Mixed Media and Talking

 If you're a long time reader of the blog (first of all thank you for sticking around), you know two things about me- first I'm not in the habit to write the last few years just to make posts and only when I was in the mood, and second, the fall season is one I tend to write the least.  I didn't plan on not writing for two months, but it happened.  In fact if I wasn't thinking of something to do I probably would have extended that streak.  Just my searching for files did I notice I had some stuff to show and its been a while since I've blogged.  Almost two months, and in that time I haven't done a whole lot, but did make a couple excursions so that was fun.  Unfortunately I wasn't feeling well during one and so no pictures of the event, but I can show later in this post what I did buy that day.  I've also been working on a few projects not related to blogging.  Probably the two biggest reasons for my inactivity blogging is the fact that I hardly touch cards anymore (I think most of my Listia wins which are also scarce have been movies and music). When I don't touch cards I don't have much desire to blog.  The other is even when I get new stuff like movies or music, I don't want to post 1-2 things, so I like to build it up.  In addition, Twitter (or Elon's hellhole) doesn't really prompt me to blog.  I still follow some bloggers and card enthusiasts but the posts are few and far between, and when I do see them I'm not in the mood to see them or its talking about new products which I haven't dealt with in more than a couple years.  Twitter just makes me sad anymore especially since I don't care about politics (I mean I do, but I hate the fighting as soon as somebody says one word).  I don't care about too much sports anymore (and the fans of most teams are so toxic I stay off on game days). Then you have wars, and other drama.  Some people say it was always there, and it has.  I remember I joined Twitter to find out news, and I followed local and national news outlets.  I found a few friends later, and it allowed me to give thoughts on stuff without most people I know in real life to see (so an escape from Facebook).  In the years since, I stopped following the news twitter, and followed sports and card blogging.  As I said that has either dried up or I lost interest. So now aside from a few people I know, I don't know why I keep it.  If Elon does want to start charging, I'm happy to vacate the premises. Facebook isn't much better and I only keep it to check out a few pages and talk to my sister and a couple friends.  If I stopped posting on either, I don't know if I'd join another social network site because I just don't care.  Speaking of posting, not only have I been M.I.A. on here, I rarely post on Twitter anymore maybe 3-4 times a month or a bit more if I get on a rant or want to pay respects to someone who has passed.  I don't know the last time I posted on Facebook.  I think the only reason I'm not hacked is because I use messenger at least once every two days.  Other sites I frequently visit I'm also not on either.  I don't think I've logged onto TCDB in a month, though I have been on there a time or two in private.  I'm just not in the mood.

What I have been happy about is I have been cleaning up some space on my computer, and there are even some days I go over 24 hours without even being on the computer.  That's something younger me would have been surprised about.  In the past it would seem like I'd have withdrawals if I wasn't on every few hours.  Some may think that's surprising but I also don't use my cell phone 99% of the time either (and even then only to use it as a phone or take pictures), even when in public.  If a world or local event happens while I'm not at home, I am oblivious to it.  Its my way of not going crazy.

Long time readers also know when I don't post I'm usually busy working on puzzles or other projects.  Today's post includes puzzles, and some completed ones.  It also shows off a few new books I've acquired. One I'm currently reading.  Later this year I plan on making a post of all the books I've read this year.  I have never been one to read books, I just never had the patience.  I love reading magazines and news articles online, but never actual books.  I have been proud and shocked at how many I've read this year, and some I've actually owned since I was in grade school.  That will be a fun post, and most I've read has been featured from when I bought them.  I hope the trend continues next year, and I'm also happy to be clearing off my bookshelf with ones I no longer want.

I don't like stuff staying in the same spot too long, so I move furniture a lot.  I'm currently moving stuff around again and when that happens I have to move a lot of my stuff.  So today's post will feature my massive DVD collection as well as new additions on DVD, blu-ray, and VHS.  The DVD collection doesn't showcase my VHS and Blu-ray movies, but maybe a future post will.  Another accomplishment I'm happy with is the last few years I've branched out and watched more movies I've never seen before.  I was always the guy who just liked rewatching what I've seen hundreds of times.  Not the last few years.  While I haven't been watching too many movies as of late, having free streaming services like Tubi, Pluto, and Free-Vee, I can check out stuff that are considered classics or ones I've been suggested to watch.  A few years ago I never really watched a Charles Bronson movie.  Now I watch one (even if it is one I've seen countless times) about every other week.  I watched Road House for the first time the other day (I've seen parts, but never sat and watched in one sitting, though I did miss the beginning). I can thank those free sites and a forum on blu-ray.com for having monthly movie challenges for expanding my horizons.  It also allows me to finally watch movies I've owned but never got around to watching.

So I guess I've talked enough, maybe its time to show some pictures.  I don't know what to start with so let's start with something random I bought at Dollar Tree a couple months ago.  The picture I found on the internet, but its the same one I have.

I didn't open mine, bit it looked really cool, so now its hanging on my wall.  Another thing I need to show one day since I moved it behind my TV, my big shelf which use to hold my VHS tapes.  Anyways, if I opened it, I think you can slide the toast down into the car and it will pop back up.  I don't keep up on Hot Wheels, but the Sweet Rides series looks really cool.  Now I look out for others whenever I go, but no luck finding others yet.

I might as well show another odd item I don't think I ever showed on here.  I got this about a year and a half ago.  In June of 2022 my town had city wide garage sales.  In the past I showed off what I got, but I didn't last year and didn't go this year.  Most wasn't anything to write about and this specific sale wasn't either.  A guy bought a long closed lumber store and wanted to clear out the building.  He had a name your price sale (which I hate, but did well in this one).  I went because I was looking for some nails and a couple other household hardware items that wasn't must need, but figured it was worth a shot.  I actually found almost everything I wanted and a really weird item.  Since it was a name your price sale, I like to think this item was free because everything else I got was under 5 bucks total, which would have been at least 20 bucks in a store.  I should also not the other items I got were pretty much brand new (the nails were new and the boxes while open still had 90% or more of the nails).  At one time this store was selling items by the pound or per piece I'd imagine, so I got a great deal.  Anyway the odd item?

Found folded on one of the shelves was this KFC bag.  It's not a small bag either, its like a grocery store brown bag full size.  I know most people thing its foolish to get what is essentially trash, but I like advertising pieces.  Especially older ones.  I noticed it spells it out, so not KFC but actually Kentucky Fried Chicken, so this was the 90's or before.  I actually estimated the early 80s but luckily I saw a date on the bottom of the bag.

So the bag says September 1987, which is really cool.  If I had to guess I don't think the hardware/lumber store was open too much later than that, maybe 1989, so in theory this might have been the newest item in the place aside from what the new owner brought in.  Again a bit weird, but it was really fun to find.

I've been holding those pictures for over a year but my computer was so disorganized I always forgot to show it.  Now with some cleaning, I was able to find it and find a way to mention it.

So I guess we'll begin with some puzzles.  A recent string of completed puzzles have had pieces missing, but not so bad as they need to be tossed.  In fact 1-2 pieces so maybe they can be found and put back in the box.  If not, no big deal.

This one had the most pieces missing with 4, but it was also a 1500 piece puzzle.  My rule is usually 5 or more pieces and its tossed.  However if over a 1000 pieces I'm willing to stretch that rule a bit.  This one is fine, and this puzzle was fun.  It's been fun clearing out these new to us puzzles and after I move stuff around hope to get started on some more puzzles.

My mom wanted this puzzle, and it was only 500 pieces so she finished most of it.  Its a shame a piece was missing, but I'm not too mad. We recently started to prepare working on a 2000 piece puzzle and the previous owner sorted the pieces but must have forgot to include a bag or two.  None of the edge pieces and roughly 1/3rd of the inside was missing.  Knowing this we tossed it.  At least we have a puzzle box in case we need it for something.

Not all puzzles had missing pieces, here are a couple more completed ones.

All three were fun, the cat panorama one was my favorite.  The chickens one was a bit more time consuming than expected.  The bottom one was odd.  It didn't show all the picture on the box, kind of like a spot the difference puzzle, yet it didn't have the solution on the box.  So you had to look at the enclosed piece of paper to see what wasn't on the box.  I didn't really care for it, but it was a unique experience.

These two ragamuffins were trouble.  So I don't know what happened, and I actually had to search the internet and still not sure what happened.  So this puzzle is completed with the height being longer than the width, however the box displayed it as wider than taller.  So the bottom and top portions weren't on the box, and the sides were cut off and not on the puzzle.  On the box, the none of the white on the bottom and most of the shoes weren't shown.  I think the bear's head was cut off around the nose also.  Looking online, I think they made this in two versions, one like mine, and another wider than taller.  However, it still doesn't explain why it didn't match the box.  So if I decide to resell it I can use my knowledge of Ebay card selling "Puzzle- ERROR 1/1" ASKING $10,000.  Maybe I can include a free Juan Uribe card with it.

This might have been the oddest one yet.  Not only was it borderless, it was made on corkboard and it had hidden pieces inside the puzzle.  On top of that a string of pieces was suppose to form a train, which I never found.  I'm not sure of those pieces were connected or strung throughout, but even though I didn't spot it, this was a really fun one and One that I will complete in future years in the fall time.

Moving on from puzzles, let's check out a couple books I bought recently, sorry for the blurriness.

While I don't care much of the politics today, when I saw this book I was intrigued.  I never had a problem with Herman Cain when he ran for office, however in his later years it seemed he abandoned some or all of his values to hitch up with a certain former President (not getting into it politically, you can like or hate who you want, just saying his values didn't seem to align with Trump's which seemed odd he would want to work with him).  However, I knew this was written around or before 2012, when he ran and I also didn't care about that part.  I always wanted to know more about his business mind, and especially when he ran Godfather's Pizza.  I will say I am currently reading it, and I wish he had expanded more into his business side but am over halfway through and I think he's beginning he Presidential run portion.  Still not upset I got the book.

Harry Caray I had to get, aside from being a baseball fan, and growing up listening to announcers on the radio, I also watched many a Cubs game in the 90s thanks to WGN, and Harry Caray was the best.  The great thing of the 90s was seeing Cubs and Braves games almost daily on TV.  If only the Braves had better announcers.  I miss the days of not having TV contracts limiting teams being on national TV.  Local stations showed local teams, ESPN showed the Yankees and whoever the Yankees played (even in the 90's they didn't push Boston down our throat much), and TBS showed Braves and WGN showed the Cubs AND White Sox.  Those were the days.  I'm curious what is going to happen if/when Bally goes bankrupt and the stations shut down.  I hope I'll get to see more Royals games (my local one only shows replays next day while they show the Cardinals live), and I hope one day soon that blackouts are abolished.  It would be nice to see local over the air stations regain control of season games not shown on national TV.  Then again I'm not sure if the Mid-Mo market would show the Royals or Cardinals or both or neither.  Anyways, I can't wait to read this book, but will likely wait until next year.  I like reading sports books in season, and I have many other non-sports books to read as well, so it might take a while.

Moving on, I've recently got a couple music items as well.  One was meant for a friend, but my mom mentioned knowing of the music so I kept it.

Both items I got on one of my recent trips to the Brass Armadillo near Kansas City.  The CD I think cost 1 dollar and I was happy to find it.  I am not a huge Sara Evans fan, but she is as local as any famous person I can think of growing up maybe 20 minutes from my town.  This was her first album, and on it is a song called "The Week The River Raged".  I really liked the song but I never got the album.  So finding this I was happy and even though shortly after I wasn't feeling good, it was one of the few items I bought that made the trip worth it.  I hope I feel better next time I go, and find more deals, but it might be the spring before the next trip.

The record I originally thought about giving to a friend.  He likes odd records, and well, records in general and figured he didn't have this.  he has over 4,000 and country isn't really his thing, but I thought he'd like this.  However, I showed my mom and she said "I know that song".  I had never heard of it, and so I decided I would keep it.  On the back is a signature, but I'm not sure if it's an autograph. I figure it is, I don't see why it wouldn't be, but then again I think I paid 2 bucks for it, so either the seller wasn't sure either, or Johnny Russell's autograph isn't worth much.  Either way, I was happy.  In total I think I spent 5 bucks, and I probably would have spent more, but I didn't feel good.  I have a habit of not eating before going anywhere (mainly for digestive reasons), and I think that was the issue.  Shortly after I had some McDonald's and started feeling better.  The trip itself was fun, I went with my mom and sister, and for the first time on our yearly trip my oldest niece went along.  It was fun talking to her, though I have no idea what teenagers talk about today, but we did manage to have a conversation about Pokemon, which I know nothing about, but really enjoyed spending time with her.  She wants to go again, so maybe I can find more stuff to talk about and hang out with her more next time.

One other find I found was in the move category.  I found a VHS tape for 1.88.  Normally I might have passed, but it was still sealed.  It was also a movie I don't own but wanted.  I don't plan on trying to get it graded, but a sealed VHS tape was a cool find, especially for under 2 bucks.

I know a lot of people didn't like this movie, but I like Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Josh Charles, and I enjoyed the movie.  They have made a couple sequels to it which I wasn't impressed with (though Robert Patrick is in one of them).  I don't think I'll open it, but I do hope to get the movie on dvd or blu ray at some point.  I've been hoping to find it at Dollar Tree, but no luck yet.  It would be funny finding it on newer media for cheaper.

Most VHS I get is either ones you can't find on DVD or blu-ray, ones I previously owned, or just odd ones.  These two I found at Savvy Seconds a couple months ago, and while VHS is 50 cents each (I miss the 4/$1 days), I still usually buy 2.  The Cat From Outer Space will look good on display so I had to get it.  I've never seen the movie, and maybe I'll watch it one day (haven't got my VCR out in a bit).  The other was something I figured wasn't on newer media.  I didn't want to look at their roughly 1000 movies that I've scoured many times before so I just got it. It sounds different, so I will give it a try.  What I love about random ones is how so many of the titles will already be on Youtube so I can just watch it there.  The downside of me not using my phone while in public is knowing if I have stuff or if it is on Youtube already.  I also don't like taking pictures in stores, but maybe I should take pictures of their movies to check if I should get them on future trips.

I also found a couple DVDs which are a buck a piece.  I don't like paying that much for used (thanks to Dollar Tree), but I make rare exceptions.

I'm a sucker for Mizzou media.  2007 was around the time I started going to their games, so this was nice to find especially since it was sealed.  I'm not sure when I'll get around to watching it, but I'm glad I found it.  Dogma was one I grabbed quickly.  I already have it on DVD, but I'm worried it might scratch one day.  Kevin Smith doesn't plan on releasing it in the future, so finding a copy was nice.  If you ever see it cheap on dvd or blu-ray you might be able to make some money on it.  I don't plan on selling this, but I'm glad I found it.  I am a fan of Smith's View-Askewineverse though I need to get a few of the recent movies (Clerks 3 and Jay & Silent Bob reboot) as well as Chasing Amy.  I'm not a fan of much of his other stuff (Red State was awful and I gave up on Yoga Hosers pretty quick), but I would love to find one called Madness to the Method which Jason Mewes does a good job in, and might be one of Stan Lee's last films.  Its on some streamers so I might check for it when I finish this.

Lastly is The Invention of Lying.  This is a movie I spent years trying to find cheap, and never could.  I really liked the movie even if it is a little, eh, craps on the idea of religion. When I first watched this I think it was because I liked Jennifer Garner so I just wanted to see her in it, but then as I watched I liked Ricky Gervais, which this might have been my introduction to him.  I think I first watched this on Netflix, so finally having a copy is nice.  The RENTAL on the front basically just means there's no extras included, which is fine, but wish I could have found a regular copy.

I also managed to find a blu-ray for a buck also.  I don't mind a buck for them and usually they include a dvd or even an unused code, so I do well.

This time no dvd or code, but I'm okay with that.  I was happy finding this despite never seeing it before.  A few years ago I found the first 6 Rocky movies on Blu-Ray pretty cheap so I got them.  I am one of a few people who liked Rocky Balboa (Rocky 6), so it was nice to get included with the first five.  In fact after hearing the Burt Young passed away recently I watched the sixth one.  He had more of a storyline and even though he hadn't changed much from the earlier movies, he was more likeable.  I think people are starting to come around to that one.  Fun fact: in the scenes in Rocky Balboa where Burt Young is painting and later carrying the artwork around, that is actually his painting.  He enjoyed painting and it was nice to see it included in the movie and showed that his character had some sort of hobby.

Anyways, a couple years later I found Creed on Blu-Ray at Dollar Tree when movies were still only $1.  So since then I've been on the lookout for Creed 2, just to get them all.  So shortly after Creed 3 came out, I found a used copy of Creed 2.  I'm happy and hope one day to find Creed 3 on Blu-ray.  Most movie series I like to complete, though if I'm being honest, I have the first 3 Die Hard movies on Blu-Ray.  If I find the 4th one, I'll get it, but if I find the 5th one, that's going to be a tough decision.  Brand new under a buck maybe, but I really don't know.  That movie was bad.

Okay so before I wrap it up I teased having a lot of DVD's.  I know I have over 700 more like 800, but it was kind of cool seeing them all stacked. So here is my DVD collection, which doesn't include VHS tapes, or Blu-rays.  It also doesn't include DVD's that were included in the Blu-rays.

I also don't think this includes all my wrestling movies, but it might.  You will see some doubles in there.  After I took this photo I tried to see if the ones I have on Blu-Ray would fit in the Blu-Ray case, and a couple did.  I found a binder that held like 240 discs, so I took a lot of these out of the cases to save some space.  Then I took the empty cases to storage.  I might have another binder, and might do that with more in the future, but for now I put the movies back in the crate they were stored in (I can keep all of them out so every few months I'll pull some out I plane to watch).  My plan is to rip all of these to watch on my computer, and I've got a few done already.  I plan on keeping all of them afterwards, but want to save wear and tear on the discs.  After putting them back in the crate (which I had to move so the entire reason I got these out), I stacked my bookshelf and another piece of furniture on top, so it will be a while before I can get them out again.  Though now I just remembered I forgot to keep out the Christmas movies out, so, hmm.

Maybe in the future I will do the same with my VHS collection.  I should do the same for my blu rays, which will be a lot easier.  That might get done in the next couple days.

Anyways that will wrap it up for today, I think I will have a busy day rearranging stuff, and if I get lazy I'll do what I've been doing most of the week- playing some PS4 or watching Unsolved Mysteries on Pluto.  Neither is a bad thing, but they don't allow me to get much done.  So thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great weekend.  As for me, I think I have some Chiefs football and some World Series games in my future.  As for my pick- I'm just glad its not the Phillies or Astros.  Rangers winning for the first time would be cool, but the D-backs getting a win for the second time is not bad either.