This has been a pretty rough start to the year. I'll take my father's advice and avoid discussing politics, but I will say these are scary times and it's hard for me not to stress over what's going on. The good news is that I can distract myself sometimes and talk about other stuff.
Today I wanted to show off a pair of books and some baseball cards that were recently sent to me. Let's start with a Christmas present from my nieces in Oregon. One of them is a huge Lions fan who happens to hate the Packers. She made me this lovely tree ornament.
Her favorite author is Alan Gratz and they recently had the opportunity to meet him at a book signing. I don't read a lot of books. In fact, I'm lucky to read one a year. But last year, I ended up reading two... and they were both historical fiction stories written by Gratz. One of them covers the Battle of Okinawa from two perspectives: a young Okinawan boy and an American Marine. The other one is about three young kids and their families from different countries and time periods forced to leave their homes and seek refuge somewhere else.
Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz
My nieces bought me the graphic novel version of the latter and had him sign it:
The other book I recently added to my collection was a gift from Jim @ cards as i see them:
1969 Topps Stamp Album #18
Here's a peek inside:
2025 Topps Chrome RayWave Refractor #67
The stamp book is a huge addition to my collection. I'm planning on purchasing the final four stamps and fill the book as soon as possible. I was also excited to see this Butler refractor. I've really grown to appreciate the 2025 Topps design in recent months.
Matt over at Cards Over Coffee added to the collection of 2025 Topps Chrome refractors by sending me three more for my team set:
I'm gonna wrap things up with a Zippy Zapping from Kenny over at Torren' Up Cards. He sent me this Calbee card of Shota Imanaga:
I'm always excited to add new Calbee cards to my binders... especially when they feature guys who have found success in the MLB.
2023 Calbee #99
While writing this post, Kenny sent another PWE with these three cards:
2025 Stadium Club NPB #180
2025 Bushiroad Dream Order #TBP01-L12
Not sure who Takumu Nakano is, but the card on the right features Tatsuya Imai. He's one of the NPB stars who is bringing his talent to the MLB. Back in December he signed a three year deal to pitch for the Houston Astros.
I'm not familiar with this character, but I enjoy collecting any Japanese trading cards... especially when they're shiny anime cards.
Thank you Jim, Matt, and Kenny for these cards. They were a nice distraction from all of the drama going on in our country and around the world.
One of the things I'd like to do with this blog is return to my roots and begin ending my posts with questions like I did years ago. So here we go...
Today's question of the day:
Outside of collecting cards, what do you like to do to reduce stress or help you take your mind off of things?
I'm not proud of it, but ever since I got sick back in December, I've been binge watching television shows like Stranger Things, Fallout, and Game of Thrones. However normally, I enjoy going out for walks or riding my bike. I'll also hop in my car and take it up in the hills. If my back ever gets better, I'd love to start golfing again. There is a really nice executive course a few miles from my place that is loaded with rabbits, deer, and turkeys. It's about as therapeutic as it gets.
Well that's it for now...
Happy Tuesday and sayonara!
