11.30.10

Weather: 51, overcast, very windy
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: windy, head wind most of the time
Overall Walk Performance: ok
Current Mood: blah
How is your diabetes today?: feeling sluggish today

11.29.10

Weather: 41, calm, clear skies
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + yard work for two hours
Weather During Walk: great
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: tired
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.28.10

Weather: 39, clear skies, not much wind, not nearly as cold as yesterday.
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target to see if anything was on sale
Weather During Walk: good
Overall Walk Performance: ok. my toe is bothering me a little 
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.27.10

Weather: 39, cold, windy, clear skies
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25
Weather During Walk: windy, cold. winter jacket for the first time
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

Black Friday Wax = Bleak Friday Wax?

So much for "great sales" from Blowout, D&A, Atlanta, etc.

There were no "WoW"'s listed that i saw. Nothing different from what i see them post every time they email saying "sale upcoming!"

Sure, things MIGHT have been $5 - $7 less then normal, but so what? Is that supposed to be impressive?

Impressive is 50% off

and another thing, what's with having to spend $150 to get free S&H? thats too much to expect as we enter 2011

these are only sportscards afterall

11.26.10

Weather: Damp, light drizzle
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target (nothing good for Black Friday)
Weather During Walk: damp
Overall Walk Performance: ok
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.25.10

Weather: low 40s, cold, not much wind
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: cold
Overall Walk Performance: ok
Current Mood: blah
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.24.10

Weather: Sunny, 48, WINDY!
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25
Weather During Walk: STRONG head wind many ways
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: eh
How is your diabetes today?: eh

Thoughts on Wax, and current state of the "hobby"

yea, i know that ive written about this before and will do so again im sure, so get over it! :)

during my walk today i thought about this...Wax and the history thats wrapped within those little wax tombs.

im not going into a history lesson on wax packs, at least not this time around.

think about it, when you're opening a wax pack, the cards inside have never been seen by (non-employee's) eyes before. that to me is a fantastic thought, peeking at the cardboard beauties for their first time out in the open.

Now, the thing with opening old wax packs is that you cannot go into it thinking that you're going to "make money". There is an old school of thought that cards are worth money. get real, they really are not. there are millions of them out there.

in 2010, the only reason to open, lets say 1985 Topps Baseball for example, is because either you're new to the hobby and want to know what it was like to open packs in 1985, or you've been around for a long time collecting, and want to remember what it was like to open them when you opened them way back when. i fall into the latter, thankfully.

now see, the thing with the '85 topps wax is that you're laying out about $3 a pack (they were 35 cents a pack when they came out) and the "best return" "money" wise would be a McGwire or Clemens rookie, which are about eight bucks a piece. so why would anyone lay out $3 for a slim (15 cards out of a 792 card set) chance at pulling an eight dollar card?

there inlays why this "hobby" has fallen on its ass.

long gone are the days of ENJOYING what you have in EACH pack.

long gone are the days of kids enjoying sports cards because you got gum AND cards came with it.

long gone are the days of yesterday.

how sad is it that in todays day and age, people riffle through their packs looking to see if they got "a hit" (read: money card) and then quickly going on to their next pack, chasing that dragon that they never seem to catch.

how sad is it to be in a hobby shop, watch someone rip through some packs, and then just toss their "commons" on the counter, unloved, unwanted.

i know we "can't go back again", but damn it, wax should be savored, enjoyed, each and every card in the pack!

11.23.10

Weather: 58, calm, very nice day
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25
Weather During Walk: fantastic
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: seems better today

11.22.10

Weather: 55, sunny, nice
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: windy, nice
Overall Walk Performance: ok, sluggish
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: better today

11.21.10

Weather: Sunny, 43, cool
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Cool, not much breeze, clear blue sky
Overall Walk Performance: ok
Current Mood: blah
How is your diabetes today?: blah, vision is not 100%

11.20.10

Weather: 49, PCL
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: head wind, cool
Overall Walk Performance: good today
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.19.10

Weather: 49, PCL, Windy
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Cold, head wind
Overall Walk Performance: ok/good
Current Mood: ok, tired
How is your diabetes today?: ok

So The Beatles are now on iTunes...

Those that know me might be shocked to hear me say this...

WHO CARES?

as someone that has bought the albums on cassette, vinyl, CD and then again on CD last year, what the fuck do i need to buy them on iTunes for?

if someone can let me know, id love to hear it

11.18.10

Weather: Sunny, 52, light breeze
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: pretty good, a little chilly
Overall Walk Performance: ok, tired today
Current Mood: tired today
How is your diabetes today?: eh, so-so

11.17.10

Weather: 62, balmy-like. windy!
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target (scored some Score Blasters! woot)
Weather During Walk: swirling winds (unusual)
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.16.10

Weather: 55, Overcast
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Overcast, no wind
Overall Walk Performance: pretty good
Current Mood: better then when i woke up
How is your diabetes today?: ok, vision is better today

11.15.10

Weather: Overcast, 55
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Nice
Overall Walk Performance: tired legs, didnt sleep well 
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: cold hands today, a little blurred vision

11.14.10

Weather: Sunny, 59 verrrry nice fall day
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: fantastic
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok, tired from yesterday
How is your diabetes today?: ok

2010 Score Hockey Review

The year was 1990. Being a Hockey Card collector in 1990 saw the dawning of the Hockey Card Collecting Boom.

Mark Messier lead the Oliers to their first (and only) post-era Gretzky Stanley Cup victory. A young phenom
named Eric Lindros was on the verge of making his Hobby presence known. At the same time, an up and coming
sports card manufacturer was about to unleash a monster of a card release on the collecting public.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx101/FineNines/zSent%20Items/1990_91_Score_Box_American.jpg

1990 Score Hockey! Just thinking about it brings back a flooding rush of emotions. Great photography, tons of
"Rookie Cards" and of course.....

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx101/FineNines/zSent%20Items/LindrosScore.jpg

THE "Future Superstar" Eric Lindros' Rookie Card. Man, those were the days.

Now the year is 2010 and as with anything else, 20 years of hindsight is always 20/20, as they say.

"Score Hockey" is back! Panini America has brought the famous hockey card line back to life with an all new
release, 2010 Score Hockey.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx101/FineNines/zSent%20Items/1011scoreHKY.jpg

Collectors both old and new have to be excited for this new Hockey Card release that features an old school
feel to it with the throwback design of the base cards, and the inclusion of todays games top rookies!

With a Suggested Retail Price of 99 cents for a pack of 7 cards, this is sure to please both the casual collector,
and the hard core wax pack junkie!

I had the pleasure, thanks to Freedom Card Board (FreedomCardBoard.com) of ripping into one of these hot new
boxes of Score Hockey.

Here's a pack-by-pack breakdown of my experience:

Pack 1: Crosby is the first base i see, excellent!
Pack 2: Base Cards
Pack 3: Gustavsson Sno-Globe Die Cut (One Globe Per Box)
Pack 4: Gustavsson Net Cam insert
Pack 5: John McCarthy HOT Rookies
Pack 6: Tokarski Glossy Hot Rookie, Oberg Hot Rookie, Rob Blake Season Highlight (Blake was in the 1990 release!)
Pack 7: Pat Kane Playoff Heroes
Pack 8: Kadri Hot Rookies
Pack 9: Base Cards
Pack 10: D Keith Playoff Heroes
Pack 11: Price Net Cam
Pack 12: Thiessen Hot Rookies
Pack 13: M Samuelsson Playoff Heroes
Pack 14: Wade Redden "20th Anniversary" parallel (One Per Box, going to be a toughie for Player/Team Collectors)
Pack 15: Hamill Hot Rookies
Pack 16: Hutton Hot Rookies
Pack 17: Yip Hot Rookies
Pack 18: Glossy Tangradi Hot Rookies; Doughty Sudden Death
Pack 19: Gionta Playoff Heroes; Glossy Season Highlights Brodeur (who was in the original set!)
Pack 20: Kadri Hot Rookies
Pack 21: Samson Hot Rookies
Pack 22: Base Cards
Pack 23: Kipper Net Cam; MAF Glossy
Pack 24: McCarthy Hot Rookies
Pack 25: Penner Hot Rookies
Pack 26: Kadri Hot Rookies (third one in the box!)
Pack 27: Subban Hot Rookies (he and Kadri are on the box!)
Pack 28: Toews Playoff Heroes
Pack 29: Cowen Hot Rookies
Pack 30: McCarthy Hot Rookies
Pack 31: Derek Smith Hot Rookies
Pack 32: Base Cards
Pack 33: Brodeur Net Cam
Pack 34: Subban Hot Rookies
Pack 35: Subban Hot Rookies (third one in the box!)
Pack 36: Glossy Cliche Hot Rookies

It was fun to rip a whole box of packs in one sitting.

The Good:

At just about an insert per pack, the kids will love 'em!
The cards are really nice in hand, and the TTM/IP Auto Collectors will love the fact that the base cards have no gloss
on them, so the autos will stick!
Deep player selection, always a plus for the team collectors.
Really like that the back of each card has a very nice amount of text.

The Not So Good:

Duplicate Hot Rookies. There are 50 players in the Hot Rookies Set, there is no reason for 2 or 3 of the same Hot Rookies
to be included in one box.

Overall Grade: B+, great rip for the price point!

ok, time to sort these commons....ha! remember those days everyone? :)

11.13.10

Weather: Clear Sky, 60 (!!!) degrees out, wow!
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target (fruitless) AND 3.5 hours of yard work! i am tired lol
Weather During Walk: Great
Overall Walk Performance: ok
Current Mood: tired (see above lol)
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.12.10

Weather: 52, sunny, windy
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: windy, not too cool though
Overall Walk Performance: not so great, very sluggish, didnt want to do it today
Current Mood: blah
How is your diabetes today?: has me down today

11.11.10

Weather: Sunny, 49, windy
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Strong head wind to start
Overall Walk Performance: ok, sluggish
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.10.10

Weather: 49, overcast
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Pretty calm, chilly
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: light headed, cold hands

From what i once was....

to what i am now.

i was a very overweight white male.....i am an anorexic looking white male
i could eat a whole pizza pie.....i have no desire to eat whatsoever

to say this is incredible might come off sounding like its something positive.
i know it isnt.

i know it sounds weird to people when i tell them that i must remember to eat
three times a day because i have to. its especially strange to those that knew
me in my old life.

its now nearly 2:30am and i am forcing some food dowm my throat because i forgot
to have my third meal of the day.

11.09.10

Weather: Cold, but not too bad, mid 40s
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: good
Overall Walk Performance: good 
Current Mood: good
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.08.10

Weather: WINDY WINDY WINDY! Cold, mid 40s
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: WINDY!
Overall Walk Performance: tiring
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.07.10

Weather: Cold, windy and dark! (walked this evening)
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: cold, windy and dark!
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.06.10

Weather: 49, sunny, windy, colder then 49
Did you walk today?: Yes 
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: heavy head wind = better walk
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: cold limbs, but that might be from the winds

11.05.10

Weather: 49, overcast, chilly
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: Brisk
Overall Walk Performance: OK
Current Mood: Blah
How is your diabetes today?: Off and on, pretty ok

11.04.10

Weather: Rained all day, heavy at times.
Did you walk today?: Yes, but went to the Mall to get in some laps
If So, how far?: Hard to say really, 2 miles?
Weather During Walk: --
Overall Walk Performance: eh, it was OK, just doesnt go as well as when i am able to get my regular walk in.
Current Mood: tired, as i did shopping after the mall and only at once today.
How is your diabetes today?: cold limbs and a little dizzy. was unable to have lunch today due to losing track of time while running errands.

11.03.10

Weather: 49, nice, calm
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles
Weather During Walk: nice
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: eh
How is your diabetes today?: ok

11.02.10

Weather: Sunny, 49, nice
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target for dog treats
Weather During Walk: Crisp
Overall Walk Performance: Good
Current Mood: ok
How is your diabetes today?: ok

Hockey Card Topic: Young Guns Vs Rated Rookies

Panini will release "Donruss Hockey" later this month.

It got me to thinking, will their "Rated Rookies" subset (seeded 1:6 packs, same ratio as UD's MEGA Popular "Young Guns" subset) give Young Guns a run for their money?

a little back history for those not into Hockey Cards.....In an era where "rookie cards" have to have one or more of the following features:

Autographed
Game Used Patch and/or Jersey
Shiny
individually machine numbered

Heres the kicker.....Upper Deck's Young Guns do not have ANY of the features listed above, none, zero ziltch.

Young Guns have held their own over the last decade in the ever changing market that almost DEMANDS the above traits for "rookie cards"

Pretty cool, eh? i think so too, and im a huge Young Guns supporter.

With Panini now in the NHL game, i wonder how their "Rated Rookkies" are going to do in the hobby.

11.01.10

Weather: 39(!), cold, WINDY! was about 30 with the wind
Did you walk today?: Yes
If So, how far?: 3.25 miles + Target
Weather During Walk: COLD & WINDY!
Overall Walk Performance: good
Current Mood: eh
How is your diabetes today?: ok