Updates: Tis The Season and other stuff

Holy crap - has it been 5 weeks since I have been here?

Grab the weed whacker - where's the "G" key?

I've been busy. And when I'm not busy, I'm mentally wiped. It's been hard to come here and write when I'm either not in the chair I am currently in, or desire some mind numbing nothingness to just wind down from my work day. In the past, I was able to blog during my work hours and schedule a post, but lately, if the call hasn't been extremely taxing, it repetitive nonsense that makes you lose hope for humanity at the most, but certainly hope in management's decisions.

But while I have desire and time (it's below zero outside so the hell if I am Ubering and I'm off of work until January 2), let me get a quick post with some information and a few scans up.

First off, I am at the least 48 hours late for Tis The Season. I promise I will be doing the annual giveway of my 2017-ish dupes. It will be a one post blowout, hopefully up either Sunday or Monday. It's going to be pretty simple - more details when it comes.

Posts. Man, am I behind on posts. I have a good dozen or more mailers I need to thank people publicly for, so thanks for your generosity, but even more for your patience. It will happen.

Blogs. I have been reading and commenting here and there. You are all good writers - keep it up. Your words and scans keep me from telling my boss to cram this job. Cuz trust me - cram my job. I'm not paid enough to deal with the callers and how they hate this new process or that, not knowing who I (the company) am and what I handle, don't give a rat's ass to learn a new procedure, or someone making more money than me not passing on information that would make my (the department) day easier. Just don't stop.

Ok - how about a quick few scans. I did a couple boxes on Black Friday. I did load up my COMC cart, but the wallet said no go, so I never placed the order. However, I did get boxes of 2013 Golden Age and Firefly: The 'Verse. Only need the minis and inserts from Golden Age, and the hits from both. Prices were right, so let's see what we ended up with.

I think I ended with 5 cards for the mini and insert sets. These were my guaranteed hits. Nothing great, but well accepted into the binders.

Going to the Firefly box, you are guaranteed two autos and a manu-relic. Here's the manu-relic and one of the autos. Of the previous two boxes I bought, one of the two autographs has always been an auto from one of the artists on a matte copy of one of their cards. This artist is Kevin Sharpe, who does a lot of comic work for DC and Marvel.

But I hit it pretty well in this box with two bonus hits. Two actor autographs, and better still - two I do not have. And my 2nd sketch card from this product, this fine 1/1 of Zoe Washburn done by Matt Stewart. I didn't realize there were som many artists named "Matt Stewart". Took a while to find a link to the correct one. How sweet is that sketch, though? Love it!

Ok - for a post I was hoping to knock out in 20 minutes, it's been over an hour. Again - sorry for the lack of posts and basically, the lack of everything. 2018 - gotta be better, right? I'm jealous of my dog - lying around all day doing nothing and sleeping. I need a job like that.

The 7 day challenge

So the new hot thing on the blogs is the 30 day challenge. Some day, I plan to just do a 30 post challenge, using the subjects on each day to talk about, so the image is stored to my computer. But today, I start my own 7 day challenge. It's really simple.

POST SEVEN DAYS IN A ROW!

Really, should that be so hard? I've got a lot of great cardboard here. Great to me at least. And some awesome stuff I have received from other bloggers. You think I could get in front of a keyboard and get some words on a computer screen. But here goes. At least 7 days in a row with a post. You can do this, Jeff.

"Put one foot in front of the other......"

Let's knock out three small mailers that added some great cards to my collection. First up, Jim from GCRL Cards As I See Them. I sent Jim cards from Tis The Season, and he responded in kind.

First up, a healthy stack of throwbacks. I really should get that 2003 Donruss set. The design is simple and the images are top notch. I know there are numerous throwback cards in Topps flagship this year. I have a big issue with the Cubs throwback seen on the Soler card. Hey - love that the Cubs honored their baby blue road uniforms.

Bunting were included. How nice is that Classic Clippings design?

One for the buy back set (and yes, it made it in). And two sweet miscuts. For the record, Bob Locker is sharing the card with the 1974 RBI Leaders (card #308). Bob is card #434.

Last is two White Sox vintage cards. Hoyt is needed in both the ChiSox team set and the '64 build. Into the team set this one goes. Mr Romano joined the Sox on Jan 20th of 1965, so some kid updated his card as needed. I'll find a spot in the binder to add Johnny to the Sox set. The manual update earns him a place. Thanks for the cards, Jim.

Oscar from All Trade Bait, All The Time sent over a stuffed PWE to celebrate the start of the season. I celebrate actually getting a White Sox card from Heritage, as the few packs I bought yielded none. Is it me, or will a slight breeze blow Thad's cap off his head?

I posted that my last trip to my LCS scored me the entire Series 1 Sox team set, but I was an Eaton short for the PC. Not any more. Green does not work on that Ventura card. At all. Maybe if there was more grass or something showing. Oscar - than you for the mailer.

PACKERS! I remember Corky from Pack War making a few custom sketches MST3K last year, and out of the kindness of his heart, he blessed me with a couple. LOVE THESE!!!! I soooooooo want to get them autographed by the MST3K stars. No way they are going in the mail, though. I'll have to stalk them and get the autos in person.

YOWZA!!!! Corky included a few cards of bikini clad Japanese women. I know there is a name for this type of card, but searches of Zippy and Raz's blogs (I have seen similar posted on each) came up blank. So a little help for the proper name?? Anyhow.....ummm.....yeah. If I had to pick, I go with the top right Yuki Yoshizawa, and not because of her pose. She's cute.

OH REALLY??????????

Ummm - made the the wife mad, there. Thanks for the cards Corky.

One down. Six to go.

Another box? Why not!

I'm not sure how many of you are as eager about April 14th as myself and Junior Junkie are, but that is the date MST3K returns to Netflix via a crowd funded production. I watch the hell out of the shows on YouTube (they are real easy to find), and you honestly need to watch one if you haven't. Manos is a classic, as is Mitchell. I really like Space Mutiny. Personally, my favorite is not a movie but the short Mr. B Natural. The upcoming Netflix series looks very promising, so I should finish up season 2 of The Man in the High Castle before the 14th rolls around.

PACKARD WINS THE SUPER BOWL!

But when new stuff appears on Netflix, old stuff rolls off. And this month. it's Firefly. Firefly has been a mainstay on Netflix for what seems a year now, but they are pulling it off April 1st. If you haven't watched it yet (and what the hell is wrong with you if you haven't), get on it. Or you can borrow my DVDs. As I have showcased in the past, Upper Deck put out a set for the show in 2015 - Firefly: The 'Verse. I have been about a dozen cards short of the set, and the boxes are on clearance over at DA Card World. Why not rip another, eh? You should get 3 hits from a box: an actor autograph, a manu-patch and usually an artist autograph.

I was able to complete the set with this box, so it's gone from my Want list. That is a very, very good thing. For those that cannot remember, here's a few of the cards I needed to finish the base set.

I particularly like the bottom card of Inara smacking Mal across the face. These three showcase the nice range of artists and styles that appear in the set. I got my fair share of serieled inserts (4) and green foil parallels (a dozen I think). But the hits. That's what you all care about. So enough dilly dallying. I am to misbehave.

The artist autograph is on a matte finish copy of a card they drew. Not a 1/1 sketch, just a card without the heavy shine. The artist is David Hindelang, who has done a lot of fine work for Iconograph Studios. The actor autograph is Isabella Hoffman, who played Regan Tam, the mother of River and Simon Tam who hide out on Serenity from the Alliance.

Box #3 ended up with 5 total hits, and I could not be happier. The manu-patch is of Preacher Book (RIP Ron Glass). It's ok - no biggie. Love the 1/1 sketch of Serenity mechanic Kaylee. I have a huge crush on Jewel (who doesn't), so this is a nice addition to the other sketch card I have of Mal. This sketch is unique, though - the card is specific that it would be a sketch of Kaylee - the artist did not write that in, and the numbering on the back is different from a standard 1/1. The artist is Scott Zirkel, who does art in his spare time according to his website. Some really nice work he did for the set, and hey - my card is at the lower left!!! Last is my 2nd printing plate, this of Inara getting the upper hand on Saffron.

Nice to have the base set complete. Now I don't have to get another box.

Yeah.....right.