A pristine birthday

For me, birthdays aren't as big of a deal as they once were.

Like most kids, I used to have parties at bowling allies with all my friends that usually ended with pizza of some sort. It was a day to soak in lavish presents and some cold hard cash.

Nowadays, it's a bit of different story. Though I still love birthdays, all I ask for is quality time with the family and hanging out with a few close friends. The presents or any of that other stuff don't much matter to me anymore.

So, why am I bringing up all of this now?

Because today just so happens to be my 22nd birthday.

As I've already mentioned in an earlier post, I'll be treating myself to a birthday card show this coming Sunday. But, although I insisted against it, my dad treated me to another awesome card-filled gift today.

I probably won't have time to delve into a full recap tonight, but you'll be seeing the birthday spoils soon enough. However, I will say that my dad managed to find a Mark Fidrych card I didn't already have (as you see above), which is no easy task.

My dad was a huge Fidrych fan when he was a kid, and I've since become an avid devotee of "The Bird" as a result. I've scooped up every card of his I could get my hands on, yet I'd never seen this spectacular Topps Pristine issue before today.

It would've been a great birthday regardless. Mr. Fidrych and all the other gems my dad tracked down were simply icing on the birthday cake.

I could actually go for some cake right now.

I mean, it is my birthday.