Monthly Archives: September 2009

Flipping Out of Running

I took my Flip Camera Phone with me on my 4.5 mile run at noon today.

First up, one of my favorite fountains at a church downtown. I’ve been running by this for 17 years. Its always a welcome sight, especially when its 100 degrees outside. Especially when the sprinklers are running also.

Now, you get to see why I hate the sound of my own voice. One of the strange things about Tulsa is that two of the biggest Methodist Churches in town are separated by a 30 foot wide street.

Now, everyone please realise that there is no conflict between the churches. I was just kidding.

I ran by the Arkansas River. I love the old railroad bridge converted over to a pedestrian bridge and the low water dam. It masks the sound of the thousands of cars that drive up and down Riverside drive every day.

In the old Riverview neighborhood somebody has had a very nice water feature going for years. Its like a little rocky stream in their front yard and I just absolutely love it. With winter coming they will be shutting it down but I always look for it in the spring.

Taylor Swift – Fearless in Tulsa and the Hanson Brothers were in the House

Sweetie and I ventured downtwn to the new BOK Center to see Taylor Swift in concert as part of her Fearless Tour.

OK, what’s the deal? She is supposed to be a Country Western singer right? Where’s the hats? Not just hers but everybody elses. I only saw two cowboy hats all night, neither one of them hers and in fact none on the stage. Tim McGraw wore one in a video segment and I saw one other hat. The cowboy garb seems to be boots. She had several pairs. Lots of the girls (Yes, I mean girls, in a half dozen years half of them will be women the rest of them will still be girls.) wore boots with their short dresses. Kind of a strange look, but it has been around a few years and I guess that I’m used to it. I think the rule is that those who look good in short dresses can wear what they want. If they don’t look good in a short dress then the boots are not going to either help or hurt.

OK, now the other thing, are not Country Western singers actually supposed to sing Country Western songs? I mean, have they changed the rules. There were no steel guitars, no blue jeans, no yee haws, no “heidy yall,” no flags, no horses, no salute to mommy and daddy. What up? Also, at the very end, she took a shower on the stage. Don’t get excited, she kept her clothes on, check out in the collage below. Are all Country singers going to start doing that?

All I know is that she put on a hell of a show. Tulsa loved her, they loved her a lot. I thought it was great. She got a bigger ovation than Oklahoma’s own Carrie Underwood last year and pretty close to Garth Brook’s shows at Driller’s Stadium back in the 90’s. For somebody so young she is so accomplished yet comes across as unspoiled and real. She is certainly talented. She writes the songs, she sings the songs, she plays the guitar and the piano. How can somebody be that talented?

I’ll be watching young Ms. Swift. I hope that she can stay centered and grow and prosper in her career and develop as a person. She is off to a great start.

Check out her web site here.

Check out the Tulsa World review complete with slide show here.

Oh, by the way, Tulsa’s own Hanson Brothers were in the House sitting about 3 rows down from us. They had better than your average Tulsan’s haircuts but were just like regular people with wives and kids and all that. Sweetie noticed them right away. Nobody else seemed to be paying them any attention until a plus sized gal flashed about six inches of butt crack clambering over seats to get to them to get a picture.

I have to say they were very gracious about her and the subsequent rush of female fans. They put their arms around each of the fans and posed and even took the camera and did the old self portrait thing a few times. All the while they looked very relaxed and friendly and eventually they were left alone. I was very impressed.

Hunger, Patience, Anticipation

Poor SuperPizzaBoy. We went out to eat after church yesterday and he was hungry. He hates to wait. Bad combination.

Finally, he gets it half eaten before I get my camera back out.

(Sorry for funky coloring, it came this way out of the camera and I’m doing this post on my lunch break.)

Baloney Sunday Challenge – Psalm 57:8

Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn. (NIV)

Check out That’s Baloney for perfect pairings.

A Day Off, a Fight, and Yogi Flips Out, Again

My employer started a pilot project this past summer to test a 9-80 work schedule. We work 80 hours over 9 days and get every other Friday off. My group was one of the groups that tested it. It met with near unanimous approval from the employees and the middle managers and executives didn’t think it negatively affected the work we were doing or relations with customers so they have extended the pilot until February or so when they intend to make it available to almost the whole company.

It was great during the summer but it has really been great since SuperPizzaBoy started school. Isn’t that selfish? Sweetie and I drop his little hiney off and then we go run and do. Yesterday we drove to downtown Tulsa to the Blue Dome Diner and I had their blueberry pecan pancakes. I big stack of three, each as large as a dinner plate. I get a box and put half of them in the box, so as soon as I finish this post, I’m having more pancakes.

Then we did some errands and shopping. We went to Gardner’s Used Books at 4421 South Mingo in Tulsa. SPB hates the place but we love it so we got to spend some time there. Check out their link. They have about 10,000 items you can order online but they are listed in no particular order. Fun for browsing. The store itself has its books very well organized and the staff are readers and know instantly where something might be if you ask.

I found the hulk at Gardners. Notice Captain Kirk’s chair behind the hulk. I tried to get my Trekkie wife to sit in it so I could take a picture. But she wouldn’t!

While we were out and about my wife Sweetie, who loves me very much, bought me a new Flip camera phone. Isn’t she a darling? My one or two readers may remember that a therapist at SPB’s school loaned us a camera for a little while. I took it in under protective custody but Sweetie and the therapist made me give it back. I planned on giving it back, eventually, sometime, but they got very rude about it. But now, thanks to my wife, who I love very much, I have my own. It is still a solution in search of a problem for me and I’m experimenting with it.

A fountain at Hunter Park during a walk with our dogs yesterday.

SPB looking for a video yesterday.

Our dog Ginger

Speaking of Ginger. She and our other dog Abby are pretty good friends. They sometimes get a little cranky with each other but they always make up.

Our two cats don’t get along at all. We have a big old fat cat, Chrissy who is queen of the household. She doesn’t put with much from anybody, especially me. We have a male kitty, LJ who will be a year in November. He puffs up and tries to exert himself but he gets no respect from anybody, especially Chrissy. Chrissy will just stand up and go over and kick his butt just to show that she can. I didn’t have my Flip handy when the latest blowup occurred.

Poor LJ.

Skywatch Friday – the Sun Returns

It has been raining a lot in Northeast Oklahoma. Today the sun came out and gave us a show when it set.

Check out Skywatch Friday for more photographs of the sky from all over the world.

Julie and Julia – the Movie

Sweetie and I went to see Julie and Julia. What can I say its a great movie. Its about food, love, blogging, perserverence, and loving life. The only way they could make it any better is if they could have thrown in the Dallas Cowboys and a geocache.

Meryl Streep steals the show in her portrayal of Julia Child. She is full of life, very animated and not ready to take no for an answer from anybody. I think that Meryl Streep could win an Oscar for this performance. If I had an extra one laying around the house I’d mail it to her. Stanley Tucci plays the perfect, patient, understanding, supportive husband. Amy Adams does a great job as the frustrated young wife and blogger who seeks to do all of Child’s recipes in the course of a year. Chris Messina is the supportive, but sometimes, not so patient husband.

The story is beautifully done and it is wonderful how the two stories parallel each other years apart.

This movie gets four stars out of four. Even absent football and geocaching.

Grab your spouse and go see this movie.

A Homeless Guy, Leviticus 23:22, and my Lunch

One day early this week I went over to my Subway on Cheyenne in downtown Tulsa and got my usual: 6″ roasted chicken on wheat, no cheese, pickles, onions, olives, with apple chips as a side and a Diet Doctor Pepper. It being a nice day I ventured east to our new park to eat and watch the goings on.

On my way there I was accosted by an old black man. Oh no, I said to myself here we go.

“Sir”, he said. That is how they all start out.

“Yes,” I said as I kept on walking.

“Could I talk with you just a second?”

“What about?”

“I noticed you just came out of the Subway.”

“Yep,” I’m still walking. Stopping is a no no.

“I was wondering if you had any spare change?”

“No, actually all I want to do is eat my lunch.”

“Sir, I need to get to Oklahoma City, because I want to go to Phoenix to see my sister and the ticket is $23.” and I’m thinking why do they all have to go somewhere to get somewhere else to see their sister? I’ve quit asking them.

“Like I said, I just want to eat my lunch.”

“You can look at my ID, if you want.” That’s another common statement. What would that prove?

“No, I just want to eat my lunch in peace.”

“I just need some money sir. I need to get something to eat.”

“I’ll give you my lunch, but I’m not giving you a penny.”

“I don’t want your lunch sir.”

“If you are hungry, you can have my lunch.”

“Uh, ok,” so I hand him my lunch, and then I said, “Here take the drink too.” and he gives me the best line ever.,

“You didn’t drank from it did you?”

(I didn’t, I wouldn’t have offered it to him if I had.)

Now, I’ve done similar things before, not too often. A hungry man will not exactly snatch a bag of food out of your hand but you can tell somehow by the way they they put a grip on it when you hand it to them. This guy just stood there as I walked off.

I got clear of him on the other side of the park and turned to watch him. He walked over to the campaign office of one of our mayoral candidates and walked in. “What the heck?” I don’t even want to speculate.

The whole experience left me out of sorts and irritated. I bought another lunch somewhere else and managed to eat in peace.

I’ve always liked the scripture Leviticus 23:22: ” ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'” (NIV)

I’m not a farmer of course but I like the idea that you are to leave a little bit for others. I can afford to donate a lunch every third year or so is how it turns out.

The homeless situation really puzzles me. I don’t want to make light of the situation. It looks totally miserable and dangerous to me. I can tell you that I cannot stand to be hungry and hate that some people especially children go to bed hungry at ngiht. It just seems to me sometimes that maybe the homeless are enabled by the enterprises that support them.

I mean just in one area north of downtown Tulsa we have a homeless ghetto” The Day Center for the Homeless, the Salvation Army Shelter, John 3:16 Mission we also have the Iron Gate Ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church and of course the City County Jail.

I don’t mean that these organizations are explointing the homeless or are not genuine. I am just wondering if we are supporting the lifestyle a little too much? Should we be trying to get them employed and in an apartment rather than just feeding them and kicking them out for the night? I was trying to do some research for this post and I found it almost impossible to get unbiased hard information about how many homeless there are. Their are widely differing statistics out there most of them by homeless advocacy organizations.

I don’t know what do you think?

By the way, I think I was totally scammed. I wanted my lunch back as soon as I gave it to him. Know something else, I don’t think he wanted it! I think he threw it away. We were like mutual victims of the conversation and couldn’t take it back.

WWOD? (What would Obama do?)
WWGBD? (What would Glenn Beck do?)

Ruby Tuesday – Downtown Tulsa

I thought it about time for my first Ruby Tuesday Post. Be gentle!!

Something about this building reminds me of painting “treatments” that people pay a fortune for these days. The couldn’t afford to replicate this on a new building.

McNellies is the place for draft beer and cheap hamburgers Wednesday nights. McNellies Sidebar is the place for martinis.

This place is open only on Sundays and special occasions, no cover.

For other shades of red from all over check out Ruby Tuesday.

On the road to Western Oklahoma – Gas Wells, Geocaching, Battlegrounds, Golf Courses, and Jim and Tammy Baker get a night’s rest

My favorite mother-in-law Nana had her 50th high school reunion in Clinton, Oklahoma last weekend. Sweetie was going to go with her to keep her company. SuperPizzaBoy and I were staying home. Huh, no way, if Sweetie and Nana are going on a road trip, so are SPB and I.

Team Sweetie and Nana got a head start on us Friday. I left work early and grabbed SPB after school. It took an hour or two longer for us get to get going than what I planned, but hey, who is on a schedule? Not me, not on a road trip.

So off we went.

By the way, see the little gizmo on the lower right. That is Sarah. It is a Garmin Nuvi 500 navigation GPSr, with special geocaching features. SPB and I have given it an English female accent that drives SPB into hysterics. We call it Sarah after fellow blogger Sarah of Brit Gal in the USA. Check it out, it is one of my favorite blogs. We might have been able to meet this weekend but she was a little under the weather. Maybe next time.

We got to Clinton, kind of late, everybody had already eaten and was either that the football game or the casino. We visited with some of Nana and Sweetie’s relatives and then went to bed. SPB was tired.

The next day, Sweetie and Nana headed off for reunion activities. SPB and I hit the road.

We passed by a natural gas processing plant that I work with now in my job.

And one I worked with in a past job. This one I helped start up in April 1984. Then I got to drive through all the way to Lake Charles, Louisiana and start it’s sister plant up.

I was way confused back then. I lived in Houston, my office was in Dallas, I took care of stuff in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Missisisippi. Life is much simpler now, Oklahoma and the Peoples Republic of Kansas.

We saw drilling rigs.

We found geocaches

Checked out the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

While there, SPB, filled out a workbook and was sworn in as Junior Park Ranger. He is very proud of that badge. His Grandfather, my Dad was a US Forest Ranger in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Now, I’ve saved the best for last. You see I used to work out here back in my field days. In Cheyenne, Oklahoma the local golf course doesn’t have grass on their greens. They use oil soaked sand. Why? because it is hard to grow grass, that’s why. I cannot tell you how many times people have called BS on that story. Well here is documentary evidence.

It looks like this year’s tournament has passed. Sorry I didn’t let you know earlier. The phone number is listed if you want to enquire about next year’s tournament or if you would like to see they can work in a tee time for you. I’m not sure what kind of reciprocity they will have with your club. Especially if your club isn’t quite “top drawer.”

Here, is the bar and lounge, members and guests only please. Ladies are welcome on Tuesday.

Here is the green on the 9th hole.

Have we got this settled? Everybody satisfied? You guys going to back me up?

Now on to the next item, remember these folks, from a long time ago?

Remember how old Jim got in trouble, he eventually went to prison. Tammy Faye left him. Jim is out of prison and is back in the televangelism business beaming from Branson, Missouri. But the local legend in Elk City, Oklahoma is that after his disgrace,but before his trial, when Jim and Tammy had to load a Uhaul to move cross country back to their home. They spent the night in the old Holidiome in Elk City, right off Interstate 40.

I have no idea if the story is true but everybody says it is,

Then, it was time to head home.

We were home 27 hours after we left. Not bad for a road trip, huh?

YogisDen.us

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