The End... Hiatus?...New Beginning.

I look back at the building one last time as I pull out of the parking lot.  Goodbyes have been said to all the friends I have made over the last 15+ years.  I was a rough day.  They all have been lately.  

Over the last few years the plant I have worked at has slowly transferred more and more work to a facility in Mexico.  Little by little people have been let go as the work moved south.  Over the last few months it became obvious that I would eventually be destined for the same fate.  It doesn't make sense to let go of so many hourly laborers and keep the same amount of management so I started to look for some other means of employment.  Unfortunately there is not much work to be found in a town of only 15K, especially when the place you work at had 700 people 2 years ago and it now only has 300.  

So I pull out of work for the last time today and I pull out of town tomorrow.  I could have held on a little longer at work, another few weeks, months, maybe even a year; but since I knew it was going to happen eventually, I tried to get rid of the house and once I was out from under the payment there wasn't reason to hold out for the inevitable any longer.  Now I'm NOT a person that is accustomed to lots of change.  Not only have I worked in the same place for over 15 years, I drove the same vehicle for 14.  Change has never been my friend.  (I almost cried when I sold my Jeep last week)  Now change is something I am going to have to get used to cause I'm in for a big one.  I'm moving from a town of 15K, where I can't go to a store, gas station, or restaurant without seeing someone I know, to a town of 1.5M, where I know a total of 5 people.  Plus I am going from 15+ years of steady employment to an unknown job,  going from bread winner of the house to 2nd fiddle (at first anyway).  Yes things are going to change.  

Not all change will be bad.  There is good that is going to come with it.  Right now I have to drive an hour and a half to get to a card store or card show.  I don't yet know where they are at but Phoenix must have some card shops somewhere.  Plus there is Spring Training in town, not for my team but it is still baseball.

I spent the last few weeks/months on the blog not blogging.  I hinted that some things were going on in posts and comments I left on other blogs.  I also tried to get rid of as much of the clutter in my collection that I could, I made LOTS of trades lately.  I didn't do any trade posts cause I just haven't felt like it and I just didn't have the time.  To everyone that traded with me lately I would like to say I'm sorry I didn't post all the great stuff you sent but I thank you very much for it.  The reason my last post was a plea to ask if I missed sending someone cards is because it got real confusing as I tried to send so much out and pack things up at the same time.  Everything that is not one of my main collections has been traded away to bloggers or a given to friend and fellow collector to be listed ebay.  I'm going to give him a percentage just so I don't have to mess with it.  All the stuff I'm keeping is already in boxes and ready to load into the moving van tonight.  

I'm going to be out of trading/blogging for a month or so as I get settled into a new town.  I had a few trades where I sent my package out but haven't seen anything come back yet so if you are planning to send me something it should get forwarded for a few months by the USPS or email me for the new address.

So give me a few weeks, maybe a month and I will be back.  I still plan on reading blogs and commenting in my spare time so I won't be totally gone just no posts.  (I write this like someone will even miss my writing, but I know...)  Along with reading blogs I'm still going to be managing my fantasy teams/leagues, which many bloggers are in.   So good luck to all until I return.