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I have periodically wondered what would happen if I took a long break from this blog. But I have wondered more often why I don't take a long break from this blog.

My longest break from Night Owl Cards has been a week. Some consider that remarkable consistency. I consider it more a mix of good fortune, my current period in life, and above all, an incredible drive to write. This is the only outlet that allows me to write on a daily basis, with a modest audience as a bonus. And as I've established many times before, I must write.

So, what would cause me to take a large break of say nine months like Julie of A Cracked Bat did recently? I can think of two things: tremendous upheaval in my life or that I received a huge paying job to write somewhere else.

Other than that, you're probably stuck with me and this blog for awhile. Sure, incredible boredom could take hold and shut the blog down, but that's not even a remote possibility right now.

That's why I am always here to greet bloggers when they return, and I've seen a great deal of card bloggers disappear and then come back home again. I bided my time during Julie's absence, singing ELO's "Julie Don't Live Here (en-eee-mooooooore)" a few times to get me through, and sure enough, she returned home.

She recently sent me some cards as sort of a thank you for my patience in card exchanges. Frankly, I don't remember what cards I sent and I have lost track a long time ago of who owes me cards, but, yeah, sure, bring on some cards of a team that I collect! I'm game.

Let's see 'em.

Starting right off with the fancy stuff. Triple Threads base cards and parallels from 2015 and 2016. I'm just a lowly binder collector who likes to put my cards in pages. Triple Threads stretches out pages a lot. I think these will finally get me to store my Triple Threads Dodgers separately and spare me some angst.

Julie sent the whole set of 2006 Fleer Tradition Dodgers, plus this sepia parallel of Chad Billingsley. Has it really been 10 years since he was a rookie?

Dead serious when I say I had no idea what this was. Some brief searching told me it's from last year's Museum Collection set, which explains why I was so ignorant. This is the base card. There are numbered parallels where the ribbon is gold and copper and blue and green and I am assuming other things because of course there are other things. I'm just glad I know what this is.

This 1978 Steve Yeager -- man, I saw a lot of these back in the day -- is wearing a stamp. I wonder if Shoebox Legends needs card #285 in his buyback frankenset. Maybe he has an extra 1975 buyback to send me for it.

This is creeping me out. Zack Greinke looks terrified and the presentation is straight out of one of those haunted house paintings where the eyes follow you around the room.

Ah, this goldie of Greinke is much better. Trying to figure out what that red logo on the mound is.

Here is my kind of parallel. A colorful border on a shiny chrome card. This season is do-or-die season for Puig. We shall see.

There are two ways to get depressed over 2016 Corey Seager cards. One is more time-consuming and one is more direct.

The time-consuming way: Look up how many 2016 Corey Seager cards there are. Then count how many you don't have.

The more direct way: This is one of the Walmart Topps Update exclusive cards of players pictured on Topps designs from the year in which they were born. This is a design from 1994. People born in 1994 should still be sucking on pacifiers. What the hell happened?

P.S.: I love this card.

A couple of minis from a set that I ostracize. Kersh is the regular Gypsy Queen mini. Frankie Montas, who has never pitched in a major league game for the Dodgers and maybe never will, is the purple numbered variety.

Kershaw leading the way on a foil parallel. Moving on ...

More Kershaw! (I like this package!). This is an insert from last year's Panini Diamond Kings set. Decent card.

You don't need a card shop in your neighborhood when you have a blog. This card-shop handout from last year's National Baseball Card Day is finally in my clutches. Wee!

Finally, a very cool pocket schedule from the Dodgers' 1974 season, in which they reached the World Series. It is so '70s in that most familiar way that I can barely stand it. Fabulous.

I hope Julie manages to update her blog semi-regularly now that she's returned. It's a nice read and a different voice.

Welcome back home.