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Central Iowa - My Neighborhood

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I have lived in Central Iowa my whole life. Which is a long time. Here are my favorite things about the area.

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About the Author: Thomas Brogan

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The Expanse: A Must Watch Sci-Fi Show

Back in November of 2015 a show came out on SyFy Network that many people didn't see. Then after 3 seasons it moved over to Amazon Prime in 2019. That's when I first started watching it. Amazon Prime introduced it to me, and I was able to watch the first 3 seasons on there as well. The Expanse ended up having 6 total seasons and finally concluded in January of 2022. Now, I admit I am a big sci-fi show fan. But, The Expanse brought in lots of different stories into the show other than just your traditional sci-fi things. I think that's what I loved about it. The great characters, the political stories, conspiracy, love and the not knowing what was going to happen. So what's it about? Hundreds of years in the future, things are different than what humanity is used to after humans have colonized the solar system and Mars has become an independent military power. Rising tensions between Earth and Mars have put them on the brink of war. ...

Firefly: 1 Season and a Movie Worth Watching

Way back in 2002 a TV show came out that I really enjoyed. Starring a young Nathan Fillion, the show only lasted 1 season (14 episodes). The show was an interesting mix of sci-fi and western themes and was set 500 years into the future after a universal civil war. The show was interesting to me because I love sci-fi and having the western theme as well gave it a different feel. Unfortunately, at the time it was canceled primarily due to low ratings, which stemmed from Fox Network's mismanagement of the show, including airing episodes out of order, poor marketing that misrepresented it as a light comedy, and a difficult Friday night time slot, all leading to low viewership and high production costs for the network. Luckily enough fans loved the TV show even though it was cancelled, that Joss Wheldon, the director, made a movie in 2005 that was a continuation of the series called Serenity. It gave all the fans the ending to the series that they wanted....

Before TV Remotes: A Device With A Cable And Getting Up Were Your Options

Most days when we are watching TV we have our butt planted on either our couch or our bed. And let's be honest, we don't get up that much. Heck, half the time we are laying down with the TV on and also staring at our phones. That's the world we live in. Let's rewind life back to the early 80's now. The first way I remember being able to turn TV channels was with a cable box. As cable TV grew, bulky boxes were placed near the TV, connected to the cable line and TV via coaxial cables. You'd use a wired remote or the box's own buttons/sliders to change channels, often limited to 12-36 channels, outputting to the TV's channel 3 or 4. And this was wonderful at the time! I remember when I was a young kid. That box with the cable extending through our living room. It was cool and high tech as a young kid in the early 80's. It at least stopped me from having to get up to change the channel to go from Transformers to G.I. Joe on S...

The Easiest Office Tailgate Party Dish

So your office is having a tailgate potluck for the end of the football season, but you don't have the time or the skills to create a delicious dish. What do you do? You turn to the easiest tailgate dish around. Little Smokies! These little treats will both impress and won't be too bad on the wallet. So here's what you need: - 2 packs Beef Little Smokies (make sure to get beef!) - 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I prefer Famous Dave's, Rich and Sassy) - 1 crock pot (Come on, everyone has one laying around somewhere - if not have Amazon send you one) Yep, that's it 3 things you need. Next step, open up the packs of little smokies dump in the crock pot and then pour in the bottle of sauce. Turn your crock pot on low and let it simmer 2 hours (stirring occasionally) for best taste. If you get really hungry and can't wait the full 2 hours, the little smokies are precooked, so you don't have to worry about eating raw food. So there you go. So easy a cave m...

Why Won't My Plastic Containers Get Dry in The Dishwasher? - The Struggle

I don't ask for too many things in my life. But for once, I would like to open up my dishwasher and see a new sight. All I want is to have all my dishes and other plastic items to be dry! Every time, it's the same old thing. I grab a plastic storage container out of the dishwasher and water dribbles all over. Either that or there is a big puddle on top of my favorite plastic drinking mug. What I don't understand is that it has an option for "Heated Dry". Shouldn't this take care of the problem? I know this isn't an isolated event. I have used numerous dishwashers, all with the same effect. Why? Plastic doesn't dry in the dishwasher because it's a poor heat conductor, meaning it can't absorb and retain the heat needed to evaporate water like glass or ceramic, and its oil-based, low surface energy causes water to bead up into droplets instead of spreading thin, hindering evaporation. These combined factors—low heat retention and water-repelling ...

Why Do People Leave The Dealership Sticker on Their Car? - Life's Mysteries

One of the questions I ask myself a lot is, why do people leave the car dealership sticker on their car? It makes absolutely no sense to me at all. For one thing, it looks ugly. It's not like the car dealership wants it to blend in. They want it to stick out so it provides free advertising to them. Remember you just paid them thousands of dollars for the car, so why should you provide free advertising for them? Did they knock off $5,000 for free advertising? I mean it does work I guess. I am blogging about the stickers, so I obviously notice them. Which is what they want! Seriously, go for drive and look at the back of cars. I guarantee at least half of cars have these stickers on them. You may have them on the back of your car, and you didn't even know it! So what can you do? How do you get rid of them? First, things first. When you are buying your car tell them you don't want it on there. You ar...

You Say Kleenex, I Say Tissue - Does It Really Matter?

I hope you understand that Kleenex is a brand name. Not all tissues (a.k.a. snot rags, burger blankets) should be called Kleenex. In the U.S., "Kleenex" is often used to mean any facial tissue due to successful branding, a phenomenon called a genericized trademark. While "tissue" is the correct generic term, "Kleenex" is widely understood, similar to how people say "Xerox" for photocopy or "Band-Aid" for adhesive bandage, though in formal writing or other countries, "facial tissue" or "tissue" is preferred. Personally, I say tissue. But, that could be because I buy Puffs and not Kleenex brand. Also, does anybody else ever have trouble getting that first tissue out of a new box? I always pull out 5 to start with. I can never get just one. Maybe it's because I am buying the Puffs brand and not Kleenex? So after that I always have a big wad of tissues that I just have to try and stuff into the box or lay on top....

A Trip To Wrigley: Chicago Cubs Memories

Growing up, I remember watching the Chicago Cubs on TV with my dad all the time. Hearing Harry Carey and Steve Stone call the games and seeing all the classic Cub players such as Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson was so much fun. Baseball seemed to mean more back in my youth. It could of been because I was young and dumb, or it could be, players are making millions of dollars now and it just doesn't have that same feeling. It's become more of a business, than a sport. Now living in Des Moines, Iowa we are home to the Triple A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, the Iowa Cubs. So growing up I was able to go to many Iowa Cubs games with my dad. I even got to play at Sec Taylor Stadium (now Principal Park, where the Iowa Cubs play) while in high school. That was so cool. As a high schooler playing there made you feel like a professional athlete. My dad and I never did get a chance to go to a Chicago Cubs game together....

The Copenhagen Test: A Great Watch On Peacock

The Copenhagen Test first came out on Peacock December 27th, 2025. The first season is 8 episodes long and I just finished watching it yesterday. To be totally honest, I really didn't think too much of it when I first started watching, but it still looked interesting enough to watch. But as I got a couple episodes into it, I realized the show was quite good. Let's find out what it's about. The Copenhagen Test is a sci-fi espionage thriller about Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), a U.S. intelligence analyst whose brain is hacked, giving unknown enemies a live feed of everything he sees and hears. His agency, The Orphanage, convinces him to play along, turning his own life into a fake reality with a staged girlfriend and missions to bait the hackers, forcing him into a dangerous psychological game to find who compromised him and why. The series explores themes of surveillance, loyalty, and the blurred lines between reality and deception in a near-future world....

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