2024 WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 3

 I HAVE BASICALLY SPENT THIS ENTIRE WEEK WORKING AND FREEZING SO THOUGHT I MIGHT NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW OFF BUT THANKFULLY I TOOK PICTURES AND SCREENSHOTS OF THE STUFF I DID DO SO THE WEEK IN REVIEW STREAK IS NOW UP TO THREE. TWO MORE THAN I EXPECTED, HONESTLY. THE HIBERNATION INSTINCT IS STRONG THOUGH, I'M STILL TRYING TO PROCRASTINATE WRITING THIS. I'VE WASHED TWO LOADS OF DISHES AND COOKED DINNER SO FAR TO AVOID TYPING BUT A TOO-LATE-IN-THE-DAY CUP OF COFFEE HAS ME HITTING THE KEYBOARD NOW. THAT AND SOMETHING EVEN MORE URGENT I'M PROCRASTINATING FROM DOING. LET'S START WITH A PILE OF CRAP

COLLECTING STUFF I DID THIS WEEK

I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ORGANIZING DONE BUT THE MAIN ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS DRAGGING A BUNCH OF UPPER DECK STUFF TO MY DESK TO SORT. MY FINALIZED COLLECTING GOALS ARE STILL A DREAM BUT IT ISS SLOWLY COMING INTO FOCUS DAY BY DAY. I MIGHT HAVE IT ALL WRITTEN DOWN BY DECEMBER, WHICH MIGHT BE THE PROPER WAY TO DO SUCH THINGS. ABOVE ARE SOME SETS I MADE SOME WANTLISTS FOR BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO ADD SOME TO MY COLLECTION AND MAYBE EVEN COMPLETE THE SET ONE OF THESE DECADES! HERE'S A LIST OF 'EM:

1995, 1997 SP

1996-1999 SPX

1997 UD3

1999 UD POWERDECK

1999-2000 IONIX

2002 A PIECE OF HISTORY

1995 SP I WAS ALREADY WORKING ON BUT I FORGOT HOW INCREDIBLY SHINY THE 1997 SET WAS AND I HAD MANAGED TO ACCUMULATE A BUNCH OF IT, INCLUDING THE SHORT PRINTED HIDECKI IRABU ROOKIE. JUST LOOKA T THAT BIG SEXY CARD, ETCHED FOIL AND A HOLOFIL BORDER, YOWZA. SPX SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BUT I FINALLY GOT ALL THE ONES I HAVE IN ONE PLACE. I'VE ALWAYS PREFERRED 1998 UD3 TO THE 1997 VERSION BUT I HAD A REALIZATION: 1998 UD3 HAS A FRACTURED BASE SET WITH CARDS IN VARIOUS LEVELS OF SCARCITY THAT'S ALMOST 300 CARDS IN SIZE. 1997 UD3 IS 60 CARDS WITH NO FUSS. I HAVE A CHANCE IN HELL OF COMPLETING THAT SET! IONIX IS A CHROME-LIKE SET WITH SOME FUN DESIGNS, POWERDECK IS POWERDECK, AND 2002 PIECE OF HISTORY IS A COOL LEGENDSISH SET THAT IS SLIGHTLY SPOILED WITH SOME UNNECESSARY SHORTPRINTS BUT I LIKE IT. NONE OF THESE CARDS ARE TERRIBLY COMMON BUT IF I FIND SOME IN MY TRAVELS I CAN MAKE SURE I'M NOT SPENDING MY MONEY ON DOUBLES NOW

I ALSO GOT MY UPPER DECK INSERT CARDS SOMEWHAT ORGANIZED. THEY'VE BEEN A MESS FOR A WHILE AS SOME CARDS WERE IN AN INSERT BOX, AND OTHERS WERE WITH THE SET, AND OTHERS WERE HIDING IN RANDOM PLACES. I'VE AVOIDED DOING THIS FOR SO LONG BECAUSE AFTER 1993, WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA WHICH INSERT IS FROM WHICH YEAR AND SINCE A LOT OF THE MID 90S-EARLY 00S SETS HAVE A COPYRIGHT DATE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR FOR SERIES ONE IT'S A REAL PAIN. THIS ARRAY OF PILES WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SORTED BY YEAR BUT HOO BOY DID I BUNGLE IT ON MOST OF THE STACKS. A LOT OF THOSE AREN'T EVEN FROM FLAGSHIP SETS. ASIDE FROM MOSTLY GETTING THINGS WHERE THEY BELONG I ALSO GOT ALL MY UPPER DECK E-CARD CODE CARDS IN ONE PLACE. THESE WERE CONTEST CARDS WHERE YOU COULD ENTER A CODE INTO A WEBSITE AND WIN ACTUAL CARDS, A DECADE BEFORE TOPPS DID IT. THERE'S THIRTY-THREE CARDS TOTAL BETWEEN TWO FLAGSHIP SETS AND AN ODDBALL CALLED EVOLUTION AND I KINDA WANT TO CHASE THEM ALL SINCE I HAVE A GOOD HEAD START ALREADY

WHILE SORTING THE IONIX, I FOUND THIS GEM:

THIS CARD IS A REAL MESS BUT THAT'S ON PURPOSE. UPPER DECK WAS ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INTERNET 1337 5P33K WITH THIS SHOCKWAVE SET. THE WHOLE BRAND WAS VERY COMPUTERY WITH SOME WILD DESIGNS AND PIXELY COMPUTER GRAPHIC ART. THERE'S A SLIGHT PROBLEM WITH THIS ONE AS THERE'S A HOLOFOIL TEXTURED OVERLAY ON TOP OF THE CARD THAT OUTLINED THE PLAYER PICTURE BUT THIS ONE GOT A LITTLE JACKED UP. YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER OF THE HOLOFOIL THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE CORNER OF THE CARD IN BETWEEN DELGADO'S SHOES. HERE'S A LITTLE BETTER LOOK AT THE TEXTURE

YOU CAN NOT OLY SEE THE TEXTURE ON THE CARD IS RIGHT ON TOP OF CARLOS, BUT THE PLAYER OUTLINE APPEARS TO BE FOR A HORIZONTAL DESIGN. THE HORIZONTAL INSERT IN 2000 IONIX IS CALLED ATOMIC AND IF WE LOOK AT THE BACK...

HERE'S A NICE RIDICULOUSLY MISCUT BACK OF TONY GWYNN'S ATOMIC INSERT. I THINK THAT IS ALSO THE OUTLINE OF TONY ON THE FRONT, HERE'S A PIC SWIPED FROM EBAY, DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. IT LOOKS LIKE A CARLOS DELAGO SHOCKWAVE CARD GOT INTO A TELEPORTER WITH A TONY GWYNN ATOMIC CARD AND GOT BRUNDLEFLYED. CARDS LIKE THIS REALLY GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF JUST HOW INTRICATE THE PRODUCTION OF THESE WILD LOOKING CARDS REALLY IS

MOVIES

ONLY WATCHED ONE MOVIE THIS WEEK FOR REASONS I'LL EXPLAIN SOON

#7 COMIC BOOK CONFIDENTIAL
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE AND A COPY POPPED UP ON YOUTUBE. THIS IS A DOCUMENTARY THAT DISCUSSES THE HISTORY OF COMICS FROM THE '30S TO THE '80S THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH THE ORIGINAL CREATORS. FROM WILLIAM GAINES AND STAN LEE TO FRANK MILLER AND CHARLES BURNS. THE DOCUMENTARY SKEWS TOWARD THE INDEPENDENT AND UNDERGROUND COMICS BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO HEAR FROM A LOT OF THE ALL TIME GREATS OF THE MEDIUM THIS IS A FANTASTIC WATCH

THE REASON WHY MOVIES GOT PUT TO THE BACK BURNER THIS WEEK IS BECAUSE THE AGDQ SPEED RUNNING MARATHON WAS LAST WEEK AND I ENDED UP WATCHIGN A LOT OF THAT INSTEAD. I FLAKED AND FORGOT IT WAS STARTING LAST SUNDAY OR I WOULD HAVE POSTED IT IN LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP. A TON OF GAMES ARE SPEEDRUN FOR CHARITY TWICE A YEAR AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF MAY FAVORITE GAMES RUN WAY TOO FAST. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH SPEEDRUNNING, HERE'S A VIDEO OF THIS YEARS LEGEND OF ZELDA RUN WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN A LITTLE OVER A HALF HOUR

THEIR TWITCH CHANNEL HOSTS SPEEDRUNS ALL YEAR LONG IF YOU IND YOU ENJOY THIS SORT OF THING. I MISSED HALF THE MARATHON SO I'VE GOT A LOT OF RUNS TO CATCH UP ON

BOOKS

YESTERDAY WAS THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CENTER'S ANNUAL BOOK SWAP AND I GOT A BUNCH OF GOODIES. TWENTY ONE BOOKS FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT READING ONCE I HAVE TIME! (SPOILER: I WILL NEVER HAVE TIME) I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS NOW WITH MY DAUGHTER AND WE MANAGED TO GET SOME STUFF WE WANTED AND GET THIRTY UNWANTED BOOKS OUT OF THE HOUSE AT THE SAME TIME. THIS IS A GOOD CROSS SECTION OF WHAT I GOT, WITH A LOCAL BASEBALL BOOK, A HORROR COMEDY AND MYSTERY NOVEL. I ALSO MADE A FEW RECORD SWAPS. I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING UP THE SWAP POSTS LAST YEAR AND I'LL START SHOWING THE NEW TRADES OFF IN A WEEK OR TWO

PODCASTY STUFF

I MEANT TO SHOW OFF THE POSCASTS I LIKE BUT I KEEP WRITING ABOUT OLD TIME RADIO INSTEAD. THIS BOX SET OF SYDNEY GREENSTREET'S VERSION OF NERO WOLFE JUMPED UP AT ME BECAUSE I WAS HOPING TO FIND SOME OF THE ACTUAL BOOKS AT THE SWAP. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO GET THIS AS IT CAUGHT MY EYE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW AND A FEW MINUTES LATER THE AUDIO BOOK SECTION WAS PICKED CLEAN.NERO WOLFE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE DETECTIVES AND I ENJOY THE BOOKS AND THE A&E TV SERIES. SYDNEY GREENSTREET IS A REAL CHARACTER TOO, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE FAT DETECTIVE. A TON OF THESE OLD RADIO PLAYS ARE ON ARCHIVE DOT ORG AND YOU CAN LISTEN TO GREENSTREET'S VERSION, MAVOR MOORE'S VERSION, WHATEVER THIS VERSION IS (MAYBE IT'S GREENSTREET'S? THE DESCRIPTION ISN'T CLEAR) AND WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THEM ALL YOU CAN LISTEN TO A PODCAST WITH COMMENTARY ON THE EPISODES. HA HA! I WAS ABLE TO BRING IT BACK TO PODCASTS AFTER ALL! THE GREAT DETECTIVES OF OLD TIME RADIO WITH ADAM GRAHAM IS A PODCAST I LEARNED ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO AND IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE - OH DEAR - THAT'S A LOT OF EPISODES TO CATCH UP ON. MAYBE I'LL JUST START WITH NERO FIRST

OK YOU READ THROUGH ALL THAT, TIME FOR YOUR REWARD

THE BEST CARD I BOUGHT THIS WEEK

THE ONLY CARDS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK WERE ON BASEBALLCARDSTORE DOT CA. I GAVE COMC A REST AND IT WAS TOO COLD TO GO OUTSIDE. I MANAGED TO KEEP IT UNDER FORTY CARDS THIS WEEK TOO ALTHOUGH IT WAS HARD TO PICK A FAVORITE FOR THE POST. I GOT A VERY NICE WILLIAM ANDREWS 1983 TOPPS STICKER, THE JOHN SMOLTZ SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (R.I.P.) CARD WHERE HIS DAD'S PLAYING THE ACCORDIAN AND A CHRIS CHELIOS POST CEREAL CARD THAT I DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED. THESE ARE ALL GREAT CANDIDATES BUT YOU KNOW HOW I CAN'T RESIST THE SHINY

I HAVE TO GO WITH THE 2021 TOPPS CHROME PRISMIC POWER CARD OF FREDDIE FREEMAN. I'VE SEEN THESE BEFORE AND THEY ARE VERY PRETTY BUT I NEVER PICKED ONE UP. I'LL TAKE A GOOD LOOKING FREDDIE INSERT CARD (IN A BRAVES UNI) ANY DAY

HERE'S THE TOTALS FOR THE WEEK:

WANTLIST CARDS - 7
BRAVES/HAWKS/ETC. - 6 
SHIIINY - 5
INSERTS - 11
STARS/PLAYER COLLECTION - 5
CHRONICLES - 2
NON SPORT - 1
CHUCK MCELROY - 1

OH NO! I FINISHED THE POST! NOW I HAVE TO DO THAT THING I WAS PROCRASTINATING ABOUT. UNTIL NEXT WEEK, KEEP HAVING FUN OUT THERE