Lucky

A few posts ago, in a state of despair, I wrote about how I didn't know if I could continue writing every day on this blog anymore.

But actually, I don't have it that bad. Even if I couldn't post once a day any longer, I'm pretty sure I could post four or five times a day. I don't think that's exactly neglecting the blog.

Going a little further, I have been able to continue Night Owl Cards for five-plus years with almost no breaks. Save for holidays and vacations, it's been churning out a post a day for more than 1,900 days.

How do I explain that?

Luck.

I've been fortunate to avoid any crises. Yeah, I've had health issues, work upheaval and personal problems, but nothing that could keep me away from the computer for more than a couple of days. And there hasn't been any new pursuit that I've found more to my liking than babbling about cards.

Yup, I've been very lucky.

I am reminded of this all the time when I read other card blogs. Very often over these few years, someone has had to ditch their blog because of life changes or personal loss or even just a really rampant bout of not caring. And others have stopped blogging for three, four, five months at time -- even more than a year -- only to return again.

I know that blogging is difficult to fit into a very busy work schedule. That's why when I didn't receive my Topps Series 1 case break Dodgers from Community Gum from back in January until Series 2 practically arrived, I didn't raise an eyebrow.

Jon and Andy are very busy people. I envision them dashing from one gig to the next there in Chicago, fighting traffic, stopping at the flat for 40 seconds and then back out again. I've dealt with them and their case breaks for two or three years now, and Jon is an excellent trader, so getting the cards was not a concern. Yeah, I received profuse apologies from the guys, but I wasn't worked up in the least.

I knew the cards would come. And they did.

I could have actually obtained a lot more Dodgers than I did, but I was broke at the time and didn't see the point of asking for a Brandon League printing plate or a Ricky Nolasco autograph. And the buyback Dodgers were cards that I owned already without the yucky stamp on them.

So I stuck mostly with parallels.

Here is a step back in time to Series 1:

Those are some blood red Dodgers, with a Marlin and a Met mixed in.

That's a whole mess of goldies, with a Marlin and a Met mixed in.

These are two Power Players parallels, which are pretty useless to me because if I had the time to do stuff like this and Topps Bunt, I'm pretty sure concerns about posting here once a day would no longer apply. I'd also probably be about 20 years old and planning my next paintball expedition, or whatever young people do now.

But stupid parallels we team collectors must have.

There is a nifty trio forced to live on a 1989 design. I personally think Puig, Kershaw and Koufax are/were better players because they never appeared in the 1989 Topps set.

Jon also sent a few other goodies to go with the 2014 cards. Just a couple favorites before I have to leave.

That's a numbered red "impressions" parallel of the very weird Donruss Champions set. Still, Gil Hodges is the man.

And these are the magnetized versions of the Kemp and Kershaw Topps Chipz pog-like items.

I had no idea that there were magnetized Chipz. Playing with these things, watching them cling to each other and to our brand new refrigerator (don't tell the wife!) is making me forget that there are apparently PARALLELS OF CHIPZ (face getting really scrunchy!).

Anyway, don't sweat it, Community Gum guys. If you ever decide to do another case break, I'll probably be at the front door asking for the Dodgers.

Even if I've been lucky enough to continue this blog nonsense for more than five years without life taking a significant dump on me, there's no guarantee that it won't happen in the future. Or for any other blogger.

That's why you need patience in this hobby. Because it's a hobby.

Like the saying goes:

"The cards will still be there."

OK, that's not a saying.

But it should be.

So I just made it a saying.