When 15 feels like 50...Wax as a drug?

it was on this 31st day of October back in 1995 that my Grandmother died.

Fifteen years, but it feel like so much longer

She raised me from age 10 after my mother died. She was a great woman and shaped me into the person that i grew up to be.

BOrn and raised in Flushing New York, i was born to a married couple that although were in love, just got married way too young. they were 20 when they got married in 1969, and 22ish when they had me in 1971

their marrage didnt work out (not shocking really) and i stayed with my mother. we lived with her best friend and her son John, who would go on to become my first best friend named John (there were three). i saw my father sporadically after my folks split.

The four of us lived together in an amazing apartment. This is where i had my first wax experience. either my mother or johns mothers boyfriend at the time brought John & I a box of Star Wars Series Two to spilt in half, 18 packs each! and so the "evil" seed was planted i suppose

then after a few years the apt was no longer available, and we have to live in separate apartments, but in the same building complex, which was cool.

then my mother got sick and eventually died from her illness.

being the only child that my Grandmothers children (she had two) had, i went to live with her and my grandfather.

same area, so i didnt need a new group of friends. But John (#1) had moved and it would be many years until i would speak with him again.

it was then that i met John (#2) and Cory, who is still my best friend to this day.

My Grandmother was retired when she took me in, but that wasnt going to stop her from doing her best, which she did, imo. She was a strong willed, humble woman that always though of others before herself, in every aspect of life. a true role model

of course, im not typing out all the details, because it smy blog and i dont have to :oP

back to the wax. it was the year 1985 and thats when the serious addiction to wax came to be born.

Four or Five packs (money permitting) of 1985 Topps Baseball, monday to friday, during 7th grade school. i got to learn the "sequence" that lead to me pulling my favorite card, Dwight Gooden's rookie card. Charlie Moore, still remember that 25 years later, pretty crazy

that fall i really loved cards and was all about Topps Hockey as well. my favorite player at the time was Billy Smith. i bought pack and pack and box and box of 1985 topps hockey, but never got a billy smith. i bought some more and some more, eventually it had to have been about 5 boxes worth, but never got one. it was later on that i found out that (for reasons i still do not know) Billy Smith was not in the set! lol

it worked out for the best in the end though, as those 13 Lemieux rookie cards served me well to resell over the years. although i wish i had held on to one, oh well. Hey, those packs are now ONLY "$20" each, i should try one for old times sake! LOL Heck, '85 Baseball packs have held their own even with McGwire and Clemens' downfalls. Those are @$3 a pop. a few years ago, a friend of mine sent me 5 packs of the baseball, but i didnt pull anything of note. but damn it was FUN to rip those!

So yea, wax as a drug. i think it could be argued that it IS a drug like thing. soooo addictive indeed.

i wish that Topps would go back to using actual wax, but the times they are a changed, and that will never happen.

well, this has gone off track somewhat.

i still cant believe its been 15 years since my whole outlook on life changed.