Midpoint Review: 2017 Collecting and Blogging Goals

I haven't posted in nearly a month. I have a couple good excuses. First, last month was the latest overlap period. That's where a new teacher comes in and I basically show them the ropes. The week before and of overlap can be pretty long and tiring, so when I got home I had no energy to do much. Add to that going to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea those two weeks, and I was exhausted! 

And now I'm in a place which has no internet... for now. It seems like I'll be getting some form of internet (cable or DSL) eventually, which will make things much easier when it comes to posting. Right now I'm actually using my cellphone data via tethering, and I have a feeling I might go over on data this month. That doesn't cost me extra, but when I pass a threshold I get heavy throttling.

I continue to collect, though. So I'll share that with you eventually. But tonight, I thought I'd tell you that I'm still alive and give you a quick idea of where I am.

1. Update my Japanese Type Collection master lists. I'm basically calling this done. BBM and Calbee are up-to-date, but I still need to clean up the other spreadsheet. So technically there are a few more things to do.
2. Re-inventory, label, and organize my Japanese non-sport type collection. Haven't started.
3. Add five vintage base sets to the collection (here, vintage will mean anything before 2016). I finished this goal last night!
4. Need only 50 base cards in my type collection. I'm down to about 75 - that means I'm two-thirds of the way there.
5. Reach 25% on the 2012-2015 type collection. I've got 2012 and 2014 done. I'll do the other two in the next few months. 
6. Reduce my Japanese set want list from 177 to 150. Stuff keeps getting added to the list, unfortunately, but the list is getting smaller. I want to get to 125 if possible, since I'm near 150 already.
7. Finish the 2000 Japan Olympics set. I needed 18 in January, and now I need three or four!
8. Reorganize my Japanese single-card collection. This one day project hasn't been done yet. Maybe on a rainy day.
9. Complete the Japanese MLB collection. I haven't checked if any new playerse from Japan joined the MLB this year, but I'm pretty much at a standstill. All I need are US cards for a few existing players, and those cards are minor-league only.
10. Update the Gaijin (foreigners in Japan) card list for 2016 and reach 550 cards (from 514). I passed 600 recently, and the list has been updated!
11. Reach 200 cards in my Japanese player collection (currently at 124 cards of 501). I flew past this over Golden Week (or before)!
12. Do something with the Japanese stadium card want list. I made some custom card fronts last week, but I haven't made backs. But I never make backs. Maybe I will this time.
13. Finish off the MLB Awards/Leaders list. I need Vin Scully, a few super-old HOFers with only a tiny handful of cards, and a bunch of team cards. I'm pretty close.
14. Do something with the Japanese Awards list for the players who have no cards. I found images to make custom cards of my own. Will I do backs?
15. Add one figure for my player collection (I have 11 of 24 now). This one went quick thanks to a decent deal on eBay.
16. Add three autographs for my player collection (I have 11 of 24 now). Another quickie!
17. Add three vintage (~1979) Nolan Ryan cards to my collection. Maybe the first goal I finished, back in January?
18. Reduce my US sets list from 146 to 125. I think the list has gotten bigger. Let me check... Yup. 155 sets. Actually, a few are complete and need to be removed, but I'm going the wrong way. I have been reducing the total number of cards on that list, but few sets have been completed.
19. Add 3 non-sport hits (16 wanted).  I've done pretty well here this year!
20. Add 6 baseball hits (12 wanted). I think there's only a few players remaining; this is a definite finish!

As for my blogging goals:

1. Update/post about card shops in Japan. I haven't done any of this.
2. Build that Japan Card Index. Not touched.
3. Calbee annual sets. I've done a few but other posts and life have just eaten up time. They are easier to write now that I'm past the insanity of the late 1970s.
4. Make proper new release posts. I've been keeping up okay, though I'm now about a month behind thanks to being busy.

Well. there's a quick update! When it comes to adding cards to my collection, I do quite well. 10/20 complete, that's 50% at the halfway point. And many of the other goals are on their way to completion. But for blogging, I need to get on the ball. Ain't that always the case?