Looking back on 2012

Last year I posted my blogging goals for 2012.  This year we’ll look and see how miserably I failed and said goals.  Newer post is in green, older writing is in the original white.

1. Blog what you want, don't conform to what you think everyone else wants. What this means is if I want to post a certain card or subject, then post it. Don't worry if it's going to get many views or if it's going to be that post that gets you another follower.

I did that, especially this past month by posting the same things over and over just so I can get my set posts caught up. (WIN)

2. As far as numbers do go, I want to get my PC's at some attainable goals. Or at least most of them. I'd like my White Sox collection to have:

• At least 4000 (currently at 1636) cards.  This will be a little more than double my current collection
• I estimate (I don’t keep count anymore) that I have 3912 White Sox cards). (FAIL – close but no cigar)
• At least 300 (currently at 112) vintage ('79 and earlier) cards.  This will be a little rough as it’s almost 3 times what I have now.
• Estimated count again puts me at 284. (FAIL – Close but no cigar again)
• At least 100 relics and 100 auto's.  (Also tough, because they cost more.)
• Estimated 87 auto’s and relics.  Total combined.  (FAIL – big time)
• And I don't have a number in my head for this goal, but considering I don't have any yet, I would like to complete some team sets in my White Sox PC. Which means part of my goal is to make a want list for each of the sets. I take that back, I do have 1 team set, I don't remember now where I got it but I'm pretty sure I either bought it or someone traded me the 2010 Topps flagship set.
• Finished the want lists pretty quickly (WIN) and completed quite a few team sets.  According to my stats, I’ve completed 29 team sets and I’ve just completed a bunch more that I haven’t posted. (WIN)

3. Along with the completing team sets mentioned above, I do want to set a number for completing vintage team sets. I'm going to say I want at least 10 vintage team sets before 2012 closes. I think this goal may be tough due to lack of funds and some vintage is just hard to find. But I set it a little higher at 10 sets because I think the 70's won't be extremely difficult.

I have finished some vintage team sets, but nowhere near 10. (FAIL)

4. I don't have a number of posts or views I want to get because with the addition to the 1973, 1981 and today's 9, I have plenty of material for awhile. And as far as views go, I don't consider them accurate because I know that a lot of people (including myself) who use feed or RSS burners to read their blogs.

Um, WIN, I guess.

5.  As for my Wolverine collection, this is a little harder because there just isn’t as many cards out there and because of that, even base cards tend to cost more.  But here goes:

• 200 total cards (currently 71).
• 132 cards (Another FAIL)
• 5 relic cards (currently 0).  They just don’t make many relics that are Wolverine jerseys only.
• 3 relics (Another FAIL)
• 75 auto cards (currently 8).  There are a lot of auto’s out there that I don’t have already plus newer sets.  This goal might be a harder one, because of the only in Wolverine uniform rule but I’ll make a run at it.
• 19 autographs (FAIL)

And let’s take a look at my player collection goals.

6.  Paul Konerko collection

• 300 total cards (currently 107).  This shouldn’t be hard because there are a lot of cards currently out there that I don’t have.
• 229 cards (FAIL)
• 25 relics (currently 7).  That’s a little lofty but again, there are a bunch out there already that I don’t have.
• 12 relics (FAIL)
• 2 auto’s (currently 1).  Totally gonna try to double this one.  But seriously, the auto I have may or may not be actually autographed by Konerko.  So I would like to get at least 1 real autograph.  His auto cards aren’t outrageous but they aren’t cheap either so I don’t see myself spending huge amounts of money on autos so I don’t see myself going for 10.  At this point, 1 real autograph would make me happy.
• 2 auto’s (WIN, finally, 1 is real although it’s a minor league auto)

7.  Tom Seaver collection

• 200 total cards (currently 165).  The main reason I’m at 165 is because I got a 100+ card set of all Tom Seaver’s.  So I can’t see myself going overboard on this one.  Plus he was a player of the 70’s and 80’s so there is only so many to begin with.  I do need to get more of his older base cards though.
• 214 cards (WIN)

8.  Billy Williams collection

• I’m going to go with 25 (currently 3).  I definitely need to get his vintage base cards but he has a number of inserts in previous sets as well so I feel 25 is reachable.
• 44 cards (WIN)

9.  Dave Dravecky collection

• 30 total cards (currently 19).  I haven’t investigated enough to know just how many cards he has.  When I get around to making wantlists for each player collection I’ll have a better idea just how many cards he has.  I can’t imagine is a huge amount but I could be wrong.
• 20 cards (FAIL)

10.  Mike Hart & Peyton Manning (currently 11 & 30)

• I don’t really have a goal here.  These aren’t huge collections that I really go after.  I’m just not into pro football that much.  I just pick these up here and there, plus it gives a few more players people can send me for trades.
• 20 & 57 cards (I’m giving a WIN because I have so few of them.)

11.  I would like to be at least half way through the 1973 set (342 cards).  I’m currently at around 25 or so.  I haven’t gotten all those posted yet so I don’t have a set figure.

• 46% completed (FAIL, close but no cigar, again.)

12.  I would like to be done with the 1981 Topps set.  This is a lofty goal as I’m only about 100 cards in.  But I don’t know of any real expensive cards in this set and I seem to be able to pick these up pretty cheaply on Ebay.  So we’ll go for it all.

• 70% completed (FAIL, not really that close)

A couple of short term goals are

• Get player and team set want lists up. (WIN) 
• Update my blog roll (so behind) (WIN, at the time, but it needs updated again.)
• Get my 1973 and 1981 sets in binders. (WIN)

 

So basically, this year was a failure.  A lot of that was because of cash situations for most of the year so I’m not really disappointed in it.  About a few weeks after I posted my goals, I posted that I wasn’t buying any more packs and I kept that one.

With all the other failures on this post, I decided not to make goals for this year.  But before I go, let’s add up my wins and failures.

WINS = 10

FAILS = 12

Guess it wasn’t as horrible as I thought.  12 Fails don’t look good, but I didn’t think I had 10 wins.