Awesome news! I'm so excited!

...I'm not taking your with me.

Okay, I sort of am!

What's the good news? Well...

That's right! I'm going to Japan! I've been offered a position in the Tokyo area that begins in about two months! If you know enough about me, you know this has been my mission for the past several months, and I've had a desire to go to Japan for years.

It's a full-time job, teaching conversational English. The location is perfect, because I'm less than an hour from the middle of Tokyo proper, which means I won't be too isolated from American/Western culture, and I'll be able to go to baseball games at the several stadiums in the area.

There's much more to Japan than baseball obviously, and I won't be making huge amounts of money, so I won't be able to buy as many baseball cards as I bought this year, at least, not in the same manner. I'm going for the culture and experience, and I hope to settle down and live there for a few years. That said, baseball card collecting won't disappear from my interests. BBM issues about as many issues every year as Topps releases, and there are probably 2000 issues (1500 cataloged) to collect from the past. Yes, I will be attempting a Japanese type collection. If you look in the type collection spreadsheet closely enough, you'll notice Beckett has many of the pre-2007 releases already entered, so there are several issues that will work for both collections. (I doubt I'll be assembling any Japanese sets.)

I've been busy these past couple of days talking with family members about my plans - it's no secret to them that I wanted to go, but there are logistics and celebrations and such to discuss. My mind is still going a mile a minute!

I'm in the process of purchasing a few things I need before the move, as I hunt through thrift stores, bargains, and flea markets to save money - things like a couple more suit jackets and sunglasses, another pair of dress shoes, etc. After I've calmed down and feel prepared for the move, I'll get the clearance sale moving. I need these cards out of here! Some of you have posted comments or sent emails asking for teams, and I'll do my best to honor those.

And to answer your questions: no, I won't be taking a train to work (most likely walking, though I might get a bike), and yes, I will eventually visit that water park, but during a less-busy time.

Also, the start of a new career in a new country means my focus will be on more than cards. I'll still be reading the blogs, and I'll be posting my card thoughts and news here as always, just not as frequently. And it is my hope that I'll be able to keep up with the daily posts over at the Cardboard Zoo. I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging, and I'll be taking my experiences in Japan to another blog (I don't want to clutter up this blog with too many non-card posts). I'll have more on that when the time is right.

Meanwhile, more card stuff later!