I Just Had the Weirdest Dream…

Oh this could be interesting.  This is the dream I woke up from this morning.  I started writing this post almost immediately thereafter.  Enjoy.

There I am, well, that younger version of me that I still am in my head due to the disconnect in my body & mind that I’ve mentioned before.  But anyway, there’s my 17-ish year old inner-self, and… Wicked Ortega, and a girl… she’s fictional, I think.  But she’s very familiar to me for some reason, though I can’t quite place her.  Perhaps she’s from a different dream (I want to say from the “Matt’s Magic Arcade” one if that be the case), or perhaps an amalgamation of real people.  Let’s call her dreamgirl, for the sake of giving her a name.  Anyway, there we are, I guess we were trading cards or something.  In what appeared to be the middle of nowhere?

Things seem to be going whatever qualifies as normally I guess, when who should show up but @neilhimself… Yeah, Neil Gaiman is in this dream.  And apparently he is an alien.  What a world.  He wanted to take us… somewhere.  I’m not sure where exactly, but it sounded like the extent of it is that he wanted to teach us how to be great salespeople… um, okay?  I dunno if it’s Alien Neil’s homeworld or just some intergalactic conference, but anyway, even the space case that is me seemed to become a little dubious once Alfredo and dreamgirl show their misgivings.

Dreamgirl, who’s about the same age as my inner-self I think, really didn’t trust Alien Neil and left.  Then Neil jets too, but left Wicked & me this cheesy ’50s B-movie flying saucer thing to follow him to wherever he went.  Reluctantly we get in and the thing takes off by by itself.  I thought we were leaving the planet now, but nope, it was just taking us to another part of the world.  I don’t think the saucer was deep-space worthy anyway, the door didn’t want to shut as it was taking off.

On the flight, which at the speed it was going, must’ve taken us at least halfway around the world from whatever field we were in, I was nervously going through a smallish stack of baseball cards I think I received from Alien Neil Gaiman.  I think we all received a stack, but yeah, baseball cards made a small cameo.  I don’t know what cards where there exactly (I want to say there was some crazy early 2000s stuff though, judging by the thick cardstock), but I do know there were two UD Masterpieces cards that I put on the top & bottom of the stack because they have no gloss.

Right, so we finally landed, though I’m sure exactly how long it took.  It seemed to be here, this city I live, but it was… much more expansive.  There were skyscapers downtown and there was an ever-so-vague near future vibe.  Neil was there, and somehow dreamgirl showed up shortly after, despite us seemingly making a long trip at supersonic speeds.  I guess since we were all up in those skyscrapers (the saucer landed on one), Alien Neil Gaiman gave us flying, Silver Surfer-style surfboards and goes off to get ready to go I assume, while we messed around on the flying surfboards and considered going with him.

Finally, we were sitting around a table discussing going with Alien Neil.  Dreamgirl was still way mistrusting.  Wicked seemed cautiously curious.  After I woke up but was still kinda in the dream, he mentioned being sorta tied to earth because he has a family.  And me, I was making peace with the fact that it could go horribly wrong (something about a quote about wanting to see the stars, but not necessarily being welcome when you get there), but I didn’t have anything to lose, nothing much to stay for (though for what it’s worth, Ms. L, I did admit a few people might miss me).  I was pondering all the terrible things that could happen to me if I went, and rationalizing that while they might be painful ways to go, they’d all be quick at least.

Unfortunately, I woke up before we could get any further.  I wasn’t sure if The Don was going, but I had convinced myself to go (not that it took that much).  It looked like dreamgirl might end up very begrudgingly going if I went, because apparently I am a bumbling idiot that needs someone to keep me from doing stupid sh*t or something.  I dunno, but there’s some degree of reality in that thought, even if it’s just my own lack of self-confidence talking.

So yeah, there ya go.  Feel free to analyze away.

Maybe generic Honey Bunches of Oats right before sleep isn’t the best idea…

Wicked Ortega Trade 2: (Insert Clever Sequel Title Here)

Now attached to the front of a binder...

Lest you think it’s only random packs I’ve gotten crazy awesome cards from packs lately, I present a selection of most of the cards I received in my second trade with Don Wicked Ortega.

Some Cards!

A guy that can hit close to .300 and steal 50+ at an 80% clip?  Why did we get rid of Juan Pierre again?  Aramis, D-Lee (recent official addition), and Big Z are specific player collections, and it’s always nice to get a Marmol.  I think that is only my 4th or so.  Chuck McElroy from any team are welcome cards are welcome.  Soto, where were you last year? We could’ve used you.  We had some bum catching last year that only hit .218!

HAWK, mini Shin-Soo Choo, and off-center Kosuke

Andre Dawson and O-Pee-Chee, two great tastes that go great together!  I need more Shin-Soo Choo, I think he’s gonna be a star one day soon.  That is my second Kosuke black parallel, and they might have both come from Mr. Ortega.  Indeed, he sent me all the Kosukes in this lot in the first trade, so umm… hey fellow Cubs bloggers, I think I should spread the love around.  I have a handful of Cubs dupes from The Don, from both trades, so if you be needin’ any early-’90s Upper Deck or the Fukudome cards, I got ya hookup.  I know I have a small number of extra Ryne Sandbergs from that era as well, so shoot me an email or leave a comment or something, and I’ll send all extras I have (there are a few newer ones too).

Ryno time!

Aside from the Hall of Famer, is future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux when he was young, and George Bell appears to be pointing Paul O’niell in the direction of some no-doubt fine tail.  Also, this trade has brought to my attention severely lacking I am in Mark Grace cards.  He lead the most awesome decade ever in hits!  I gotta get my grubby little mitts on more of him sometime soon, especially shiny ones like that Ultimate Victory.

More good stuff! I think we gots the wrong Jose Reyes though...

Actually, the Ticket to Stardom Fukudome wasn’t in the first trade, because the set wasn’t out yet!  Why do people hate on Artifacts/A Piece of History?  It’s now at or below $40 (not including shipping…) for a hobby box.  I encourage everyone to give it a shot at this way lower price point and see if they still don’t like it.  My box is on the way (or will be if they ever get and/or confirm the payment, was Dave & Adam’s closed the entire week?), and Field of Cards enjoyed his.  Right, what was I saying.  Ooh, look at the pretty Kevin Tapani card… @_@ *droolz* Taste the purple…

Shiny Fonsie!

It’s not as subtle as it’s UD3 ancestors, but it sure is effective.  The old cliche that I’ve been fortunate to rarely need to use holds true here, the scan doesn’t do this card a lick of justice.

Another try at the whole CF of the future thing, a card that made lmao, and... a Yankee?! Wat?

I think I need to start stocking up on Sam Fuld cards.  Well, I need ’em anyway since he’s a Cub, but here’s hoping he’s he real deal.  Anyone got any?  Eventually every Cubs, O’s, and Expos/Nats collector has to get themselves a Chipper rookie someday right?  But I still couldn’t help but have myself a hearty chuckle at getting a future Hall of Famer’s rookie because a guy from my team that didn’t do much happened to share his card.  Igawa?  I’ve dramatically pared down my Asian player wantlist from any and all to about a half dozen + the Chunichi Dragons (WBC I want all of, regardless of country), and he isn’t on it.  But I just wanted the card because it looks really cool.

Alright then, that’s all well & good, but only those that bleed Cubbie blue will think any of that is crazy awesome.  So let’s get CRAZY awesome… Behold!:

topps Dan Haren sketch card!

Isn’t is a beauty?  Gotta love that dreamy stare, lol.  And guess what!

It be a 1/1!

This card is awesome on so many levels.  I’m kind of a wannabe artist, as you know if you’ve been reading for awhile.  And precisely because of this, I collect sketch cards.  But they are very expensive, and thus hard to come by for someone poor like me (Fortunately the great CK Russell thought highly enough of my abilities to agree to an art trade for a personal sketch card from her).  So getting this (only my second at the time, got a third in my Fantastic Four Archives box), is mindblowingly awesome.

I’m so thankful to Alfredo for being willing to trade me this absolutely wicked awesome card.  I still don’t know what to say, because “thank you” doesn’t seem like enough.  Honestly, the whole time until I saw him post what I sent, pleased with the trade, I was fretting that the four or so hits I sent in return weren’t enough.  Granted, I do this with almost every trade I send out, but this was whole other level nervousness.  I said thank you didn’t seem like enough, but it seems that is all there’s left to say.  So from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Alfredo.  Thank you so much…

I am curious about something though.  Can anyone tell me who drew this card?  They got mad skillz. 🙂

Finally, one more thing before I go.  I have more thank yous for everyone who has come by my blog the last few days!  For the first time ever, I received over 100 hits three days straight (today remains to be seen).  It doesn’t seem too long ago that I could barely crack double digits when I posted something, let alone on days that I didn’t, so while I’m sure most of you have long since felt this elation, I’m now starting to feel like maybe I’m actually getting somewhere with this thing.  So thank you everyone, and may you all have the happiest of holidays, no matter what you celebrate, this time of year.

I feel like I won an Oscar, thanking everyone like this… You guys rock!

Wicked Ortega: The First Trade

Ya know what’s funny?  Due to the distraction of coloring sketch cards, that last post actually took at least five hours to do, lol. 😛

Anyway, here’s a selection of cards from my first trade with the Don hisself, Wicked Ortega.  And remember, this is less than half of what he sent.  He sent so much, there were even multiples of a few cards.

Sweet Lou

Start it off with the manager.

Aramis and KOSUKE~!

Why do Sweet Spot’s base cards have to come from hit-a-pack packs that cost $20??  The three years I have some from (2005, 2008, and 2009) are about the nicest looking sets from each of those years.  If set builders could get just the base cards in the standard 8 pack, 5 cards per pack, $20 blaster version with an outside chance at a hit (instead of those horrible ripoff $30 tins), they’d be all over it, or at least far more likely than with retail versions of more expensive sets like the always hugely uninspired SP.  Hell, you could even guarantee the jersey in the $20 blaster, because the Sweet Spot jerseys look like utter crap this year.

Wait, what was I talking about?  Oh yeah, the trade.  Umm, the infield power insert is hella tight, and the O-Pee-Chee subsets, inserts, and black border parallels have grown on me a lot.

Big Z!

I want to get all the versions of the Fukudome and Zambrano topps cards.  I think I have four of Z, the three above, and a Chrome refractor, and I think I have three Fukudomes, though I’d have to check.

Then we have Zambrano’s no-no.  Umm, no-hitter.  Is anyone still bitter about that?

OPC would’ve been so awesome if Upper Deck wasn’t so stingy with the amount of cards per pack.  This is a recurring problem I have with them.  It seems like they are as clueless with low end cards as topps is with the high end stuff (UD flaship very aside, though I’m very hesitant to even call it low end).  It really is a shame, because OPC mostly kicked ass otherwise.  It really nailed the fun, colorful ’70s retro feel without resorting to using a past design (yes topps, that jab was at you).  I just couldn’t bring myself to buy more than a couple packs when there were so few cards per pack and I knew there was no chance at anything special.  At 8 cards for the same price, I can guarantee I would’ve bought at least another half-dozen packs.

Goodwin Champions suffered from this too, maybe worse than any other, though SP and Icons aren’t good for making retail versions, and need a couple more cards per pack just to mitigate the suck, like topps did with Ticket to Stardom.  8 cards per pack is pretty much the cutoff point where crap retail versions of higher end than flagship stuff to starts to become tolerable.  It is also where I stop caring so much that stuff like OPC is the cute chick that has nothing else to offer.

Hmm… I seem to be mode-locked in rant mode.  More cards!

Yes!

I love the arty old arty checklist cards.  Was so glad they brought them back in ’09 Upper Deck Heroes football (even though I pulled a Packer).

All kinds of good stuff!

We got vintage!  We got minis!  We got more proof that blue makes any design they throw on card look better (the Derrek Lee Timeline)!  We got Shawon Dunston Rookies!  My Shawon-o-Meter is at .298 and rising.  How about you?

A Turk Wendell rookie, Dwight Smith cuz I can, a Randy Myers Silver Signature parallel, and... a scandalous pic of the mayor of Souvenir City poopin' in a bucket of baseballs.

Yeah, I went there.  Deal with it. 😛

Lots of groovy random stuff here.

You can never, ever go wrong with sending me Pinnacle cards. And is Ted Lilly playing up to that fat contract or what?

I wonder if these came from the same play...

Lee, Soto, some Sorianos, and Derrick May, my secret shame...

I thought Derrick May was gonna be a superstar when I was little.  I was wrong, and I guess… I’m just gonna have to put it behind me. *sigh* 😥

Yay Rynos!

Okay, I feel a little better now.

These are several thousand year old cave drawings...

But seriously though, Moyer’s been around since I was about two years old.  I dunno how I’m gonna handle it when he retires.  It’s like… he’s been there as long as I can remember.  What am I supposed to do if he’s not around, man?

The fun just doesn't stop!

I know Big Z is a great power hitting pitcher, and if quit pitching to focus entirely on hitting, he could probably go .265-25-80 or better on a yearly basis, but this isn’t Micah Owings we’re talking about here people.  Zambrano is actually a really good pitcher too, he even has a no-hitter.  You don’t have to show him hitting all the time.

Have we got time for one more?… Okay, here ya go:

Fergie!

Good stuff, good stuff.  Give it up for Wicked Ortega everybody!  I gotta sleep some more now.

I still want a Shawon-O-Meter hit counter…

Quick Hits

Just have a few of notes to mention tonight, since I’m not up for the 3-5 hours it’ll take to do a post for my first trade Wicked Ortega (It was big!  I don’t think the 9 or so scans I did was more than 40% of the package), which is the only other thing I have handy to talk about at the moment, since my Allen Iverson post is now moot (and I couldn’t be happier!).

I finally got around to doing a bunch of scans of eBay stuff, pack breakage, my second trade with Wicked Ortega, the clunkers and more from Roll out the Barrel, a few other random cards, a couple sketch cards I finally finished, and some quickie sketches from one of my sketchbooks.  And then I forgot to bring them back to my place… Yeah, I suck. -.-;

Anyway, you’ve got that stuff to look forward to when I do finally get all that good stuff over here.  And I’ve got a box of Fantastic Four Archives I picked up on Blowout Cards over the weekend to look forward to arriving near Christmas.  Here’s hoping for a really cool sketch card.

Speaking of sketch cards, does anyone know where I can get some binders on the really really cheap?  I need one for my sketch card and Benchwarmers collections, and probably ones for other stuff eventually.  My ginormo 2005 Bowman Heritage redemption binder won’t hold my random insert/WBC collections and player collections forever.

Provided I pick up some more cases, cards will be going out, starting this weekend, to the following peeps: Nachos Grande, Shot Not Taken, Roll out the Barrel, Night Owl, and The Great Sports Name Hall of Fame, and possibly another 3-5 more to be named later.  It’s gonna be a busy month, or what qualifies as such for me.  Fortunately, there are no $7+ packages here, so I won’t break myself with all this.

Hmm… I thought that was it, but since I just now finished a couple more sketch cards, I thought I’d mention them.  Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn and Batman are now done.  I will scan them someday.  They’ll be available for sale or trade or something maybe.  The blog stars of AnotherMaria and Ms. Latina I’m coloring as I type this very paragraph won’t though.  Once I finish it, I’m going to send it off to each of them to sign.  It will be my first TTM auto. ♥ 😀

Goodnight, and apologies for such a crappy, halfhearted post.  Maybe the next one will be better.

Maybe.

You’re thinking of tacos…

I Wanna Say, Thank You ♫

I know I’m a little late with this, but there are some people I am thankful for, and I want to say thank you to them.

First, I am thankful for Migdalia, the Latina on a Mission herself.  Really, twitter makes you think you are closer to people you actually are, and we probably hardly know each other at all (we even discussed this phenomena once, lol).  But that doesn’t matter, because there aren’t many people that can instantly put a smile on my face with just their presence, not many people can make my heart skip a beat just by saying (err, typing?) my name.  She is not only one of the few people in this world that can do that to me, but also a sweet and helpful person who’s gentle encouragement gives me hope.

Next, I am thankful for Jacky from over at justin.tv, who’s presence does the same thing as Migdalia.  Similar in personality as well.  In fact, I’ve known Jacky quite a bit longer.  We haven’t talked much lately, but every time we do, I get the same warm & fuzzies. 🙂

I am also thankful for AnotherMaria.  She is just made of awesome, basically.  She’s strong-willed, motivated, driven to succeed.  She can multitask like nobody’s business.  She is basically all the good stuff that I’m not, but want to be.  She is The Maria as far as I’m concerned.  I hope to be as awesome as her one day.  It may be an impossible dream, but to be that strong, I suppose there is nothing I couldn’t do, and I could find someone as awesome as Maria to be with (and feel like I might actually be on something close to equal footing).

Taylor, another someone I haven’t talked to in awhile, but someone I go back with further than anyone else on the internet.  I’m thankful for her because, well, I might never have even taken the first step try to recover from my horrible mental screwed-upedness if not for her.  Amazing what having someone to care about can do.

And amongst the card bloggers there, whom I am thankful for in general, for what I have learned from y’all about generosity and stuff, are a few I am particularly thankful for.

Shane of Shoebox Legends, with whom I made my first major trade.  He’s cool, and who knows if I would’ve even hung around if not for that trade.

Of course we should all be thankful for the ladies of Dinged Corners, who constantly push the limits of what we can learn from cards.  They are truly innovative in their approach to little cardboard pictures of baseball players.  Go look through their archives if for some reason you don’t know of them, and prepare to have your mind blown by all the ways baseball cards can be used to teach, all the things things you can learn, all things you never considered before, about specific cards and cards in general.

And finally, I want to thank the man, the myth, the Wicked Ortega.  I want to thank him for caring enough to comment frequently, and for just being cool in general.  Thank you.

And yeah, I totally cried at his “What I’m Thankful For” post.  Like “hide the sharp objects” crying.  When it comes to people I have a connection to, that kinda thing is like stabbing me in the soul.  I hurt right along with.

I know I’m leaving out a few people I’m thankful for, for one reason or another, and I hope they know how much they mean to me.  You all are as much family to me as my own flesh & blood, perhaps even more so.  I think my friends are a blessing, even if I don’t often know how to properly express it, and I think that, in my friends, I am surrounded by some of the greatest people who have ever lived.

Love always…

Things Are… Actually Progressing?! Holy S#!%

I actually have three packages ready to go out tomorrow morning and some others rapidly approaching completion? What did I do with the real Lonestarr?!  It must just be excess nervous energy from worrying about someone, and the fact that I’ve been slowly preparing a bunch of these things little-by-little at once when the mood strikes.  But whatever the case, things are finally coming to fruition.

♫ Indians cards on the way for Baseball Dad (he sent 20 or so Ryne Sandbergs that I will post about once I’ve scanned them) and David (my WAY late group break money order and a far too few cards in thanks for the Random Packs of Kindness).  I can’t guarantee that there’s anything either of you can use, supercollectors that you are, but here’s hopin’.  I can always send a little more on (lol) to you if you are unsatisfied.

♫ Lots of wonderfully dementedly random stuff for Matt of Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius will also be on the way tomorrow morning.

♫ The long-overdue SASE for Mario of Wax Heaven is pretty much only waiting for the old Andrew Miller sketch card I did back before I had a teal marker to be inked and colored.  It doesn’t seem right to not send anything, as cool and generous as Mario has been with me.  Unfortunately, I have nothing else to offer right now besides my mediocre artistic talents.

♫ Piles have been set aside for Wicked Ortega (Marlins and Mannys and stuff) and codebreaker extrordinaire JD’s Daddy (Phenom Pitchers).

♫ I just need Night Owl‘s address and I can send out stuff to him any time, Dodgers being one of the first teams I organized back when I thought I had the iron will to get further than two teams into The Great Cardening of 2009.

Looks like that’s everything that is progressed to near-completion.  Shoot me an email if you wish to know more specifics.

Hopefully this wasn’t too inane of a post.  Just doing whatever I can to take my mind off, umm… things, and thought I’d let people know how their dealings with me are progressing, since I’m painfully, excruciatingly slow at this.

Gettin’ s*** done, yaya. :d