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)

State Cup

As a big sports fan over the course of my life I have primarily followed the three main sports in the United States of baseball, basketball, and football. And just as I have watched the sports I have also played all three. Being by far the most successful in basketball. But recently I went to an event for the first time that honestly shocked me at the vast number of players, teams, and fans. The Iowa State Cup. This huge soccer tournament for ultimate bragging rights among the youth soccer players from all over the state. To be perfectly honest I would have never ever gone to or known about the State Cup if it weren't for my girlfriend's soccer team who has had quite of bit of success over the past few years at the event, winning 3 of the past 5 years. This year's she wasn't quite as lucky sadly and ended up losing in the championship game to a team they had beaten on the first day. She is still a little bit mad about this so I hope she doesn't end up reading this. But as I went to watch the first soccer game I have been to in probably over two years, I was expecting to see some boring soccer game at a small field with a bunch of parents and yelling coaches around me. In all actuality I was shocked when I arrived. Hundreds of cars parked back to back to back cramped in a huge parking lot as well as over 30 soccer fields with games being played on each and every one. In my life I have been to some pretty big basketball tournaments all over the midwest but his soccer tournament by far takes the cake as the largest tournament. The format is set up so that it takes place over 4 weekends from start to finals and hundreds of teams from all different age ranges from all over the state come to compete. I have never found soccer particularly fun to watch but in this environment and with as close as some of the games end up being it's actually a great time. The complex is only 10 to 15 minute drive depending on where you live in Cedar Rapids and is really worth the time. If you have never been to a State Cup soccer game I really do recommend going and taking in the whole atmosphere. You won't regret it. (412)

Skizzy Mars Concert Review

In my very first blog of the school year I wrote about an up and coming rapper from New York. Skizzy Mars, who is by far my favorite musician, and on October 1st I was lucky enough to see him in concert. The concert was at the Blue Moose which is a bar in Iowa City but the concert was open to people of all ages. To be perfectly honest I did expect a much bigger crowd, but his performance itself did not disappoint. The opening performer was a rapper who was actually from Iowa City and he was mediocre. He had some nice lines but for the most part I couldn't understand a lot of what he said and he was super duper hyped for no apparent reason. Next came out the Miniature Tigers. They were kind of an Indy-Rock type band who were actually on tour with Skizzy. Before the show I had never really listened to any of the Miniature Tigers music and wasn't quite sure what to expect. When they began performing to put it best their music was not really for me. They have kind of a slow nostalgic sound that I didn't particularly enjoy. While I wasn't very fond of their music I will admit that the Miniature Tigers did steal the show when they did one particular thing that left everybody talking when we left. With about one song left in their set the lead singer of the group (who was a male) went over the keyboardist (also a male) and they began making out in front of everybody at the show. After I got over the shock of what had just happened I was finally ready for Skizzy to come on. Before the show I was a little bit apprehensive that perhaps he wouldn't sound quite as good in person as he does in his produced songs. But after the first song all that fear went away. In my opinion he was even better in person and had an amazing stage presence about him as well as personality. He performed around 15 of his best songs some of which he changed up performed different live. After his performance he was even kind enough to agree to a meet and greet with the fans. That concert just reassured my belief in what a cool and nice guy Skizzy Mars is and I will probably always be a fan no matter where life takes him. (411)

800 Million Dollar Check

As I was searching the Internet for entertainment news that seemed interesting to me I came across one that jumped out to me on the HuffingtonPost.com the article read that reportedly the lead singer of Led Zeppelin was offered a $800 million check to reunite with the band and go on a tour to which he ripped up the contract and check. My first thought when reading this was "WHAT?!? Who in their right mind would ever rip up a check for that amount of money even if they were already wealthy?" But then I really got to thinking about it and I truly don't think that this rumor is real. If there is anything that the internet has taught me it's that you can't believe everything you read. Whether it's from some fake news source or just a case of miscommunication a lot of what I come across on the internet I take like a grain of salt. But just for fun let's pretend that this article is 100 percent true and the lead singer of Led Zeppelin really did rip up a check for 800 million dollars. I suppose there could be a couple of reasons for him doing this. First off for being the lead singer of an incredibly successful and popular band like Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant must have quite a bit of money saved up. But even if money isn't an issue for the former musician there had to be another reason. I honestly have never been a fan of Led Zeppelin and couldn't tell you much about the band itself, but something I do know is that a ton of bands don't last because of fighting. Whether it's over who gets more recognition or who gets paid the most there always has to be a level of competition among band members. Even if the band did fall out over constant arguing or bickering among the guys I can't help but think you would be able to get along enough for just a month's worth of shows for a paycheck that fat. I guess it is kind of different for someone like me who could never dream about that amount of money let alone see a check for it. (374)

America's Pastime

If you were to ask someone of my grandfather's generation, "What was America's past time?" I think the answer would be quick and simple, "Baseball." From the time my 84 year old grandfather was a small boy living on his parents farm in rural Iowa he had priorities. First came taking care of the farm chores, second came school, and third came playing baseball with his brother. Whether it was just a regular season game or a big playoff game my grandfather's father always had the radio on listening to the Cardinals games rooting on his favorite team. But as time and people have shifted we have seen a change. Away from the grace and elegance of baseball, and more to the power and destruction of football. If you ask that same question today I believe a lot if not most kids would say football. But why has America's attention shifted? From the sophisticated ways of people like Mickey Mantle and Satchel Paige to the bone crushing high speed hits. I think it is a need for violence that for some reason we as people enjoy watching. But as America's new past time becomes more and more popular it also faces more and more scrutiny for the way it's players are forced to live after their careers. Research done in the past few years on the subject of concussions and lawsuits from previous NFL players has in my eyes started the end of football. Just this year I have seen on Sportscenter that two highschool football players have died from hard hits on the field. Today during a conversation with one of my teachers she brought up that she believed that within the next ten years football will no longer be a highschool sport. I think that 10 years is a bit quick but in my opinion I truly believe that within the next 20 years highschool football will no longer be a thing. You may ask well what will be America's next new past time? My answer to this is easy, basketball. Basketball combines both the grace and elegance of baseball with the some of the power that is displayed in football. It is a fast paced game that people all over the world as well as country can play and enjoy. I truly believe within the next 20 years all of the love and media attention that follows football right now will slowly transition to the game of basketball. (411)