Any Ideas?

For my business class I need to identify a company that made a successful launch of gained market strength during a period of economic downturn (recession). It can either be current or from previous recessions. I am trying to think of goods or a company that fits this description.

Any ideas?

I am trying to make a get-well gift for a very ill friend in the hospital. I am trying to make a bouquet of comics. I do not know what to use as the stems for the comics. I was thinking maybe straws but I would like them to look green like a flower stem.

Any ideas?

I would love to win the lottery.

Any ideas?

The Iowa State Fair Is One of the Best ...

Get to stand next to a 2000 lbs. BULL

Get to milk a cow

Get to see Iowa's biggest PIG at 1800 lbs.

Get to see mullets, city folk, hicks, cowboys, entertainers and farm animals all coexist in the same place

Can eat anything fried including deep fried twinkies, fried pineapple, fried ice cream, fried potatoes, fried snickers, fried oreos, fried....

Can eat almost anything on a stick including pork chops, pickles, shrimp, deep friend foods (double wammy), salad, ice cream, chocolate cake, key lime pie,...

Can see some great performers from the state of Iowa in their annual talent search such as cloggers, callers, singers, dancers, instrumentalists

Can catch some great singers in concert such as Journey, Kelly Clarkson, Matt Nathienson, Eric Hutchison, etc.

Ride some amazing carnival rides, get wet on water rides, bungy jump, ride a potatoe sack down a huge slide, ride a tractor, etc

See some unique showcases including biggest vegetable, weirdest vegetable grown, prettiest flower, best photograph, best bean bag player, farthest lawn chair throw, best cattle call, keep your imagination open

See a life-size cow made out of butter

Know it will be back every year!

School Pride

LET'S GO BULLDOGS!!


Good luck to all new Drake Bulldogs and returning Bulldogs as we start a new semester this week!!


Welcome to the DOGPOUND!

I Know...I am a Dork!

Last week while I was at home for my week off from work, I was not looking forward to the start of school this semester. After 8 semesters of college and a summer that went by in about 2 blinks, I was dreading the beginning of classes.

This week my mood has changed. With attending a college retreat, finding out about my experience sites and getting more information about my classes I have started to become more optimistic and excited for next week! Only dorks get excited about the start of another school year, especially the start of the FIFTH year, so I guess that I am a SUPER dork. I am not excited about the coursework but more excited to be back into the college life groove with all the students around campus and the aura of school life in the air.

GOOD LUCK to every student starting another school year!!

College Freshman Lists

Some lists I thought of from experience that may help out college students particullarly freshman starting school in the next few weeks.

Top Ten Things College Students Forget to Bring:

Alarm Clock - One that really wakes you up
Printer and printer cables - You can only mooch off your friend's printer for so long
Hangers - Since your bedroom is also your living room, the floor is no longer acceptable storage
Quarters - Yes, you have to clean your own clothes
Extra Underwear - For when you realize you are out of quaters
Umbrella - Although class is inside, you have to walk outside to get there
Power strip/extension cord - Inevitably there will only be one outlet in the room and it will be on the opposite side of all of your electronics
Social Security Card and Official Documents - So you can get that campus job at the library
A Picture of the Family - You say you won't miss them but you will once your realize how little your job at the library pays and how expensive your books are
Headphones/earplugs - Not to tune your parents out anymore, instead you have your roomates abnoxious friends

Top Ten Things College Students Should Not Bring:

Half of what you packed - Do not pack everything you own, you will be sharing a 10 x 10 room
Live Animals - They are not easy to hide in a 10 x 10 room and your unwashed clothes will not cover up their disgusting odors
Your $20,000 Stereo - Anything of value will get trashed
Your Grandmother's Irreplacable Diamond Ring - If you like it, the girl next door will love it

Frivolous Kitchen Stuff - You will most likely blow a fuse trying to use a blender in your room

A Car - You will have to park it about two miles from your dorm and driving next door to class is not as fun as walking with your friends

Old Yearbooks or Diaries - College is a place to make new friends and become yourself, not dwell on the past

Big Furniture - Remember it is only a 10 x 10 room for two

Your mom's homemade fish dish - Your floor will thank you for the odorless air they can breathe

The 500 Count Ramen Noodle - It may be cheap but in no way is it apart of the food pyramid

What I Have Been Up To

Over the past week I have been...

To Michigan to pick over 150 pounds of blueberries with 14 adults and 5 kids.

To downtown Chicago to visit Millennium Park, stop at the bars on Navy Pier, walk along the river, ride the "L", ride the trolley, and remember why I Love this city.

To Chinatown to shop for bamboo, enjoy the sites and chow down on good Chinese food.

To The Grove to see a hundred year old turtle, an 1800's schoolhouse, and a log cabin similar to the one my mother grew up in.

Trying to brush up on my miniature golfing skills (or lack of skills).

Out to dinner with old friends while trying to contact lost friends.

Engaging in conference calls from the comfort of my bed.

Summer really is the greatest season. I seem to get so much done and enjoy myself the most.

TV Shows of My Childhood

I can remember watching these shows as I grew up in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Some of them are classics, some were my father's favorites that I watched with him, while others were shows I would sneak in during days off of school or after school before my parents got home and got me working on my homework.

Charles in Charge ; Wonder Years ; Growing Pains
MacGyver ; Who's the Boss ; Golden Girls
The Cosby Show ; Murder She Wrote ; Gimmer A Break
Doogie Howser ; Matlock ; Full House
Double Trouble ; Three's Company ; Family Ties
Family Matters ; Happy Days ; 7th Heaven
Mr. Belvedere ; Balky and Larry ; Home Improvement
Saved By the Bell ; Beverly Hills ; 90210
Blossom ; The Secret World of Alex Mack ; Sister, Sister
Clarissa Explains it All ; Sabrina ; Step by Step
Clueless ; Touched By an Angel ; ER
The Nanny ; Walker Texas Ranger ; Weird Science
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Do you remember any of your favorites childhood tv shows?

What Some Say About College

You can lead a boy to college but you can't make him think.
--Elbert Hubbard

The more studying you did for the exam, the less sure you are as to which answer they want.

--Second Law of Applied Terror

80% of the final exam will be based on the one lecture you missed and the one book you didn't read.
--Third Law of Applied Terror

Colleges don't make fools, they only develop them.
— George Lorimer

I noticed that almost everyone I went to college with has worked at something other than the subject they majored in. I guess that's one of the reasons for campus unrest.
— Kent McCord

The chief value in going to college is that it's the only way to learn it really doesn't matter.
--George Edwin Howes

A college education should equip one to entertain three things: a friend, an idea and oneself.
--Thomas Ehrlich