Why I Blog

Is it so I can catch glimpses of Texas women trying out for the role of Bride of Frankenstein? No. That's just a side benefit.

The real reason is not too complicated, but it is a bit involved. I was reading my brand spanking new Entertainment Weekly, back in 2006. I ran across a little blurb about The Baseball Card Blog.

I thought to myself that the premise sounded like a cool idea. Like many cool ideas that I think of when I'm not by the computer, it fell by the wayside. I kept that issue around for awhile because of that little blurb. Sometime in early 2007, I ran across the blurb again, in the same magazine. Yes, I sometimes keep magazines around to re-read later.

This time, I wasn't far from the computer. I decided to check it out and spent a few hours looking at the previous posts. I'm not sure if it was the late hour or the absurdity of the humor, but I found myself laughing at almost every post that showed a hilariously unintentional card. Ben Henry's comments on each card were priceless. I went through each post in the archive craving more.

I started to remember things that I liked about collecting. I had been picking up cheap White Sox team sets on eBay. I was getting these team sets without really having a clue what short print cards were or if I was really getting a complete set. Still, I was happy getting new White Sox cards.

I started to wonder if anyone else had these blogs. I ran across the excellent Cardboard Junkie and the fantastic Stale Gum. I had found a kindred spirit in dayf, a team collector who shared the same type of twisted humor and pop culture appreciation. I marveled at the longevity of Chris' blog and the writing on it.

By October 2007, I had found a new site called Canseco Completist. It was a site dedicated to one specific thing, Jose Canseco and the quest to complete the Canseco card collection. Then, as if a light bulb turned on above my head, something clicked. I thought if there could be a site like this, then I could make one about my quest for White Sox cards.

I figured that I could scan in my cards one by one and, if nothing else, could provide a good online reference for my collection. I didn't expect anyone to read this thing and I was fine with that. This was for me.

I quickly became friends with Mario and I watched his site grow. In the beginning, we would use each other as a soundboard and a fact checker. Then, as our respective site grew, we each became confident enough to branch out on our own. Mario's site evolved into Wax Heaven and mine evolved into the blog you see now.

Along the journey, I've tried things that haven't worked out and I've tried things that have become staples of the blog. I've made many friends that I never would have known any other way. Every person that is in the blogroll or the links has helped shape this blog into what it is today. There are lessons learned and friendships forged through the experience of blogging and baseball cards.

Blogging is addictive. I never thought I'd have much to write about, but I have found something to write about nearly every day. Some of the regular features help shape that output. When I was cut off from the community for three weeks, while switching over ISPs, I was a complete basketcase. I couldn't catch up on what Patricia and Lucy were doing, how Jason's novel was going, what celebrity Johngy had encountered or what new interest Connor had developed.

I was missing Cliff's bonzai, Mike's awesomely bad wax, Greg's night cards, David's uniform quest, Kevin's Orioles cards, Gellman's astute rants, Travis' creations and the rest of the dozens of blogs that I haven't hinted at. I know there are still a few mailings from that period that I still have on the back burner. One involves a 1968 Topps card.

There are many reasons why I blog. One is the community aspect. I enjoy conversing with fellow bloggers and readers. I have been doing this long enough to be considered a mentor by some. I think that's awesome, by the way. Another reason would be to jog my memory. I have remembered so much information about the White Sox of my youth, that I have been overwhelmed occasionally.

The biggest reason, I think, is because I enjoy it. I truly enjoy blogging about my favorite team. I enjoy discovering cards that I had no clue about. I even enjoy the rare piece of hate mail. Everybody is entitled to their opinions and I welcome the different viewpoints. Sure, the readers of this blog tend to shape the way it goes, but ultimately, it's me.

I find myself branching out about pop culture and creating custom cards. These are things that I could not envision myself doing at the start of this blog. Through all the hard work that I put into this blog, I have enjoyed all of it. That's why I blog.

Well, that and to show off the unexpected finds. Here's another look at the Texas lady. What exactly happened in her life to make he look like that? It must be ultra traumatic. What other reason could there be. If you want to amuse yourself, me and others, leave a guess in the comments.