Heavy lifting with lil pieces o' cardboard

I have to figure out where cards have to go sooner than never - I'm trying to eliminate situations where things are not in order and I end up feeling like I'm missing cards.

As the baseball off-season rolls on, I should be worried about MLB / MiLB related transactions, but in-between moving my nickel and dime cards to 'new homes' as players move on - I'm focused on trying to deal with some of my collecting topics cards.

I feel like I need to go over my collecting topics cards for the longest time since I might be missing something - which makes me feel uneasy because I'm supposed be on top of at least the cards I collect for fun. THIS SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS HERE.

Right now, I'm listing all my additions from this year as 'achievements,' though there is still a little bit of time to add some assorted cards - I'm physically putting the actual cards into collection stored in boxes and fixing any discrepancies between what I may have and what is actually listed on a file in Excel.

1.) For any particular cards missing or otherwise loose somewhere in the wild, I tried to highlight the listing in red meaning so I have some peace of mind to say - 'OK, I do not have this card among this group of collecting topics cards, but I should be able to account for where it is.'

2.) I deleted listings of particular cards even though it fits among a similar group of collecting topics cards - if I can get particular cards autographed in-person, those take priority over stuffing a particular card in a box of my collecting topics 'sets.'

I WANT TO MAKE ANYTHING HIGHLIGHTED IN RED 'DISAPPEAR' SOONER THAN LATER - so it's best to delete the listing of the card just so I don't have to worry about it.

3.) At times I've listed the same cards twice, so if I have dupes, I just note it in one listing and delete the other, especially if it's a card I've had in my collection prior to the current year - don't want to duplicate the general number of cards I ended up counting out through my database as far as my current year achievements are concerned.

4.) Collecting topics I officially collect - many of these consist of cards I've seen on other blogs throughout the past five years, though I think back to the Pinnacle and Triple Play subset cards from the 1990's as my primary inspiration [at least in name] as well as the advent of better baseball card photography and premium quality card sets [maybe starting with 1989 Upper Deck].

Tools of ignorance - done 11/29
Broken bat shots - done 11/29
Facial hair - done 11/29
Awesome outfield action - done 11/29
Nations - done 12/2
Shades - done 12/1
Hats off - done 12/1
Pitchers hitting - done 12/5
Interesting backs 
PEDs - done 12/4
Bonus babies - done 12/2
Local [OC] guys - done 12/4
High socks - done 12/4
Inking it up - done 12/4
Infamous - done 12/4
Awesome action - done 12/5
Retro uniforms
Grips
Cult baseball players / feats
Beyond the glory
Bloodlines
Two-sport stars - done 12/5
Uncorrected errors - done 12/5
Players smiling

Google Docs spreadsheet

I've been tinkering with the Google Docs spreadsheet as an alternative to Excel - I wanted to work on listing various collecting topics cards [I've picked up in 2010] in my collecting topics file /database.

However the mouse on my desktop computer has gotten wonky and it is easier working from my laptop - even though it doesn't have any of the Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel.

I imported a copy of my Excel collecting topics file to Google and there is about a 1MB limit when doing so - the size of my file is less than 1MB but I assume I'm probably going to export my file back to Excel once I reach the 1MB mark.

Besides worrying about the file size limit, I was having a problem sorting the rows in descending or ascending order - because the field names on the header row would be sorted along with the data I'd put into the spreadsheet.

What helped me figure things out was figuring out how to freeze the header row - as noted on this Web site.

Now the header row with the various field names stay on top - with the actual data being sorted.

Hopefully with the help of Google Docs, I'll get a little more motivated to update and list more cards in the database - I really feel like I'd gotten away from the database work I'd been doing my collecting topics cards during the past several years.

Collecting topics cards

Infamous - a tragic figure perhaps

Awesome action - The Human Vacuum Cleaner

Awesome action - making a Web Gem

Inking it up - obliging the fans

Awesome action - dirt is the name of the game

Cards like these is what makes up a bulk of my 'active thinking' collection - cards picked up here and there, not worth much at all, but are always guaranteed to make me smile and/or think a little deeper.

I've been getting back into collecting topics and database work - maybe it is the most cost-effective, yet interesting way to collect sports cards [though baseball is still the only one I actively collect] if you are on the sidelines as far as busting new product or picking up new singles.

I sort these cards out pack-war style - using unique collecting topics classifications, which may not be original, but ones I've adopted them for my own collecting use. I only store these cards in boxes, but it is a moral victory to see cards featuring the same theme, coming to life.

I look through the diversity, the numbers and enjoy rank-and-file cards and what they now represent - besides just the thousands of base cards I have no use for.

Any card maybe a collecting topic card and the idea almost no card is a common in my eyes is something challenging - but also encourages me to collect something, without resorting to having to pick up something like 7th Inning Stench repack boxes at my local retail store.

Database work
When you are supposed to put a priority on what you are collecting, it seems I'm trying to do the opposite, trying to find unique features in the thousands of commons out there. I think what makes the experience worth it is when I'm actually looking at the cards in-hand and see there is a theme, an oracle among cards from different years and different brands.

I'm trying to list all the applicable collection topic cards in a database on Excel - the task keeps me sane and gives my collecting endeavors a purpose, but it gets tedious and sometimes you have to take a step back.

These are merely the collecting topics subjects I'd like to work on as far as putting into the database I created - I probably listed over 1,500 cards already as far as cards from other collection topics are concerned, but need to list some more.

He's hitting over .400, just collected his 400th home run with a 4-for-5 performance Thursday, in a 7-5 Atlanta Braves win against the Florida Marlins. Chipper, wanna go to Hooters?

I'm trying to work on a collection of 'infamous' players - from public urination to murder and everything in-between]. I'm not glorifying these athletes, but keeping a note on what they did that maybe a 'no-no' among society.

There are also other topics such as a collection of cards - featuring players from different nations, featuring players involved in the steroid era, featuring pitchers showing the type of grips they are using during their pitching motion, uncorrected error cards and cards featuring interesting facts on the back.

Edit: I just found a binder of cards featuring players 'inking it up' for the fans and also 'bonus babies,' where star players make cameos on common players' cards - more stuff to work on and keep me busy.