I used to have a small pile of yellow-bordered Topps Star Wars cards that had stayed with me through the years (alongside zillions of baseball cards), traveling from Clayton to Montoursville to Largo to Wallingford to State College to Gettysburg to York to Spartanburg and back to York. These were the "Series 3" cards that were first issued in 1977. (I also had a couple red and orange cards — Series 2 and 5, respectively — but most of mine had the yellow border).
My cards were in rough shape, with rounded corners and plenty of edgewear and scuffing; not nearly as nice as the example shown above. I finally gave most of mine away a few years ago, forgoing any remaining sentimental attachment. But I couldn't remember whether I gave them all away, so I spend last night doing a light search to see if I still had one or two around. No dice.
While there was a lot of focus yesterday, in the wake of the death of Carrie Fisher, on the thoughts and memories shared by her Star Wars co-stars and Hollywood friends, the tweets that I found the most interesting came from everyday people who shared what Fisher meant to them and how their lives were inspired by her. Here's a sampling...
The first scene of A New Hope is one of the great character intros ever. a princess staring down a tyrant and being annoyed not scared.
— Austin Shinn (@untitleduser) December 27, 2016
She's flippant and irritated. She's already executed a plan to get rescued. This is a character to be in awe of.
— Austin Shinn (@untitleduser) December 27, 2016
No. No. No no no no no no no. No. No. No. No. I can't. Leia was my first role model.
— Emily Hughes ✨ (@emilyhughes) December 27, 2016
First time I ever saw #StarWars was the beginning of RtJ. Dad said "Look it's Princess Leia" and I thought "THAT'S a princess?! Badass."
— Zalka Csenge Virág (@TarkabarkaHolgy) December 27, 2016
Heartbroken. Carrie Fisher was a brilliant writer, funny as hell, & she gave me someone to look to during my struggles w/mental illness.
— Megan Levens (@SadMeganGirls) December 27, 2016
Gonna spend the rest of 2016 meditating upon the symbolism of Princess Leia strangling her oppressor with the very chains that bound her
— Andrea Phillips (@andrhia) December 27, 2016
Speaking openly and hopefully about mental health is difficult, even more so when the entire world has its eyes on you. Carrie was a light 🌹 pic.twitter.com/jW4yuEOr9g
— Lauren ❄️ (@laurenevie_) December 27, 2016
She overcame instant fame, drugs & mental illness with a warm smile & a wonderful sense of humor. A *true* princess indeed. #RIPCarrieFisher pic.twitter.com/PxFyV97lJj
— Cheryl Zaidan (@FeralCherylZ) December 27, 2016
What little girl didn't want to be Princess Leia? One that could handle a dire situation and a blaster. #CarrieFisher https://t.co/1yiZM9T0Ii
— Lisa Schoolcraft (@ATLBizLisa) December 27, 2016