Mission complete.

Over the weekend I had a cooky idea. I thought it would be wise to put all of my Pujols cards into an Excel file so that when I go to shows or need to see if I have a card and don't want to wait 3 hours for Beckett I would be able to do those things. I had 49 pages printed from Beckett that I took to the card show, I was blind by page 3 or so.

Not sure what I was thinking, but over 2 days I managed to get all the cards into a file and now can easily access my list when I need to see if I need a card from a trade or eBay, and it will take up way less paper to print than using Beckett. Now I just need to figure out how to post it so that people can see it to offer me fun new cards in trades =)

Does anyone use a program to put their cards into? I know there are a couple out there on the net for sale to use to organize cards. Not that I intend to purchase one after doing all that work but I am curious. How do you guys organize your cards?

Card Cleaning Success

I want to thank everyone who was kind enough to give my old cards a good home, or take them and give them to children in the area, whatever the case may be. I was able to get most teams out to people who wanted them, and I still have two to mail out for trades. I cleaned out one full box of 900 cards, and part of another with still some cards left to spare from a friend and a yard sale.

There are many cards still left if anyone is interested. I still have Reds, A's, Rangers, Padres and possibly some other extras.

I also sent out a few random bubble mailers to some fellow bloggers who have been very nice to me with trades, or just found some cards I knew they would appreciate. I also received many packages like this, so I like to return the favors. I am working on sending out stuff to Todd Uncommon, Stale Gum, The Pettitte Pursuit, and Chris. Those cards will go out by Friday, I am gathering and packing them up tonight.

2008 UD Documentary

I know everyone, myself included, hated this set. We have not sold any of the boxes we got in originally at the store either. We got 5 boxes in and still have all of them. At any rate, here is what I am thinking. I need plenty of Albert Pujols cards, and have not finished the Yankees either. I have some UD Documentary here, and I would like to find some people to trade with. Did anyone complete any team sets? I am not expecting a positive response to that question since no one enjoyed this product.

In case you can't tell I am trying to eliminate cards that I don't want from here so that I can have more room for stuff (and get more cards). I think it makes much more sense to trade the cards than to hold onto things that I have no appreciation for, which is why I am willing to give away pretty much every card I have from the 80's that I don't want. It's Spring Training, and Spring cleaning around here.

Also, speaking of Documentary if you have any from July 11, please let Sooz know she is trying to get all cards from that date.

Since I will have all of this room once you guys claim the remaining teams (please tell me you want them), has anyone seen a blaster or 09 Heritage yet? I haven't bought a blaster since before Christmas.

Bookcase Breakthrough

Well folks, two weeks later I have finally put it together. There is nothing in it, or on it but it's a start. This is going to be storing card supplies, and smaller boxes of cards and what not. Perhaps once it is filled up I will take a picture of my cheap storage unit. (I just tried to find a picture on Target's website but I don't see it.)

Perhaps next time Sooz is home we will take a trip to that Container Store and check out what's in there. Besides, there is a Target and Wal-mart across the street from each other in White Plains.

For those interested in the Moments & Milestones they mentioned (Lincecum & Ichiro), please e-mail me about that so we can work out a trade this week.

Anyway, I had nothing exciting to say today which is why there was a lapse in my blogging. Sooz was busy working all day on a story, so she was typed out by the end of the night. I am fairly certain everyone survived the day without our antics.

I plan on finishing the Joe Torre book once and for all tonight and writing my review as soon as possible. I only have about 30 pages left, and yes I understand this is taking me forever.

Living In Cardboard

It's everywhere I look. Every nook, every cranny has cards or a white cardboard box in it. There are scattered plastic snap cases filled, loose piles, top loaders, penny sleeves, and shipping supplies but mostly cardboard. I am sure I am not the only one suffering from this disease, as there are many of you out there just like me.

In a recent attempt to try and bring some sort of semblance and order to this debacle, I began throwing other things away, like clothes, to make more room for cards. I know that sounds crazy, but some things I can live without.

I saw a small bookcase in the Target flyer 2 weeks ago for $16 bucks, and I literally ran there to get one because I figured I could slap that together and use it for cardboard storage. I won't say that the purchased bookcase (which I HAD to have the same day it was seen) is still in the box, unassembled. I was going to put it together tonight, but clearly I decided talking about putting it together would be more fun than actually doing so. So now I sit here, writing this and staring at Jay Leno doing essentially nothing. (I'm working on motivation.) Target needs to get blasters in so I stop wasting money on bookcases, and waste it on cards.

I still have not started my 2009 want list that I swore I was going to do weeks ago. I gotta say, I no longer care. In case anyone was looking for that list to actually happen, it probably won't so don't hold your breath out there.

Anyone else have a literal "cardboard problem"? I feel like it's a constant battle to get everything sorted and put away and sometimes it ruins the fun of collecting and buying, so I guess that explains why I rarely put stuff away unless it's in my PC. Some people hate clutter, I embrace it.

I just had my best idea yet. I will finish Joe Torre's book since I have no idea what happened to the 2005-2007 Yankee teams, I am on the edge of my seat with anticipation. Stay tuned for an attempt at a decent book review from someone who never reviews books.

Piles and Piles of Cards

Am I the only person that is constantly opening packs, blasters, boxes, etc. and just piles them up and swears they will get logged in and put away later and never does? I am trying very hard to sort my desk out, and it is just not going well. I want to open more blasters but I am out of room.

I just logged the Pujols cards that have been sitting here, and I am now up to 354. Hardly seems like much in comparison to how many cards are out there of him. I have most of his 2008 cards, and 2007. What I am really interested in trading for are his earlier cards, not just rookies.

I logged in the YSL cards that were here bringing that total to 638 for now... I found a seller on Beckett with a great deal of them for 90 cents, so I bought every one that I didn't have, which was roughly 30 cards.

Cleaning this up is like a never ending project. I'm not really sure if I want to log in the cards I don't want for the sake of knowing what I have available for trades, or just label the boxes and look when asked.

Any suggestions on how to organize the trade pile? (Please say it will be fast.)