. But I guess it just got to be too much. I care TOO MUCH for cards, they must be tidy!

And, so, I am showing for you now:

(*imagine that music that is played when the heavens open*)

ONE HUNDRED TOBACCO MINI PAGES!!!!!!!!!!

- Hobby Exclusive
- Super Strong Weld
- No PVC - Acid Free
- Hologram/Safe Storage
- Ultra Clear
- UV Protection
- Lays Flat
- Patented

OK, I don't care about most of that. I just felt I should list it because I'm so excited!

Sure, this isn't as big as when I got my free box of newly made 1975 Topps-style minis from UltraPro after a bit of hounding on my part.

But cleaning off my card desk is really important to me now, especially when it comes to minis.

These pages mean I can do all kinds of things that I couldn't do for a long time.

- I can store my Dodger minis in proper order
- I can get one of those mini binders
- I can move all my tobacco mini Dodgers into one of those mini binders
- I don't know why I haven't thought of doing that until now
- I can store random minis, like the Munnatawket minis (gee whiz, Kate Upton needs a house)
- I can store random minis, like the owl minis
- I can store various A&G insert minis that just sit there in a box waiting to be loved
- I can store the minis rejected from my A&G frankenset mini binder until I can trade them to those who want them more.

Now that's a list I can appreciate.

I love my A&G frankenset mini binder. And I know I'll love the other mini binders as much as I love this one. I have the complete 2011 Topps Lineage '75 minis stored in their own mini binder and it's one of my most prized binders.

So that's what one box of tobacco-sized mini pages can do.

It can tidy up my card area, it can create peace of mind, I can sleep at night, the nightmares will go away, the endless rants during the day will cease, the neighbors will stop calling the police, all of that will end.

And ... most importantly ...

I can now use my money again to buy actual cards.