Bowling Tournament Returns After 15-Year Hiatus September 29, 2009

After a 15-year absence, Winona Bowl will revive the Tournament of Champions bowling tournament, complete with a new format and an estimated $800 purse.

Over the span of two days, participants will bowl 10 games in hopes of qualifying for the HBC-aired finals and the estimated $800 purse. The tournament, co-hosted with other local bowling alley Westgate Bowl, will take place the weekend of Sept. 26-27.

Brian Fakler, manager of Winona Bowl and tournament committee member, said, “This tournament represents the best of the best.”

The tournament is open to members of the Winona Bowling Association and the United States Bowling Congress. Interested participants should fill out the form, available at both Winona Bowl and Westgate Bowl, before Sept. 23. There is a $30-$40 entry fee.

More information about the tournament and Winona Bowl can be requested at www.winbowl@hbci.com.

Little Less Conversation, Little More Action… September 29, 2009

Apparently, my semester has officially started as I am finally being bombarded with the workload I have become accustomed to! My PR Writing class is in full swing, which means that the class work I was promising in my first post is on its way! It isn’t nearly as exciting as my epiphanies, but it does give me the opportunity of showing off my work. I promise I will still revel you with my random thoughts so keep checking back! But until then… a little less conversation and a lot more action on my part!

Boys Don’t Always Have To Be Boys! September 25, 2009

The other day a guy from my apartment building held the door open from me! *Gasp* I know, who knew chivalry still existed!?!? Now, before anyone gets the idea that this post is about bashing the opposite sex, let me assure you it is not! It is merely an insight into the female mind!

Recently I came across an article, oddly enough on CNN, that was not only humorous but also, very accurate! I’d be willing to bet that 96% of the female population would agree with it! The title of the article? ”18 Things to Teach Your Sons About Women.”

#1 on the list:Pick your battles! So very true! There are some you’re never going to win guys, and the sooner you admit that, the sooner you can get back to your football game!

#2: Walk on the outside (closer to the street) than you’re female companion. If you think it’s something girls don’t notice, you’re wrong! It’s the little things like this that make us love you more!

#3: Saying “You’re being crazy” is never an appropriate response, unless you want her to go postal on you. If you learn nothing else from this, please at the very least remember this one!

#11: Find out what her favorite flower is.Again, it’s the little things! Side note: give her flowers on days other than holidays, we love that kind of stuff! P to the s, my favorites are star-gazer lilies and Gerber daisies, in case anyone is wondering

#13: Smiling and nodding aren’t the same as listening. Enough said.

#17: You will never completely understand women. Women don’t even understand women, so you’re really out of luck on this one guys! Sorry!

For a full list you can check out this link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/09/23/tf.teach.sons.about.women/index.html

Now for some of my own additions!

#19: Beautiful, Cute, Hot, and Pretty can’t be used interchangeably. There is an appropriate time for each one, I promise. For example, on your wedding day, hot should not even be in your vocabulary! Beautiful is definitely the way to go! Caution: Women have varied opinions on the word cute so be sure to figure that one out before you bust it out! (I am actually a big fan of the word )

#20: Be confident not cocky. Again, there is a big difference! One is an attractive quality, the other, not so much, hopefully you know which is which!

#21: Open doors! Call me old school if you will, but a simple gesture like this goes a long way!

If any of you have any additions to the list feel free to leave a comment!

And to any of my male readers, compile your own list and leave a comment! I’d be very interested in hearing what I could learn as well! Because. let’s face it, women don’t understand men just as men don’t understand women!

An Ear for an Ear! September 21, 2009

So, my last post should have fulfilled your fruit fix, but my parents always told me to eat my vegetables, so for this post we will visit the veggie portion of the food pyramid! More specifically, I’m going to talk about corn. Yup, corn!

If you’ve ever looked at corn while it’s still on the cob, and I mean really looked at, you had to of at some point thought, this stuff is weird. Think about it, you pluck it off an 8 foot stalk, peel away layers of green husky stuff, and then underneath there is this odd looking bumpy, yellow thing. And the weirdest thing about it, is that somebody looked at that and said, “Let’s eat it!” To that person, I say thank you!

Ah, but corn is more than just edible and tasty! It can provide you with an afternoon full of fun! This past weekend I drove to Shakopee, home to Valley Fair and Canterbury Downs. But come fall, you can find Sever’s Corn Maze! You walk through a cleared away path of real corn stalks and are welcomed with a carnival like atmosphere dedicated to its surroundings: corn! Get a handful of kernels and head to the petting zoo and let the likes of  kangaroos, camels, zebras, monkeys, and ostriches nibble from your hand! Grab a map and conquer the huge, themed corn maze (this year’s theme: pirate adventure)! Without the map I can assure you that you will get lost amidst the stalks of corn that tower overhead, but perhaps that is half the fun?! And what would a corn festival be without  corn on the cob? Buttery, roasted corn on the cob is among the impressive food available at the small festival. Walk around as you gnaw, systematically (yes, I know you have a certain way you eat your corn!) on your cob and check out all the other fun stuff Sever’s has to offer: magic shows, animal rides, sand art, pumpkin launch, pig races, straw bale maze, giant slide, hay rides, and more! And if you can believe it, I’ve saved the best for last! Imagine a humongous sand box… now imagine it full of corn kernels! It’s called the corn pit, and it is something everyone should experience! I left that corn pit with corn coming out of my ears (pun intended!), a layer of corn pollen coating my entire body, and the biggest smile on my face! Sure, i’ll probably be finding corn in strange places these next few days (first spot: the washing machine) but it was worth it!

To most of us who reside in the midwest, corn was merely something we drove by on a boring drive to grandma’s. But, after my day at Sever’s, the next time I make that drive, maybe I’ll pull over and have a little impromptu corn fest of my own! And I’d suggest you do the same!

Let’s face it, we could all use a little corny in our lives every now and then

There’s an apple for that! September 18, 2009

La Crescent, MN. It’s a blink and you miss it town. I can attest to this. This summer I made the trek to the little known Minnesota town. There is one stoplight in what I’ve just now decided I’m going to refer to as The LC. I blinked. I missed it. Luckily, the person I was visiting was driving the opposite direction as I was and got me turned around; I didn’t miss the stoplight a second time!

But enough about me, this post is about apples!

 What do apples and The LC have in common? is probably what you are thinking, and a little over a year ago I would have the same confused look on my face that you do now. But, I have had the pleasure of living with 2 people who call The LC their home and as it turns out, The LC and apples are synonymous in their little town… The LC just so happens to be the Apple Capital (love a good rhyme!) of the world!!! And this weekend marks the festivities of Apple Fest! Shameless plug it might be, but all their talk of apples got me thinking.

Apples are everywhere! Everyday in class I’m bombarded with apples as students pull there mac’s out of their bags. I’m reminded that an apple a day keeps the doctor away (a theory I’m still thinking was created by parents attempting to get their kids to eat fruit!). You are lucky to escape a family reunion without the uttering of “The apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree!” And who can forget that you’re the apple of my eye? Halloween is right around the corner… bobbing for apples is almost a shoo in for the elementary school’s costume party. Following Halloween is Thanksgiving, and it is inevitable that at some point you will have a slice of old-fashioned apple pie (insert drool here)! And then there’s teacher appreciation day… children across the country flock to the grocery store in search of the perfect apple to place on their favorite teacher’s desk. That same child, pulls a granny smith apple crayon from his box of 64. The apple is emblazoned on the cult-status Twilight book cover. An apple nearly took Snow White’s life! I could keep going, but I think you catch my drift!

You name it, and there’s an apple for that!

Child at Heart September 17, 2009

Today I was walking around beautiful Lake Winona, with my equally beautiful roomies. We got to talking (girls talking? outrageous, I know) about how the end of college is right around the corner and Jess says ”I can’t believe you’re like growing up!” But growing up is really something I’m not! I love High School Musical, my dad just bought me cotton candy and super rope at Sam’s Club, and people still tell me when to go to the bathroom… Yes, the real world is coming at me like Nascar drivers to the checkered flag, but at my core, I’m still just a kid, and that’s okay with me! Kids have an innate ability to see and enjoy the small things in life, and at the end of the day, that’s what is important!  So, my message to you is when society tells you to grow up, hand society a super rope and tell them to grow down!

Can you hear me now? September 14, 2009

Well, hello! My name is Dana, but you can call me D! I set up this blog for educational purposes so you will find my schoolwork on here, but who says I can’t throw in some fun stuff as well? This first blog is merely a test to see if I figured this whole blogging thing out (I am truly technologically-challenged!). Posts to come will be far more interesting, I promise! Enjoy