Going Back To The Well

As you might have noticed on my blogs lately I've been on a music kick lately and it makes me enjoy writing blogs more.  Tonight's soundtrack includes Kasey Chambers, Alanis Morrissette, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Midnight Oil, and Thousand Foot Krutch among others.

A while back I mentioned I bought a repack box for 15 bucks at Walmart.  I was happy with the result, so I decided to get another box.  Let's take a look at that today.

These look familiar.

THE EXACT SAME PACKS AS THE LAST BOX!  I'm slightly disappointed to be honest.  I figured I would get a lot of the same, but was hoping at least one or two different packs.  However I also got something else in the box, which I guess is more common than I thought.

On the box I showed last time if you remember, it said look for special edition cards of Ben Simmons and Kris Bryant.  I was a bit surprised I actually got one, but I don't really think it would have much value.  However it was encased (mostly) by another card holder.  They never advertise the card holders on the box, so either I've gotten real lucky or these are in every box.  At any rate, I'm more happy with the holder than the card, but I will add this card to my collection nonetheless.

So let's see what was in the packs.

Same old stuff from the Triple Play, and some repeat cards I think.  The sticker with the ball with eyes was cool to pull, but when that's a highlight, that isn't saying much.

Okay, let's just move on.  Nothing to see here.

Not a lot better, but a Trout, a Tulo, and an A-Rod isn't bad.  I've become numb to this set since I opened so many packs.  Maybe if this pack was replaced with something else, I would be happier.

I just realized something.  I wonder if Topps got the unused packs back from the Walmart Pizza's and the New Era promotions and if so will they end up in repacks one day.  I wouldn't mind pulling a pack of those one day.

An A-Rod hot box, as its the third one I've pulled, which I'm fine with since I do collect him.  Nice to pull the Ripken and the Arrieta too.  Not a bad pack, and I still like the design so I can deal with it.  However I was slightly disappointed a couple of the cards have issues with lettering.  A-Rod being the worst, look closely and the lettering is blurred.  It doesn't bother me too much, but wish it wasn't like that.

Any day you pull a Lou Gehrig card its a good day, so I'm happy with these cards.  I use to put Gehrig's entire speech on my Facebook, but haven't in a while.  Sometimes on anniversary dates I have celebrated memorable speeches or other events, but as of late I don't post as much on there anymore and actually started deleting a bunch of older posts.  In a year or two I could see myself closing my account, but I still keep up with neighborhood news that way, so its the only reason I keep it.

I think a few of these are the same cards I pulled from the last box.  I would have liked some other cards, but that's the risk.  I did manage to put on of the cards to good use but I'll talk about that later down the road.

I pulled another Royal and one I've wanted a card of in Foster Griffin, and also got a Jorge Soler so not bad.  However the card that got me the most excited in the entire box is JOEY PANKAKE!  I never heard of him before but I now want to start a collection of his cards.  Yes, because his last name is Pankake.  Maybe I'll find some guys named Bacon and start a food collection.  Surely Kevin Bacon has a card in the Americana series.

So its time for one last pack, the hobby pack.  While I've been a bit disappointed so far, I have got to open a bunch of packs, so I can't complain too much.

Okay, I got a Lindor, so I guess I can live with that.  Its tough to be disappointed with this pack since you don't know if any will hit it big, so I could pull anyone and been okay with it.

Overall, I was less than impressed with the box, but again, I thought the value was there since I got to open 11 packs and got a card holder with a card that is limited edition.  Having said that, I will probably lay off getting another box for a while unless I really need a fix.  I haven't really bought a current year pack or box in a while and since I finally found the Update packs and boxes (sitting next to the Magic cards of all places), I might try them soon.

So that wraps it up for tonight.  As the election draws near in the U.S. I'm hoping to get a good nights sleep and might even skip posting tomorrow or do a light post or even an early one so I can catch as much of the coverage as I can.  I don't talk politics on here, but I think this is a very important election from top to bottom with my state of Missouri having many key battles as well, so I think I want to catch a lot of the returns.  I could tire of it quickly though and if so, I'll just find a movie to watch.  So thanks for reading and have a great night.  Maybe I should watch Brewster's Millions and vote NONE OF THE ABOVE!

Sweet Like A Chic-A-Cherry Cola

Let's look at the title for a moment.  My last post was part one of a want list and the title if anyone noticed was in reference to a Rolling Stones song (Thank Goodness Smithers hasn't killed them yet).  Today's is in reference to a Savage Garden song.  Both are songs with "Want" in the title.  I didn't directly use the titles because that would be rather boring.  So instead I used other lyrics from the song.  Both also seem to fit the posts as well.  "But if you try sometimes" is a good mantra when trying to find cards from you list.  "Sweet like a..." also works as its a success when you do find cards you don't have.  With all that being said, I really need to figure out what is the consensus genre my readers listen to in music.  I'm all over the map, as evidenced by a recent post.  I just don't want to alienate my readers because they have no idea what I'm talking about, but at the same time don't want to, in the words of Scott Steiner- dumb myself down, making everything so obvious that it takes all the enjoyment out of it when you do notice the references.  At any rate, as I type this I'm listening to Poison, and I think that will make this post even better since I'll be having nothing.... BUT A GOOD TIME... HOW CAN I RESIST?

Today's blog is the rest of my Top 25 Wanted cards.  I planned on doing it last night, but nothing caught my attention on TV so I put in the movie The Blues Brothers and for some reason watched it like I've never seen it before.  By the time it ended it was too late to work on a blog, so here we are.  So let's dig in with the rest of the cards on my list, which by the way is more of a reference for me and not a solicitation for cards.  I'm not a good trader, so until I work on that I'm not seeking any trades.

Phil Rirruto?  The amazing thing is I don't believe I have any cards of Rizzuto (don't worry Billy Madison, I couldn't write z's in cursive either, but these days not many kids write cursive period).  It's not that I don't like him, but he doesn't fit into my collection.  This card however does.  This is a Kansas City Blues card and there aren't many cards depicting the team, so this might be my best chance at getting one.  I still need to see what teams I do have from Missouri and work on getting the rest, but that's one goal I likely won't finish this year.  As for this card, I'm watching it on COMC and will likely get it in the next couple weeks, especially if I keep doing a lot of challenges and earning cash.  2009 TRISTAR Obak

Many times I've said that Robin Yount had a career parallel to George Brett and it always fascinated me.  Brett seemed to get more of the attention, but any team would be so lucky to have a Yount on their team.  When I got the George Brett rookie earlier this year a few thoughts crossed my mind.  One though was that despite I wouldn't put them together, I still would really like to get the Yount rookie as well.  This 1975 Topps isn't a high priority right now, but it is one I would like to get more than other cards I want.  I think its possible to get it within a couple years, but I'm not going to be sleeping next to a computer with an alert every time a good deal for it pops up.  If I want it on a random day and have the money, I'll get it, if not, oh well.

Speaking of George Brett... hold that though, the song "We're An American Band" just popped up on my playlist, and its a cover by Poison.  That is interesting...  Anyways, speaking of Brett, this is a card I've always wanted.  In fact I might even chase the entire set sooner than later and already found a few good prices on a few.  I remember having one when they originally came out, but when I sold my collection, it went with it.  While I miss a lot a cards I got rid of, that one seems to stick out a bit.  This is a 2000 Fleer 3000 Club card, and the set came in a variety of Fleer packs that year, so the set was spread out.  That probably explains why I never got any of the others.  By then I wasn't buying as much anyways, but putting them in 3 different sets seems annoying at best.

I loved the Topps Kids set.  Probably because I was a kid when they came out.  But this 1992 Topps Kids card is one of the last I need to finish the team set, and on top of that, its a cool card.  This would be a set that one day I would like to build if I had the extra money, but I don't think it will happen.  Instead I will settle for a few here and there.

In a similar vein is this 1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack insert card of David Cone.  I never had many Fun Packs as a kid, but if I did I would have liked them, but maybe not as much as the Topps Kids cards.  This is a Glow Stars card, and it might be the only Royals insert, or one of the only ones at least.  I still say if Panini went a similar route as these two sets with their recent redo of the Triple Play cards, they wouldn't have been panned as badly.  I'd be happy if they made cards specifically for kids, just don't make them cartoonish, use real photos.

Before I talk about this card, I need to add more music to my playlist and I think I'll listen to some Lucinda Williams.  I love her, but this might not be a good choice, we'll see.

Anyways, this card is from 2012 Panini Cooperstown Voices of Summer set.  Denny Matthews has been the radio announcer for the Royals since their inception.  I don't expect him to be calling games much longer, so I listen to as many as I can.  Denny is the reason I think I stayed a fan through the bad years, he always kept me entertained.  Some of my most memorable calls he's done involves most recently when late in August in 2014 when the Royals were fighting for the playoffs.  As Alex Gordon stepped up to bat with runners on and down by one he said, "this is when championship teams find a way to win".  Gordon proceeded to hit the game winning RBI to give them a hard fought win and really proved to be a catalyst for the rest of the season moving them into the wild card game and eventually the AL Champs.

In 2015 when calling the World Series, just after they won the title some of the fans started chanting Let's Go Royals.  He mentioned it on the radio broadcast and then replied "there's nowhere else to go, they're there."  I will be saddened when he finally retires but will always have the memories of one of my favorite announcers and am glad a card company made a card for him.  I still say there needs to an insert set dedicated to announcers around the league.

I liked the 2001 Topps set.  However it was around the time I wasn't collecting as much, so by the time this 2001 Topps Traded card of Albert Pujols came out, I was into other things.  Plus I had no idea how big El Hombre would hit.  I hope he has a few more solid years even though I don't keep up with him as much after he became an Angel, but its not that I lost interest, its just because he was featured so much in St. Louis that if he went to any other team I would get less coverage.  I hope to build upon my Pujols collection to a point it match Damon or Maddux, but for now I'm happy with what I have.

2007 KC Life Insurance St. Louis Cardinals- Yadier Molina  (NO PHOTO AVAILABLE) - This card isn't because I'm a big fan, its because I only need two or so cards to finish the set, and this is the biggest name, which could make it easier to locate.

I remember in the 90's Tombstone Pizza had a commercial set in the Wild West and one cowboy asked the other "What do you want on your Tombstone?"  I remember that because my friend and I would randomly ask that to each other because of the commercial.  Looking back it was a good ad, but I wish I knew they had baseball cards too then I would have actually tried to get some of the pizzas.  I'm an odd cat when it comes to pizza, for the most part, I prefer what is referred to as cardboard pizzas, or ones you find in stores.  Sure I like almost any kind of pizza, but since my choices are limited where I live (I have the option of Casey's Pizza which is good but can got boring after a while), I choose Jack's or Tony's pizza or other brands.  Anyways, this 1994 Score Tombstone Pizza card of Greg Maddux is one I don't have.  It's one that I know off the top of my head I know I don't have so its an easy want, and one I'll likely pick up by the end of the month.

If I ever became more than a team builder, the HoloGrFx set will be one I build.  It was one of the last sets I remember buying packs of and one I really loved.  If they made this set today I doubt I would enjoy it as much since I don't care for shiny or chrome or anything, but at the time I loved it.  1999 Upper Deck HoloGrFX Future Frame of Greg Maddux is an insert I don't really remember, but its one I'm keeping an eye out for.  As you can tell, I'm watching it on COMC which I only used pictures of if they weren't listed on Trading Card Database.

Okay so these last two are part pipe dream, and part I really want them but no desire to pay much for them.  One is readily available and the other I don't see too much.  One transcends collecting, the other was a mistake that I really wish I got my hands on before it was noticed.  Let's start with the cheaper card.

HE HAS FRANK PLACE'S BAT!  IT SAYS RIGHT ON THE BARREL FRANK PLA... wait that doesn't say that, it says something else.... HIDE YOUR KIDS, DON'T LET THEM SEE!  THE HORROR!  Yeah it's "That Card" the 1989 Fleer of Billy Ripken.  As a kid I never knew about this card, and really it wasn't until the internet age I heard about it, but since then, its been one I've wanted.  Even the variations I want too, but this is the one I want the most.  It's not priced too high, but since I'm not a fan of the design, and never much of a fan of Billy, it makes it one card I can wait a while longer to actually buy.  Could I find a great deal on it and already have it, sure, and I bet if I kept my collection before I would likely have the card by now, but oh well.

So one card left, and its not cheap.  Is it a Clemente rookie?  A Nolan rookie?  A card from the 70's or before?  The answer is no on all accounts.  It's from this century and it is a Royals card.

At first glance most people would think, I have a dozen of them in a shoebox you can have.  First off, I never saw the appeal of putting cards in shoeboxes, but I do still put cards in cheese boxes, so to each their own.  Second, you are a liar if you say you have a dozen of these 2006 Topps Alex Gordon rookie cards.  This card could be considered a game changer.  Topps released this card expecting Gordon to make the roster in 2006 but the Royals decided to send him to AAA after Spring Training and as a result this card shouldn't really exist.  Topps was frantic to get the cards back and there are many variation of the card all of which I would also like, but this is the main card I want.  After this happened, I believe is when it was decided that Topps wouldn't release cards of players until AFTER the made their MLB debut.  At least that is the story I heard.  I don't really care, I just want the card.  It's not cheap, and this version I don't see much, but still its a dream to have this card.

So that wraps up my Top 25 Wanted list, I hope you liked it.  I know within a year's time its possible I have 1/3rd to a half of these cards, but I made some easier than others so it was realistic and gave me more reason to jump on them if I see a good deal.  With Black Friday coming up and COMC having sales, I'm hoping to knock a few out.  I've also been checking out Just Commons for some too.  I know there are other sites, but I've used those two before and trust them more than others.  I might check out Sportlots or whatever its called and nab a couple, but I just haven't done it yet.

So with that, thus completes another blog.  This week I hope to do 2-3 more and might even top load the front half of the month just so I can enjoy a brief break from blogging around Thanksgiving.  I'm on pace to break last years post count (another goal) and if I have a really good month I can lay low a bit in December, so I might do that.  At this pace I needed about 10 or 11 posts these last two months to beat my goal, but as I stated before I choose quality over quantity, so unless I have absolutely nothing to write about and within a few posts of breaking the record, I won't post crap posts.

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great week!

But If You Try Sometimes...

300 some odd days ago on January 1st, I did something I never planned to do for this blog.  I made a list of goals for the year.  The main reasons I didn't want to do it was because first everyone else was doing it and I didn't want to do it just because everyone else did.  Another reason is because I'm about as laid back as can bee with my collection.  Sure I have goals and things I want to do and get, but I knew if I made an actual list it had the possibility of taking the fun out of collecting because I would focus more on the goals instead of the actual collecting.

I went ahead with the goals because mainly I needed a blog post, and at worst I wouldn't accomplish anything on the list so I wouldn't have to do it next year or in future years.  However when I did the mid year report, I got a lot of the tasks done.  Some were easy and I included them knowing this, just so I wouldn't be a total failure, but others I happened to luck into and was grateful I got done.  As the year went on, I knocked more off.  Realistically my goal was maybe hitting 4 of the 10 I made and I think I'm at 6 right now.

Well add another one to that list, this one possibly one of the easiest ones to do.  I have finally made a top 25 wanted cards.  As the title implies, you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.  Well, if I made this list earlier in the year, my #1 card on the list would have been the George Brett rookie card, but I knocked that off early in the year in a surprise and as a result, the list after that gets a little less prominent and high desire.

With that said though, I did make a list, and over the next two days, I'll break them down in mostly no order at all, and give my reasons for inclusion.  Some are easy to get, and I may even get a couple this weekend, but others aren't so easy.  Most are realistic, and that is what I had in mind.  Sure I want a Roberto Clemente rookie (and any of his cards from his playing days), but I never see me having the money or willingly allow myself to depart with that kind of cash.  These are cards that probably have a total book value of 50 bucks, maybe even a lot less (I don't use price guides anymore), so realistically I could get them all in the next few months.  Well, most, I do have a couple that are holy grail cards that I never expect to get, but wanted to remind myself that it would be no fun to knock out all these cards in a few months, then I'd have to make another list.

Enough talk, let's dig in.

You know Johnny Damon had to pop up on here somewhere.  I know if I make a list of goals next year I might try to add more of his cards, as I was off pace this year.  This is his 1996 Studio card, and while nothing too fancy, it is one I've had my eye on for a while.  Again, I could get it at any time, but I'm cheap and waiting for it to get a little cheaper on COMC.

At this point let me explain that I am not writing this to solicit cards from you.  It is more of a mental note to myself that these should be the focus of wants if I am just bored and trying to find cards online instead of aimlessly looking.  It gives me a starting point on what to look for.  It also gives me a reason to post two days in a row.

Yes, laugh all you want, but this card means a little more to me than it did a few months ago.  Leroy Van Dyke is from Missouri, so I want to add this card to my Missouri Collection.  In addition, he was also one of the very few artists that I know my Grandma really liked.  I never got a grasp on what singers she really liked and I can't say how much she really enjoyed music, but I do remember her liking him and she liked watching TNN when it was around with shows like the Grand Old Opry.  My Grandma passed away a few months back and if I get this card it will make me think of her more, so this card does have a little more meaning now.

1989-90 Topps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- 137 Down Goes Donatello! (NO PHOTO)
1989-90 Topps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- 152 Saving Michaelangelo  (NO PHOTO)

These two cards which I have no photos to show are the last two cards that I need to complete my set.  Again, not the most valuable cards, but I do want to finish the set.

While I've stated many times that I don't really want every card from every player that went to Mizzou, I would like at least one, and I think this would be a nice addition.  This is a 1961 Nu-Cards Football Stars card.  I don't believe I have a card this old, but it would still be nice.


1972 NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps- #148 Francis Peay (NO PHOTO)

Another Mizzou player was Francis Peay.  I have one of his stamps, but according to Trading Card Database, this could be the only other issue he has, so if I would like to get it.

CHARLIE BROWN?  CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE?  FORMER MIZZOU PLAYER?  How could I not want this card?  1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL- 29 Charlie Brown is next on my list.  This is the only card of his I could find of his, so I would like to add it, but like most of these, I'm in no real rush for them.

One more former Mizzou guy.  He also played for the St. Louis Hawks, which I may not have a card for so it would fill two categories.  1957-58 Topps- 45 Med Park  I know nothing about early sets of basketball, but I have watched this card for a while, and really hope a sale comes up for it soon. 

Ok, so you may not know, but I had a huge crush on Britney, and I still like her.  If I could find a way to get out to Vegas, I would totally go see her there.  This card is 2001 Sports Illustrated For Kids- #43 Britney Spears which I guess focused on singers or something and not athletes, but at any rate, I WANT A BRITNEY CARD!  Her sister Jamie Lynn has some cards in the Country music set that came out a couple years ago.  I've watched that off and on a few times too, but don't have a real desire for it.  I would like to find a really cheap box of them though to bust open.

2003 Inkworks Angel Season 4 Autographs- #A24 Eliza Dushku (NO PHOTO)

I never watched Buffy or Angel, but I've always been a fan of Eliza Dushku.  Oddly enough I also didn't watch Dollhouse or that other show she was on either, but I do remember her from Bring It On, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, and the first movie I saw her in- 1993's This Boy's Life starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Something about her I've just always liked, so getting an autographed card of her would be awesome.

At first glance half of you will comment, "I have like 30 of those cards, I'll send you one", but this isn't just the 1994 Fleer card, this is the very similar 1994 Fleer Sunoco card.  Sure all that is different is the Sunoco logo on the back, but still its one I don't have and one I'd like to get.  For the record, I have more than a couple of the regular 1994 Fleer cards of Mad Dog.

1989-90 Hoops- Steve Physioc  (NO PHOTO)

I wasn't even aware of this one until last year.  Until I met and got Steve's autograph last year I wouldn't have cared.  However, he was very nice, and I've grown to like him much more since then.  It's tough to get cards of announcers and I wish more sports would include them, but I'm just glad I found this one existed.  This one is tough to find though, so I've only seen it for sale on ebay at crazy prices.

So I guess that 50 buck overall book value is WAY OFF.  This card alone I bet books more than that.  This is a 2001 Bowman Autographs card of Albert Pujols.  I've always been a fan, so its a no brainer.  I would also like to build my AP collection more one day, but I think Damon, Maddux, and Mike Alstott will have higher precedence over him.  This card ain't cheap, but who knows, maybe one day I can find it and get it.

So that is half of my Top 25.  You may notice an absence of Royals on here for the most part and its mainly because I would like to get all the Royals anyways, so if I don't have it, I should already have it on my radar. The Damon does remind me though that I need to focus on Royals cards I don't have too.

So with that I will wrap it up for today, tomorrow I will show the rest.  It will feature more Royals cards, more Maddux, and a couple big cards that may take a while to get, but that's okay.  Thanks for reading, have a great night.

What Else Needs To Be Said

I heard some type of sporting event was last night.  I can't imagine what it was.  The biggest event in the world concluded at around 6 AM eastern time yesterday, so I have no idea what happened last night.

At 6 AM the World Series.... OF POKER wrapped up, ending a marathon event lasting about 9 hours or so.  I had no idea it was on but when I did I caught the last hour and a half.

I was tired all day since I was up at 3 AM, but I'm no dummy, I know last night was the final game of the 2016 baseball season.  I watched almost every minute of it.  I only missed the bottom of the ninth which wasn't by choice as my feed on my TV went out due to storms, but luckily it came back halfway through the rain delay.

I'm would have been happy for either team winning, but I was rooting for the Cubs.  With that being said, I don't have a lot to add, but I thought today would be a good day for my readers to check out other blogs.  I like to spread the word on blogs to check out, and while the majority of my readers know of these blogs, maybe one slipped through the cracks, or maybe a twitter or facebook reader may check it out and its a chance for them to see other blogs.

So with that in mind, here's a few blogs talking about the game and the Cubs that are well worth reading:

Cards on Cards- http://cardsoncards.blogspot.com/2016/11/not-shocked.html
Bob Walk The Plank- http://bobwalktheplank.blogspot.com/2016/11/holy-cow.html
Pack War- http://packwar.blogspot.com/2016/11/so-long-goat.html
Section 36- http://section-36.blogspot.com/2016/11/spending-cubs-fans-money.html
Wrigley Roster Jenga- https://wrigleyrosterjenga.blogspot.com/2016/11/is-this-real-life.html
bdjf610's Topps Baseball Card Blog- http://bdj610bbcblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/and-just-like-that.html
Dime Boxes- http://baseballdimebox.blogspot.com/2016/11/this-is-year.html

PLUS MORE WORTH READING:

Night Owl- http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-meandering-look-at-game-7-and.html
Run-Fore!-Kelloggs- http://runforekelloggsbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2016/11/who-is-left-in-1974-and-cubs-vs-indians.html
Indians Baseball Cards- http://www.tribecards.net/2016/11/tribecards-announces-retirement-end-of.html
Collector's Crack- http://collectorscrack.blogspot.com/2016/11/winner-winner-chicken-dinner-6th-annual.html

The bottom ones are related to the game.  Indians Baseball Cards is a final edition which is sad though.  Collector's Crack is the results of his contest he holds yearly, and spoiler alert- I won a prize.

So I think that is plenty of reading, for one night.  Though I do have some cards to show off thanks to Trading Card Database.  Here is some 2016 cards of MVP Ben Zobrist who I fell in love with when he became a Royal last year.  I am so proud of him winning back to back titles.

So before I wrap it up, I thought I would post a video someone tweeted on twitter before the game last night.  It is a clip from the 1980's show Punky Brewster.  On the episode Punky and Henry go to a Chicago Cubs playoff game.  It was fun to watch and really got me in the mood for the game.

So thanks MLB, and all the teams that made the 2016 season great and memorable.  I hope for a repeat next year, but maybe with the Royals winning again.  Also thank you to all the great bloggers out there who add so much more to the sports and my enjoyment I get out of them.  I enjoy reading them and when I remember or lack of ideas I love spreading the good word.

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great night!

My Happy Place- Musical Edition

My plan was to come into November with a big BANG and post a lot out the gate.  However a few days ago while working on my desktop I went to work on a project I was about to show off on here and had a little trouble.  My desktop disappeared.  Well, my desktop of my desktop just vanished of all the things on it.  All I had left was my trash can.  That made me panicked because the last few days I've dealt with slow internet and computers on both the desktop and the laptop.  A lot of that goes to the Flash update going around last week urging everyone to update.  However, I corrected all that and things seemed to go back to normal.  Anyways, while I was on the desktop, I was listening to music and went to do something and when I came back I started to work on this project.  So I went to the desktop to open the file and it wasn't there.  Nothing was.  I panicked as I said because I was afraid someone may have hacked my computer and grabbed the files.  Before I go on, almost all the files I had on there were backed up elsewhere, but a couple files were really important and really would have been horrible if I lost them.  Well two days later I can safely say it was some sort of glitch and while I lost some files, almost all were recovered somehow, and I wasn't hacked.  Unfortunately the project I was working on wasn't recovered and I had to start from scratch.  It sucks but it only set me back a few hours and honestly wasn't a big deal.  I also may have lost some scans I did last month too but I might have them elsewhere too, I haven't checked.

The last month or so has been unkind to me with sickness, then one of my accounts WAS hacked and a couple gift cards I was saving for Christmas was maxed out.  Luckily I had no other credit card info on the site and after I changed passwords, I'm over it, but a little seething still.  I'm lucky though in the sense that I am fine and while all this stuff sucks, I'm still breathing so its time to move on.

I thought now would be a good time for a trip to MY HAPPY PLACE.  I was amazed I haven't visited it yet this year, and this one is a little different.  As I said I was listening to music, and music is usually my escape, so I thought I would share some music I've recently listened to and enjoyed.  I've toyed with starting a music blog but seriously, I hardly do this one justice and I never update my others so I doubt I would the music one either.  So if you aren't a music person, you can sit this one out.  Otherwise enjoy!

This past weekend I was listening to the syndicated radio show Acoustic Cafe, which for reference was episode 1137 according to their website, and heard this song, "A Little Longer" from the band Lord & Lady.  When I hear something I really like, I Google it, and I was glad I did, as I want to add this to my everending music collection.

On the same radio show they had a commercial for the new album from Norah Jones.  When I was younger she never really did much for me, but I've mellowed a bit more as of late.  Again, I checked Youtube and found this song called "Carry On", which is not only a good song, but a good video.  If I decided to do a list of favorite songs of 2016 this has a good chance of being included as I put extra weight on a song if I like the video too.  I used to make those lists on Facebook but didn't last year and maybe the year before, but might do it this year for a blog if I feel like it and actually take time to make a list.  The songs don't have to be new, but new to me, or sometimes just ones I played the hell out of in a year.  I remember Neil Young making my list a few years ago on a song probably 40 years old.

For some unknown reason I heard this on the radio last year and its been stuck in my head since.  It is Randall Zwarte Band, and the song is called "Water Party".  I think I'm more hooked on the beat than anything, but sometimes I'll want to just listen to it, and it usually makes me feel better.

When I had my free Netflix trial earlier this year, as the days wrapped up, I had this movie called Dope in my que.  I decided to watch it, and I really liked it.  One of the songs in the movie was this one called "Can't Bring Me Down" by Awreeoh which was the band the three characters in the movie formed.  I don't think they are a real band, but I like the song.  The movie itself wasn't too bad and worth watching if you have nothing to watch.  It isn't a family movie though so be forewarned.

I will get hate for this one, but I don't care.  This is pre- Katy Perry... Katy Perry.  Well, its a little complicated.  Before she was Katy Perry, she was Katy Hudson, a teenage Christian singer.  You read that right.  Anyways she didn't get far, but in the process she hooked up with Matt Thiessen, the lead singer of the band Relient K, a good band, who was also a Christian band.  I don't know when she transformed from Hudson to Perry, but one day she wrote this song which Matty T also has a credit with writing.  It's called "Long Shot" and Katy never officially released it, but it was passed over to Kelly Clarkson who did sing it, and to a lot of people, did it much better.  In my opinion though I like Katy's version better because it sounds more raw and gritty and less produced.  It also looks less serious.  I like both Katy and Kelly, but when I stumbled on this a few months ago, I've listened to it at least once a week.

As of late, most of my new music I find through Noise Trade or the radio.  This one came from Noise Trade.  The band is Forest Fire Gospel Choir, and the song is called "Strange Air".  I loved it the minute I heard it, and I think its because it reminds me of Tyler Hilton or Gavin DeGraw.  I know if the show One Tree Hill was still on, it would have fit in perfectly on there.  Which reminds me I should get season four of OTH since I don't have it.  I really don't care about any seasons after that, but I do have the first three seasons.

Speaking of One Tree Hill, "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional was one of if not the first song heard on the series.  One of the reasons I loved that show was because of the music.  Hands Down is probably my second favorite DC song behind only Screaming Infidelities.

This last one is a little shameless self promotion.  This is from a Sheryl Crow concert at the Missouri State Fair.  Yours truly filmed this video and posted it.  It isn't really a music video, but I just wanted to show it off.  If you have a Youtube account I guess you could follow me on there too.

If you are ever really bored you can see what I listen to on my hard drive through my Last FM account, which I have on my desktop and soon on my laptop, which keeps track of recent tracks and what I've listened to all time.  I might reset it soon and start fresh but the top bands right now is Relient K, Switchfoot, The Lonely Island, Bowling For Soup, and Paramore.  I've also listened to Jackyl a lot lately too.  Last FM profile

I don't do Itunes or anything so when I listen to music its either FM radio, my hard drive, or through Youtube.  It works fine for me.  On rare occasions I'll listen online through Iheartradio or Tune In, but not often.

So with my recent trip to My Happy Place, I do feel better.  Since its getting later than I though, I better wrap this up because I have a World Series to watch, my second of the day if you count watching the last two hours of the World Series of Poker this morning, and I still need to eat.  So thanks for reading, and once I get all my files back in order, I'll have a few cool posts to show.  Have a great evening and whichever team you root for in the World Series, I hope they win... unless its the Indians, then well, I'll still like you but I might need to do another Happy Place post sooner than I wanted. :)

Another Batch of Olympic Customs

"It's interesting he has sleep apnea and the first three letters of his last name is NAP!"-John Smoltz

I'm really tired, I really didn't want to do a blog, but I wanted to post some more and knock these out.  Tell me I wasn't the only one who heard this insanely idiotic line from John Smoltz in Game 1 of the World Series.  I thought Harold Reynolds was bad, and before that Tim McCarver, but holy crap that is some major league stretching and terrible announcing from Smoltz there.  I know I shouldn't keep harping on it but these announcers this year are a real snoozefest.  In fact I've almost fell asleep the first two games.  In fact I DID during game one.  I turned my back and closed my eyes (and left the TV on) the moment the Indians hit the 3 run blast to seal up a 6-0 victory.  I'm glad the Cubs tied the series, and hope they can finish it out at Wrigley.

Anyways, because I'm tired, not much talk today, just mostly some scans.

I tried out some action shots on these two with multiple countries.  I would have liked them to turn out better, but I'm not complaining too much.

A couple cards from Germany, and I think they turned out fine.  Fabian is a gymnast but I can't remember how he did.  If I did this entire set of just the United States I would have represented the Men's Gymnastics team better but I didn't so they aren't.  Lisa Altenburg I presume is field hockey and I made it a card because I liked the photo.

I tried out a team photo on this one and it took forever to make.  The photo wasn't cooperating with me and then the font isn't centered so its a card I almost wish I didn't make, but then again how often do you see badminton cards.

These two cards were much easier to make and were done in a snap.  I think both turned out really good.  If I remember right, WWE was interested in signing Sarah Robles to a contract, but I could be wrong.  As for the Chinese ladies, much like most of the other countries, I just hope I spelled their names right.  I try to double check so I'm sure I did.

The last two Upset Alert inserts feature a couple teams.  Nobody really expected the Women's Field Hockey Team of the United States to do anything, but they really made an impression.  The Brazilian Women's Volleyball team did pretty much the same thing knocking off the Americans in front of their home crowd.  i think these cards turned out fine, but if I use the border again it will be much smaller, allowing for a bigger photo.

The Nick Skelton card might have been the easiest card I've made so far.  It probably took less than two minutes and only took that long because I had to add the logos.  The Russian ladies took a bit longer, but only because I tried to make the font and location perfect.  I am not 100% happy with the end result, but I'm happy enough.  I feel bad for not remember what event they competed in, but it was 2 months ago, and I'm pretty much over it at this point.

I always am a sucker with the photos of the athletes holding their country's flag.  It is pretty much the only reason I chose Christian Taylor to be a part of the set.  I still have some Americans to make cards of, but this could be the best one I've made for my home country.

It's time for the last card of the day.  I know this batch didn't feature a really high profile name, but I wanted to save the last batch for some of the real big names.  However this last one caught my eyes at the Olympics and is probably one of only two athletes I was for sure going to include.

If you watch a good amount of Gymnastics, its a surprise if anything leaves you speechless, yet Flavia did just that at the Olympics.  I expected America to steamroll through like usual and expected a couple threats, in fact I hoped there would be because it makes it much better.  When they showed Flavia on the floor exercise and the balance beam I was just in awe.  What she was doing wasn't as great as how flawless she was doing it.  When I decided to make cards, she was the first one I looked up.  I might have gotten a better photo, but I like this one just fine.  I hope to see her compete again in four years.

So that will do it for this batch, I probably have about 2 or so more posts to do to finish them up including an entirely new set I've yet to show.  It's nothing major, but like I said when I started these, I wanted a bit of a challenge.  Since I can't type so well because I'm about to fall asleep, I guess I'll finish there, thanks for reading and have a great rest of the week and weekend.