Iowa City, IA

My friends and I decided back in August that attending an Iowa Hawkeyes football game was something of interest to us. So, this past weekend was our only opportunity to catch a home game, the last one of the season. We drove east at about 4:30 Friday afternoon for a great weekend of fun.


The trip started out on a good note thanks to a friendly challenge. This challenge was much along the lines of many of the ones I partake in or force upon others - "I bet you won't ..." Ours: I bet you won't finish a six-pack before we get out of the car in Iowa City. To add insult to eventual injury, the cans we used were 16 oz. Keystone Lights. Big moves.

After a loss (5/6 finished), we hopped out of the car to meet up with our Univ. of Iowa cronies. After our initial interaction with Mook, Chad's good friend from high school, Jonathan and I took off running to the convenience store. Why not? Seemed like a good idea at the time. After buying Beer 30 we decided that meeting people was necessary. We wandered down to the lowest floor of the first apartment on our way back. Our quick deliberation ended in deciding to knock on the door to the right as opposed to the left. The door opened to a girl wearing an Iowa soccer sweatshirt and a confusing look on her face. She looked at her roommates without saying a word, simply implying that we were friends with one her roommates. We obviously were not.

Another girl came to the door and we politely introduced ourselves. Turns out, we knew an ex -Iowa women's soccer player, having gone to Grinnell with her brother. This knowledge legitimized us and we were lucky enough to catch an episode of Dexter while drinking some beers. Our adventure paid off - we successfully met 8 of the Univ. of Iowa women's soccer team!

The next day we woke up around 8 AM and got to Kinnick Stadium around 9 AM. Thanks to the generosity of Wes Finch (who owns the car dealership in Grinnell) we had an additional 2 tickets plus a parking pass right near Gate B. It was prime real estate. The Hawks won 22-17. Shonn Greene (see pic below) was filthy - he put #3 of Purdue on two ESPN highlights on his way to 211 yards and 2 TDs.

Photo courtesy of ESPN.com

After the game and a small Grinnell reunion at miss Julia Veltri's apartment, Maury and I ended up a bar downtown with our friend Franklin, who is an extremely good salsa dancer. Upon leaving the bar Maury was hungry. We stopped in a sub shop and Maury started talking to a guy carrying a 24-pack of Miller Lite. He told us that he is a blackbelt. As he is explaining some key moves, the worker asks, "Who had the #5?" I looked around, as did others, and zero claims were made. I said, "The vito?" The worker corrected me, "No, that is Jimmy John's. This is the Godfather." I agreed and took the sub. Another guy looks at me and says, "Where the f-ck is my sub, this guy didn't even order!"

Yes, it was a great weekend in Iowa City. Americans were in attendance and various American moves were made.

October Observations

I took the past 12 weeks off from the blog minus some inadvertent posts. Now that the season is over I am back and stronger than ever.

Here are some things you may have missed out on:

Beardtober

As of 2007, the month of October has been renamed Beardtober. Festivities include a number of testosterone pumped males refusing to shave starting on Oct. 1st. In no way should Beardtober be confused with "No-Shave November" or "Jesus-Beard January." A defined, shaved neckline is acceptable and often encouraged, as well as straightening from ones sideburns down to their mustache.



Participation was excitingly higher this year than last. It is often comical to watch younger teammates grow patchy, skraggly facial hair. However, effort is rewarded. In fact, a celebration concluded the end of Beardtober, including an All-Beardtober team.

Some of these guys can find themselves on the 2008 All-Beardtober First Team.

Wild Turkey American Honey Whiskey


This wonderfully tasting liquor was actually seized from a convenience store in Bethany, Missouri by Jonathan Antrim this past summer. But, up until now, it was virtually extinct up here to the north. Thankfully, McNally's grocery store made a great life decision and began carrying it as of late. Not being a huge fan of whiskey, I was skeptical during the summer about the burning sensation common to 1 oz. samplings. No burn here; great tasting with a sweet honey aftertaste. A great pick-up this past weekend - in more ways than one. The name says it all, AMERICAN Honey Whiskey.

RV Classifications

The ability to be self-sufficient, save gas, and travel all in one package. These classifications are the simplest way to search for a life-changing vehicle. Here are the common N. American breakdowns (info from Wikipedia):

Class A - Constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis. The addition of slide-outs, first appearing in 1989, dramatically changed the industry, as they allow a wider room than would fit on the road.

Class B - Built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or had the back replaced by a low-profile body (aka coach-built).


Class C - Built on a truck chassis with an attached cab section, which is usually van based, but may also be pickup truck based or even large truck based. They are characterized by a distinctive cab-over profile, the "cab-over" containing a bed or an "entertainment" section.

Tony Romo Endorsement

Tony Romo signed the largest apparel and footwear sponsorship deal in NFL history a little over a month ago. Your "commonsensical gene" would urge to think the deal would be with Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Reebok...


... but Starter? Yes, the deal is with Starter. 5 yrs/$10 million.


Don't get me wrong, Starter was sweet back in elementary school. Their jackets were the shit and made a loud statement amongst peers when playing hoops during the winter. But c'mon, its 2008 and the NFL has an agreement with Reebok. This means that Romo can not wear Starter gear on the sidelines. This deal makes no sense for both parties, unless Romo is trying to re-circulate this jacket among the U.S.:

349-173

Photo/artwork by Shepherd Fairey

Official Electoral Vote score.

Say goodbye to the old politics that trumped common sense for the past 8 years.

Say goodbye to unnecessary war, tax breaks for big business and the top 1% of the American people, Mavericks, conservative values, American egotism, treason, and outlandish spending.

Say goodbye to politics run by a group with a bigger target in mind - their long-run financial security.

Say goodbye to Bush, Cheney, etc. and welcome CHANGE.

Obama!

BIG WIN = SO AMERICAN!

American Lunch

Today I enjoyed a great lunch at the local Hy-Vee. For a past or present resident of 1017 High Street, Hy-Vee carries the ultimate American meals - especially when hungover. For instance, you can not beat their $3.99 daily lunch special. Impossible to beat. Spaghetti and Sauce Dinner, 3-Wing Dinner, Noodles and Mashed Potato Dinner. . . and there are more. I took advantage of the Sandwich and Soup Special for a whopping total of $4.27. They also offer an all-you-can eat deal for $7.49. Unbeatable home-cooked meals.

During my lunch, I overheard and saw an American interaction. An older married couple were sitting adjacent to me munching on the special of the day - 3-wing Dinner. As I was reading the newspaper, the husband was bantering the wife attempting to make her feel idiotic for not listening to a previous conversation they had earlier had: "Weren't you right next to me?" "Didn't you hear what he said about the insurance?"
This went on for a bit before another older lady walked up and said hi (I was unsure what type of lunch she had ordered, but I would guess it was the Meatloaf Dinner). The couple began to discuss gambling and how they made $740 on 60 cents at Prairie Meadows Casino in Des Moines. Immediately the contempt they held for each other was gone and a 5-minute conversation ensued about their gambling adventures, which included reference to the infamous Meskwaki in Tama, IA.

The battle between husband and wife ended over the 3-wing Dinner due to the discussion of a vice - gambling. Simply American.

AZ ---> IA

I rode halfway across the country early this past August. The 3 day trip consisted of close to 24 hours of driving counting the 2 time zones I crossed. Although 2 months late, here are the highlights of the solo road trip:

Liberal, KS
- Think Odessa, TX from Friday Night Lights, only smaller scale and in south Kansas. The school, which won state titles in 1992, 1994, 1995, and 1997, presents a decent size stadium and proud tradition. A sign with the winning seasons and this years schedule greets visitors as they enter parking lot adjacent to the field - name Jerame Tuman Field. Tuman played at Michigan and was a member of the Super Bowl XL Champion Steelers.


- Home to Dorothy's House from the Wizard of Oz. Yes, this is true. Signs everywhere, pointing in the exact direction and location of the house. It was a little much. Called the Land of Oz. Yes, a little much.


Donut Shop in Guymon, Ok
- After receiving my morning sprinkle donut and coffee, the waitress told me to watch out for the sheriff,knowing he had been in the shop earlier that morning. She said, "He's got a hard-on for out-of-staters." Sure enough, 3 miles down the road a car with an Illinois license plate was pulled over. Thank god for the heads up.

People driving old cop cars
- Simply put, they suck. How I am suppose to set the cruise 20 mph over the speed limit when all sorts of characters are rollin' the interstate with converted old cop cars? Ridiculous. Horrible decision to buy one. Quit fucking with the American people.

Too many historic sites
- Couldn't see them all. Disappointed in myself.

Keystone Light Truck
- A Midwest and personal favorite. Truck read, "Keystone Light. . . Parties Happen." Awesome. Sums up life (especially if you're an alcoholic).