School Football fields/tracks I've been to in Iowa

I just went to a track meet in Clarion to see my niece run. Never been there before. Interesting set up for the fans, as the entire home bleachers had a wooden grandstand. I've seen a few wooden grandstands at high schools for baseball, but never for football. So I got to thinking, how many Iowa High or Junior High School football fields have I been to, to have never seen that.

I started going through them in my mind, and it is a big list, so I decided to put them down on the computer. So here is my list. This is actually attending a football game, or a track meet. (with my travels for work, I have driven by many more, but not gonna count those). The list will include schools that are now departed due to closings and mergers. So this will be high schools, and possibly junior high schools.

(JH) will indicate a Junior High game or field. (Ref) will be fields I have refereed on (which adds to the total)

So let's start with my younger days, I was at every field in the Sioux Valley Conference. Sanborn, Milford, Hartley, Primghar, Paullina, Sutherland, Alta, and Aurelia. I'll throw in a bonus of Calumet (JH) of Sutherland. The only "bowl" I've been to. The field was not flat, it actually had a big dip in the middle.

Here are the remainder from my high school days in NW Iowa: Boyden-Hull (Hull), M-OC (Orange City), Sibley, George, Everly, Estherville.

So when I moved back to Iowa in 1997, I got to see some new ones. Then I started writing for the Story City Herald, and calling games on Norsemen Network/The Rocket, following the Norsemen around. I also covered girls track for awhile for The Herald, so that added some tracks. I also started reffing, so that has added some others. By 1997, there was no longer conference football, but districts, and that changed every two years. So that was a chance to add to my list. So here goes:

Roland-Story (Story City)(Ref), Roland-Story (Roland)(JH), Colo-Nesco (Zearing)(JH)(Ref), Colo-Nesco(Colo)(Ref), West Marshall (State Center), East Marshall(LeGrand), South Tama(Tama), Union(LaPorte City), BCLUW(Conrad), Dike-New Hartford, Aplington-Parkersburg, South Hardin (Eldora), Iowa Falls-Alden, South Hamilton(Ref), Webster City, Eagle Grove, Clarion-Goldfield, Ft Dodge St. Ed (Dodger Stadium), Prairie Valley (Gowrie), SE Webster Grand (Ref), Southern Cal (Lake City), Carroll Kuemper(Carroll Stadium), Greene County(Jefferson), East Greene(Rippey), Ogden(Ref), Boone(Ref), Ames, Ames(JH)(Ref), Ballard(Huxley), Bondurant-Farrar, Van Meter, Prairie City-Monroe, CMB-Baxter, CMB-Maxwell, North Polk(Old and New fields),Nevada(Ref), Gilbert (Old and New Fields) (Ref at both), Hampton-Dumont, Central Springs (Manly), Osage, North Fayette Valley (West Union), Hudson, Grundy Center.

So if I counted right, that is 60 different school facilities I've been witness to an event. Most are football, some are track only. And if I counted right, I've reffed at 11 different fields.

This has intrigued me for baseball now. I'm guessing that will be a higher number. But that will be for another day.

I do want to throw in a quick review. My favorite place is Eldora, at least from the visitor's side. Great view over a valley to the west. Really pretty in the fall. Twins: My high school field in Sanborn, and CMB-Maxwell. No track, so cars pull up right next to the field. Great way for fans to get really close to the action. Good looking places I haven't seen a game: Really like the looks of Emmetsburg's facilities as I drive by. And Colfax-Mingo looks kinda cool built into the side of a hill. Quirks: Nevada has a steep hill in the back endzone. as they try to cram it inside of a track. Sanborn and Primghar had baseball infields on the field, Primghar at the 50, and Sanborn in one endzone. Worst: North Polk's old field was the worst. Just beat to death, and something like a 3rd world field. Their upgrade to the new turf may have been the biggest upgrade in the history of Iowa high school sports.

Track quirks: Van Meter and Ogden, just like Drake, have blue ovals. Boone's track is more round, so it has huge sidelines for football, but the track curves are really close to the endzones.

Lucifer

I really haven't made a point to record, or sit down and watch a new/current series on TV since The Simpsons 8 or so years ago (I know it is still on, but it lost me back then, I may still watch it, but it is not must see TV). The only TV I really watch now is sports, or if I stumble on a rerun like Star Trek, Hogan's Heroes, or Hill Street Blues.

I am actually watching 3 now, which is kind of amazing. One is soon to end. I have been really jacked about the 6 episode return of the X-Files. I've been pleased with it, and maybe a future post on that. I also stumbled across Angie Tribeca on TBS, which I document below.

So anyway, I watched the first episode of X-Files, left it on Fox, and started reading the paper. They had a brand new show on, called Lucifer.The pilot kinda interested me, to the point I put the paper down and was focused on the show. And it was enough to DVR the series.

So the title character is the devil himself, come to hang out on Earth. He gets hooked up with an attractive female detective on the LAPD. Lucifer has his expected powers, but he likes to hang out with the detective, and solve crimes to help punish the wicked. Lucifer runs a night club, has some fellow bad underworld characters show up and so on, trying to get him back to Hell. But Lucifer also gets advice from a psychiatrist, who doesn't know he is the devil, but offers her help with humans.

The show is a dramedy, you might say. It isn't always played for laughs, but it has its definite funny moments.

I suppose, if you were deeply religious, you might say this is a horrible show, because often the devil/Lucifer is played in a good light. Of course it could be argued the other way. Each episode is its own little morality play, and it is clear to the viewer who is good and who is bad, and the bad people always get their comeuppance. If you are a Star Trek The Next Generation fan, Lucifer reminds me of Q, and the detective is Captain Picard. Lucifer/Q are often bad, but intrigued by humans, and are humored by the actions of the detective/Picard

I love the show. I think it is fun, with a little naughty in there. It is not Masterpiece Theatre, and I've thought that some of the single episode characters have been acted weakly. And the best part, each episode ends like a Scooby Doo episode. The bad person ends up revealing all. The only thing it lacks is, "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids!"

I've read some reviews online, and all the big reviewers have raked the show over pretty good. Ok, maybe it won't win any Emmys. But I think it is good fun, and I hope Fox re-ups the show.

Samsung Gear VR Virtual Reality Headset Review

I bought a Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset for myself for Christmas. Just wanted to comment on it, and give it a review. The above video is what it looks like, and how to install a phone. The video itself is not a review.

So I paid $99 for it from Amazon. To use it, you need a Samsung Note 4 or 5 (I think). I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 (it doesn't work on the S5 or lower). It has external jacks so you can charge while watching, or hook up a headset/ear buds. You can also adjust the focus and adjust the volume, on two other exterior "buttons".

I've never really used a VR setup before. And simply put, it is awesome. It is amazing how quick the response is, as you turn your head, and look around at stuff.

So what does it do? I'm not a gamer, but you can download games, and use a remote controller to play games. Haven't done that yet, but I imagine it is pretty cool, if that is what you are into, based on how other stuff works. Though it probably isn't a focus of the unit, where I got the most wows, when passing it around at a Christmas party, was the VR theatre, where you can watch your own videos on the phone. It plays your video (and I put some GoPro action videos on), and makes it as if you are sitting in a theatre watching your video on a big screen. Chairs are all around you, the carpet, and the whole theatre scene. Hard to describe, but basically it is like watching your movies in a theatre. You can also change from the theatre mode, to a home theatre, or if you were an ant watching on a smart phone, or if you were sitting on the moon, watching a video on a screen.

Of course they have the usual VR movies you can watch. I haven't watched a whole movie, but I've done the flying on a ship in a Star Wars short, and just their promotional videos. It is like putting you right where the camera is, as you have a 360 degree field of vision.

There are also apps to be able to watch YouTube videos, so that is kinda cool too. It is like watching a YouTube video in a theatre, if there is something you want to watch in that mode.

The headset has a foam "seal" that really cuts out outside light. It doesn't weigh very much. The phone itself is the heavy part. Generally speaking, it doesn't affect my eyes much. I watched some videos with a bunch of bounce, and that did give me a little headache. It has a headstrap to secure to your head, and there is enough room to watch with glasses, if that is how you roll.

All in all a fun gift to myself. I'm guessing gamers would absolutely love this. I'm not a big movie watcher, but I'm going to watch some on this. As content becomes even more available, I can see this catching on more than the 3D TV thing. I have a 3D TV, and it kinda cool, but this immerses you in what you are watching.

So if you have a compatable phone, and $99 to spend on fun, I endorse picking one up.