R.I.P. 2017: We'll Miss You

Last year in an attempt to reach a goal of more posts than the previous year, I made a long list of celebrities who passed away during the year.  It was planned to be a 1 or 2 post deal, but there was an abundant amount of deaths it seemed and I ended up with 4 posts.  In doing those I left out quite a few names and even the 100 plus I did choose I never really got to comment much on how or why it impacted me.  I could have done the same this year, but I thought I would go a different direction this year.  First off, I didn't worry about doing this for a post count, so it freed me up.  Second there was a lot of people that died that I could probably spend the next month discussing them, but I figured I would do the 5 that really hurt me or made me stop in my tracks.  So while there are many who could be discussed here, including probably an entire post about Tom Petty, the five I chose are ones that I just feel like talking about because some way or another, they made an impact on me.

Miguel Ferrer (January 19)

On January 19th, I found out that Miguel Ferrer passed away.  Most recently I enjoyed his work on the series NCIS: Los Angeles.  However I've been a fan for a long time.  I remember first seeing him in the classic 1987 film Robocop.  He was a very good actor and a few years later he played a good villain in the film Blank Check (1994, I was 12, it was a good film at the time).  In fact when I watched movies back then and even today, I note how good actors are and even note how good they are as bad guys.  I believe I once noted that he was one of the best "bad guy" actors.  A few years later he would become a good guy when he starred in the TV show Crossing Jordan.  After it went off the air I hadn't heard much from him until he appeared on NCIS.  Before I knew that he had cancer, I noticed how he was starting to look sick and I was fearing when the time came that he passed away and how NCIS would incorporate it into the series.  They did him justice, but felt they could have done more.  What I liked about him was that he never changed his acting style.  He was very low toned and laid back and it made him stand out.  As movies and TV shows have progressed, it seems like a lot of actors try to fill in excess dialogue, but Miguel never did.  He was exact and on point and didn't need an extra amount of words to say or show his feelings.  I think younger people may not understand how much of a loss this is.  He will be missed so much.

Yordano Ventura (January 22)

At the time this happened, this one stung deep.  Don't get me wrong, it still does, but I didn't feel anyone else who would pass away in 2017 would hurt me as much as this one did at the time.  I only knew of Yordano Ventura for a few short years, but in that time he became one of my favorites.  I don't think he ever found his niche but I just felt he brought a youth and exuberance to the Kansas City Royals that was much needed.  A lot of people thought he was hot headed, but I saw it as competitiveness and eagerness.  I think a lot of time he spent trying to be like others and could have spent more time being himself, but I think in the next year or two he would have realized that and fit in just right.  The day I found out about his death, my sister actually broke the news as it was the day we celebrated Christmas (we celebrate around my mom's birthday), and I spent the morning away from TV and Internet, so I was in disbelief.  A week later and I was still in shock.  His passion for his teammates and his breakout performance in the 2014 and 2015 World Series are things I'll miss about him.  I also admit I am a bit greedy in just thinking about how much better the Royals could have been this year with him, and how much easier their transition to a rebuild would be with him as well.  Or maybe they would have traded him for some crucial pieces for the future.  Either way I would have been a fan of his whatever team he continued to play for.  I wrote a post earlier this year about my thoughts around the time it happened which goes into better details about my feelings at the time.

Chris Cornell (May 18)

This one, Chris Cornell, just gutted me.  I mean besides family and friends who have passed away, I can't think of a time I felt so lost after someone died.  After it happened I really spent about a week without saying much or even doing much.  TV didn't mean anything, Internet didn't matter.  Just sitting and thinking about him in a quiet room is what I remember doing for a few days.  I can't take quiet.  I need some type of noise, either a TV just playing something random, or radio on a station that plays music I can tolerate.  For a few days, silence was golden.  When I finally snapped out of it, I started listening to music, and naturally it was Chris Cornell music.  It was Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo stuff too.  In a way, as was said in Office Space, "I celebrate his entire catalog".  Even as I write this I still can't believe that he's gone.  I did a blog on it as well, and I only really did it so it would occupy my mind and move on, and also to educate those who may not knew of his work.  I played his music to my mom and I think she enjoyed it.  I think she understood why I felt so much pain about his death.  A few weeks later Chester Bennington died as well, I believe on Cornell's birthday, but while I enjoyed his work as well, it didn't have as much impact as Chris' death did.  Later on in the year, Tom Petty died, and again I didn't feel the hurt like I did about Cornell.  Much like Petty, Cornell was a voice of a generation.  The thing about all three, were none were "former musicians", all were still touring and making music.  The way Cornell and Bennington died though made it so much worse.  It showed that you could have it all and still be unhappy.  It was a wake up call.  It made people question if someone they know seriously considers suicide an option, and allowed them a chance to talk to them.  Cornell's came much more out of left field making those who even knew him best wonder how it could have happened.  Part of me is upset with myself for being greedy in being sad that I won't hear anymore new music from Cornell.  While all three will be missed, Chris Cornell will still be in my head for a long time to come.

Bobby Heenan (September 17)

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan had been sick for quite a while.  In fact in the last few years he didn't even look like himself, but he never lost his way with words.  If you never watched wrestling you missed out on The Brain.  He played the ultimate heel (bad guy). You can't call it a smugness, but he was so confident in himself and his abilities that it just clicked.  He had a way with words and even when you knew he hated his job (the later years in WCW) he still did his job as a professional and made his character the life of the party.  By the 90s he was a full time announcer (in the later part that is, in the first couple years he did manage Ric Flair for a while), and that is what I remember him best as.  For everyone that says wrestling is scripted, Heenan made you forget and often wonder if he actually read the script.  One of my favorite moments was when he spoiled Hulk Hogan's heel turn in 1996.  As Hogan made his way to the ring, and Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone were excited team WCW was getting help to finish the nWo, Heenan blurted out (since he was a heel announcer after all), "YEAH BUT WHOSE SIDE IS HE ON?"  A simple phrase that stopped Dusty in his tracks.... "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"  A few moments later, Hogan turned heel and told the fans to stick it.  That's what made Bobby Heenan.  He played the heel to perfection.  In another instance Heenan, who had a bad neck, thought a fan was grabbing him from behind while he was announcing.  While on live cable TV, he blurted out an F bomb, and got up and walked up the aisle as the match continued.  This wasn't a gimmick, he felt threatened.  It turned out, it wasn't a fan, but it was Brian Pillman who was in the match at the time against Eddy Guerrero.  Pillman was doing a loose cannon gimmick and it caught Heenan off guard.  It wasn't planned and Heenan got about halfway up the ramp, stopped and regained his composure and walked back to ringside and put his headset back on and apologized.  It was about the only time he wasn't doing a persona, but being himself.

One other thing I loved about him, is that he never called himself a commentator or an announcer.  He called himself a "broadcast journalist".  A term I used for many years likely all because Heenan introduced me to the term.  It made him seem more sophisticated and like he should be taken more seriously, which in the end made him that much better as a heel.

Robert Guillaume (October 24)

Many years ago, likely around 2002 or 2003 I was watching the movie Lean On Me for the umpteenth time.  As I watched it, I was watching the passion and fury of a scene featuring Robert Guillaume and said out loud, "It will be a sad day when he passes away".  That isn't something I just randomly say about people, in fact I've maybe only said it for a couple people.  Well, on October 24th, it was a sad day.  I had seen Robert's work for many years before 2002, and each time I was impressed with his range. In a similar vein as Miguel Ferrer, he never changed his acting style as shows and movies progressed.  It was something I liked about both men.  Even on a dialogue heavy show like Sports Night, he didn't need long paragraphs to convey his character.  He was a man who had seen it all and lived through it all, and simple responses was all that was needed to show who he was.  Having said that, two favorite scenes of him from the series was when he scolded Danny (Josh Charles) about comparing himself to Rosa Parks, and the other was a scene doing commentary about the "Six Southern Gentlemen Of Tennessee".  His quick wit in his characters defined him throughout his career.  Even before Sports Night, I enjoyed him in Lean On Me.  I remember seeing episodes of Benson, though I can't remember much of the series.  I was too young for Soap, but from clips I've seen I wasn't impressed with the show, but his scenes were good.  Overall though it could be easy for people my age to never seen any of these shows or movies.  However, one movie he did that many my age did see may stand out from others even with his limited screen time.  He did the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King.  It's my favorite Disney movie, and it was sad to watch a couple weeks ago, the first time since his death.  He was a brilliant actor and played almost every role to perfection.

So these 5 people are the celebrities I will miss the most from 2017.  I know its not a contest, but these guys meant more to me than the world may ever know.  Since this is a card blogging site, I thought I'd see if I could find cards for each of these individuals,  I know 2 have cards, sure another one does, a 4th does (but doesn't show his face), and I'm not sure on the 5th.  Let's look at Trading Card Database.

So I obviously knew Ventura and Heenan had cards.  I knew that there were Rafiki cards but still never found one of Robert with his face showing.  I remembered that Soundgarden had a card in the 1991 Music set, but its been a while since I've seen it.  As for the Ferrer, I was totally unaware he had a card.  I thought maybe a Robocop trading card, but they didn't make one for the first movie, so that was a dead end.  Then I looked for Blank Check, because hey, 1994, they made cards for everything.  Everything except that movie it appears.  So then I looked at his filmography, and on a pure guess looked up Twin Peaks.  A show I never watched, but 1991, again, what didn't they make cards for then.  Sure enough he appears in the set.  As for all these cards, I have none of them.  I do have plenty of Ventura's as I'm team building Royals sets so I have quite a few.  I also have a few Bobby Heenan cards, but not many of the newer ones.  Most of mine are from around 1990 and I think one from the 1998 WCW set.

So with that I'll wrap it up.  Every year at this time we look back at those who passed away in the past year and it brings tears to eyes.  The year isn't over yet and there might be one or two more to make that list sadly.  Hopefully next year won't seem so painful.  Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you all have a great New Year.  My next year should bring more posts, and that to me will be a great way to make it through the next year.

Sorting and Wrestling

As Christmas arrives, my friend already dropped off some great gifts, which I will be showing soon, but I thought I would discuss how much progress I've done with updating my collection in just the last few days.  I decided to shift my focus right now on updating all my Royals cards.  Its what my main collecting focus is on anyways, and would make things much smoother getting it out of the way.  I figured I would work backwards starting with 2017 as I'm more of a right to left type guy anyways.  It has taken a while, but I soon be working on the 2013 cards I have and continue down the line.  It hasn't been too difficult so far, the biggest issues is the numbering of Bowman cards and how Bowman Chrome belong in the Bowman set, and Chrome Prospects go in both, and they make retail versions which are the same cards but different numbers.  I usually do those last so I can take a break afterwords.  Besides that, everything is running smoothly.  As I sort through them in the box, I also update my want lists and what I have.  If you happen to check out my want list (which again is mainly for my use and not a solicitation for cards), you'll notice a lot of blue.  For the 2014-2017 sets, the charts are all blue except where it shows what cards I want.  So basically those years are all updated.  As I write this, 2013 is in all blue, which mean it hasn't been updated and I'm working on it.  As I go down the line, as I work on each year, I will do the same making it easier to know what is updated.  Once finished, I might switch it back to all white, but this will give me an idea on what I've done especially in case I do get cards while I am still updating.  I haven't done the same for completed team sets, but I have started to add spaces between years to make it easier to read.  As usual, if you notice sets that aren't mentioned in either list, it means I have no cards from that set and won't add them until I get at least one card.  It makes it easier for me to see.

Once I reach 2010, the rest of the 2000's should fly right by since it was while I was out of the hobby.  Once I get things organized, it will be a point of focus in the next couple years.  After that, the 90's will take some time as that is where the bulk of my cards are from (as well as the late 80's).  It will be fun to go through them again.  In fact once I get a lot of things out of the way, I'll consider building a few of those sets.  They were childhood sets, and will be great to build again.

So with that update, I figured I'd show some cards.  A few months back I bought a pack of wrestling cards on clearance at Walmart, and now's a good time to show them.

 I didn't put too much of a thought into these when I grabbed them, I was just in need of a fix.  When I opened them, I realized it was a set from a few years ago that I was not so open about building.  I have no real desire to finish it, but I was happy it wasn't a terrible looking set.  As for the cards, who could be mad getting Rick Rude, Terry Funk, and Dusty Rhodes cards?  Or Vader?  This was a pretty good pack.  I need to see what cards I have, but I'll do that once I finish working on these Royals cards.

 If you said the Mr. Perfect card is my favorite wrestler in this batch you'd be mostly right.  Only Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko makes a good run for his money.  I think if you got into wrestling after 2005, Dean Malenko might be the best wrestler you've never seen before.  Luckily you can see a lot of his matches on WWE Network.  As for these other guys, Mark Henry is another one I like.  I'm not really disappointed in any of the cards I pulled to be honest.  I keep forgetting to look for more each time I go back, but I might next time.

So overall a good pack and I can't complain about them.

Well that wraps it up for today, I need to knock another year or two of Royals cards out so I can get some desk space again.  Thanks everyone for reading and have a great day!

So It Begins...

I may or may not have mentioned it on here on recent posts, but I decided to transport all my cards from binders to boxes.  I figured I would save space doing it and would be easier sorting the cards instead of moving a bunch around in pages each time I tried to put them in order.  So a couple months ago I decided to look on Ebay for some boxes.  I was helped in this because I got an email for either 8 or 10% Ebay bucks for purchases, so I figured I could make some of it back.  I also found out that Ebay decided to get rid of the $5 rule so even though I might get 2-3 Ebay bucks a period, now it doesn't matter.  So with all that I started looking at some 3200 count boxes.  After looking for a while I saw a 5000 count box for sale.  I thought it might be overkill but then I thought about it.  My Royals collection is starting to overfill the 3200 count box I have now, so I could upgrade to a 5000 count box.  Then I decided to check how many cards I had in my binders.  Maybe 1 5000 count box would work for all of them.  After coming up with a rough estimate I realized I have probably over 6000 cards in binders so I decided I would look into the 5000 count boxes more.  No real deals stood out, but then I found one for 5 boxes, so 25000 cards which would be great for me.  It would allow me to organize a little better cards I hope to someday give out to some bloggers.  So after little deliberation I decided to order them.

Recent Savvy Shopping

While I've fallen somewhat behind on showing items I've bought at my favorite local second hand store, I can't say I've bought a lot of stuff as of late.  However I have a couple posts to show of items I've gotten.  This one will focus on my most recent visit about 2-3 weeks ago.  So let's dig in.

Let's start with something I was going to use for a project.  As some of you may or may not know, I was once a really big fan of the Miami Hurricanes football team.  This was for most of the 90's into the mid 2000's.  I started to lose interest around that time because I was partially burnt out from sports and because I started becoming a fan of Mizzou football.  However, I would still root for Miami if I saw them on TV.  It's been a few years but I've been able to watch most of their games on TV this year and became a fan again.  One thing they have is called the Turnover Chain.  When someone gets a turnover (INT or fumble or whatever) once the play is over, they usually race to the sidelines where someone or they themselves put on this heavy Mr. T like chain around their neck and pose for the crowd.  It's hugely popular and I decided I wanted to make one.  However I'm cheap and don't have the cash for a gold chain so I thought about how to make one.  Then I thought I could use beads.  This store has a ton of these that they basically are two steps away from tossing, so I got 10 orange beads with a casino logo piece on each (which I already took off) for a nickel.  After I got home I couldn't figure out how I wanted to actually make this chain work, and then Miami started losing and I basically lost interest in it.  I still might do something with it though.  I thought about making a Mizzou chain of some sort and dipping these in black and gold paint but I'm not sure.  I just remembered though that the store also had red and green beads so I might make a trip and stock up on some.  They could work well with something else I bought that I'll show in a bit.

When I was a kid, we had something similar to this that we use to put our mail in.  When I spotted this, I figured it was worth getting for nothing else but to remember my childhood.  However the one we had was real heavy, and this is really light made of Aluminum I guess.  Still I'll find some use for it.

My mom likes puzzles and so this was on the 10 cent table and figured why not.  I forgot what the date was for this puzzle, but I don't think it was a historic one.  Either way a puzzle for 10 cents isn't bad.

Time for books.  Even though I'll likely never read them.  However when my mom and I go, she usually finds about 5 or 6 and I find a few as well.  It's usually 10 for a quarter or a quarter each so 10 books it is.  This was a last second grab so we could get to 10, but I have to admit I did like the movie of Bagger Vance so maybe one day I'll give this a shot.

When I saw this book, it was worth grabbing.  I've heard about this book and so I couldn't pass it up.  I might even read it soon.  I was reminded of it just a couple days ago when I saw that it was Darryl Kile's birthday.  His death is mentioned in this book and while I can't remember all the details of what this book is about, I still think it will be a good read.

Jose Canseco?  Roger Clemens?  Hottest New Stars?  You know this book is old.  Its still in pretty good shape too I have to admit.  I thumbed through it when I got it but haven't read it just yet.  I don't think there would be too much information about these guys in this book I wouldn't know already, but it could be fun to check out.  I don't think they make books like these anymore but if they did I wonder who they would include.  My guesses would be Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and a few more that in a few years we'd laugh at when someone called them a "star".  Not to take anything away from them, but it was always fun revisiting these books to see the hits and misses they made on their selections.

The whole reason I got books at all on this trip was because of this one.  A 1988 St. Louis Cardinals Media Guide.  This book is awesome.  I love the information included in any media guide, but coming off a World Series, I like to see what they include.  I'll never pass up a Media Guide for under a quarter, and this was no exception.  Now if I could find a few more like these.

I got another book but didn't photo it.  It was a kids book that had a bunch of lists and information.  It was pretty cool and I did read that cover to cover already as it had many interesting tidbits in it.  So that was my trip and I think I came out pretty good.

I have a couple more pics to show, this is from a trip I made to Dollar Tree yesterday.  Since they seem to have abandoned sports cards at my local store, I have to find other stuff.  Thanks to a recent blog post on Dino Drac, I found something I had to get.

I seriously bought a Christmas Tree for a buck at Dollar Tree.  It is 18 inches high, but to be honest, we don't have guests over much, so this is the perfect size tree.  It included the base as well, and its pretty much ready to go out of the box.

Some may think its a cheap way to celebrate the holidays, but I don't care.  In fact, it sits perfectly on top of my desk and its in front of the window as well.  Now I may have to go back to Savvy Seconds to see if they have any green or red beads and I can decorate this up quite nicely.  I had other reasons to go to Dollar Tree and I made a trip to Walmart so its not like I went out of my way just for this, but I'm glad I got it.

So that wraps things up for today.  I have another Savvy post that I might have up this week that is from a few months ago and features all cards.  It should be fun to look back at since I have slightly forgotten what all I did get on that trip.  We'll see I guess.  Anyways thanks for reading and have a great week.  If your area is getting hit with this cold spell, I hope you're all safe.  I know I'll be safe inside, staying warm by the Christmas tree.  Too bad Dollar Tree doesn't sell fireplaces.  Oh well.

P.S.  Since getting my new computer and starting to organize a bit, you might see a few minor changes to my site.  Nothing big but I might consolidate some of the categories up top to make it easier to navigate.  I thought about doing a redesign, but that might be months away.  For now these are just small things to help me and you see what I have and don't.

Musical Stares

My posts have been few and far between, and when I have posted they have been a lot of musical posts.  Sorry about that, but today is another musical edition.  I took a bit of a break from blogging and collecting as of late, but I had my reasons.  However, things are starting to look up and I might get back into all of it soon.  Nothing bad has happened, I was just in a funk.  Though I was having computer issues, but I managed to find a good laptop on Black Friday so I was able to upgrade.  Since then I've had to move all my stuff to the new computer and figure out my favorite sites again, and figure out where the new computer put all the apps and programs I use.  Luckily, most of what I use is still working, and I even managed to finish some custom cards I will show later.  With my computer issues out of the way, my next step is a big one.

Beginning soon I will once again wipe out my collection on here and Trading Card Database.  The reason is two fold.  First because this year I really fell behind on what I have and I need to figure it out.  The second reason is because in order to do that, I needed more organize better.  My plan was to get a couple 3200 count boxes or maybe a couple 5000 count boxes so I could expand my Royals collection, then also get rid of my binders to save space.  After a rough estimate, I figured I'd need almost 2 boxes just for the binders alone.  So since Ebay was nice to give me bonus Ebay bucks a couple days lately, I managed to snag 5 boxes holding a total of 25000 cards.  More than enough for the binders and my Royals collection, as well as my Mizzou collection and even my Related To Missouri collection and completed sets.  Then I can more easily sort my excess cards and figure out what to do with them.  I'm waiting to figure out the best way to separate the cards in the boxes (I used index cards but didn't like them), and once I figure it out, I should start soon.  I'm thinking using craft stick would be good as dividers and much cheaper than other alternatives.

When I start doing that, I will wipe out my two accounts on Trading Card Database.  One will be used only for set building and complete sets (my second account), and my main account will be for Royals, Mizzou and whatever randomness I collect.  It will make it easier to sort since some cards I know I have but not sure if they are in my sets or in my collections.  Now if I get doubles I can include them in both.  I'm hoping to start this massive project by the first of the year.

Having said all that, I have been hesitant to sorting any new cards I've gotten lately, but today I did decided to scan some cards.  I scanned a lot of stuff this year I never got around to, so maybe next year I will show it.  Today's cards though all have a theme of music.  So let's get into it.

Really?  I bought New Kids On The Block stickers?  The answer is yes.  Though I had my reasons, unfortunately I ordered the wrong ones.  Now you may ask "How does one order the wrong NKOTB stickers, and is there really a RIGHT NKOTB sticker set?"  The answer is yes to having the right ones, and I didn't do due diligence on ordering the right ones.  While I've been away, in the back of my mind has been a sticker project I wanted to work on.  I don't want to give too much away right now since its still in the planning phase, but I needed a couple New Kids stickers.  I didn't need the whole set, just one of the group, I think one of Donnie, and most importantly, one of Joey.  I really thought the last one shown is the one I needed. When I got these, I realized it was the wrong one.  There are two sticker sets, and it appears I need the yellow version instead of the red version.  Now the question is do I want to go through the hassle or just say screw it, this one will do.  I haven't decided yet.

The good news though is that this is a complete sticker set and it was cheap.  I even got bonus ebay bucks for them, so I didn't lose much on it.  Once I feature this project I mentioned, I'll decide if I will break this set up or go ahead and get the right cards.

I had a specific reason for these stickers, but even if I didn't, its still pretty cool to have some trading cards of boy bands.  New Kids got cards.  Backstreet Boys got cards.  I think One Direction got cards.  But you know who DIDN'T get cards?

The Lyte Funkie Ones!  That's right LFO never got trading cards.  So for the first (and likely only time ever) I created LFO trading cards.  I had my reasons for it which I will mention in a moment, but look at the rest of the 5 card set I created.  I should mention I haven't created cards in over 6 months to a year and these seemed kind of rushed, so once I get back in the habit, the quality should improve.

Summer Girls is one of my favorite songs ever.  I know its not a songwriters masterpiece, but it was a teenage pop song that hit when I was a teenager.  It bordered on novelty and for those who didn't take it serious appreciated it more.  The lead singer of LFO was Rich Cronin.  I love how on the first card he is wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt.  You'll get it if you listened to the song Summer Girls.  Sadly, a few years ago Rich Cronin died from a stroke as a result of leukemia at the age of 36.  It was really a shame as I had hoped one day they would return for at least one more album.

Rich and Brad were original members of the band.  Brian Gillis was also in the band, but left just before they hit it big.  After the death of Rich, Brad and Devin decided on a couple occasions to go on tour together.  Today Brad among other things is a pro-life activist.

*Side note, this card is really bad, but I liked this photo so I used it.  Since its not a real card, I don't care all that much.

Devin Lima joined the band just before they hit it big and has been the driving force behind the band after Rich's illness and death.

The reason I made these cards is because of Devin.  After a short tour this summer, Devin announced he has stage 4 adrenal cancer.  He turned 40 years old this year, and it really struck me upon hearing this news.  Two thirds of the band have/had a form of cancer way too early in life.  My sister had stage 4 cancer, and a friend I know also has it, and it really rattles you.  All cancer sucks, but basically if you have stage 4 there isn't a lot you can do but pray and get everything in order.  I hate to sound grim like that, but it is like that.  I hope for peace for Devin and all his family and friends and fans.

So I'm sorry I brought everyone down, I hope I can lift you back up.  Maybe I should get Silly.

BARFEY?  MORONNA?  NSTINK?  These are some Silly CDs!  Not just that but stickers.  I've seen the cards for this set a lot and got a few off Listia, but I've never seen the stickers.  So when I was still on Ebay, I figured I'd go ahead and get the complete card set and the sticker set was included.  They are basically the same as the cards, but at least I don't have to worry about building it now.

They also made puzzle sets for some of the cards.  I am missing one piece to finish the Santana one, and need 5 of the 6 of the Dixie Chicks.  While I'd like to get the Santana piece, I don't care about the Dixie Chicks one.  If I were to build another puzzle set, it would be the Britney Spears set.

Even classic artists were parodied.  Though these are made as a joke, I think releasing a set of music cards just showing album covers would be a fun set.  The front could be the album cover and the back could be either a bio of the artist or talk about the album.  Maybe both.  This was an easy 35 card set, but it was fun to finish.  While I didn't do much with cards this last half of the year, it did make me enjoy these new cards to my set.

So with that I will wrap it up.  I have a lot to do, but I thought it would be fun to post.  Maybe my next post won't be about music, but who knows.  Maybe I should do a musical post EVERY OTHER TIME...

The good news about all this is I had fun writing this and lately I've come up with ides for blog posts, so it looks like I'm not quite gone from the blogosphere just yet.  Thanks to all for the kind words and I hope everyone has a great holiday season.  Have a great weekend!