How could it be Card-vent already? We just went trick-or-treating. (BTW, Milwaukee instituted its first municipal nighttime trick-or-treating in my lifetime this past October 31. All I've ever known has been a lame-ass Sunday afternoon joint. We took the kids to my parents' neighborhood, turnout was low, so people were giving the youngsters literal handfuls of candy. Filled their bags to bursting in about two blocks.)
This year's calendar looks pretty festive, in a deliciously secular way.
I usually like to catch people up on the state of the Thorzul household at the beginning of Card-vent. Here's what we've got.
First of all, our house is an absolute disaster zone. We're in what I believe to be the late-middle stages of a bathroom remodel. We hired a guy that did a neighbor's bath, and were forewarned that he is a very slow worker, preferring to work only a day or two per week. He started the demo when we were away at a cabin for the second week of August. As of right now, the shower is operational, there is something that resembles a pocket door (that gives slightly less than 100% privacy), the walls are fairly finished-looking, and we've had electricity in it for about a week. There's still a ways to go, and I'm thankful I'm not showering in the backyard with a hose any longer (which I once did when the temperature was 59 degrees). The job required our entire front closet to be emptied, so there's boots and coats and shoes strewn throughout the dining room. Ack!
Aside from that, the kids are doing great in school, Mrs. Thorzul and I are miserable in our jobs, but doing better than 90% of America, and we're all looking forward to a family Caribbean cruise in a few weeks.
Enough of that, let's see what the first card is.
2008 Upper Deck #739 Ichiro Season Highlights
The primary highlight that this card refers to is Ichiro's 3-for-3 MVP performance in the 2007 All-Star Game. Most people, however, neglect to read the fine print on the backs of cards, so the majority of collectors missed the secondary award he received, that for Skinniest Tie.
Man, look at that thing! It's thinner than the one I got at JCPenney for my 8th grade graduation photos in the fall of 1992 (a choice that earned a compliment from the somewhat flamboyant clerk who expressed a dislike for wide ties, calling them "big ol' soup napkins"). You cannot say a single bad thing about the way the guy played, but his taste in neckwear peaked about the same time as Snow's "Informer."
A licky boom-boom down, indeed.
