Post 5: The Torn Notebook

Post 5: The Torn Notebook

A monument in Lincoln, Nebraska is the torn notebook. It is a prestigious statue in downtown Lincoln that is an amazing landmark for the citizens. At first when you look at the torn notebook it appears to be an abstract object. From afar you cannot exactly tell what it is, but as you get closer you can tell that it is a notebook ripped in half with pages falling out and flying away. When you think of a notebook you think of something small where one gathers their thoughts, there is a small shiny metal spiral on the outside that encompass crisp white sheets of lined paper. The torn notebook is a massive notebook that is all the same color and texture, white and concrete. The condition of the notebook isn’t as pristine as it used to be, now it isn’t as smooth as it once was and it has begun to deteriorate due to the elements. The spiral is bent awkwardly as if someone tried to pry the notebook in half essentially ripping the pages apart. The pages of the notebook that are torn out look like they are in motion, even on the most humid and stagnant day. The words are hard to make out but the ones that I could understand are: barbed wire, falcons atop flagpoles, goose, and wayward winds, to name a few.
This particular sculpture has another meaning to Nebraskans. At first the artists, Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, were going to put up a sculpture of a cornhusker but then decided to visit Nebraska. They found out wonderful things about Nebraska like our crazy windy days and the cranes and they put all those things into their notebook that they sculpted and scattered around downtown Lincoln. Most people think of Nebraska a rural state that doesn’t have much to offer besides corn and other crops, but there are other natural beauties that occur in Nebraska that people are not informed about. It is a state of secret beauty.

Post 4: Memorial Stadium

Post 4: Memorial Stadium

It was a cold Saturday evening in Lincoln, Nebraska when the biggest football game of the year occurred. The Nebraska Huskers played the USC Trojans. The down town streets by the UNL campus were filled with Husker fans. The sea of red was filtering into the game or their tail gate sites. Husker games have always fascinated me because of the loyal fans that the Huskers have. I love to watch them filter in through the tunnel. It is a mass of people wearing the Husker colors of red, white, and black. It shows how involved they are in supporting their team. The Huskers have such great attendance at their games that they were able to afford a new jumbotron T.V. for their stadium.
Memorial Stadium recently had a face lift. Along with the television they also put in new club seats for fans. Although the front of Memorial stadium is new the inside remains the same. There are still the columns that run through to support the stands and the small stair cases with out railings to get you up to a balcony seat. The stands and stairs are painted in red and white, mostly chipping or worn off from so much foot traffic. The night games have the big lights that illuminate the field and the fans decked out in their red apparel. If you look down the rows and rows of fans you can see the turf is a bright green with the stark white lines painted across and the Husker “N” in the middle.
The most important part about Memorial Stadium is the traditions that it holds. Everyone gets so excited for Tunnel Vision where the starting players show on the screen and then at the end the Husker football players burst out of the locker rooms. The crowd screams wildly, you can’t even hear yourself scream it’s just one big roar. The band in out on the field so the football players can weave through them and make their way ot the sidelines. When the Husker fight song is played everyone claps and jumps around and then you wave your hands during a part. The cheerleaders come out and everyone yells Husker Power! Memorial Stadium is a landmark in Lincoln because of the love of the huskers and because of the tradition it holds. When I think of Memorial Stadium I don’t think of a building I think of the excitement of the Husker football season and the sea of red and the loud roar of the crowd when the Huskers play well. I think of the balloons released at the first touchdown and watching them float over the edges of the stadium. When I see Memorial Stadium it’s not a building it’s a monument to the Huskers.