Blogging

I have a number of different views about blogging. First off, I would like to say that it is usually fun. I like being able to express myself in a journal kind of format. I especially like sharing information about the outdoors. It comes natural to me and it's fairly easy to write about. It is also nice to be able to write about other topics that interest me. I don't always have to stick to the blog topic and that is good when I can't think of anything to write about. It is also cool to look back at early posts and see how I have progressed as a writer. There is one thing in particular that I do not like about blogging. My opinion is that we have to write too many posts per week. Three posts is a lot because I have a lot going on every week. For example, I have show choir practice, work, musical practice, and show choir competitions on the weekends. Add in some homework every night and I don't see a whole lot of extra time to write three blogs every week. Even if we just cut the amount of posts down by one it would help a lot. Two posts a week is much more reasonable, and would help the busy students out a great deal. I agree witht the word count restriction because if you didn't have one then peopel would just write a few sentences and call it good. It also makes it fair so some students don't end up doing more than others. Besides the number of posts, I think blogging is a great way for students to practice writing skills that will be useful in the future.

Show Choir Rankings

1-Wheaton Warrenville
220.00
2-Linn-Mar
212.00
3-Urbandale
208.00
3-Waubonsie Valley
208.00
5-Findlay
202.50
6-Cedar Rapids Kennedy
192.50
7-Fairfield (OH)
191.00
8-La Crosse Central
190.50
9-Franklin Central
190.00
10-Buffalo Grove

These are the top 10 show choirs in the nation. Happiness is lucky to be number 6! The rankings are done by a point system. Groups receive points for how good they do in competitions. The most points go to the grand champions of the competition, then 1st runner-up, then 2nd runner-up, then 3rd runner-up... and so on. There are also points for caption awards. Caption awards include things such as best cheorgraphy, best vocals, and best band. This is an accurate way to rank show choirs, in my opinion, because it is fair. Numbers don't lie and there are no biases toward groups. This is a great way to compare your schow choir to other ones around the nation. It just gives us more incentive to keep working hard and doing the best show that we can!

Iowa State Parks

Iowa's state parks are a thing of beauty. They provide campers with a number of different activities to do and sites to see. These wonderful creations need to be preserved. The state and DNR are working together to try and accomplish this. Beginning Feb 1, campers are allowed to reserve a spot in an Iowa State Park for the Camping Kick-off Weekend May 1, 2, and 3. During these days campers will receive a bonus package that includes a camping coupon good for one night of camping at an electrical site, a free issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine, recipes, camping tips and more in a reusable mesh trash bag (Iowa DNR). This is supposed to help promote being a green camper. Last year the State Parks Bureau spent around $750,000 on utilities of the parks, so this year they are providing information on how campers can reduce the amount of water and electricity used in the campsites (Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the State Parks Bureau for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.) "We will be encouraging the use of the reusable trash bags to collect trash around the campsite, recycle what we can, and put the rest where it goes, then keep the mesh bag for reuse," said Kevin. During the past few years, Iowa's camping numbers have been around 700,000 in the 53 state parks that offer camping (Iowa DNR). As you can see Iowa is full of great camping opportunities. The parks are located on focal points of the areas. Throughout the years Iowans have stayed close to home during rough economical times, and we can expect the next few years to be the same. This will increase the number of campers because it is a good way to relax without speding you whole wallet. I am hoping to get out to at least one of these great parks this year. They really are a place where anyone can go and have a good time. So let's keep them that way. If you do decide to take advantage of these parks just remember to keep them looking healthy and beautiful.

Ice Fishing 101

If you are a beginning ice fisherman, this is the article for you. It all starts with the rod. I'm sure you have seen ice fishing rods before, but if you haven't they are much smaller than regular fishing poles. They are usually about 2 or 3 feet long. There are a few different types of reels to choose from. An extremely small version of the open faced reel is a good choice, but the older type that looks like a wheel works just fine. The best line size to use is 4 lb. line. This will give you the sensitivity you need to feel every bite. It also allows your small reel to function much better. The best lure in my opinion is a small jig tipped with a wax worm. This has produced the greatest number of fish over time, and almost any type of fish will bite it. Another thing that you will need for your first outing is an ice auger. Hand augers are relatively inexpensive and work well for cutting your ice fishing hole. Some people prefer a motorized auger. It is really up to you. Those are the basic necessities for ice fishing, but there are a few more things that most ice fisherman won't leave the house without. First, is some type of sonar. This allows you to see what depth you are working at, and it also can point out some fish that might have been missed otherwise. Another thing is fishing tent. There are a number of different styles and sizes to choose from. These keep the harsh conditions of winter outside. You can also operate your poles without gloves because your hands won't freeze in the process. These are the ice fishing basics. If you are going out for the first time, make sure you take someone with you. It is never safe to go ice fishing alone. Good luck!

Showchoir

I know this blog is about the outdoors, but I want to share with you another passion of mine; Showchoir. I am in Cedar Rapids Kennedy Happiness Inc. This showchoir was the first of its kind in the Midwest. It paved the way for other showchoirs to come. Now, there are many showchoirs in the area. There are 5 in the Cedar Rapids area alone. That means a lot of competition for us. For the past couple years we have been the best group in Cedar Rapids, and I hope this year is no different. We had our first competition last weekend at Linn-Mar High School. Going into the competition we were worrried about just making finals. Once we found out that there were a ton of great groups there we were even more afriad. The director of the competition even expanded the groups that could make finals to 7 from 5. There were about 12 groups that won grand championships the previous year. We felt somewhat unprepared and didn't know how we were going to stack up against these outstanding groups. It turns out we had less to worry about that we thought. We ended up placing first in the day round and 2nd in the night rounds. Our group was so excited, and happy to see all of our hard work finally pay off. We start practicing in July so as you can see it is a long process full of ups and downs. The competitions always bring out the best in us. We are excited to be having another opportunity for competition this weekend. Happiness is traveling up to the high school Davenport North to compete in the competition held there. I'm sure it will be another fun filled day of showchoir! Wish us luck!

Fishing Report

I would like to share the fishing report for local fishing waters. These reports are coming off the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website.
"Lake Macbride (Johnson): Crappie fishing has been fair to good and some nicer-sized fish have been caught. The recent heavy snows may slow things down but fish have been coming off deeper brush and drop-offs.''
''Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Ice thickness has been measured at 8 to 9 inches. Crappies have been biting on minnows and by vertically jigging around submerged habitat. Fishing has been the best at Atwell's, in Honey Creek, and in Buck Creek. The gate is now open at the Glenwood area.''
''Lake Sugema (Van Buren): The bays and coves have been producing some catches of bluegill and crappie using small jigs tipped with a wax worm. Last week the main lake still had some open water due to a flock of geese so use caution. The Tug Fork lakes have also been producing some catches of crappies using minnows.''
''Pool 11 tailwaters by Guttenberg continue to be slow for angling; however, some saugers are still being caught. The amount of open water has been shrinking dramatically this past week. Fishing is only accessible by airboat or by pushing a small boat out from the DNR landing. Some good sized crappies and perch can be caught at Mud Lake in Dubuque. Fishing is best late in the day.''
''Cedar River (Black Hawk): Walleye and crappie fishing is fair to good in deeper holes with good ice conditions. Use extreme caution when fishing river ice."
As you can see the ice fishing is pretty good around the state of Iowa, and I hope it will stay this way.

Good Technology

In a recent post I told you that i had ordered a new sonar unit called the Showdown. I have, since then, received it and put it to use. There was a small problem however. When I first took it out of the box, i noticed a plastic piece was broken on the bottom of the unit. A person never likes when he or she receives something broken so I called the dealer and he offered me a new one. He also suggested to call the manufacturer to get a new part, which would save time and money. This is what I did, and it turns out they sent me a new piece and everything works just fine. When i first looked at the display, I wasn't exactly sure how to read it. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was way easier than i thought. The top is the top of the water and the bottom is the bottom. The depth is displayed right away and is great for finding a spot to fish. You don't even need a hold in the ice for this unit to work! That's right it can "see through the ice", which is amazing to me. It is similar to the Vexlar in the sense that the bigger lines indicate bigger objects such as timber, rocks, and large fish. The smaller lines represent smaller fish and little algae pieces and things of that sort. An ice fisherman once said to me that he forgot his sonar unit at home on the way to go fishing, and ended up turning around and getting it. That's how much of a difference these units can make. I now believe it and the Showdown is truely the sonar of this generation.