I Paid for the URL, I Might as Well Use It

Well hello, faithful reader(s)!  Given the uptick in emails I am receiving from the blog, I thought it was due time to dust off the HTML and provide an update on what’s been happening in Uncle Doc’s Card Closet.  Since I am sure many of you have been itching to ask me questions (sarcasm), I’ll go ahead and ask the questions for you in advance.  If you’re lucky, I might just answer your question…

Where did you go?  Why did the blog go on hiatus?

That’s two questions, but I will be kind and answer both.  Physically, I have gone nowhere.  Mentally, I have gone nowhere, too.  Both are reasons that the blog took a hiatus.  While I do love baseball cards, sometimes they can drag me down.  So, I spent a lot of time doing things outside of the internet, and especially things that didn’t pertain to pieces of cardboard.  First, I bought a cow.  That’s right, a cow, like in the ones that moo.  I’ve been working with my children and other local kids in a 4H group to train and show cows.  To be honest, it’s been a blast and I’ve greatly enjoyed the camaraderie, as well as the opportunity to lead young men and women.

In addition to the cow, we’ve worked extra hard in our household so my wife doesn’t have to work anymore.  She stays home with our kids and is their home-school teacher. Making that transition was a monumental ordeal.  It took a lot of diligence and perseverance on our part to eliminate debt and completely change our financial habits so that my wife could stop working.  While it is difficult, it has been well worth the sacrifices to see my wife with our children.

Moving on from there, we are now working hard on breaking ground on a new house next year.  We hope to have a homestead and farm, for the cow obviously.  Our goal is to be self sufficient.  I’ve even offered up my 87 Topps cards to heat the future house.

Also, if you can believe it, I applied for, interviewed for, and surprisingly received a seat on an advisory panel for a major science fiction company.  This is not a joke or wishful thinking, and has made for an extremely awesome side-gig. For what it’s worth, I’m under an NDA, so you can ask, but I won't tell.

Besides all of the personal journeys, there have been the usual flotsam and jetsam life tosses one’s way. There were deaths.  Threats of impending layoffs (especially terrifying given my wife is at home now).  My father is battling health problems and watching his deterioration is painful, but somehow watching this effect on my mom is even worse.

Why come back now?

I tried coming back two times before.  Many months ago I was approached by Sports Collectors Digest to work on an article about “Naming the Game.”  I had a great time doing my part and going through the process, but eventually that just fizzled away.  It got my juices flowing, and I was ready to hop back into the blogging game, and then *poof* it was gone.

Three months ago, I again was ready to come back.  Had some ideas I thought were worth exploring, was just about ready to post, and Tony Gwynn died.  This absolutely crushed me.  If you know me, Gwynn has and always will be my favorite.  Growing up in San Diego, I was blessed to have him as my hometown hero.   Again, I lost the desire.

But, today, here I am.  What’s led me back this time is the fact that I need to write.  I have to write.  I have too many other “side” projects that necessitate me having my mental river flowing.  This blog is the easiest way for that to happen for me.  I’m comfortable talking about cards, so this is the forum to break the dam.  

That being said, this blog may deviate some or entirely from the baseball card realm.  Writing may take me anywhere, and you’re welcome to come along for the journey, or I’ll be happy to drop you off at home.  I’m done feeling the need to “compete” with other bloggers, and just enjoy this for what it is, and that’s a place to express myself.

Are you going to be super boring like the previous part of this post?  Have you done anything related to baseball cards in the past 18 months?

Yeah, it’ll probably be boring.  Sorry, but I’m doing this for me.  Now, onto baseball cards, I did manage to buy part of an inventory from another going-out-of-business card shop earlier this year.  It was sight unseen, so I kind of got hosed with the junk wax, but I didn’t spend much at all on it.  In my spare time, I created an inventory of those cards (~65,000 cards).  It’s up there on the top right of the header bar.  You can filter through the cards and see what’s there. 

Doc