Just another New Years Day goal oriented post...

Yes, you've looked around the blogosphere and you've seen people write that they are going to do this and do that.   It's a great way for collectors to get their cardboard resolutions in print, and I'm going to be no different.

This year I hope that the choices that I make for resolutions are choices that I can stick to, unlike last year where a couple of the goals were just plain stupid.

I'm going to stick to 7 goals, similar to last year, but they will be based on what I'm actually doing now.   You know, smart choices.  Some of them are even going to have "sub-goals", or a secondary goal that is tied to the primary goal.   I know, it's too complex for the New Years Day hangover you're experiencing right now. 

So without further adieu, here are 7 cardboard/personal goals that I am going to try and accomplish in 2014.

1.  As far as 2014 baseball sets go, it will be the flagship only.  Yes, a lot of us whine and moan about modern products, but for me I still enjoy collecting the base set.  For me, it's like a tradition, and 2014 is going to be no different.  I will still test the waters with Heritage, GQ, A&G and Chrome, but building those sets is not going to be possible.  How will I accomplish this goal in 2014?  Look at 1b and 1c.

1b. 2014 will be the year I wean myself off of retail.  Those rack packs and blasters are something that I'm going to try and make a thing of the past.   How do I accomplish this?  Staying away from Wal-Mart and Target will be a good start.  This leads right into goal 1c.

1c. Start supporting the dealers, B&M stores and online stores more.  Yes, the retail stores are great for getting a card "fix", but there are a lot of good people out there who make a living off of what we love as a hobby.  Attending the Hockey Expo in November really reminded me of this.  Also, I've discovered a pretty good card store that I can drive to on the weekend for a pack fix or if I need to pickup some singles. 

2.  Keeping the blog going.  Yes, this may seem to a lot of you a ridiculous goal, but in the last quarter of 2013, there were some days where writing a post was a chore instead of something that is fun.  I don't want that to happen again in 2014. 

You will see my 1000th post sometime in March.  My goal for posting this year will be to keep the streak of 300+ posts per year going.  If I need to take a day or 2 or 3 off, I will not feel guilty about it.

You will also see the return of the "week in review" posts.  For some reason I walked away from doing those on Friday's, and 2014 is going to see the return of the blog analysis.  How much did I spend?  Did any trades/PWE's come in?  This will make Friday's that much easier....

Other themes such as the 1K/2K club will be reborn, hopefully on at least a monthly basis.

Speaking of the blog, one of the biggest "themes" is up next.

3.  Serial Numbered Insanity.  I came close on last year's goal, falling about 40 cards short.  I don't see this set being finished in 2014, but it will be close.   I'm going to shoot for 1400 of the 1500 cards being locked in by the end of the year.  I'm already looking forward to the first gold parallel to come my way from the 2014 Topps set.

If I can find more cards like this blue parallel (there's something with the color blue that strikes a chord with me), I'll be happy.

4.  Blue Jays want list.  New Years resolutions are a good way of getting motivated, and this is the biggest task I need to be motivated to complete.  So, here it is, plain and simple.

By March 31st, the Blue Jays want list will be back on the blog, up to date and with want lists right up to the 2014 sets that have been released.

At least I know I'll have a good post on April 1st, one way or the other.

5.  Joe Sakic and Jim Thome PC's.  Another easy goal to set for myself.   I have enjoyed collecting these 2 guys, and this year will be no different.   The goal is simple...

I will have 425 Joe Sakic cards in the PC by year's end.

Serial #'d 23/25.  Love having these limited cards in my collection

I will have 200 Jim Thome cards in the PC by year's end.

Both of these PC goals will require me picking up about 100 cards for each player.   Realistic, since I still have a lot of base set cards I need for both players.

6.  The vintage set building will continue.  This is also a no-brainer.  I've enjoyed putting the '64T set together so far, the '62T set is going to be one that I will enjoy putting together for many years to come, and the '68T set represents the first set that Topps released during my lifetime, so that set will be special to me as well.

Here are the goals for each set...

'64 Topps= 80% complete.  For this to happen, I will need another 102 cards to hit the goal.  I still need a lot of the high and semi-high numbers, so this may be a costly endeavor.   Add to that my plan to acquire the Mickey Mantle card sometime by the end of 2014, and this goal may not be as easy as it seems.

'62 Topps= 30% complete.  I will need 115 cards to get to the 30% mark for this set.  I really do like the design, and it's been fun collecting these so far.   But, I really haven't made a concerted effort to get this set off the ground, as I've only been buying a card or two here and there at shows.

'68 Topps= 20% complete.   I will need 93 cards to hit the 20% mark.  With only 27 cards so far, this set hasn't really been in my thoughts thus far.  I'll give it a go this year, and setting a goal will give me the push I need to get this set rolling.

I also want to keep rolling with the 71-72 OPC hockey set, but with all the other stuff going on, my hockey pursuits may be limited to what I can pick up here and there..

7.  The "Phil Dunphy Challenge".  I don't know if any of you out there watch the show Modern Family on ABC, if you do you'll know the Phil Dunphy character.   If you don't, I'll sum him up in 3 words for you.

He's a nut.  That's probably why I identify with him so well.  On a recent episode, Phil was on the final trek of riding his elliptical machine to Canada.  Phil had a year to ride the virtual distance from Los Angeles to Vancouver, which struck me as hilarious.

But it also inspired me.  My health hasn't been the greatest this past year, and I do spend a lot of time at the keyboard, or in my chair watching sports.  So last Sunday, I started my own trek to Canada.  We have an elliptical machine in our house that until the other night was good at only collecting dust.  I've started the 212 mile trek from my house to my friends house in southern Ontario (my buddy that passed away last summer).  I still have a long way to go to get there, I've gone only 2.2 miles so far because my stamina is poor, but I plan to make the entire trip by the 1st of September.   At least I've gotten on the machine the last 3 days, and with this goal in mind, I'll be sure to keep it going.

Failure isn't an option on this one.  Hopefully, I'll shed a few pounds and feel better about myself at the end.  I'll keep everyone up to date on this challenge as well.

If you've made it this far....thank you.  You'll see these goals mentioned quite a bit on the blog in 2014.

thanks for reading, and have a prosperous and fun 2014....Robert