I have learned a lot being a parent. Most of that has translated over into everyday life and decision making. I’ve become more compassionate, more aware of my surroundings, and more cognizant of the way I carry myself when I don’t think anyone is watching. Whether I was ready to grow up or not, being a parent has turned me into a full-fledged adult. I used to worry about what I’d be doing after work; playing ball, video games, hanging with the guys? Now I know what I’m doing; homework, cooking supper, and washing clothes. I’ve learned how to do ponytails, pick out matching clothes, and even convince a 4 year old to brush her teeth. Every day presents a new opportunity to learn.
One thing that I have most definitely learned over the last few years is that you can never have enough food in your house. This grocery cart represents the standard, “Daddy, we don’t have anything to eat” trip. G loves her Mac-n-Cheese, Juice, Goldfish, and Diet Dr. Pepper. Bug loves her Totino’s Pizza, Lunchables, Chips, and Mountain Dew. The Oatmeal Pies are Daddy’s treat. This cart of high quality sustenance will last about 3 days. Then I’ll be back for more. This doesn’t even count as part of the trips I make to actually buy legit meal food. I now understand what me and my brother put my parents though; we were boys and I ate everything you could put in front of me that wasn’t a green bean!
This wonderful place is like a fantasy land for me. I live about a half a mile from here and I can take off at a moments notice and my food problems at home are solved. I would estimate that in any given 30 day month, I spend 20 days here. In fact, I spend so much time here, I recently met a parent in FFA and the first thing she said was, “oh yeah, I see you at Publix all the time! Nice to formally meet you.” The cashiers know me by name, some have friended me on FaceBook, and the deli clerks know what I want before I ever order. The meat manager always gives me “the finger guns” when I walk by and the produce manager stops to catch up with me when I’m grazing the Granny Smith apples. I’m flattered at times, but sometimes embarrassed because I spend way too much time there.
Food has always been a very important part of my life. Unfortunately, I’m not as active as I once was, so my body has paid the price for my love of chicken-n-waffles. But while I battle occasionally with being unhappy with my waistline, I enjoy food far too much to turn my back on it and try to live off of salad or some sort of bread free diet. I’m certain that my poor diet choices will take me one day but I think I’d rather live 55 good years than 70 bad ones. I cut where I can but if I’m being honest, there are just some things I’ll never be able to cut; Oreos, Apple Pie, Reese’s, Pizza, to name a few.
A recent topic on Twitter has been the general pulse on non-licensed sports cards. This conversation led to an era in which I was able to enjoy two of my very favorite things together in the form of the Food Issue Baseball Card. During the 80’s and early part of the 90’s, the timeframe wasn’t dubbed “Junk Wax Era” just because of production numbers from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. Compounding the glut of cards on the market, everybody and their brother was producing them; from Kellogg’s to Purina to KMart to Pepsi. Some of these “oddball sets” were licensed and some weren’t. I don’t remember it being as big of a deal back then but the lack of logos is more than obvious today.
While there are some companies that are wading back into the oddball releases, they are much less common than back in the 80’s. Hanes just released a set of Michael Jordan Fleer cards to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of his partnership with the company. A pack of 5 cards could be found within a package of t-shirts or boxers at participating Wal-Mart’s and a few other big box stores. These cards don’t even feature Jordan in a sporting event and collectors were immediately clamoring for them on eBay; nobody more so than Ivan (@watchthebreaks) on Twitter. Thanks to his enthusiasm for the release, I was able to keep up with the happenings during the early weeks. Maybe this will lead to a few more releases that will be fun to chase.
When I was a kid, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars were a huge afternoon snack for kids. They were easy to handle, tasted pretty decent, and didn’t have to be cooked. As was the case with many other products aimed at kids, they added a new dimension to their desirability when they released a 33 Card Baseball Set in 1986! They weren’t the first on the market but they were certainly my first. I still have a few of these in a binder but I recently picked up the whole set on eBay for a smooth $10.
The design is pretty memorable for a food issue and they had backing from one of the several licensed card manufacturers at the time, Topps, so we got the MLB Logos. It was very different from the flagship design so it had added collectibility with it also looking like a completely separate set. That Quaker Oats Yellow and Red remain very memorable to me. The set featured the collectible stars from that year and even doubled up on a couple of teams.
The backs aren’t too bad either. The red and blue are easy on the eyes and the back of the card has a basic grey stock. I wish there were more seasons outlined but that is the only complaint I have.
Doc was fresh on the scene and would be as dominant as anyone over the late 80’s. This guy was fun to watch!
Tony Gwynn was always one of my favorites but I’m not really in the minority on that. The Pads uniforms were not known as “good looking” but I do miss these old gems.
For many years, Murph was the only reason to tune in to the hapless Braves. I sure wish he had been around in the early 90’s to enjoy the good times.
The exact opposite of the Padres uniforms were those of the Expos. I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t love these beauties. Raines was a legend on those teams!
Speaking of legends, there are two in this photo; Nolan Ryan and the Astros Jersey! I know he spent a good portion of his career with the Rangers but when it comes to cards, this is how I remember The Express.
The Wizard really was one of my favorites during this time. I’ve told the story many times about his rookie card being the first card I remember owning. I should’ve PC’d Ozzie!
The other Met I really liked was Strawberry. I’m conditioned to dislike the Mets but I made exceptions for Straw and Doc.
Donnie Baseball without the stache is always odd to me.
Speaking of Stache, “Chicken Man” always had a strong one in Boston!
No facial hair could compete with Eddie Murray though. After all these years, THIS is the card that I still vividly remember from this set. I loved this card when I was a kid.
Finally, the other Oriole on the checklist was the Iron Man himself. I’ve never met a Ripken card I didn’t like!
This was a pretty easy score for me. I love this set because it has a good design with fun colors, and the checklist is as solid as green oak. This is what oddball sets were meant to look like and the good folks at Quaker nailed it. I still think of this set when I pick up a box of Apple/Cinnamon Oatmeal or a Granola Bar. This set earns a strong “5”! What say you on the 1986 Quaker Set?
J-Dub
A running theme when I sit to watch my own film is one of chaos. An image I see over and over is me walking through a scene towards the camera in slow motion. But the action all around me is moving in real time or, in some cases, almost sped up a tick, making my movements even more sluggish. Sometimes I don’t care; I’m just moving along at what feels like a comfortable pace and everything else is detached from me and independent from my decisions. But sometimes I want to catch up with what’s happening around me but I just can’t seem to move fast enough. It can be a little exasperating.
Then there are moments when the chaos disappears and it looks almost as if I’m walking in space with stars and neon colored nebula around me. It’s very peaceful. It’s almost too peaceful; lonely and quiet. It is clear that the scene is being played out in my mind. It is the place I go to when the chaos has oppressed my thoughts and my vision. It’s a necessity but it doesn’t advance the main storyline, if that makes sense. None of this makes the same sense when I see it in word form as when I am watching the film, but maybe this is the part that was influenced by Guillermo del Toro, who knows. But this interstellar moment always comes when it feels like the bedlam from the previous scene has just about sapped the life out of me.
When I emerge from the galaxy segment, I’m back on the same road as before. But the chaos is gone; replaced now by ashes and rubble. It’s not a scene of despair as much as it feels almost like starting over. But I’m not starting with a blank slate; I’m starting with the remnants of what was destroyed before. I guess the imagery does seem a bit despondent or sorrowful but that’s just the natural order of the events that take place. I want to stay in this moment and breathe but I don’t like the feeling of my surroundings. I need to try and rebuild.
And that is where the chaos slowly begins to appear again, during the rebuild. I add things that are unnecessary because I hope to be this well-rounded and versatile person that can not just be a good person in general. I want to be the best husband, always giving my full attention to providing for my wife. I want to be the best father, being there for every moment of my children’s lives, and guiding them along their path. I want to give all I can to each of them, realizing that my best moments lay in the lives they create for themselves. I want to be a good friend to those who have been good to me. I want to be a good employee that goes to all of the extra-curricular activities and leaves blood, sweat, and tears at the office everyday.
There are a lot of things I want for my life. Some are selfless and some are selfish. I struggle to balance the two. How much do I do for myself, knowing that it sacrifices what I could be doing for someone else? It becomes an either/or very quickly and the consequences of any specific choice result in the previous chaos that led to the desolate road I am walking on now. If I’m selfish, I disregard the people in my life that are important to me. I feel anguish and disappointment in my decisions if they aren’t for “the greater good”. On the other hand, if I am selfless, I carry around bitter feelings because I think that I don’t matter to anyone. I carry around self doubt and emotions about my own worth.
This is when my life slows way down again and everything around me starts to speed up. I can see it and feel it but I think I’ll be able to handle it every time it starts again. I think I’ve learned something from the past and I’ll be able to prioritize and manage. But it’s always a trap. It always leaves me gasping for air and looking for a life raft. The scene that closes the movie is always the same. It’s very similar to the scene from “Shawshank Redemption” when Tim Robbins finally reaches freedom. The imagery is the same but the meaning is different. This is more about me reaching out and grasping for that next scene where things are peaceful and quiet. Because next time, I’ll surely get it right. Won’t I?