Like Miggy, 'Melo, and Gronk...

I'm on leave from work on the 29th and 30th of June.  (It's the 29th as I write this.)  Two ten-hour days uses up my Personal leave exactly.  I've still got vacation and sick leave left.  This is intentional...

Because on Wednesday, July 1, I become officially retired from the FCPS school system after 22 years, 7 months.

I would have stayed a couple more years to reach 25.  I enjoyed the people I worked with, and liked fixing chromebooks, laptops, desktops and the occasional 3D printer, moving freight around in the basement, managing the repair parts inventory, installing new equipment in the school lab rooms, and to a lesser degree, taking Help Desk phone calls.  Unfortunately, the big boss decided to move half of our staff to another group, and restrict the five of us who would be left to Help Desk phones ONLY.  I said, "no thank you."  And here we are.

No more early mornings unless it's something special.  No more long days without snacks or naps.  No more commute.  No more fast food lunches.  (Well, OK, less of them at least.) 

More time for whatever I want, including projects and maintenance around the house, organizing the card room (better), putting away all the stuff I've brought in for the last two years, consolidating my lists from this site and the TCDB, working on my classic cars, arranging everything in the garage and basement, and finding more card shops!

Angela has July off too, so we will be filling the days with fun stuff.  After that, my blogging, sorting, trading and maybe even selling will leap to new heights!  Not sure I'll be a Hall Of Famer like the guys in the title, but if there's one for the card world, I might be closer soon. Stay Tuned!

Maybe The Best Year Ever

As I cross the finish line on year 58, I can confidently say that this has been the best year I've had in a long time, if not my whole life.  I found my dream home and dream girl in the same year.💕

Continuing my annual tradition, here are the dreamy girls I share a birthday with.  (I got permission to keep this up as long as I make a post about the studly guys that my girlfriend shares a birthday with in July.)

Kate Middleton has apparently rebounded from cancer treatments last year.  Hope that's the last time she'll have to deal with that.

Nina Dobrev has split with her Olympic boyfriend Shaun White.  Sorry, I'm spoken for now...

So for equal time, I'll be posting shots of Thomas Gibson, Patrick Wilson, and whoever else she likes, but not Tom Cruise...

Operations Suspended: Headquarters Moving

Collecting and Trading operations are temporarily suspended due to Headquarters relocation.  HiveMind Headquarters is moving from Thurmont, MD to Fairfield, PA.

I know, it's supposed to be a Borg ship, but this was cooler...

New location will consolidate Collecting Operations into one space of about 19' x 14', which is close to the total of the two previous spaces.  Stay tuned for images of the new setup in a couple weeks.  Automotive operations will also be located completely onsite as well.

Inventory transfer is currently in progress.  Infrastructure and communication setup will commence around Nov. 14.  Further transmissions will be very limited until then.

 
And please fill out the survey if you haven't already ~ thanks to the 36 respondents so far.

Happy Pi(e) Day

 
Obviously...

(Pea-yay)

Up and coming, maybe...

And then there's this, of course...

Don't think there's anyone who's number was 3.141592654 though.

A Little Sunshine Among The Darkness

Man, there is suddenly a lot going on!  I go for weeks at a time with almost no inspiration to write, and now I've got like six post topics all happening at once!

I just posted a yearly recap that expanded into three parts, and today is my birthday, so I'm almost obligated to put this annual tribute to the lovely ladies that share my birthdate.  

Then I see that Monday, the subject of one of my most thorough player collections passes away at a young age.  I'll show you that collection in a little while.  

And there was also the passing of President Jimmy Carter, whose funeral was today.

But to start, let me acknowledge the praise of my best collecting buddy and blossoming blogger Stuart, who expressed his grattitude for my friendship over at SR75 Cards.  What he may lack in wordsmithing skill, he makes up in sincerity and enthusiasm (or maybe it's just addiction to cardboard).  We have indeed known each other since 2007, after we competed for a box of Upper Deck 40-Man on eBay.  He did introduce me to the National when it came to Baltimore the first time.  But don't let him mislead you about his superior cardboard knowledge.  I can't recite the World Series winners or MVPs or records and stats, but I've got almost 30 years collecting experience, and know more about a lot of card things (especially football.)  We've done a lot together in the pursuit of these little slices of fun.

Now let's continue to try to brighten the day with my traditional tribute.

The ever-graceful Kate Middleton was struck by cancer this year.  She fought well and underwent chemotherapy and seems to be back up to speed.  That's never a pleasant experience.  Hopefully she's moving past it in the new year.

That's right, keep smiling lady...you're amazing at 43.

What sets her apart is her extraordinary grace, elegance and humility. She adapted to being Royal in a way that was quite amazing. She is diligent in her duty as all Royals must be and relates to people with friendliness and genuine warmth.

Nina Dobrev is still active in movies and television production.  

She also has appeared at many awards and charity events.

And of course, stylish photo shoots...looking nothing close to 36.

And this year's bonus is the 70's and 80's country artist Crystal Gayle, whose bright smile and long locks attracted fans for years.

Believe it or not, she's still touring at 74 and looks just about the same!  An American classic.

The Once A Year Quarterback

There are more than this in existence, but these are everything I have in hand.  Caution: image heavy post.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!