Close Enough, Part 2

 For the few of you that have been long-term readers of my modest little blog, you may be wondering when I did "Close Enough, Part 1." I didn't, at least not so named.  The title refers to sets that are not complete but, due to the cost needed to complete them, will never be.  My first "close enough" set is my signed 1963 Fleer set, for which I have 65 of 66 cards, only lacking the Roberto Clemente (on an unrelated note I was recently offered an ugly but authenticated signed '63 Fleer Clemente. As you might expect there was a significant gap between what I could afford and what the seller wanted. I expected that outcome, so there is no disappointment here.)  65 is close enough for me.

I am on the verge of my second "close enough" set, though this one is a non-sports set.

I believe I have mentioned previously, I really love Star Trek and Deep Space 9 is my favorite series. Last year, I bought a hobby box of DS9: Memories of the Future.  Each box comes with one autographed card. My box contained Aron Eisenberg, who played the young Ferengi, Nog.  Some time subsequent, I got it in my mind to get the autographed card of Louise Fletcher, who played Kai Winn, a character I consider one of the all-time great TV villains. That got me on the quest to finish the 20 card autographed subset.  Over the last year, I've added them here and there.  The above two represent numbers 17 and 18.

Majel Barrett, of course, is Star Trek royalty having been married to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. She has also appeared in every series as the voice of the computer, but also making live action appearances occasionally.  Nana Visitor is one of the central characters in DS9 and, I am not ashamed to admit, my celebrity crush.

So, why close enough?  There are two cards left:  Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) and Rick Berman (series producer)  As it stands, the only Farrells currently available are overpriced.  But, they are plentiful enough that I will get one at my price point soon enough.  The Berman is another matter and is the reason I will stop at 19 out of 20. I have only ever seen 2 Bermans come up on eBay and both are fixed price listings with the BIN prices between $550 and $600. No thank you. Not for someone who didn't appear on screen.

As you might have surmised, I am home from the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association Academy and trade show. I had a great time and learned a lot.  I realize this is probably of interest to exactly none of you, but I am a giant nerd and have to show my absolute favorite exhibit.  Feel free to skip past it.

That is a Deere 904 large wheel loader posed as if it is loading rock into a Kleeman MR100 mobile crusher.  My company doesn't use Deere, opting instead for equivalent Caterpillar and Komatsu loaders.  But we do have Kleeman's at our two small quarries, though ours are the larger MR170s.  I've always been fascinated by how things get done.  After 10 years in the energy industry, moving over to mining has re-ignited my desire to learn.  Even though I could retire in 6 years, I cannot imagine not working as long as I get the opportunity to learn new industries.

What I am listening to: Mississippi Queen by Mountain.