Scrapbook Saturday – June 2019
Katie 
Gaelic Storm and Vegas, Avengers Display
What Will You Do There? IOWA
One of my “fun facts” about me in my online dating profiles is that I’m trying to get to all 50 states and am over halfway there. The first follow up question is usually, which of the states you have left do you want to visit the most? My answer is usually Alaska. Then it turns into a “but what will you do once you get there?” and for some states I have a vague idea of some sort of touristy type thing to check out and others I have no clue. (See a Hanson concert there goes without saying, though I do need to go back to a few states to get my lists to sync up) Since for the most part I am home and have far too much free time on my hands and a lot of wanderlust, I decided to do some googling to see a few fun things I can maybe check out when I finally get to visit these states.
This state is a GO for August… but here’s what I had come up with when I first started researching. Be sure to come back in August to see where I actually ended up!
Iowa
In 2020, MLB was going to be playing a game at the “Field of Dreams” Dyersville, IA location. I had thought about possibly going, but it ended up canceled, just like everything else. Hanson also was going to be playing at the state fair in Des Moines not too long after. It turns out both have been rescheduled for August 2021 – about 5 days apart. If I can figure out what to do in the interim, that might be a fun trip to pull off. Either way, for Iowa I think a trip to the Field of Dreams set is a given. As far as penny locations, the Botanical Gardens looks interesting, the State Fair seems to have machines at times and one of the minor leagues of the Cubs has a team with a machine as well.
Scrapbook Saturday – June 2019
Pentatonix, Impractical Jokers, Hanson
Stephen Kellogg at the Kate 6/10/21
Thursday night was my first full capacity not socially distanced show since I guess February 2020. (Although that was Jamaica and is a bit different, so it may have even been December 2019 – either way it’s been a LONG time) February 2020 was also when I bought the ticket to this show and it had gotten bumped a few times before being rescheduled for a year after the initial June 2020 show date. Stephen Kellogg got the honors – after he was also a staple of my 2020 online concert going experience having to pivot his book tour to a fully online production he put on from his home and eventually extending it to special shows throughout the whole year.
I won’t lie and say I was fully excited about going to this show. Being in a full room of people, masks optional if you’re vaccinated, was a scary thought. I was nervous. I was surprised I knew where my ticket was. I forgot my earplugs. I couldn’t figure out when doors were. I opted to wear my mask because having a neurological disorder, it seems like an easy way to bring my risk down a bit more even though I am now fully vaccinated.
Stephen came out solo to start the show, a big smile on his face, happy to see a room full of people and started with “On The Road Again”, no doubt an ode to being able to be back out in front of humans and not just staring at a camera projecting to us via computer screens. Then his band joined him – this was his first full band show in many, many months! His older 2 daughters also came out to sing for a couple of songs and the younger 2 joined them to lead the dance moves to “Big Easy”, it’s always great to see the girls and how happy Stephen always seems when they are on stage with him. When I first started going to SK6ers shows, his oldest daughter was just a baby!
I thought the setlist was a great mix and my 2 favorites back to back ended the main set so that had me pumped! When Stephen came out for the encore he asked if there was a certain person in the audience and then he asked his date to marry him! She said yes! What a way to kick off live shows again! (He also said someone else emailed offering $500 if he’d play a specific song – and he denied the request)
After the show, my cousin was invited backstage and I got to tag along. It was crazy and hectic and everything that I imagined backstage would be, but it was nice to say hi and chat a bit with Stephen as well as Eric who played guitar during the show (and co-wrote many songs with Stephen on his latest release!)
Overall the night went well and has made me feel a bit better about re-entering the world (albeit slowly and still masked for a bit longer) But my body was not used to being out so late and socializing and I totally had to take a 2.5 hour nap today because of it! Hopefully I haven’t lost my concert stamina forever and it’ll come back like riding a bike! 😉
Book Review: Home Sweet Road
I had first heard of Johnnyswim somewhere in passing at some point, I’m sure. I first saw them perform at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis when I went to see Hanson and was absolutely blown away by their talent and harmony. Really good harmony is usually for siblings, not a husband and wife duo so I found it kind of amusing when Amanda mentioned in the book that she thought Abner had looked like her brother. Maybe there was some higher power pushing them together somewhere along the way.
The book tells the story of how they met and their backgrounds (I had not realized that Amanda’s mother is Donna Summer!) and I got a kick out of how they both went back over what was going through their heads and their plans to try and get each other’s attention (which ended up taking 4 years!) But Amanda’s plan had a few different ideas, “since being a normal human wasn’t an option.” What is it about these guys that we are interested in that makes us forget how to be a normal human, anyway?
The book may also tell you the real reason behind the name Johnnyswim. Or maybe it won’t. Just know every story you may have heard previously is a lie – and they tend to not repeat the same stories twice. I guess use your best judgement if you believe what they actually included to be published!
Abner and Amanda are also all about community with their friends and so they decided to include some recipes from their friends as well and they told about how they used to have community dinners. It was nice to feel like I was part of their world even if it was just for an afternoon.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
The hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Johnnyswim share their story like never before, showing readers how to find home wherever they are in this visually stunning debut.
Foreword by Chip and Joanna Gaines
Work and life partners Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez are known for translating the memories and milestones of their journey, as well as the honest realities of marriage, into their spirited and soulful songs. With this beautifully designed, visually stunning book, the duo shares never-before-told stories, beautiful photos, recipes, poetry, and more from their life in a deeply engaging experience as they travel on tour around the country with their three young kids, capturing the family’s raw, intimate, and behind-the-scenes life on the road and embracing home no matter where they are.
Book Review: Cheated
When I started this book I was not expecting to be so conflicted about the cheating going on in Major League Baseball. I was also not expecting so many Mets and former Mets to somehow be involved in this story. It seems easy – if you are relaying signs to the players on your team using trash cans or buzzers – you’re in the wrong and should be punished. But then I realized just how much sign stealing is really going on in the game – and if you as a player crack the code – where is the line? Do you share with your teammates? Use it only for yourself? Keep it to yourself completely? A lot of that is unraveled in this book with how it started for some of the players involved and how it expanded to the big controversy with the Astros in more recent years. In addition to mentioning the recent cheating – it goes back historically – and it has pretty much been going on since the dawn of time. This was definitely an eye opening book and I think that doing it in the way the Astros did was above and beyond for the love of the game – but I haven’t been able to figure out where exactly I draw the line. Maybe after reading it will be a bit clearer for you, or maybe not!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
The definitive inside story of the cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball
By the fall of 2019, most teams around Major League Baseball suspected that the Houston Astros had been stealing signs for several years. The Astros had won the 2017 World Series and made the playoffs the next two seasons. All the while, opponents felt that Houston’s hitters knew what pitches were coming.
In Cheated, award-winning sports reporter and analyst Andy Martino takes readers behind the scenes and into the heart of the events that shocked the baseball world. With inside access to the people directly involved, Martino not only breaks down exactly what happened and when but reveals the fascinating explanations of why it all came about. The nuance and detail ofthe scandal reads like a true sports whodunnit. How did otherwise good people like Astros’ manager A. J. Hinch, bench coach Alex Cora, and veteran leader Carlos Beltrán find themselves on the wrong side of clear ethical lines? And did they even know when those lines had been crossed?
Martino also explores the colorful history of cheating in baseball, from notorious episodes like the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal all the way to the modern steroid era. But the Astros scandal became one of the most significant that the game has ever seen—its fallout ensnaring many other teams, either as victims, alleged cheaters, or both. The Los Angeles Dodgers felt robbed of a World Series title and fended off accusations about their organization. Same for the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox were soon under investigation themselves. The New York Mets lost a promising manager before he had ever managed a game.
With skillful reporting, Andy Martino, who has broken numerous stories about the Astros and sign-stealing in baseball, fills in all the pieces in a riveting investigative narrative. Cheated is an explosive, electrifying read.
Scrapbook Saturday – June 2019
SPARC Live:Art
Book Review: Man Enough
I was first introduced to Justin Baldoni when he was on Jane the Virgin. When I saw that he had a book out, I had to check it out. I was actually very surprised by how open he was in this book, called “Man Enough” which is an exploration of masculinity. You always hear about how growing up as a young girl is difficult due to all the media pressure on the perfect body, perfect makeup looks, etc and I never really thought that young boys also had similar things to face when they were growing up as well. I think Justin did a great job explaining difficulties that he and other men will face growing up, sometimes coming out of his comfort zone and being quite vulnerable and telling stories from his youth that may be considered embarrassing. But I think that it is important to share these stories – so if a young boy going through similar situations picks up this book he will know he is not alone. I think reading it as a female also opened my eyes a bit as well because I definitely thought guys had it so much easier and after finishing the book I am not sure that is so true anymore! He touches on a lot of great subject and even if you don’t know him from an actor, I think it would be a beneficial read!
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
A GRIPPING, FEARLESS EXPLORATION OF MASCULINITY
The effects of traditionally defined masculinity have become one of the most prevalent social issues of our time. In this engaging and provocative new book, beloved actor, director, and social activist Justin Baldoni reflects on his own struggles with masculinity. With insight and honesty, he explores a range of difficult, sometimes uncomfortable topics including strength and vulnerability, relationships and marriage, body image, sex and sexuality, racial justice, gender equality, and fatherhood.
Writing from experience, Justin invites us to move beyond the scripts we’ve learned since childhood and the roles we are expected to play. He challenges men to be brave enough to be vulnerable, to be strong enough to be sensitive, to be confident enough to listen. Encouraging men to dig deep within themselves, Justin helps us reimagine what it means to be man enough and in the process what it means to be human.
Scrapbook Saturday – May 2019
The Hop Jam & Gavin DeGraw.
Hanson Day 2021
Last weekend I made my 16th (?!) trip to Tulsa, but my first since being vaccinated. Despite all airlines going back to filling the planes entirely (the fall concert series had open middle seats on Delta each time) there was a sense of relief knowing that I had the extra protection of being vaccinated (and I stayed masked up, as required, the entire time.) I was a little bit nervous about my 6:45am flight as I knew I would want to sleep and wasn’t sure how sleeping in the mask would go as it didn’t go all that great on past trips, but that turned out to not be the issue so much as the very, very loud children several (?) rows behind me screaming “EIGHTY! EIGHTY! DOUBLE Q!” at 7am. (If you’re half asleep and your name is Katie W, Eighty Double Q sounds oddly similar) Despite being shh’ed the children didn’t really shut up or turn the volume down so sleeping turned out to not be an issue. Upon arriving in Dallas I headed to my gate and got some Dunkin Donuts (which tasted nothing like it does in New England) and finally arrived in Tulsa after a gate change and a minor delay.
Thursday night we went to check out a Tulsa Drillers game against the Wichita Wind Surge. Though we left before the end, the Drillers went on to win 4-2 and despite it looking like it might have gotten rained out before we arrived, it turned into a pretty nice evening. (As evidenced by the gorgeous sunset pictured above.)
This trip made for a lot more down time than the typical go-go-go of Hanson Days past. I tried to enjoy it and take it all in, because I know just around the corner I will be figuring out our schedule for a long weekend full of events and constantly asking “but, when will we eat!?”
Friday night was the 20th +1 anniversary show for Hanson’s 2nd album, This Time Around. They did acoustic, stripped down versions of the album and played them in order in its entirety. They did an encore of 2 of the B-Sides that were released as bonus tracks with the album. Although there were a couple more songs I wouldn’t have minded them adding in (Bridges of Stone and I Don’t Know) it turned out to be one of my favorite shows of theirs. After the show we hosted a few friends in our room to enjoy Taylor’s after party. (The band had videos and activities going on for fans via their website that had started on Monday night to help celebrate “Hanson Days” which was a fun way to bring everyone together)
Saturday Night’s show was the “HDay Concert” and for me it was a big miss. I know they had to do a lot of rehearsing and rearranging for the Friday night TTA show and all the activities earlier in the week, but when a Hanson Day show kicks off with Waiting For This – it ends up feeling more like an every day festival show than a special yearly celebration. I was less than impressed with this setlist and was not quiet about that. I’m not exactly sure what I was looking for instead, but it seems like last year’s EP Continental Breakfast In Bed is going to fall into a black hole never to be heard from again and I really like a lot of those songs. (Zac did do Good Days as his solo, at least) I also was extremely disappointed with Taylor’s choice of a solo of With You In Your Dreams. It wasn’t a bad show and I was happy to be there and would want to be at a mediocre Hanson Day show than anywhere else (and I know so many others could not get there and not for lack of trying) but it just fell flat for me and I feel like they were/are capable of so much more – especially after having the last year of nearly no shows – it could have been a big special celebration making up for the past year. (Or maybe I am just a spoiled brat. I don’t know.) It also being the last distanced table show – a set up that actually allowed me to see all 3 guys at once while seated with my friends and not shoved in a corner by myself maybe able to see one of them like it is at a typical show for me, may have also had something to do with my disappointment. (And when I was raging after the show about how mad I was about the setlist, a friend decided to tell me that Bridges of Stone was indeed on the setlist for Friday night as an encore and they skipped it! I was glad to find this out on Saturday instead so I had 24 hours to be happy and in love with that show before some air got let out of my balloon!) I was also happy when we went to get drinks after the show, I was able to see some of the fireworks from the Drillers game that we had missed seeing the night before due to somewhat hiding out because of it raining.
Sunday there were a bunch of street closures for the Ironman competition. Just thinking about swimming 2 miles, biking 112 and then running a full marathon made me tired – but there were something like 2500 athletes in Tulsa who came to do just that. I wish I could have seen more of the race to cheer them on, but after brunch we had to make our way to the airport to head home. And of course, after getting to Dallas and finding my gate, the gate was changed and then boarding delayed. They were offering up $575 to several people who were willing to bump off the flight and either spend the night in Dallas or the night in Charlotte. I would have stayed in Tulsa another night since a few of my friends were still there and I had been actively trying to change the flight but they wanted $600 from me, but I wasn’t going to jump at missing a day of work to get stuck somewhere else alone. After a maintenance delay that delayed boarding, we were on our way. Or so we thought. We ended up getting back an hour later than scheduled because there was a computer issue and it would not reboot and the captains needed to get help from maintenance once again. Fortunately after that the flight was uneventful.
There are probably a few more trips to Tulsa this year in my future… but I am looking forward to 2022 when I can TRULY say “All my friends are here, I don’t want to go home”
(PS this coming weekend is 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre and I am incredibly saddened and disappointed to hear that a lot of the activities have been canceled because of the threat of problems from white supremacists. It’s been 100 years and nothing has changed. We need to do better.)