Happy Festivus!

That’s right, today’s the day! As you can see, I’ve set out my aluminum pole and am ready for the festivities to begin!

While it’s kinda hard to do feats of strength on a blog, we can certainly air some grievances! I’ve even started with the first one. I would definitely rather be in Section 36 right now!

Now it’s your turn. I’m taking this opportunity to allow you to air your blog-related grievances! That’s right. Leave a comment telling me things you don’t like about the blog and its content!

Is the font too small? Too big? Are the sidebars too plain? Too cluttered? Do I write about a topic too much? Do you wish I wrote about a topic more? At all? All with no hard feelings on my part. This is your chance!

I know. Allowing the internet to complain about you can be scary. But, maybe I’ll be able to respond to the grievances and make the blog better for everyone!

One thing by way of rules, this is Section 36 asking for grievances. So, keep them to things about the blog and its content...not blog post subjects. So if you want to complain and say I write about Triston Casas too much, or too little, that’s fine. If you complain and tell me Triston Casas sucks, that’s not fine and I may delete your comment. In this particular post, that’s not really what I’m going for.

Sound reasonable? Ok then. Let’s hear it.

What are your Section 36 related grievances?

Jazmine Johnson Visits Section 36!

I am so excited that Section 36 had another visitor! Jazmine Johnson is passionate about Helping First-Generation Low Income (FGLI) College Students, loves to cook, and is the current Miss Denton. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. 

So, let's see what happens when Jazmine Johnson visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Denton crown? 

After winning the Miss Denton crown I celebrated by going to Halcyon here in Dallas, got a hot chocolate, played in their weekly trivia night, and then proceeded to write the essay I had due for school that night. 

What did you learn about yourself at the Miss Denton competition that will help you at Miss Texas? 

Deon Casey

Something I learned about myself that will help me with Miss Texas is that I truly am doing this for fun and personal growth. I absolutely want to be Miss Texas in the future and am putting in the work to do so, but if my journey means that I’m only meant to make connections and fulfill my duty to service through these connections then I am 100% content with that as well. Competing and winning at the Miss North Texas / Denton competition revealed that to me.

 

What is your go-to coffee order? 

Old reliable is just a great mellow plain cold brew. Right now though, I’ve been obsessed with the “Spicy Santa” (Mocha and Cayenne) at White Rock Coffee. Gotta love a good seasonal drink. 

How did you select your Community Service Initiative, “We Are First”? 

My CSI came from being a First-Generation Low Income (FGLI) College student myself. I was the first in my family to go and complete school and that journey was very hard for me. Very seldom were there others that I could talk to about my experiences and they either understood or were empathetic. Both professors and fellow students were very unkind when it came to the hardships I would face. The university itself also really only promoted First-Gen Assistance to Incoming Freshman, which is wonderful, but a FGLI student will still be just that throughout their time in school. That led me to want to create We Are First: Helping First-Generation Low-Income College Students from Application to Graduation. A program in which we help students not just to get into college, but to make sure they can finish as well. 

What is your personal fitness routine? 

Deon Casey

As a woman with PCOS I have to prioritize not just my physical health by working out, but also my hormonal and emotional health as well. So in addition to working out with @Transformationfit I also do a lot of research on what meals I can make that will be beneficial to me with my current condition. So I take time to work out, stretch every day, eat PCOS Friendly meals, and have time to relax and journal. 

You are currently pursuing your M.Ed in Educational Leadership at Texas Tech University. Where do you see those studies taking you? 

My M.Ed that I am pursuing right now has an emphasis in Education Policy. In the future, I would love to go to Law School and get my J.D., then use that to work in the field of Education Policy and Education Reform both in Government and Non-Profit Sectors. 

If you could be a Disney character for a week, who would you choose? Why?

Princess Tiana! I can’t emphasize how special it was to see a Disney Princess that not just looked and sounded like me but also loved to cook. 

If you had an extra ticket to see the Red Sox play the Rangers, who would you take with you? Why? 

Deon Casey

Oooh, probably my mom or my little sister. There are a lot of
experiences my family and I have never had, and as I open these doors to new places I want to have them right beside me. I believe they deserve to have these experiences too. 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience? 

I would love to go to one of the Hello Kitty theme nights and collect the little plushies you can grab! The idea of collecting all of them sounds really cute and cool.

---

I've always wanted to get to one of those giveaways myself. maybe someday!

As always, I want to thank Jazmine for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

I'm sure you'd like to follow along with her during her journey. You should be sure to check out her title's Instagram account, as well as her organization's Instagram. They're both great ways to keep track of everything she has going on. 

Thanks again Jazmine, and good luck at the Miss Texas competition!

Hayley Jarvis Visits Section 36!

Section 36 had another visitor! Hayley Jarvis is passionate about diabetes awareness, a talented singer, and the current Miss Catamount's Teen. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. 

So, let's see what happens when Hayley Jarvis visits Section 36!

What made you decide to compete for the Miss Vermont’s Teen crown as Miss Catamount’s Teen?

I think having a friend who competed helped but the organization and all the amazing women behind it solidified my decision to compete. I have already made so many connections and can't wait to make them into lifelong friends.

What is something that Charlee Royer is doing as Miss Vermont’s Teen that you would like to emulate?

I love how Charlie is  just so real like in person and on her social medias I really hope to emulate the feeling of being a person because everyone is and it's important to realize. 

What do you enjoy about performing your talent on stage?

Feeling like a popstar and being able to show people something I have done my whole life singing is one of my favorite things to do and I can't wait to share it with everyone. 

How did you select your CSI, bringing awareness to people living with diabetes?

I selected my CSI because I have grown up around people living with diabetes and I learned over the years not enough people know how it is or how to help. i want to be able to end people making assumptions about people based on the disease  

If you could be a Disney character for a week, who would you choose? Why?

I would want to be Tiana because she is a cook and I love cooking my mom is a cook so I grew up around it and it is a big part of my life. 

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you would especially like to experience?

I've always wanted to go to a baseball game and get peanuts. I also just really want to go to a game because baseball has also been in my life for a while I played softball  for a few years and I grew up playing baseball in the yard with my dad and brother  all the time in the summer.

---

I definitely hope she can make it to a game soon!

As always, I want to thank Hayley for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

I'm sure you'd like to follow along with her during her journey. You should be sure to check out her title's Instagram account. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on. You should also visit the American Diabetes Association website to learn more about people dealing with that disease.

Thanks again Hayley, and good luck at the Miss Vermont's Teen competition!

Singing the Anthems at Fenway Park by Rebecca Soul

Most people who follow my music journey on social media would never guess, but I deal with intense imposter syndrome and performance anxiety. It’s ironic because performing is my lifeline, and my main source of happiness, but it’s also what terrifies me the most. The passion that fuels me can sometimes feel like a double-edged sword, driving me to give everything I have and leaving me overwhelmed in the process. I’ve been working on myself for years and seeking help through therapy to learn how to manage these feelings. 

This summer, I faced one of the biggest challenges of my life: singing at Fenway Park in front of 37,000 people. It was a dream come true, but it also ignited a firestorm of anxiety inside me. I knew I had to confront this fear head-on. When I found out in May that I would be performing at Fenway, I was filled with a mix of excitement and sheer panic. The enormity of the event weighed on me, but I was determined not to let fear win. For two months leading up to the performance, I dedicated myself to mental preparation as much as vocal training. Every day, I would sit down with my journal and vividly imagine the performance. I wrote down every detail—how I would feel, the sound of my voice resonating through the stadium, the audience’s reaction. I created a mental blueprint of success, a “fake memory” that I could cling to in the actual moment. 

Learning the national anthems was also a new challenge for me. I wanted to respect the tradition while also making it my own. I received all sorts of advice; some people told me not to do runs and sing it exactly as written, while other people told me to add my flavor and go crazy with it. I ended up listening to my gut and just stayed true to myself. I knew some people wouldn’t like my version, and that’s okay; I wasn’t there to please everyone, I was there to be authentically me. The day of the performance arrived, and surprisingly, I felt more excited than anxious, because I had done the work. However, when I arrived at soundcheck, I was really thrown off balance. There were no monitors or in-ears available, and the echo in the stadium meant I could only hear my voice trailing behind me! I panicked. For a moment, it felt like all my preparation was slipping away. When I got home, my roommate tried to reassure me, but I was terrified. I worried that I would mess up in front of thousands, that all my hard work would be for nothing. Yet, I knew I couldn’t let fear take over. I took a deep breath, gathered my strength, and decided to simply trust myself. Walking onto that field was surreal. It felt like stepping into a dream. I knew those who mattered most to me—my parents, my best friends, my cousin from Spain and his wife and my voice professor from Berklee were all there. I felt an overwhelming sense of support and love. And in that moment, I wasn’t thinking about the 37,000 people watching. It was just me, doing what I love, as if I were singing in a small, intimate venue. My heart raced as I started to sing, but my mind was calm. It was an incredible feeling—being nervous yet centered, vulnerable yet strong. And when I finished singing, a wave of relief and pride washed over me. I did it. I smiled, knowing that I had given my all, even without the usual comforts of monitors or in-ears. As I walked off the field, people stopped me to congratulate me. I felt a deep sense of happiness, not just because I had faced my fear, but because I had connected with the audience. 

That’s why I do what I do—to make people feel, to bring a moment of joy into their lives.

----

This story has been posted simultaneously here and on the Section 36 Music blog. To learn more about Rebecca, be sure to check out her website and follow her on Instagram.

2022 Topps Walmart Gold Star Parallel Kevin Plawecki

 September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. As a nod to the Gold Together activities going on this month to help raise awareness of the leading cause of death by disease in children, I thought I'd contribute several "gold" themed posts sprinkled throughout the month. Here's the next one.

Let's talk about this card...

I've mentioned it before. The retail sets are a fun way to easily add some variety to my collection. These Gold Star versions are an great way to do it. With one in three factory sets coming with a parallel, there are enough of them to make them obtainable. But, rare enough to bee something a little different. Which is great.

This is a great picture of Plawecki here. He's definitely celebrating an epic accomplishement. The red jersey really pops, and the picture is cropped perfectly. Fantastic execution.

---

I'm sure you all remember Mina Smith from her interview with us. Through her social impact initiative "Love Your Neighbor" she is fundraising for the Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation. I highly recommend you support her efforts with a donation if you are able. You can find the link here.

Thank you for supporting her efforts to Love Your Neighbor!