Women of Lockerbie

For our group blog Lori, Brendon, and I went to go see a play called The Women of Lockerbie at the Visual Arts building here on campus. After reading the introduction of the play, I felt obligated to watch the play because it is an emotional story about terrorism against U.S. citizens.

The terrorist attack in the story killed 270 people in total in a plan crash, and 177 of those people were Americans. This was a tragic event in American history and people should know this story to never forget the lives that died that day. This is how the play connects with my life. I feel very patriotic about our country, as I debated heavily about enlisting into the arms forces after
graduating high school, to help against terrorism. A lot of families and friends are hurt from
the loss of their loved ones in consequent from terrorists. Fortunately for me I have not experienced anything of this severity.

One dislike I had about the play was the stage was boring. I thought the little river on the stage made a nice touch but overall I felt that they could have added a lot more to the scenery. More color would be nice, but the setting of the story is in December so it would hard to achieve this.

Overall I thought the play was ok. It showed a little history delivered withgreat emotion. The actors did a sufficejob, especially with maybe not ever having the experience of lossing a child or family members and not being in thoses situations before.

Merry Anne's: The Best Breakfast On Campus

By: Pat, Treshonna, and Wendell

Sitting down as a group one lovely morning for breakfast at Merry Anne’s diner on the corner of College and Fell was a new experience for all of us. None of us have ever eaten there before but having heard from our friends that it would be a good meal, we went in there with both a positive attitude and high expectations. What we first noticed when upon arrival was how quickly the waitress came over to our table. Almost immediately after taking off our coats we were having orange juice delivered to our table. She was very punctual and really seemed to care for our dining experience. She probably knew we were new comers because after her initial stop at our table for drink orders, we had to tell her multiple times to come back after a few minutes so we could look over the menu a little bit longer. After finally coming to a decision on what to eat, we each realized how we made an easy decision out to be a difficult one. We each got our favorite breakfast food which ended up being something different from one another. In our opinion, this was a good thing that no two meals were identical because this way we had more comparisons to make with other breakfast venues on campus than if two of us ordered the same thing. I, Pat O’Connell, ordered a plate of pancakes, Treshonna got French toast, and Wendell ordered an omelet because he, like Rocky, loves his eggs. The food came out a lot faster than we initially anticipated it would, and throughout our meal, we noticed our waitress refill drinks when needed and drop off napkins when she saw us running a little low. The price of each of our meals was a reasonable one, actually a lot lower than we had expected it to be based on how good the opinions we got from our friends. Because that had said they loved it and the food was really good, seeing a bill of twenty dollars for all three of us combined was not too bad at all. In terms of how sanitary the venue was, it was in pretty good shape. When we first walked in and followed our waitress to the table, I noticed how clean the seats, tables, and floor were when we passed them on the way to our destination on the far end of the restaurant. As for the bathrooms, Treshonna did not go to the ladies room at all during our time there but Wendell went to the men’s room and said that it was much cleaner than his dorm bathroom was. He does claim that for the size of the restaurant in terms of number of seats available, the size of the bathroom could have been a bit larger and had a few more stalls and urinals.

After leaving Merry Anne’s, we discussed our thoughts and opinions of our experience so when it came time to writing this blog, we had a general idea of how we each felt about the excursion. To no one’s surprise, we came to a consensus that we absolutely loved the dining experience, the food, the price, and the sanitation of the venue. For our evaluation and critique, we decided to compare our experience to McDonald’s, the Dining Center, and Subway and the breakfast that those three places serve. Although Merry Anne’s is a new name for us three here in Normal, we felt it has the service of a four star restaurant. Our three control eateries are fast food and self-serve so no comparison can really be made, but we were very impressed with how fast our waitress first came to our table and how many times she stopped at our table throughout our time there for drink and napkin refills and just to ask us how our food was. The food was, in each of our own eyes, better than the same dish at the other three restaurants. My (Pat O’Connell’s) pancakes were a lot better than the thin ones McDonald’s serves, and ten times better than the ones Watterson Dining Commons serves- those ones taste like they just got out of the microwave (Subway does not have pancakes).Treshonna said that she’s had better French toast at larger breakfast chains such as Ihop and Denny’s, but compared to the dining center (McDonald’s and Subway do not have French toast), she liked Merry Anne’s much better. Wendell simply said that his omelet was the best omelet that he has ever had in his life. It seems safe to say that no comparison to the other three really needs to be made after a statement like that. We all felt that the price was actually a little low for the food and service we got that morning. Paying twenty dollars for our meals, tax, and tip was an easy amount to pay between the three of us. While most people hate opening up the bill, from now on none of us will have a problem paying for Merry Anne’s. Last but not least, the sanitation of Merry Anne’s was very good; really clean throughout the entire building not only in the seating area, but the bathrooms as well. Compared to the other three locations, McDonald’s and the dining center are just plain gross. Subway is very sanitary, but for breakfast, Merry Anne’s, if a few bucks are in your wallet, the place to go for breakfast on campus at Illinois State University.

Our new life in the dorms!

For a college freshman living in a residence hall is a whole new experience. There are many decisions that go into deciding where you want to live, and after making that final decision you have to live and deal with the choice you’ve made.

The first step to the whole process is choosing what building you want to live in before you even attend Illinois State University. Making these decisions isn’t always an easy task when you have 8 different dorms to pick from. In order to do this you have to weigh the pros and cons for each dorm and just go with the one that sounds the best. Then the next step is choosing a roommate, you have to figure out if you would like to life with some one you know or do a random roommate. So do you play it safe and pick someone from high school that you know, or do you go with a complete stranger taking the chance of you both getting along or completely hating each other. This decision is one of the toughest. After you think you are done with all your decisions you now have to decide what floor to want to live on. There are many options for that too; you can have an all girls/all boys’ floor, co-ed or themed floor. This has a big effect on your experience because they’re going to be the people on your floor and the neighbors that you will be living with. After all is done and decisions finalized you are stuck with them. One of the hardest things you have to learn in college is how to live with other people. It is not like your living with your family where you can yell at each other when you get upset or just being able to do as you please. You have to learn how to live with your roommate, resolve your conflicts and learn how to live on your own at the same time. Not only are you trying to adjust to living with them, you also have to adjust to how to share and very small room with another person. Most freshmen are not used to staying in such a small room with another person. Most students have had the dorm size room to themselves or their room was larger than their current dorm room. It could be that you are a neat freak and you roommate is messy or the other way around which can often lead to conflict this is when you have to find a median, set rules that are clear and be open to talking if there are any issues. In a good case you both are messy or you both are neat. But when choosing a random roommate you don’t have much control over that.

The world of residence halls is a whole new experience for freshman at Illinois State University. We think that the residence halls are nice facilities but students could get the same experience if they were set up for apartment style or at least have a larger living space. All of the changes, conflicts and decisions that freshman face while living in the dorms are experiences and ways that will help them grow, help them learn how to overcome obstacles, and do things on their own in the end preparing them for the real world.

MaryAnn's Diner: The Greatest Food After Midnight

If you ever want a great meal late at night i would suggest to head over to MaryAnn's Diner, located conveniently right across the street from Hewitt-Manchester. Now the diner may not seem like that much when you first walk in but you just have to wait for the food to get in front of you. The diner sells strictly breakfast food which is just perfect for a late-night meal before i go back to the dorms after a long weekend night. My favorite thing by far to get at the restaurant is a #6 meal which consists of country fried steak, 2 eggs, 4 pieces of toast, and hash browns with everything being covered in gravy. The meal makes my mouth water just thinking about it as i write this post. Now its a lot of food so make sure that you show up to the diner ready for a feast. The only downside of going late at night is that its usually packed full of drunk people who are all loud and demanding service. With it being so packed it might take a while for your food to get to you but believe me it is beyond worth it. If you do anything before the end of the semester make sure you go to MaryAnn's diner, you will not be disappointed.

ISU vs UNC-WIlmington

On Saturday I decided to make my way to Redbird Arena to watch the mens basketball game versus UNC-Wilmington. The final score was 63-54 in favor of the UNCW Seahawks. Sad to say this was the Seahawks first win of the season (1-5) as the Birds fell to 5-3. The game had a lot of ups and downs. The largest lead the Seahawks had in the game was twelve points with 8:34 left in the second half, but that didn't stop the Birds. ISU brought it to a two point difference after they had a 10-0 run. The score was 54-52 at the 1:47 mark. Sadly though that was not enough for the Birds to get the win. The Seahawks got on a little run then started sinking their foul shots increasing the lead back up to nine points.

Even though Illinois State could not pull out the win it was still a very entertaining game to watch. Jackie Carmichael had a double double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He also had some spectacular dunks, including back to back slams. I hate to admit it but one of the more exciting parts of the game was the halftime show. The Flippenout Extreme team put on quite a show. What it consisted of was two professional trampoliners launching them self off a trampoline located at center court to at least 20 feet in tho the air. They performed many acrobatic moves including a triple twisting flip. That was probably one of the best halftime shows that i have ever seen.

In Conclusion this was a very fun way to spending my saturday evening. Watching some basketball and very brave trampoliners. The best part was that it was free too, since I have a red-alert pass.

A Good, Cheap Meal at Brew-Ha's

When we first came down to ISU we checked out what
kind of food they have in uptown Normal.
There is a pizza place, a Mexican place, a place to get individual
calzones. There is even a 24 hour diner,
and a couple of nicer sit-down restaurants.
All of these places are very very good, and they are all great places to
go with friends; however, the one thing that they lack is a really good, cheap
hamburger. Located at 102 S Linden St in Normal Illinois is a bar/restaurant
called, Brew-Has. When we walked into
Brew-Has we were greeted with the cozy feeling of a local bar. There are dart boards, TVs with sports on,
virtual poker machines, and tall tables with barstools at them. Brew-Has has delicious food. When we went we had the cheeseburger and the
pork chop sandwich. They both came with
French fries. A burger basket with fries
was only two dollars, and a two burger basket with fries was only three dollars
and fifty cents. The pork chop sandwich
with fries was also three dollars and fifty cents. All of these baskets also came with a
drink. When the French fries first
landed on our table my mouth started watering, my pulse started to race, and my
pupil’s dilated. The French fries were
seasoned with salt, pepper, and an array of other spices, they were fried to
the perfect crisp, and we could tell that they just came out of the fryer. Placed next to our mound of French fries in
the basket were the sandwiches we ordered.
The burger was a thinner patty on a nice, fresh bun. It had perfectly melted American cheese on it
and lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions on the side. The burger was not
greasy, but it was not dry either. The pork chop sandwich was also an excellent
choice. It was a nice tender piece of meat with the perfect amount of seasoning.
It was cooked to a good point where the meat was not tough. Biting into it was
like slicing butter with a knife. Personally, I am a barbeque sauce kind of
guy, so I put some regular barbeque sauce on it. However, I was also given the
choice of sweet and spicy or honey. Any of the choices would have done the job
if you ask me. Although the barbeque sauce was a nice touch, the sandwich is
good enough where it doesn’t need any extra additions. It can just be eaten
plain and it will still bring pleasure to your taste buds.
Overall, Brew-Has is a
great choice for anyone who is trying to get a good, cheap meal. The restaurant
has a nice comfortable atmosphere, but it’s not too loud like your typical
college bars, it’s got plenty of TVs so you can have your choice of shows, good
service, and most of all, great food. Also, they usually have a special deal
going on aside from their cheap burgers. It’s a great place to get some quality
food and just hang out. Check it out!

Chipotle is Yummy

Whenever I hear the word Chipotle I get excited. The word reminds me of the many joyous hours I’ve spent eating the company’s delicious food. I love everything about Chipotle, besides their uncomfortable chairs. When you walk in you know that you’re going to be eating a lot so I try to come in on an empty stomach. The restaurant’s menu only has 5 things to choose from, burritos, fajita burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, and salads, just with lots of variations to be made. You can choose from a choice of 4 different meats and a bunch of different toppings. I’ve had everything on the menu even the vegetarian burrito even though I’m not a vegetarian. My favorite thing to order by far is a double steak burrito with everything on it. When I say everything I mean everything, I get beans, salsa, corn, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, and a side of chips with a drink. Now if you get what I get your going to be spending more than the usual 8 dollars for a burrito and a drink. The meal I just listed usually costs around ten bucks but it is worth every penny. Chipotle is great because they get your food out to you really quick. It usually takes only 3 or 4 minutes for you to be enjoying a delicious burrito after you first walk in. Another added pleasure for me when it comes to Chipotle is the fact that they have almost every flavor of tabasco sauce to choose from. I love to grab the Chipotle flavored sauce and put a bunch on my burrito as I’m eating it. If I could give Chipotle a letter grade for satisfaction it would be an A+.

Before I went to chipotle, I heard a lot of positive reviews about this place. I heard that this place was a good restaurant for burritos, tacos, and Mexican foods. I am a fan of Mexican food so I decided to try this place out. When I walked through the door, the place looked clean and organized. The first thing that I did was looked at the menu to see what wanted to eat. Everything on the menu was easy to read. I picked a burrito bowl from the menu because it looked like the best choice for me. After I decided what I wanted to put on my burrito bowl, I went through the line and asked them to put everything on there. After they were done putting everything on my burrito bowl, they wrapped it up and gave it back to me. I went to sit down and decided to try it. After I had a few bites, I decided that it was a delicious choice that I made. It had so many flavors that mixed together and came out to be a nice spicy combination. After I finished my food, I was full and felt satisfied with everything I got. I thought the food there was high quality food and there place was clean. I liked that you are the one who decides what you want on your food and how much you want. Everyone there was helpful and they were all organized. I would recommend this place to anyone that likes Mexican food and that love fast and quick food.

Cafeteria Food around campus isn’t really mouthwatering, but the restaurants are quite tasty. Students favorite seem to be Chipotle, the Mexican grill, yea you know the one right across from McDonalds, ewww. Before I had Chipotle for the first time I thought it was burritos only. But when I finally visited I found there were many options, the burrito bowl being my favorite. The toppings I use are steak, sour cream, corn, and cheese and Pico de guayo. All of those ingredients in one mouth full is so magically delicious, words can’t even explain, it’s seriously something you would have to experience in order to understand. My bill normally being around $8.50- $9.50, if I’m feeling a little fat I’ll get extra toppings, depends on the day. Normally I can feast on the bowl for two days; I can never complete it in one day. I must say once you start to eat Chipotle it’s kind of hard to stop, it’s like a drug. So If you want your pockets to remain filled don’t try it.