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We attended a University of Northern Iowa football game in the UNI-Dome on a Saturday, ate popcorn and a hot dog, dropped our trash on the floor, spilled some pop and left.

Sunday afternoon, we were part of the cleaning crew at Iowa State University’s Hilton Coliseum. I believe this is called karma.

What did I learn from the experience? That the recession is a complete hoax, or else people wouldn’t buy overpriced ice cream only to leave most of it melted in the cup. Jerks.

Actually, our high school volunteer group had it pretty easy. About 40 of us showed up to clean after a Cyclone women’s basketball exhibition game. The game drew a small audience on a warm, sunny November day, so we were done in an hour.

Things reportedly were quite different the night before, when 10,000 people thronged to ISU’s volleyball match with Nebraska.

Cleaning up after those 10,000 fans were eight volunteers. Eight. You need more people than that to clean a garage, or at least that’s why I’ve been putting it off.

Each volunteer must have bent down and picked up roughly 1,000 damp cups and just as many bags and snack wrappers – that’s almost as much cleaning up as you do in a month of child-raising. I’m guessing they’ll never volunteer for anything ever again, even if it involves free sandwiches and attractive celebrities.

Usually, though, volunteer outings are nice ways for school organizations to make a little money. Groups work at concession stands or hand out meal tickets for company outings at Adventureland Park, things like that.

A win-win situation; but it’s surprising to realize that large organizations rely so much on volunteers. It’s bad enough that we’re growing more and more dependent on part-timers and freelancers, which is nice for retired Baby Boomers who need to get out of the house once in a while, but alarming, too.

A nation that relies on part-time employment is a nation that is watching way too much daytime television.

Speaking of the future and why it’s not going to work out, I also had a surprise revelation about the Iowa State Center complex – the salute to poured concrete that includes Hilton, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, the Fisher Theater and the Scheman Building.

As we approached Hilton, I told my family for the hundredth time about being inside the place while it was still under construction – it’s a captivating tale, and if you order now, you can receive the DVD in time for Christmas.

Then we noticed a problem. After a mere 38 years, the concrete has crumbled away from the steps in several places, exposing the steel reinforcing rods.

When you consider the elaborate system of stairs and walkways at the Iowa State Center, you can see why the university plans to dump millions of dollars into renovation. And we thought the only oversight in the construction of Hilton and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City was that they were plunked down on floodplains.

Come to think of it, the UNI-Dome didn’t work out as planned, either. The notion of a roof supported by air pressure left out one minor detail: In Iowa, it snows.

Maybe it would pay in the long run to have a state engineering czar. Someone who would look at plans and ask the one question that’s crucial to every large project: “Are you serious?”

Anyway, it all made for an interesting college-based weekend.

After UNI vanquished the Youngstown State Penguins (one of the top three mascot choices among passive, flightless birds), we ate some pizza before leaving Cedar Falls. Some of the Panther players dropped in, and while they waited for a table – I was grateful that they didn’t just flick me out of my chair – they complained about the fans. The student section was less crowded after halftime, and it annoyed them.

I didn’t know football players were so sensitive. Life is just one surprise after another.