I’ve been a cubs fan since birth, meaning that I come from a Chicago Cubs family. Some things, like being a fan of a team, you are because you’ve just always been. Hopefully, the older you get, the more you find your own reasons to remain a fan, which has been the case for me and my cubbies.

I’ll admit that my level of fandom has shifted over the years (I live in Wisconsin and don’t have cable/a sports streaming app, so I don’t get to watch all the games – usually, I don’t get to watch them unless they are playing the Brewers in Milwaukee or I go in person). As a kid, we’d (meaning my sister and I) would watch the games on WGN with my dad (because we lived in IL at the time and could). My dad, too, has been a cubs fan since birth. My dad has never been much of a reader, but one book I do remember him reading was Ryne Sandberg’s biography – his favorite player.

On January 27, 2017, I called my dad up:
Me: Dad, do you know what happened on this day in 1982?
Dad: You were born?
Me: Nope. [Note – right year – wrong month 😂]
Dad: What?
Me: Ryne Sandberg joined the Cubs.
Dad: [provides fifteen minute lecture summarizing Sandberg’s entire career]
Me: [internally – yeah, you should have seen that coming]

In case anyone further questions his fandom – our dog growing up was named after him.

Growing up, I always wanted to go and see a game at Wrigley, but my parents never took my sister and I into the city (for reasons they like to remind me of every time I go to the city now). I was in college the first time I set foot inside the city limits, and it wasn’t until a little over a decade ago that I first went to Wrigley for a game (Aug 15, 2014, to be exact). We got trounced, but I didn’t care – I was at Wrigley. Finally. And my Brewer-loving bestie joined me that first time (we’ve been to several games over the years, both at Wrigley and Miller, when our teams have played each other).

I also grew up watching the Bears and have vague memories of when they won the Super Bowl in 1986 (which they have not done since…). That was the heyday of the team – Jim McMahon, William “the refrigerator” Perry, flippin’ Walter Payton. And yes, my family had The Super Bowl Shuffle on VHS. I did have a chance to see a pre-season game at Soldier Field (and we got trounced).

So after seeing several games at Wrigley, I was eager to mark something off my bucket list that I had absolutely no control over whatsoever – to see my cubbies win the world series. Something the team hadn’t done since 1908. The curse of the billy goat held strong, and despite a couple close chances, we never quite made it.

Then came the 2016 season – the cubs made it to the world series where they would face off against Cleveland – who just happened to be my friend Brady’s team. So not only would I get to watch my team, I’d have a bit of a friendly competition (Brady offered the wager that whoever’s team lost would have to buy the winner a bottle of whiskey). We had plans to get together to watch the fourth game at a sports bar halfway between our homes – the cubs had so far lost three games, and Brady, he told me later on, had almost made a crack about how I should just bring the whiskey that night.

But the cubs won that night. And the next three. Best birthday gift ever.

(That moment when Bryant smiles right before he nabs the grounder knowing he’ll get it to Rizzo in time for the final out is also mentioned in my book Wherever Would I Be. Because why not?)

Brady picked out a local (to him) whiskey and wrapped it in cubs logos – which was kind of him. If his team had won, I absolutely would have done the same. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (For the record, the whiskey is delicious, and it comes in a hand-blown bottle.)

I haven’t kept track of how many games I’ve been to in the last ten years (and I had skipped several years because of the pandemic). But I finally got back last weekend, picking a game against the Yankees so that I could see Anthony Rizzo return to the field. It was the third game in a series against the team where we had already lost two. We got two hits in the first inning, and the Yankees scored one in the second. And then the two held each other off from scoring any more – and we won. ❤

But, honestly, I would have been filled with joy either way to get to see my team play, to see Rizzo back at Wrigley (he got the loudest cheers from the crowd of any other player, even current Cubbies), AND, for the first time ever, get to see the great Ryne Sandberg in person (as well as his recently revealed statue) – he was there for a pre-game induction ceremony welcoming two new players to the Cubs’ Hall of Fame.

Plus, it was just a beautiful day for baseball.

I was asked by Shepherd for my ‘top five list. Click the image below to see what they are:

This list is wholly YA, otherwise my writing buddy’s book would be on it, too.

Back in 2008, I had no idea what a podcast was. The term had been coined about four years earlier (which is earlier than I would have guessed), and Apple launched it’s support for the medium within iTunes in June 2005. But it would be more than a decade before podcasting became a sustainable way to support oneself.

In March of 2005, HowStuffWorks.Com wrote an article titled “How Podcasting Works,” which in hindsight is funny since in a couple years, they would launch what would become one of the most successful podcasts ever. (In February of 2023, Stuff You Should Know would become the first on iHeart radio to reach three BILLION downloads! I couldn’t find specific number, but it looks like they average 2.5 million downloads per episode. This doesn’t include folks that listen via streaming on other platforms.)

Podcasts were just getting going back in ’08 when Stuff You Should Know dropped it’s very first episode on April 17, 2008. The episode, titled “How Grassoline Works,” was five minutes and discussed whether or not we could fuel cars with grass (in 2008, the answer was yes, but the process was intricate and too expensive to be worth it). The show didn’t yet include Josh Clark’s future co-host Chuck Bryant or listener mail, which would become a staple at the end of their episodes. The early episodes seemed to attempt to drive listeners to the articles posted on the HowStuffWorks.Com website, though it wasn’t long before the podcast outshone the site. (And they eventually moved to iHeartRadio.) Originally, Clark was joined with one (sometimes two) of the How Stuff Works editors, with Bryant first joining him in episode seven, called “Why Does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad?” Their chemistry was immediately apparent, and it’s no surprise that the duo soon took on the podcast and have continued all this time. (Chuck cycled through every couple episodes until July 24, 2008, when he was announced as the permanent co-host at the start of the “Why Do People Blush?” episode).

At first, they dropped episodes sporadically, one on April 7, then another April 30, two on May sixth, before they settled into (generally) two a week, which eventually became their full episodes (45-55 minutes) dropped on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In April 2017, they started releasing “Selects” episodes where they pulled an episode from the archive and replayed it on Saturday. Then, Short Stuff was introduced in Oct 2018 (dropping each week on Wednesday). This allowed them to address smaller topics in ten to fifteen minutes.

As of this writing, there have been 1,712 full episodes and 308 short stuff episodes (not counting replayed selects episodes). For a complete list of episodes and topics, check out this Google doc compiled and maintained by Jill Hurley. I did a little (Excel) math, and there are enough episodes that you would need to listen nonstop for 58 days, 16 hours, 33 minutes, and 45 and a half seconds to get through all of them.

When the duo announced they were touring this summer, and that Chicago was one of their stops, I decided it was finally time to see them in person (I kept talking myself out of the expense on previous tours – but not this time). You don’t get to know the topic going in (and aren’t allowed to reveal it until the episode airs), but that’s fine. That’s part of the appeal of the show. They talk about so many topics I never would have sought out on my own – but which they always deliver in such an interesting way.

When I purchased my ticket, I thought I was buying a front-row theater seat. Turns out, it was front-row pit – I felt like I was ON the stage. 😛

The show began with Clark and Bryant bantering, which that alone was worth going for. After about fifteen minutes, they sat at the table and began recording. Now, I had always assumed that when they did these tours, that the topic was different at every show. I guess that’s not the case. So *fingers crossed* that the show they post is the one from Chicago (which I’m super hopeful of since the topic is something IL-related).

It was great getting to see the show in person – to see behind the scenes as it were. Along with their usual banter and flow, getting to see them interact in the same space, and exchange looks, added a fun layer to episode. This is definitely something I will jump at the chance to see again.

After they finished recording, they hosted a bit of a Q&A when audience members could ask questions. (I had one, but not the nerve to get up and ask.) The best question goes to a kid named Logan who simply asked – “How do you know all this stuff?” 🙂

One of my fav episodes:

You can check out other episodes on David Mayes’ website, which includes transcripts. (Last I checked, though, the site hadn’t been updated since last June – but that still leaves you with fourteen-ish years of episodes.) The site also has a ‘random episode’ button at the top in case you’re up for some topic roulette.

I know what you’re thinking – isn’t every day book lovers day?

On this particular day, apparently, people all over the globe are asked to put away their smartphones and other tech devices/distractions, pick up a book, and read. Those of us who do love books don’t really need much prompting to put those things aside, but we’ll take any excuse, right?

I also never need an excuse to get nerdy about books, but I’ll definitely take one when it comes around.

Did you know?
The Diamond Sutra is said to be the oldest known printed book, a Buddhist book from Dunhuang, China, from around 868 A.D. This was created through block printing. (Other printed texts that survived from this area/time included a calendar, mathematical charts, dictionaries, etiquette instruction, and children’s educational material.)

Book fun facts:
*Most expensive book ever sold: Codez Leicester, Leonardo di Vinci’s science diary, sold for $30.8 million in 1994
*Largest bookstore based on shelf space: Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon
*Oldest continuously run bookstore: Livraria Bertrand, open since 1732 in Lisbon, Portugal
*Longest published sentence: Victor Hugo wrote an 823-word sentence in Les Miserable
*Most copies sold: The top verified contender is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens with over two hundred million sold

Book vocabulary:

Bibliophile: a lover of books
from Greek biblio- meaning book and -philos meaning one that loves, likes, or is attracted to

Librocubicularist: someone who likes to read in bed
coining credited to Christopher Morley in The Haunted Bookshop.
from Latin libr- meaning book and cubiculum meaning bedroom

Biblichor: the distinctive fragrance of old books
newly created word
from Greek biblio meaning book and ichor meaning the fluid that flows like blood in the veins of the gods)
Related – Bibliosmia: loving the smell of old books

Always wanted to write a book but feel like it’s too late?

Bertha Wood began writing her memoir at the age of 90. She was 100 when it was released, counting her as the oldest known first-time author.