Starry Eyed Surprise

48 hours after the controversial ending to the Seahawks vs Packers game, the replacements refs are done and professionals coming back. Obviously the upset put enough pressure on the NFL to give an eight year deal, which is the longest ever for officials. It gives the union referees a pay raise and keeps their pension program in place for five years. There will still be controversial calls because no one is perfect, but the coaches, players and fans will have more respect for the officials.

I think this is major news because the lockout started before preseason and there have been so many controversial calls. It was way more of a deal because the refs weren’t the professionals and while I’m sure they were trying their hardest, it just added frustration. The biggest upset was the Seahawks vs Packers game were the Seahawks won 14-12 when the Packers should have won. It has been a really big deal and I can only hope that now things can go back to normal….and the my team will win. Who Dat Nation, New Orleans Saints all the way!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/27/sport/nfl-referees-deal/index.html?hpt=us_c2

If you are looking for any kind of random office supplies, second floor Lewis Hall is the place to go. The ladies of Student Services are always glad to be helpful. The first person I asked for the thick red rubber band was Shari Benson, when she had no luck finding it she turned the task over to Stacie Hayes. Stacie also could not find a thick red rubber band, so she improvised. She walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a tan rubber band and a red marker.

“It’ll be like Alice in Wonderland except instead of painting roses red, I’m coloring a rubber band with a red marker. I hope it’ll work.” she said.

While she was coloring my thick red rubber band we talked about my parents and how much I miss my mothers cooking. Shari  came out of her office saying she’d found a small red rubber band and heard the conversation we were having. She chimed in on the it  saying how much she loved to experiment with recipes she finds on Pinterest. When I told them that my mother also loved to do that, we discussed failed experiments and successes. After awhile Stacie commented on the rubber band.

“My OCD is kicking in, so I’m going to have to color the whole thing. I hope you’re not in too much of a hurry.”

Finally she finished coloring my rubber band red, smiled and handed it to me with an index card.

“You don’t want to get the marker on your hands so put it on the index card.” she replied as I took it and went on my way.

So now I have a skinny, red rubber band and a thick, colored red rubber band thanks to the ladies of second floor Lewis Hall, Student Services.

This article is about a vote that the New York City Board of Health did to ban the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces in restaurants and other venues. The decision is expected to take effect in six months, it gives restaurant owners nine months to adapt to the ban before they will get fined. The reason for the ban is obesity, which is a problem all of the country. Of course soda companies and places like McDonald’s are upset, saying that the ban is “misguided.”

I think that this article is completely relevant even if it may seem that sugary drinks are a small thing, they make a huge difference in weight and health. Obesity is a really big problem and is an unnecessary risk. I think that the ban is a really good idea, even if the soda industry will suffer. A lot of people drink soda and other sugary drinks and a lot of people “supersize” their drinks because “it’s only 45 cents more!” If you drink a large soda regularly it can really affect your health.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/13/health/new-york-soda-ban/index.html?hpt=us_c2

One of my weakest points about my writing is that sometimes I go so fast that I don’t stop to check punctuation and spelling. This especially applies to typing, my fingers move to fast for my brain sometimes. I think it’s because I get ideas in my head and I feel like I have a limited amount of time to get them typed before they fly out of my brain. Due to this I don’t really know that I may have missed a coma somewhere or used a coma when I should have used a semicolon. Sometimes I forget to capitalize sentences too, which is a very basic thing.

Another one of my problem areas is trying to get what’s in my head to make sense on paper or getting things organized from my thoughts to what I’m writing. I’ll type up a paragraph and then realize 3 paragraphs later that I forgot something in a paragraph before, when I go back to fix it, it no longer flows. I think all in all I need to just slow down or make notes when I think of things and then sort them out when I get there.

If you’re looking for a small, cozy sit down restaurant my hometown Central City, Ia, has exactly what you want. Stove House is a small restaurant run by local people. When you first drive up to the parking lot you will notice that there is a Subway at the other end of the building, but this didn’t stop Stove House from being successful. The building is brick and has large windows. the sign telling everyone where they are (Stove House) is made of black iron, it’s also very large so that people can see it from the highway. When you walk in the first thing you see is the long counter accompanied by small, black stools and the cash register, the smell is overwhelmingly good. If ever a place smelled like home cooking, this is it. It reminds me of my grandma’s house on Thanksgiving. There are salty, sweet and savory smells.

Your first steps in are also where a host or hostess will be standing ready to seat you. The restaurant is split in two, the counter and four booths are on one side of a partial wall and the rest of the booths and tables are on the other side. Due to the large windows the lights don’t all have to be on during a sunny day, giving the room good natural lighting. The decor is a lot of black iron in clocks, picture frames and some craftwork of all iron. The reason for all of the iron is the reason the restaurant is named. the decor goes along with a big, black iron stove that is centered on the far wall of the restaurant. It is the rirst thing to draw your attention when you get on the other side of the wall. When you are finally seated (at a booth because those are my favorite) you notice the smell of everyone else’s food, this makes it impossible to sit still while waiting to order. It is such a small restaurant and the aroma of food is everywhere. You sit close enough to other people for it to be cozy and not crowded. You can hear bits and pieces of conversations going on as people wait for their food such as, “this heat doesn’t seem like it’s going to ever let up,” because weather is always a topic in a farming community and of course there’s that question “are you ready to go back to college?” you dodge the question thanks to the waitress coming to take the order.While waiting for your food you try and distract yourself with more decor on the walls while being tortured with all the smells of food. More iron craftwork is very intriguing to look at; all of the designs are very intricate.

Finally your food is at you table and your no longer are looking around at things in the room, now you’re focused on the food making your mouth water in front of you. The first bite is like a relief to your growling stomach. It’s no wonder this placwe hasn’t gone out of business in such a small town; the food is wonderful. It’s obvious that this homey, little restaurant isn’t going anywhere in the next 10 or so years because the regulars won’t let it.

On Wednesday, police arrested a man wearing Joker makeup in a Florida theater. He had his face painted and his hair was dyed pink. There was extra concern due to the shooting that happened in Colorado at the premier of the Batman movie leaving 12 people dead. After this Joker was arrested police discovered a warrant for his arrest because of failure to appear on a previous misdemeanor charge. The man made no threats and cooperated when being arrested.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/justice/florida-joker-arrest/index.html?hpt=us_c2