Iowa Basketball

This is brutal. I don't know what else to say. Iowa is a horror show after halftime once again, and the Hawkeyes drop to 8-4 after losing 56-44 to Northern Iowa. Iowa was completely discombobulated for most of the second half, not reaching double digits on the scoreboard until four minutes and change were left in the game. Iowa didn't get an assist in the second half. Like, none at all. Of course, the Hawkeyes only shot 3-23 in the entire half, so it's not as if there were plenty of opportunities to begin with. UNI never looked good on offense, but the Panthers were able to force turnovers with relative ease and with that Iowa was never in rhythm—or, thus, contention. Wes Washpun's stat line was relatively light—seven points, two rebounds, two assists—but he was the best player on the floor. He outhustled the Hawkeyes to loose balls, locked down Anthony Clemmons and Mike Gesell (Gesell, in particular, was a world-class mess after an early hot start) and was a sparkplug for the Panthers, who had a listless first half of their own. Washpun even denied Jarrod Uthoff in the post and blocked Aaron White on a layup in the closing minutes. Washpun is eight inches shorter than White. Yeah. But really, the story here is the full-blown crisis that is Iowa coming out of the halftime break. I don't know what does or doesn't happen in that locker room, whether it's poor planning or a (yet another) mental block bedeviling these guys, but Iowa looks awful when its opponent isn't a cupcake. Fran McCaffery has already all but thrown his hands up in frustration trying to figure out why this happens, and surprisingly "I don't know" doesn't fix the problem. The jarring lack of on-court leadership doesn't help matters either. I'm really at a loss, just like everybody else. If the answer were obvious the fix would be in place. Unless and until this gets rectified, though, Iowa doesn't stand a chance against any of the numerous tourney teams in the Big Ten. That's a shame. It's not fun to watch. I feel bad for the Iowa fans that were there at the Well tonight. Rest assured it sucked on TV too. (411)

2014 Forest Hills Dr.

J. Cole recently dropped his latest album entitled "2014 Forest Hills Dr." This album was hugely anticipated and in my opinion did not disappoint. The album was named after the address of his childhood home in North Carolina and features multiple songs making reference to his childhood, mother, and growing up. The album features no other artists. I think that was mainly because J. Cole wanted this to be one of those personal and conceptual albums. As far as my favorite songs from the album I think my favorite by far is track number nine, "No Role Modelz" this song starts out with him talking about his Uncle Phil who passed away but was the closest thing J. Cole had to a father, and from there goes into talking about which girls really are there for people and which aren't. The reason I appreciate this song this much I think is the production and the message Cole is trying to send. My second favorite would have to be a tie between either "Apparently" or "Wet Dreamz". "Apparently" talks about J. Cole's faith, dreams, and the times his mother struggled to pay the bills and he did nothing to help. Through listening to this album I learned some pretty interesting facts about J. Cole like the fact he was actually born in Germany but raised in North Carolina. He also graduated with good enough grades in high school that he earned a college scholarship but knew his real dream was in hip-hop so he packed up his things and moved to New York City to accomplish those goals. If you are looking to get into a new type of music or are just looking for something different to listen to I definitely recommend J. Cole. When you think of rap and hip-hop a lot of people just assume it's all about girls, partying, and violence but that's not true at all. J. Cole is not like that at all. Whether rapping about his father being absent from his childhood, or his mother struggling to pay the bills, or trying to achieve his goal and dreams J. Cole does it all with grace and humility that a lot of other rappers lack. So over this break whether you're just bored and want something to listen to or are actually out looking for music I definitely recommend you give "2014 Forest Hills Dr." a listen. (402)

Christmas Lights

If you're reading this post while bored on a cold dark night before the Christmas season ends I have idea for something to do. Go outside, warm up the car, bring your phone and aux cord and drive around Cedar Rapids. Every year tons of people spend thousands of dollars putting up huge displays just for their own and other people's enjoyment. It's a family tradition for the Sheeley's that for one night over the Christmas break we pile into the car and drive around admiring the best lights that our city has to offer. From fire trucks being covered rim to rim, to huge houses with elaborately timed lights and music, there are a lot of really neat lights out there. When I'm old enough to own a house and have a good paying job with my wife and kids I definitely plan on putting up lights every year. I don't know about a huge display with music blaring all through the night and moving parts everywhere. But I do think that it is a good bonding activity for kids to put up lights with their parents. I can't picture myself being like the couple from the commercials putting up thousands of dollars of lights but a nice quaint set up would be nice. One thing that I find very interesting that I learned earlier this week NASA can actually see everyone's Christmas lights from space! Using a satellite that orbits the Earth pictures of the glowing lights have been sent back down to the U.S. Usually I don't find space things very interesting but whether it's just me being in the Christmas spirit or some new found admiration for NASA I think this is actually really cool. (420)

Card Games

I feel like nowadays with everyone's smartphones, laptops, and elaborate gaming systems, one really fun thing that people have somewhat forgotten about are card games. Yuker, Slap Jack, 5 Card Draw, Go Fish, Solitaire, Hearts, Crazy Eights, Texas Hold-Em, are all classic super fun games but because of technology and everyone's busy schedules they have somewhat fallen off. Back in the 40's, 50's and 60's this was the best way for people to kick back and have fun without a controller or telephone in their hand. I personally feel like if more people played cards and conversed with one another in person without a screen or microphone in the way our society would be a lot more close knit. In addition to that most people would have more social skills and better be able to enjoy their friends and families company in a competitive and fun way. Today's society with it's advanced technology may have lost some of enjoyment and social skills that generations before us have been able to master. I'm sure if you remember some of your most delightful times have been in the company of your close friends and family. Interacting, laughing, conversing, and sharing life lessons are all doors opened up by just simply sitting down and playing a card game. Keep in mind card games can not only be a good way to bond, but also be addictive as a form of gambling and or a source of income if you are in fact a good gambler. Every year millions of dollars are won and lost at casino's all over the country. My father in particular is an excellent gambler. His favorite game is Blackjack because he understands that the odds are always in the favor of the player not the dealer. He also understands that gambling is nothing more than entertainment and knowing when to cut your losses. He purely plays for fun. Unfortunately, some people neglect their priorities and hope to supplement their income by cards. Just because you see the world series of poker on ESPN and it looks easy does not mean you should go and bet your life savings at the casino. Many marriages and families have suffered and ultimately fallen apart due to serious gambling addictions. My goal with this post is to help and assist any gambling addicts that have fallen into a deep spiral of losing. If you or someone you love has any issues feel free to comment below. (413)

Reality TV Stars

I wake up and thank God practically everyday that I am not a reality TV star. From being constantly filmed to having everyone all over the world knowing exactly what is going in your life it just seems like an awful time. To make things even worse you frequently see these stars suffer from substance abuse issues. In my opinion a big reason for those troubles result from constant scrutiny under the microscope of millions of judgmental people, (I'm not going to lie, I'm one of those people.) Everyone from your former classmates to your employers and distant relatives would have access to every little facet of your life and that is just something I would not be very comfortable with. One particular family stands out in particular in my mind when thinking about this topic. The Kardashians. To be completely honest I have no idea what first made this family so popular and famous. I hardly ever watch the channel "E!" but it should probably just change it's name to the Kardashian channel because every time I am flipping through channel looking for something to watch and I get to "E!" there is something about the Kardashian's or some spin-off TV about everyday in the life of a Kardashian. In the very rare times I've stuck around to watch I've learned some pretty interesting things like Scott's issues with alcoholism so I can't even fathom what kinds of things a very avid watcher knows about the family. The only positive things that I can think about that would come from being a reality TV star would be the money. These stars make an incredible amount of money for just letting us as viewers into their lives, but to me I still don't believe that it's worth it. Along with the TV deals many stars also come out with various clothing lines and endorsement deals. I guess for me personally it would sort of be like selling your soul to the devil. I'm sure for a short time the money would be really nice but in the very long run I just don't think it would be worth it. But to each his own, as they say. (367)

Christmas Gift Ideas

Practically any magazine or newspaper you pick up lately most likely had something in it about great gift ideas. A lot of magazines do have really good ideas but I think my rules when it comes to buying gifts may be the best. Rule 1: When in doubt go with a gift card. If you really have no idea what someone would like, or for some reason got stuck in a gift raffle with a co-worker or person you don't know very well in my eyes it's always smart to go with a gift card. No matter who this person is or what they like they could always find something they like if you just give a gift card to Dick's or Victoria's Secret. Rule 2: Don't buy someone clothes unless you know their exact size. Nothing can be more insulting to a person than receiving pants or a shirt that are a size too small. Another big problem with buying clothes is that just because you love Obey sweatshirts doesn't mean your grandma will. Rule 3: Be cautious of who you are buying for. My grandparents have lived on the same farm for over 40 years with no internet, no cable tv, and no cell phones. So when on their 50th wedding anniversary an aunt of mine bought them a brand new thousand dollar computer I was shocked. "What the hell are they going to do with that?" I immediately thought and sure enough as soon as all of the extended family left my grandparents had no idea what to do with it and to this day it is still in the box. Rule 4: Unless the person has specifically requested it or you know them very well, don't just only give cash. Giving someone just straight up cash while it may seem really good to you can occasionally come off as a bit un-thoughtful or rushed at the last second. Rule 5: This is my last and most important rule. The price of your gift is not what matters the most and if anyone ever tells you that than they are a very selfish materialistic person. Some of the best gifts I have ever received were things that my dad handed down to me that his dad handed down to him. As cliché as it sounds the thought in your gift really is what counts. (397)

Christmas Movies

Every year around this time people get super super excited for Christmas movies. Not me. I am not a fan of Christmas movies one bit. To me all the plots are basically the same drawn out situations depending on some Santa Claus dilemma or some evil character trying to end Christmas for all of the little children. I think one reason I'm just not a fan anymore is the fact I have somewhat grown out of it. At this point the only thing that excites me about this time of year is giving presents. I personally love the feeling of seeing someones face light up when you give them just the gift that they wanted. Notable Christmas movie blunders: "The Grinch", people all over the world love the movie "The Grinch". But ever since I was a small child I absolutely hated it. Call me crazy but I always found the movie to be extremely fake and just a waste of two hours all together. "The Santa Clause", this particular movie I also found extremely boring and did not put me in the Christmas spirit whatsoever. "Bad Santa", this movie is constantly played over Comedy Central every year during the Christmas season and I still to this day have not been able to get myself to laugh once during the whole sequence of events that occurs. Christmas movies I actually enjoyed: "Elf", I really think that Elf was the very first Christmas movie that I fell in love with. Still to this day I own the movie and enjoy watching it every year around Christmas and getting a good laugh. "Home Alone", this movie was had always been able to get a good laugh out of me in all of its quirky and unpredictable situations. Lastly this is by far my favorite Christmas movie of all time and probably the only Christmas movie I can stand to watch more than once a year. A Christmas Story. Every year since I was probably six my dad has had me watch and laugh at Ralphie and all of the troubles he has in the Christmas season. As much as it pains me to admit I do find "A Christmas Story" to be really really good. (373)

Kentucky Basketball and NCAA Rules

This year the Kentucky basketball team is doing something that has been in the works for quite some time. And is going to make them in my opinion scary good. Usually in a very good basketball program a team has 8 to 9 players that play a majority of the minutes and then the rest of the team usually just warms the bench, gets water, and goes nuts over a dunk or three pointer. But what John Calipari is doing this year with incredible talent in Kentucky is something I've never seen before. Two groups of 5 players that he calls platoons rather than substitutions. This is simply because of the incredible talent his team has. Practically every year I watch ESPN before the college basketball season starts I see sports analysts constantly arguing over whether or not the NCAA should create a new rule that forces players to stay and get a college education for more than one year. And the main reason for this is Kentucky basketball. Just about every year I watch Kentucky has 3 to 4 to 5 of the most talented freshman in the entire world playing on the floor, and then the next year there are 3 to 4 to 5 brand new freshman. In my opinion I firmly believe that there should not be a rule that forces college basketball players to stay for more than one year and my reasoning for this is simple. You see a lot of these super talented young phenoms traveling all over the country wearing the newest Nike jumpsuits and the brand new name brand shoes after they get to college, but when you really look at some of their background and upbringings you could be shocked. From awful living conditions and being dirt broke to having the opportunity to take their talents to the NBA and make millions playing the game they live while also being able to support their loved ones and family is something I don't think the NCAA should be able to force a student to delay any longer than they have to. A lot of supporters of having a rule in place that keeps players in college for more than one year argue that if players stay in college that they have more time to develop their talent, but my counterargument to that is looking at people like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Both of these NBA superstars came straight out of high school and were dominant before a one year college rule was in place. (424)