Night Owl Cards

  When faced with the decision of watching the so-called "World Series rematch" between the Dodgers and Blue Jays or the Sabres' showdown with the Lightning last night on the TV, I chose the Buffaloes in their goat-head jerseys.   Rather easy choice actually. My wife's a Buffalo gal and back on the hockey bandwagon, the baseball game was No. 10 out of 162 and not worth the hype and, finally, have you seen the conditions outside? Does not look like baseball season to me!   It snowed last night and this morning. April 7th. I had to clear off the vehicle like it was February. And the wind hasn't stopped since February, too. That is nothing-to-do-but-watch-hockey-inside weather.    It turned out to be a great game (the Dodgers took care of business, too). The Sabres beat those annoying Lightning 4-2. Jack Quinn (see above) scored the empty-net clincher. The Sabres have been doing just about everything right since January and they're hanging onto their players, too...

    I crab a lot on this blog. I know that.   This is how I handle stress. Writing gets it all out. I don't drink to excess. I don't speed down the street. I don't gamble or use substances. I don't talk to a therapist. This is it. Whatever is going on my life -- whether it's mentioned specifically or as vaguely as possible -- appears in some fashion on this blog. I'm getting it all out.   So I'm aware I'm turning some people off. I'm "too negative" or maybe not what someone wants to read in their down time. They want to see happy, little cards. I get it. Sometimes when I'm reading blogs, I just want to get in, see the cards, and get out, too. But other times I want to see that the people who are writing about the cards are human, too.   June was a difficult month and full of grousing, when I was blogging at all. So I feel like I should write about the good times, too. Like now.   Now is a good time. I started a vacation. Today. It's...

  Yesterday my vehicle received four brand-new tires. It was long overdue. I hadn't changed them since I bought it four years ago, and it had been hovering over my head for awhile now.   You know how it goes. Tires are expensive -- everything is. And people who aren't made of cash are always pushing it. But I don't like the chaos in my brain of the multitude of unfinished tasks, and when something is accomplished -- even something as mundane as new tires -- I feel that endorphin rush, that rush of "Done!" Finally, something I can cross of The Massive List.   This is something that translates easily to the hobby, especially if you are some sort of completist, as I am. I like finishing sets, large flagship sets in particular, but also team sets, and sometimes a mini insert set, when I need a fix fast.   There is no better feeling in the hobby for me than finishing a set, yelling "Done!" in the privacy of my own home as I slip the final card into the binder...

  I enjoyed seeing the Dodgers go 2-for-2 over in Japan the last couple of days. Not that I was able to see it live. Anything happening between 5-8 in the morning is guaranteed to be slept through by this night owl. I think I've seen maybe 20 sunrises in my entire life, and a few of those were because I stayed up all night.   So, I caught a partial rewatch each day, where I had time. Beyond admiring Roki Sasaki, Tommy Edman, Will Smith, etc., I was impressed with the relative ease the whole experience was for the Dodgers and Cubs. This is international travel with all kinds of preparations and issues.   Heck, I can't even get a simple envelope of cards across an international border that's 30 miles from me.   A couple of months ago I went to send a package to Sportscards From the Dollar Store as I have done many times before. It's shipping to Canada, which is a little more, but I don't mind. But this time, when I gave my package to the post office employee she told...

  So I am told there is an ongoing postal strike in Canada. That doesn't affect me here in the States (at least I don't think) except maybe when it comes to cards? That was put to the test recently when Sportscards From The Dollar Store sent me some cards. I got a package maybe a couple weeks ago, which I'm guessing was before the strike happened. Then I received another package from Douglas just a couple days ago, which squeezed through the picket lines I guess? I don't fully know how the mail is working up there, I just know Doug was concerned -- so here's a post letting him know all is well. It's here! Both of them!   I'll split the card showing into Package 1 and Package 2. You can decide which is better, I already did that in the quiet of my own home   PACKAGE 1     Let's start with the complete Bills set from this year's Score football! This is nice to get in the middle of the NFL season, though it's also a reminder of why I don't coll...