It's too much

 

On Friday, I published post number 5,750 on Night Owl Cards.

 

It's not a number as nice-and-round as others, but it prompted me to do something I haven't done for the previous milestone posts. Every time I reach a round-number total and write about it here, someone always comments that the total is actually larger because of the various set blogs I've run. So I decided this time, for the first time, to total them all up.

 

Including this post, it comes to 8,268 total when adding the 1971, 1975, 1985 Topps and 1993 Upper Deck blog totals. I've got some posts on "A Pack To Be Named Later" but I'm not sure how many and I don't have time to search them out and add them.

 

Which brings me to the point of this post. You've probably noticed I have slowly decreased the number of times I post in a week/month. That's been going on for awhile but has noticeable decreased since last summer. That is completely due the increased workload at my job, in which they are trying to accomplish what they usually do with far less people. Desk people like me get the worst of it.

 

My job has crept into my down time like never before, which is why there are days now in the middle of the week when I don't post. I have so little time now that if anything else happens in life -- for example yesterday when there was a combined eye doctor/car appointment -- that wipes out all the free time I have.

 

So I didn't post yesterday (but did write a '93 Upper Deck entry) and looked forward to an easier day today. Well, today I am working on my Beckett magazine article (deadline soon) and then a breaking sports story dropped on me late this morning. I can't hand that off to anyone else like I once did. I am the only one to write it. So I was looking at the prospect of writing for three different outlets today, and I still am. But one of them -- this one -- is now just a bitchfest/explanation on why I'm posting less.

 

In the past -- always -- I've worked hard to find time to post, no matter what, through many issues over many years. But I can't do that anymore. I'm going to burn out.

 

So ...

I am NOT taking a leave of absence. I am also not disappearing without a word (I could never). But I will be posting even less than I already am, and I can't tell you how many times that will be. Once a week? Twice  a week? Three times? Every two weeks? Probably something like one of those.

 

I hate this. I need to write here. It's a joy. And I want to show my readers respect. But out of the three writing responsibilities I've just mentioned, this is the only one that doesn't pay me directly, but also takes almost as much time as the others. It's too much.

 

So, all I can say is "I'll be talking on here soon." Just not as soon as you'd probably like and definitely not as soon as I'd like. Obviously there are 8,000-plus posts on a variety of blogs you can read of mine if you're desperate. But I'll be back sooner than later, probably again this week (though I have zero idea right now how I would do that).

 

Just so this post would have some collectible content I uploaded some recent arrivals that I had already photographed. Up top are two 1984 7-11 Slurpee discs that I received from The Chronicles of Fuji recently. Those are slippery suckers (i.e. elusive), so I'm very happy to finally have them -- and hope to land the rest at some point.

 

 Those are the backs, because with these '80s coins it's often difficult to tell what they are from staring at the fronts.

 

 

Here is another oddball, an excellent 1978 Pepsi soda carton "card" of Richie Zisk, with his Pirates hat airbrushed as he had joined the Texas Rangers as a free agent. This came from Shane, who once operated a card blog of his own.

 

This is a '70s oddball that I have done nothing to add until now. There is a Steve Garvey I need. This is a Reds-centric set so most of the players are Reds (you could order a Reds star deck of playing cards off the back, too).

 

So that's what I'm signing off with right now. On to those other writing gigs ... and other life things. Until the next time.