Oh, the Places You'll Go

The posting here on Wrigley Roster Jenga has been slow to start in 2017.  I'm not going to lie, it's a minor case of the blogging doldrums and a major case of my attention being stolen my all things wedding planning.  Our big date is now less than two weeks away and, as those who have been through this before will know, all hell is about to break loose.  I know I owe a few people some returns on trades - don't worry, I have not forgotten about you!

However, I have still been lurking around Blogger, trying to keep up with everybody's posts and latest rumblings in the trading card world.  One thing that I've noticed in my daily perusing is that several members of our community have picked their new Wallet Card for the upcoming year.  You know, that game that was started by Gavin, of Baseball Card Breakdown, where bloggers keep a card in their wallet and then take photographs with it throughout the year, wherever they might go or whatever they might do.  Y'know - kinda like "Flat Stanley."

I have never taken part in this interactive experience, for whatever reason.  For my "New Years Resolution," I decided that 2017 is going to be the year that I finally participate in everyone's favorite wallet-based, sightseeing tour.

For my card, I've decided to go the "Flat Gracie" route, for a few reasons.

1. 1989 Fleer is a set that I collected heavily as a kid and, as a bonus, I was also born in that same year.
2. Mark Grace, along with Ryne Sandberg, was my favorite player throughout his days on the Northside.  I still remember how bummed I was when he left, as a free agent, for the Diamondbacks.  At least he got a ring out of that career move.
3. This particular card, in what has become a running joke on the blogosphere, has been "Bipped" to me on multiple occasions.  Thus, I have enough '89 Fleer Graces to fuel a steam locomotive.

After looking at this scan, I can see that Gracie wasn't in pristine shape to begin with - there's some surface scuffing to Mark's left.  Oopsy daisy.  Oh well, I've already placed it in my wallet and I'm sure it's going to get beat up much more severely by the time 2018 rolls in.

Here he is, peaking out of my wallet.  The card was too big for any of the credit card holders within my wallet, so he'll have to hang out with my wads of cash (ha, yea right) in the money slot. Furthermore, for anyone that was hoping to steal my identity, I've made sure to obliterate my driver's license - that's one card that will definitely not be shown off on my blog.  As for my Ventra card, yea, that doesn't require any blurring.

This was a couple of days ago and my '89 "Amazing Grace" is already bowing quite nicely into a butt-print.  It's going to be a long year for Mark.

Meanwhile, today just so happens to be my first day back to work after winter break - I work for a school district, so I get all those awesome breaks.  As a trial run, I figured I'd let Gracie out of his faux-leather confines as take in the sights of my workplace:

Here he is hanging out at one of my many computer stations, doing his best to keep me from getting work done.

Oh, and here he is, taking a break from distracting me, to hunt down the dreaded Red Baron with my Snoopy wall decor:

I can't wait until I actually do something exciting enough to truly merit a wallet card picture.

In the interim, back to arranging seating charts, tracking down RSVPs, designing place cards and programs, arranging catering orders and packing boxes of decorations, I go.  When I'm not at work, that is.  There I'll be fixing computers, setting up sound equipment, designing fliers and all sorts of other stuff that's not visually exciting enough to warrant photographs.

But, then again, there are some vacations on the horizon and our honeymoon trip, of course. Hopefully, Gracie, my (near) future wife and I get so see some amazing sights throughout our first year of marriage!