3D Fireworks

During my heyday of collecting cards (the 90's) there was no shortage of gimmicks. In the mid-90's Pinnacle Brands brought back the SportFlix brand. At least to me these sets never really gained much of a following within the hobby, but I have always enjoyed things that were a bit different.

Lenticular cards are nothing new. However there are certain sets that use this card technology that I like and the 1995 Detonators set found in SportFlix is one of those. I'm not sure why as it tends to have a gaudy design, but it's a set I started building years ago when I was hosting group breaks on a regular basis.

For years I only had one card from the set (Frank Thomas), but it was enough to make me want more. However like many things, this set fell on the back burner, so much that I forgot about it. Recently however I had a few virtual bucks burning a virtual hole in my virtual pocket so I decided to see what cards from this set I could find. My results yielded 3 cards shipped for less than 3 bucks.

So there you have a few more pure 90's cheese I've added to my collection. The insert set is only 9 cards deep so that leaves me with 5 cards left. My want list has been updated.

Prepping some mail

Just because I haven't been as active on my own blog doesn't mean I haven't been active in other ways. Two particular bloggers have sent me some stuff in the last month or so and it's time I return the favor! I never want anyone to think I take others for granted or I'm "that guy" never sends anything back.

Let's just say if you are a fan of certain red bird or a west coast friar, you'll have a little package on it's way to you after Memorial Day.

I also hope to resume trading on my end very soon as well. If you've contact me about a trade, just hang in there. I'm still working 60+ hours in my new position, but I'm starting to figure everything out and hope to have at least a few moments where I can pull and mail some cards. Maybe if I'm lucky I can even scan some cards too!

Just when I thought I was back in the swing of things, life happens

As the title of this post says, life happens. At the beginning of this month my employer was acquired my a larger competitor. I went from wondering if I was going to have a job moving forward to receiving a promotion! While I used to work primarily by myself in an office, I now find myself covering quite a bit of ground. This means I'm not sitting in front of a computer anymore and when I am the last thing I have time for is blogging.

This leaves me to jumping online on my laptop after my wife and kids are in bed...a la the Night Owl. However this also means that I'm usually tired and not on my A game. While I'm not ready to hang it up by any means, I won't be able to post with the same frequency. I still hope to continue trades and posting new acquisitions, but I know I won't be around as much as I'd like.

Isn't it funny that the more money you make, the less time it seems you have to enjoy it? While I'm not making significantly more money in my new position, I've found myself working way more than the 40 hours I'm accustomed to working. I hope I can use a few extra dollars in my pay check come this summer to pick up a box of Allen & Ginter. I figure now is a good time to place a pre-order before the prices start to rise the closer we get to release day. So the question is, which online vendor should get my money? Who has the best prices?

One of the perks of the job is a new iPhone, laptop and printer/scanner. Once I get those set up then perhaps I can scan some of my recent pick ups. So until then I'll drop in when I can and try to keep up with so many of the great blogs I've become familiar with over the last 8 years or so.

A proud moment

OK, this isn't cardboard related. It is baseball related however. Tonight my 3 and 5 year old daughters had their 1st t-ball practice!

Winnie, 3, was up first. Her first swing was more tee than ball, but she didn't get upset. She dug in and got ready for her next swing.

Watching the kids stand there watching their ball roll into the infield, only for the ball to be swarmed by a mob of kids is hilarious. I had to yell to Winnie to drop the bat and run to first!

Winnie loved running the bases. Here she stands on 3rd base watching her sister warming up in the batters box.

Olivia, 5, was next. She is a leftie, one of the few out there today. She squared herself up to the ball as she saw others do before her.

Contact! The ball rolled up to the pitchers mound and poof! Here comes the mob.

Livi patiently stands on first, waiting for her chance to run to second base.

Livi already has the fielding pose down...however a few balls went right underneath her glove and between her legs. Guess I know what I'll be working on with her this weekend.

Winnie seemed a little more "distracted", however she was right there in the thick of things trying to get the ball.

At the end of practice the coach had them huddle up to say a prayer. My girls put their hands on each other's shoulders.

Seeing their smiles on their face and watching them have fun was awesome. It brought back so many memories of when I played ball. They are already to hit the field again next Friday and this proud dad will be right there cheering them on!