Sad news from Dime Box HQ: come November, I'll be out of a job again.
My bosses at the bookstore have decided to retire from the book business, justifiably so since they've been selling books for almost as long as I've been alive. Selfishly, I'm bummed because this has been the best job I've ever had by a wide margin, and after three years at the place I never had to think twice about looking for anything else (which is more than I can say about my other jobs). And I figured I wouldn't have to for a while. But alas.
Simply put, I have no idea what I wanna do next, but at least I have a few months to think about it. When you flip over my baseball card, you'll find that I've had five bookish jobs in just about nine years in the book trade. If I were a ballplayer, I'd be safely described as well-traveled.
If I've become a bookstore nomad, I like to think I'm less of the obscure journeyman and more of the Rickey Henderson variety - Rickey's an all-time great who weirdly played for nine different franchises and switched teams a staggering twelve times (he had four different stints with the A's alone!).
Time will tell at this point - bookstore jobs are hard to come by regardless, and that's not even factoring in the question if I wanna work retail again.
This is all a somber tie-in to a wonderful batch of cardboard I received from blog legend John of "Johnny's Trading Spot" a while back. If you've ever received cards from John in the past, you know he deals in volume, and though there's admittedly a lot of dupes, you'll also find a bunch of stuff you didn't even realize you needed.
John took aim at my autograph mini-collection this time around - with the much-needed (Angels!) Rickey at the top of this post came a plethora of other new signees.
One thing I like about parallels is that they allow me to enjoy cards I've had forever all over again - the base versions of these have been in my binders for a long while, but you bet I want the Silver Signatures, Gold Parallels, Home Team Advantages, etc.!
I feel like a lot of people have tried to get me to start a bubble-blowing mini-collection, and I've been able to resist that temptation...for now.
No matter how big my player collections get, I'll probably still need obvious cards for a lot of 'em - how did I not have that '95 Donruss Jim Abbott already?
John is a known connoisseur of Random, and that comes across in his mailings - how often do you see people sending Eddie Grant and Mickey Vernon cards?
(Not sure what that Ruben Sierra is, but it's kinda frightening.)
I haven't been able to find much info on these, but John also sent me a complete reprint set of a neat obscure '40s "Sport Thrills" issue that packed a hefty amount of star power.
More cards that have absolutely nothing in common other than the fact that I need them.
(Not even a loud Star Wars-ish design can ruin a Ron Santo card.)
MLB's not the only one making fun baseball cards - there's an awful lot of Senior League cardboard out there considering the league itself only lasted a little over a year.
(Always love a chance to show anything of Dime Box Favorite Lyle Overbay around here too!)
I've gone on record saying I never quite know what to do with oversized cards, but that doesn't mean I won't welcome them with open arms.
They often end up becoming display pieces in the front pockets of my binders because I've yet to find a way to store them that vibes with my sorting system.
One of the many joys of collecting is the refuge it allows from our uncertainties. It doesn't subtract from the very real stress I'll have about looking for a job in the next few months (please don't ask me to describe my strengths and weaknesses), but I don't know what I'd do without an island for my pleasures and distractions.
In the end, all I can ask out of the time I spend with my cards is to ease the headaches a bit.
17 comments:
Love the Senior League stuff! And you'll end up on your feet whichever job path you decide on!
Sorry about your job situation but I hope it all works out. Nothing wrong with being a Rickey Henderson type going all over the place because he was amazing at his job and wanted everywhere. Oh, and always, great cards! You often pick up/highlight the same kind of stuff I would in dime boxes.
Hey Nick- Just wanted to touch base here. I just heard news about the local mom and pop bookstore in my town closing, and I think this must be the same place you work. I won't mention the name or the town, but kinda cool to know you are working nearby. If I ever have a chance, I'd love to say hi to you sometime. I agree...it's a wonderful store. I try to buy a book every month to support them. As I understand it (again, second hand), it's not about the rent or taxes, they just want to retire. Hang in there. You will land on your feet. Sending good vibes.
Very happy that some of those cards have made a welcome addition to your very diverse collection. I know that in the end you'll be alright, landing on your feet (just make sure to wear shoes).
That's a bummer. I haven't had to look for work in almost 35 years and I'm more grateful by the day, especially in my business. We both appreciate the printed word. I hope you don't have to go in a new direction but with the way things are totally understood if you do.
At least with the size of your collection, you don't have to buy more to enjoy. :)
Sorry to hear about your job ending,just fine tune your resume ,letter of recommendation from your boss,and you will land on your feet in no time.
Sorry to hear this news. At least it's good that it's happening at the owner's choice, but still rough. Hope it leads to something even better for you!
Sorry to hear about your job situation. Unfortunately it is a sign of the times. I would suggest something that helped me through a few lean times: selling stuff on Ebay. Just be mindful of their new rules, fees and taxes. Good luck!
Best of luck on the job hunt when that time comes. Hopefully a job opening will come sooner than later for you. In the mean time, use your card collections as therapy.
Doh. Rough news on the job. And it's also always sad to hear about a bookstore closing. Nice bunch of randomness there though. That 1918 Great War set is really something else.
Sorry to hear about your job situation.
Any chance the owners would sell it to you?
A know a lot of business owners get older and go out of business just because they can't find some body to take it over.
When in reality, if they had someone to take it over, they would let it go at a reasonable price or let the new owner pay them off in time, rather than just go out of business.
Sometimes owners have built a business and just don't have an exit strategy. It might be worth asking a question.
Good luck
Sorry to hear about the job situation. I'm confident things will work out for the best.
Sorry to hear about the bookstore closing. Hope another cool career opportunity pops up to make it a smooth transition. It's still quite a few years away, but I've always thought it would be cool to work at a book store after I retire from teaching.
Nick you know your work ethics could land you managerial material at Dollar General just an idea g'luck whatever you do find next
It's too bad those folks couldn't sell the store, instead of just closing it outright, as that doesn't do anyone any good. If you're anything like the way you come across on the blog in real life, I have no doubt that you'll have much trouble in finding a new job.
I was going to make a similar comment... Any thoughts on being an owner yourself?
I missed this post somehow, and I'm sorry to hear about the book store. As someone who's been laid off a bunch of times I do think that when a door closes, another one opens up. It may be trite but has a significant amount of truth to it. I hope you find something you enjoy doing!
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