Night Owl Cards

  Topps released details on this year's Series 1 yesterday. Release date is Feb. 15, which is a mid-week day that means I could potentially land some cards at a nearby big-box  ... if this was 2019. If I get something by the end of February, I'll be surprised.   No matter, I'm not too into current cards these days, but I refuse to dim the little-boy excitement that returns every year at this time when the new cards are released.   One specific mention in the release caught my eye:   All right, let's break that down.   Yes, it's the 1988 Topps design's turn to be featured in Topps' yearly retro insert set if we're adhering to weird 35th anniversary stipulations. But that was NEVER A GUARANTEE because of what Topps did in 2018. So, not surprisingly but also, yes, surprisingly. You never know what Topps is going to pull.   I know this is just an insert set, who really cares, and Topps has inundated us with so many past designs -- between all the retro ins...

  It's interesting navigating in a world that's gone crazy.  Often-times, when people around me have gone off the deep-end, either panicking when there's no need, taking whatever event or activity to the extreme or just having wack-a-doo thoughts, I have to constantly check myself: OK, am I still normal? How about now? Still normal? *Three weeks later* Still normal? It's a constant inventory evaluation because I'm always expecting some of the crazy to rub off on me. There's just so much of it around. Only a matter of time, right? So into this strange hobby world, I entered my first card show in 693 days on Sunday. I didn't know what to expect with everything that's transpired in the last year-plus. I've heard some say shows have changed. I've heard some say they're pretty much the same. Before heading out I took two signals -- which basically say the hobby is pretty darn vibrant -- as a warning. One, the place where I was going never has sh...