I've mentioned before that work has been even more of a time-suck than previously. It's infringing on blog posting and I don't think I can go to my bosses and say this is the reason why something's got to change, but something's got to change!
The first three days this week I worked more than the usual eight hours (plus a couple hours on Sunday) and I was prepared to do the same Thursday. I had a story interview arranged before I started my shift and I thought, "welp, I just added more hours that I won't get paid for!"
But it didn't turn out that way. Thanks to some general panicking about the weather, every single sports event in our area was canceled last night. So I ended leaving work at 10:45 p.m! That never happens. Usually I'm there until 12-12:30 and on busier nights (like tonight), I'll close up shop around 1:30 a.m.
So I got to leave work early. That's a red-letter day around here! (I don't have much). But I should have expected it. The signs were everywhere in the mail that afternoon.
It started with the Wes Unseld card up top. I received it from a giveaway thread on Bluesky, from the account 19th Century Bucs (There are a lot of Pirates fans on that site). I've mentioned briefly that Unseld was my favorite NBA player back in the late 1970s. It didn't last very long. It was completely based on pulling his 1978-79 card -- this card is from 1979-80. Also I thought the Washington Bullets sounded cool and they had cool red-striped uniforms. They looked like if the Harlem Globetrotters was an NBA team.
So that was the first red-themed card.
This card also showed up yesterday. It is a red-foiled parallel from the 2006 Topps Opening Day set. Since 2006 was my return to collecting current cards I not only bought 2006 flagship but Upper Deck from that year and any time I saw Opening Day cards.
You may recall that Opening Day that year featured blue foil for the base set. I am a sucker for color parallels. The red parallels are numbered to /2006 and are a little bit of a challenge. I have half of the Dodgers now.
This also showed up yesterday. Yeah, I caved. This is one of the stupid short-printed base cards in 2024 Big League. They are red. I can't resist it when they color them up, so I got one. It's red and shiny and doesn't look like the regular base cards, which is why I don't collect the whole set, does anybody?
And this is the other card that appeared yesterday. It's also red. See, today's your lucky day, the cards are saying! Pay attention!
This card took awhile to get in my collection. I note which Dodgers I still need in 1975 buyback form. All of them were star players ... and Von Joshua. So it feels special to finally cross it off.
Also, this is the 525th buyback I've added for the 1975 Topps buyback quest. That means I can claim I've completed 80% of the buyback set (technically I'm at 79.545%). Woooo! I mentioned this on social media yesterday and a SABR member called the pursuit "psychotic and impressive." I like it. Someone else said they "admired my chutzpah". I guess I have to keep going then!
So I appreciate the cards telling me I would have an easy work day, and I need to listen more to the cards that arrive in the mail from now on.
Today, no cards arrived. That can't be good.
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