COMMUNICATIONS INTERRUPT: 2.5" x 3.5"

Waterlog (yeah, a new name every time!) has certainly thrown herself full-throttle into baseball fandom.

We just ordered delivery of the baseball cards she garnered by entering Million Card Giveaway codes from Topps (mostly from the 2010 Update series, which consists of players traded or rookies who made their Major League debut during the course of the season; they cover the All-Star Game, too, which is something they didn't do back when I was initially collecting and it was simply called the Traded set). Participants could actually trade the cards they acquired with other participants to get cards they would find more desirable than what they had, which is pretty damn cool. Waterlog had a series of trades maintained right up to the end of the MCG promo, offering several cards (one or two of which were more valuable than what she wanted) in exchange for one of Bob Uecker's cards from the 1960s. She really wanted his Braves card, but would've taken a Cardinals or Phillies. Nobody bit at those, unfortunately, but somebody did take a 5-for-1 she offered in order to get Trevor Hoffman's rookie card--sure, it's a card I already have by way of owning the entire 1993 Topps Baseball set, but she wanted one of her own, and now it's coming. 'Inordinately happy' would be a good way of describing her state of mind immediately after finding out the result, yes.

(I think I've a single of it around, too, but good luck finding it...)

The MCG promo ends tomorrow, but that's not the end of this sort of thing for Waterlog--Topps is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary with--well, pretty much the same thing, but with diamond rings 'n stuff. She's around 50 cards from completing 2011 Series One, and has some cards lined up for her on the new promo site (nobody mega-special, and trading won't be available for awhile yet)...man, I dunno how far it'll go. Collectible cards of ANY stripe began getting kind of expensive when I was originally collecting, which was a big portion of the reason why I stopped for the most part in 1995; it has not gotten any better in the years since, obviously.

(I blame and name Stadium Club; a specialty card series, then, that became the forerunner of what we get as a matter of course today. Maybe I'm showing my age--blah blah blah 40¢ for a pack of 14, they were only a little glossy on one side blah blah holy cow and postage stamps went up to a quarter OH NOES...wait, I'm not allowed to do this sort of thing until I'm sixty? Dammit.)

IN ANY CASE, true then and now, it's naturally far cheaper to buy the complete base set when it's released and chase down any wanted insert cards (something ELSE that didn't really exist until the early 1990s; now where're my trifocals?!) on their own as they are made available (eBay, for the most part)...but she's having fun doing it exactly the way I used to do it--pack by pack. I'd be remiss if I didn't point that fact out, but I'd be a real dick to take that fun away from her.

Guess I'll just stick to jokingly grousing after having dinner at a nice restaurant. "$43.65? Well, that was a Leader-class Transformer. Or three Deluxes and a Scout..."--

+++PRIME OUT+++

Friday Photoblog: "I Dared" Edition

"Weird Al" in the Dealer Room at BotCon 2009.
(Yes, yes, I know, how can you tell from the back? Just trust me.)

Wreck and Rule!

Watching the Daytona 500. Before you plotz, I'm just doing this for the Wreckers.

......

Holy shit! New DOTM trailer! 'Bee looks badass!

Hrrm. Topspin spun out of the race early, Roadbuster got busted up near the end, and Leadfoot took 6th. Some 20-year-old goober won. Feh.

--Weasel, waiting for Earth to go dark...

Friday Photoblog: "Buzz Off" Edition

A snoozing honeybee, spotted before the Universal Studios tour at BotCon 2009.
(Poor little guy seemed pretty out of it; it was a nippy morning.)

The Oprah Thing...

...yes, it's the reason I'm not blogging as much. Just when you think you're starting to move forward...*BLAM!* Twelve steps back.

Friday Photoblog: "Crowd Control" Edition

The crowds at the 'Con. From BotCon 2009.
(I love organized chaos...)

...it's twenty plus days too damn long, is what...

As you may (or may not) know, two new Pokemon games will be hitting the shelves in March.

It goes without saying that I am chomping at the bit to lay hands on a copy of Black. I am absolutely going crazy here with this wait.

Now, with every generation of Pokemon, I've played favorites. There's always been at least one that has caught my eye and made me, for whatever reason, fall in love with it. It may be because it's cute, or I think it looks really cool or whatever. In any case, I know I have to have this little twerp on my team, no matter what.

In Generation one it was Eevee and Mew. In the Second gen, I went more for power and fell in love with Lugia. In the Third gen I fell hard for Latias and Latios. Fourth gen brought me the awesome known as Palkia. Fifth gen has shown that it is no exception. The games haven't even dropped yet and I'm already in love with a couple of new Pokemon. Only this time, I'm not going crazy for a some random Legendary.

Sure, I adore Reshiram, but it's these guys who have captured my attention. What Pokemon have me frothing at the mouth, waiting eagerly for this game's arrival? They are Gobitto and Goruugu.

Gobitto is just freaking adorable; I mean, all I want to do is cuddle the little bugger and coo over how cute it is. But Goruugu, oh man, Goruugu... can we say "giant honkin' robot"? Yes, we can! And we all know just how much I love me some giant honkin' robots. Seeing this kind of awesome only makes the wait so much worse.

I've got until March the freaking sixth. Honestly, I don't think I can wait that long. I'm going nuts already.

--Weasel, needing her Pokecrack like three months ago...

...and somewhere, Brett Favre is taking an angry dump in his Depends...

As everyone knows, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl last night. But here's an interesting bit of trivia that was brought up during the postgame show: Aaron Rodgers not only won the damn game, but got the MVP award.

Brett Favre won the Super Bowl but never got an MVP. And for some reason, that just makes me smile.

Yes, I'm evil. I fully admit it now.

--Weasel, hoping the drama queen from Mississippi will finally go the hell away!

Friday Photoblog: "All Star" Edition

Prince Fielder, looking awesome.
(Miller Park, a warm summer night, cheese fries in a helmet with Secret Stadium Sauce... Heaven...)

Free Snow

Anybody want any? We've got a slag-ton. Help yourself.

--Weasel, glad she's not in Chicago.