The 5-0

Last night, I was driving down US 68 when I noticed something that made me a little sick to my stomach to be completely honest. Heading down the highway, I saw a couple of yellow lights off in the distance. As I got closer, I saw that it was a German Twp. cop, hiding behind a bridge with nothing but his yellow lights on. For a driver in the other lane, there would be no way to see him. Obviously, he was trying to catch people speeding down the highway. I was disgusted by the sight to say the least. As a cop, you really have nothing better to do than to try to hide to catch people speeding down the highway? And even then, you don't have the balls to sit in the middle of the highway with your headlights on like any other state highway patrolman? Cops are supposed to be there for protection, but when I see sights like that, I lose faith in cops. When cops like these only care about catching someone speeding down a highway instead of real criminals, do you really feel safe?

Cop car at night (photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com)

PSA for Thanksgiving

As we all know, Thanksgiving is vastly approaching. Before we know it, we'll all be sitting at home with our families (hopefully) doing nothing at all. To me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday next to Christmas. It's a day when you can eat delicious (free) food and watch football all day long and not feel bad about it. You can be lazy and no one will judge you for it. But some people are missing the point of Thanksgiving. Instead of spending time with their family, some people would rather spend time shopping for good deals on Christmas gifts or just items for themselves. To skip quality family time on a HOLIDAY no less in favor of saving a little money on a material gift is appalling and sad. As a result, store workers are forced to give up their family time in order to work for their employers. This doesn't seem right to me at all. There should be a law forbidding any shopping or stores being open on Thanksgiving. So, I urge all of you: spend your Thanksgiving with your family because in the end, they're the only ones that matter. Material items can be bought, quality family time cannot.

A Blog About Blogs

Writing blogs for journalism has certainly changed my outlook on writing. They allow you to make a voice for yourself and really express your feelings while having the chance to get your writing out there to the general public. So far, the blogging process has been good, but one can only blog about so many things. Although most of the time I can find something to write about, other times I just cannot find something worth writing about. I don't want to BS blogs; I want them to be meaningful and something to be proud of, and sometimes, I just don't have anything to write about. Ultimately, I like the idea of writing blogs for class. I think they're fun and allow students to learn more about their classmates. I think that they should be offered to students in journalism classes in the future.

All is Alive and Well in "The Land"

Sunday, I was able to finally make it to a Browns game. And let me tell you, it certainly was entertaining. From the moment I stepped onto that Cleveland asphalt to the time I got back in the car to go back to Springfield, I felt so much pride in the city. The atmosphere certainly has changed for the better. Although I may be a little biased, I believe there is no fan base in the world as loyal and as die-hard as Cleveland fans. The Browns are winning, the Cavs are predicted to bring the first championship to Cleveland in 50 years, who would've thought Cleveland would be the sports capital of the world right now?

My seat from the game this past Sunday at First Energy Field

Anyways, this was my first Browns game I had gone to since I was in 8th grade so needless to say, it's been awhile. My dad had scored us seats that were 12 rows up from the field, which was pretty cool. I had never had seats below the upper deck at a Browns game, so it was an amazing view. The players warmed up in the end zone we were sitting in, so it was unbelievable to see the size of these guys. They were absolutely humongous. It's crazy to think about how much these guys eat on a daily basis! Once the game kicked off, you could feel the energy of the fans and the pride the players showed to be playing in Cleveland, which was really nice to see, because I always thought players didn't genuinely like playing in Cleveland, they just did because they were paid to play there. Seeing guys that actually appreciate the city of Cleveland like the fans do is a breath of fresh air.

Throughout the game, the fans became one cohesive unit. It didn't matter if you didn't know the person next to you or anyone around you for that matter. If the Browns scored, you high-fived or even hugged everyone around you. If something bad happened, you would join in and talk s**t with your fellow fans to either the Browns for playing badly or to opposing fans that were yelling in the vicinity. Being around those people showed me how passionate the Browns fan base really is when the team can use their energy in order to play well. Ultimately, the Browns came through with a win, but it certainly wasn't pretty. A win is a win, however, so I'm happy about it. I even got strep throat because of the climate and wind, but it was worth every minute of it. The Brownies are 5-3!!