• Poll Poll
I'm Curious About Fan Interest in surly Threads

Level Of Interest?

  • Not Interested. Make it stop.

    Votes: 76 65.0%
  • Intrigued. What could it be now?

    Votes: 28 23.9%
  • ****. Save it for the new year

    Votes: 7 6.0%
  • Other. Please, please explain

    Votes: 6 5.1%

As we reflect this holiday season, I'm wondering if the increased exposure to threads from @surly has made you more or less interested in the topics and threads.

Play of the Year

If you had to pick the most iconic play for ISU each year, what would they be?

Here are my initial thoughts on several years below:

2019: Assalley Game-winning FG against Texas

2018: Rose fumble TD against Kansas State

2017: Lazard game-winning TD against Oklahoma

2016: ?

2015: Warren fumble against Kansas State

2014: Netten game-winning FG against Iowa
...
2007: Culbertson game-winning FG against Iowa

What to Do in Orlando

For those of you unfamiliar with Orlando, it is a great location for a bowl game. However, it is more spread out and extensive than San Antonio and it has way more entertainment options. Here are a few thoughts from my experience on several trips thereover the years. Hope this thread will serve as a place for those with Questions to meet those with Answers.

1. The main tourist zone is along I-4 with Universal Studios on the north, the Convention Center and Sea World on the south, and Disney on the far South.
2. International Drive and Universal Blvd. essentially run parallel to each other and are the two main tourist routes (with trolleys). This area was built to handle tourists and people attending conventions. There are tons of hotels and attractions. https://www.internationaldriveorlando.com/50-ways-to-have-fun/. A new one that I might try is Andretti Indoor Racing (calling out @isufbcurt).
3. The Convention Center for the Cyclones Unplugged event is huge (much bigger than you think and way bigger than it looks). Our event will be big, but take up only a fraction of the facility.
4. The Hyatt Regency for the CF charter is right next to the Convention Center.
5. The Gridiron Club event at Marlow's in Pointe Orlando is just north on International Drive from the Hyatt.
6. There are nice areas of nightlife near, but not in the amusement parts (no admission fee required), such as Universal CityWalk https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/citywalk and Disney Downtown https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/downtown-disney-district/.
7. You can often get free parking if you go to an establishment near the parking garage and get your ticket validated.
8. The Camping World Stadium is north of Universal on I-4 toward downtown. I've heard that there is a lot of construction, so bear that in mind for your transportation. I'll give the details I have in another post.
9. The Amway Center for the Magic/Sixers game is not too far from the Camping World Bowl, so if you go to the game on Friday night, you can scope out the football stadium too.
10. There are tons of things to do outside of the main tourist area. For instance, there is a small man-made lake with waterskiiing pulls and jumps. Or my favorite, go on an airboat ride in an alligator-infested swamp. Get the craziest driver and tip him early in order to have a great time.

Well, that should get the conversation started.

NFL: ***Official Week 15 Thread***

Weird lack of compelling games for being this late in the season. There's a handful of games with playoff implications and a bunch of dogs, including the primetime slate:

TNF - Jets @ Ravens. Barf. Good thing we have the CyHawk game tonight.

SNF - Bills @ Steelers. Actually might be a decent game, although I'm kind of wiating for the other shoe to drop with the Steelers and Devlin Hodges. Tomlin has done an incredible job keeping the team afloat, but how long can you hide the third string QB before he gets exposed?

MNF - Colts @ Saints. Please put Indy out of their misery.

The best of the weekend looks to be Bears @ Packers and Texans @ Titans.

On That Note - Chain of Fool(ish stories)

Welcome to the pre-Christmas edition of On That Note. A weekly music post from @cyclones500, @CycloneRulzzz and me.

Last weeks offering can be found here: https://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/threads/on-that-note-the-animals-part-3-mammal-mania.253643/

Besides posting a bit early because of the holiday - this week we're going to try something different.

For two reasons:
  1. @BoxsterCy when he responds to our threads likes to throw in his personal memory that he associates with the song. I love that!
  2. Like the Christmas memories thread that @Angie started on Friday, this time of year does cause one to think about the past.
Hopefully I can satisfactorily explain how this is designed to work. (Whether it WILL or not, we'll see.)

I will kick it off. I will post a song with a story/memory I associate with it. Next someone will post a memory associated with that same song AND post another different song and story/memory. Any followup post can be a memory associated with ANY earlier song as long as the poster also posts a new song and memory.

So eventually there should be dozens of songs to choose from and share a memory - and post another song and memory.

And to kick it off, 500 and Rulzzz will hopefully chime in almost immediately. So there will be 3 songs almost right away.

And since this is kicking off a bit earlier because of the holiday there'll be a few extra days to post. I'll do my best to keep it on the "front page" during the week.

*************
Beach Boys (In My Room)

Working at the Muscatine HyVee, Mid 1970's. One of our employees came up to the pick-up lane to get his groceries. I was working that station. He had the 8-track (Endless Summer) playing. It sure sounded good coming out of the speakers on a warm spring day! At this point the Beach Boys were kind of a forgotten entity. I didn't get the album then but my ISU roommate, a few years later, had it.

When CDs were a new thing I finally acquired a copy on that medium. I remember some friends (slightly older) were visiting and were curious about CD's. To show them how the sound was crystal clear I played for them In My Room. The harp, especially, sounded so clear and to the front.

From Wikipedia: Endless Summer is a compilation album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on June 24, 1974. A collection of hits from the band's 1962–65 period, Endless Summer was compiled by their old label, Capitol Records, while the Beach Boys were contracted to Reprise Records. Its unexpected success bore immediate consequences for the band's then-progressive musical direction. It revitalized the band's popularity after years of lukewarm sales, but also inspired nostalgia for the Beach Boys' early surfing and hot rod-themed music, repositioning the group as an oldies act.

Four months after its release, the album reached number 1 in the United States and Canada. It was the group's second chart-topping album in the US and returned them to a level of commercial success they had not experienced there since the mid 1960s. The compilation spent 155 weeks on the Billboard albums chart...


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Prime Rib!

My Christmas Prime Rib turned out damn near perfect. Thought I would share it with the rest of CF. (I originally posted in the Random thoughts thread)

Enjoy!

Before cooking
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After Cooking
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First Slice. I was holding my breath the whole time.
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With rest of meal. Classic white and garlic rosemary bread, mashed potatoes, corn, honey glazed carrots and Apple-Cranberry Walnut Pie all made by me!
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Plated and served!
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USAToday: "Camping World Bowl is Officially Sold Out"

https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/2019/12/24/camping-world-bowl-officially-sold-out/

They have some nice things to say about us. Hadn't heard this from other sources. Technically, it's sold out on the "initial market" but there are tickets available on the secondary market.

I like this statement: "So there you go, for the first time since Notre Dame played Florida State in the then-Champs Sports Bowl and for now just the second time ever, the Camping World Bowl has sold out."

Last minute flights

Anyone in north iowa/southern mn in need of transportation? You can get a round trip flight from rochestor, mn to orlando for $519 on american airlines. Flight leaves tomorrow mid day and lands in orlando late. return flight either saturday after the game at 5:30, or on sunday with multiple options. One stop in chicago both ways. Hopefully someone can take advantage of this pretty good price.

Busch Light Orlando Cyclonefanatic Charter

It’s not my preferred beverage but I know it is for some. I don’t want to create a stampede but I Just left the walgreens across from the Hyatt regency where the cyclonefanatic charter is staying. They have six 18 packs of Busch light. It’s not in the cooler. It’s warm. Manager said it’s all they had. I suggested he ask for more or at least put it in the cooler. He didn’t sound impressed.

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