Monthly Archives: September 2009

Baloney Sunday Challenge – John 14:2

As my one or two readers know I love geocaching and especially cemetery geocaches. SuperPizzaBoy and I were in far western Oklahoma yesterday on a road trip. We looked for a cache in a little country cemetery literally out in the middle of nowhere. Actually we drove past nowhere to get there. I absolutely love cemeteries, especially old ones. They give me a sense of peace. Like, I’m going to die and the world is going to go on without me, somehow. Strange I know, but still.

We didn’t find the cache, but I didn’t care too much. I found this tombstone. If you will click on picture you can read that it marks the grave of Annie A. Hitt who died in 1917, age 43. I don’t know a thing about her, (but I do know that Hitt is still a common name in that neck of the woods.) (Listen to me, you are going to have to click on the picture to see what I’m talking about, do it, now!!!)

Above her name, just barely recognizeable, is the enscription: “In my Father’s House are Many Mansions.”

Look just above that and you can just barely make out a big multi-turreted mansion. Boy, that’s strange, what you hear mostly is “rooms” not “mansions”. I checked the King James version and sure enough it says “mansions.”

I’m not too interested in the original Greek and blah, blah, blah about true meaning of this and that. All I know is I always liked the “rooms” version, but the “mansions” almost stopped my heart. I love it also! I love both of them and lay claim to both versions! So here is is my verse:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2 (KJV)

Like I said, I don’t know a thing about Annie A. Hitt, but she almost stopped my heart 92 years after her heart stopped. I don’t know if anybody from her family remembers her, but I’ll remember her for quite a while.

Check out That’s Baloney for perfect pairings by Baloney and her friends.

Rough Justice by Lisa Scottoline

Rough Justice is a backwards murder mystery. The book features hot shot (and just plain hot) defense attorney Marta Richter and a host of other female attorneys who are defending the Philadelphia millionaire slumlord Elliot Steere on a murder charge that he killed a homeless man in cold blood.

Things are going pretty smoothly for the Marta. She and Steere have been playing footsie during the trial and after the acquittal they are riding off in the sunset together.

That day dream lasts until the end of the second paragraph of the book. Her bubble is popped. Her client may not be innocent, he is definitely not taking her off into the sunset. She is mad and you don’t make a hot attorney mad.

What happens after that is pretty wild. There is a huge snow storm, cross country skiing, murder and killing, mayhem, horse shoeing, poisoning, stalking, geocaching (kind of!), jury tampering, Marta making a conjugal visit to one of the juror’s (that’s a new one, the visit is G rated by the way), voting scandals, organ donations, and a race to the courthouse. This book has it all.

The book was written in 1997 before everybody and their hot attorney had cell phones. Some of the predicaments that the characters found themselves in could have been resolved if they had a cell phone to call for help.

This is a darn good book. The writing is very smooth and draws you into the story quickly. I rate it 3 stars out of 4, which is very good..

Being originally published in 1997 you’ll have to get it in paperback or at your library. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more Scottoline novels. Scottoline is a prolific author. Check out her website.

Many thanks to Baloney for loaning me the book.

Skywatch Friday – Cloudy Days

We are about to get rained out in northeast Oklahoma. When we don’t have rain, we have clouds. I’ll take it.

I don’t know about the sky, but I would love to have this as an office window. I love how big it is, the shape, and the color. The whole building is vacant, buy it and you can have your pick of this window or a couple dozen others just like it.

It cleared up a little bit, for a little while. This is reflecting off the glass curtain at Tulsa’s new BOK Arena downtown.

For images of the sky from all over the world check out Skywatch Friday.

Book Fair!! – but no Donuts for Dads

Big day for Yogi yesterday (Can I refer to myself in the 3rd person? Will Obama call me a jackass? Am I a jackass?)

First up is that it is Book Fair at SuperPizzaBoy’s school and Wednesday was Donuts for Dads. So SPB and I loaded up and got to school early. You see, he thinks a corollary to Donuts for Dads is Donuts for the kids also.

Oops, somebody dropped the ball. No donuts. Uh oh. SPB starts to talk about it. Mrs. Denise, the Head of the Lower School, tells him that she scrounged up some muffins and he should grab one and pretend that it is donut. That didn’t go over very well and so SPB starts yakking about it. Mrs. Denise takes pride in the fact that they never tell the kids to shut up. Its true, they don’t. The kids are liable to say anything, at anytime.

Anyway, he managed to shake it off and pick out a few books. I got some also. I love Book Fair.

First up, for early readers is “Dirt on My Shirt” a book of poems by Jeff Foxworthy. I love poems, I don’t get most adult poems so I read kid poems. More my level if you know what I mean. Here is the poem that moved me to buy the book; it reminded me of geocaching!

“Dirt on My Shirt”

There’s dirt on my shirt
And leaves on my hair
There’s mud on my boots
But I don’t really care
Playing outside is so much fun
To breathe the clean air
And feel the warm sun
To stomp in a puddle
Or climb a big tree
Makes me quite happy
Just look and you’ll see

I got a buzz from just typing it in.

And then I got a book for preteen girls, “the Ultimate coke or pepsi”. Its a questions book, for me and my friends. Are you my friend? Then answer me this.

Would you rather: Glow in the Dark? ___ or Shimmer in the Daylight? ___

Personally I think the shimmering thing would be very cool.

And then I got a book for preteen boys, “Dude – The Book of Crazy, Immature Stuff” Answer me this:

Which is more disgusting: Nose Picker?____ or Scab Picker? ____

Nose picking is more disgusting by a mile! to me.

Next, “The Encyclopedia of Immaturity – How to Never Grow Up, the Complete Guide”

Sweetie thinks that I could have written the book. Maybe I did! How about this:

Do the Bubble Gum Nose Bubble

Chew a wad a bubble gum very thorughly.
Remove from mouth.
Place over nostrils (hold in place)
Inflate, remove, seal, pass around for inspection.

You know with the seasons changing, its always nice to load up on good literature for the coming snowy days ahead.

The Black Eyed Peas – “The End”

I don’t get a lot of hip-hop. I try every now and then on Sirius XM but I’m not really a hip-hop kind of guy. I’m more of an alternative rock – thrash metal – jazz kind of guy. But I finally gave in and purchased The Black Eyed Peas new CD “The End.” I may be the oldest, fattest, baldest guy to ever buy the CD and sign up for their fan club.

To me its not really hip-hop its more of techno pop type thing with heavily synthesized vocals and instruments. Hey if Peter Frampton and Cher can do it so can other people.

I love the beat. You can dance to it. You can, I can’t dance to anything, just ask Sweetie. I like it because most of my ipod listening is while I’m running and this is easy music to run with.

And the lyrics. Gotta love the lyrics. Even I can understand them, and they are so happy.

From “Party all the Time.”

If We Could Party All Night

And Sleep All Day

And Throw All Of My Problems Away-Ay-Ay

Eaaaasy

My Life Would Be Eaaasy

Life Would Be Eaaasy

Party All The Time [x7]

If If We Could Party Party Party (Heyy)

Make That Body Down

Ladies Don’t Stop It

Shake It Round & Round

Feel That Bass Bumpin

And Rock To The Beat

This Beat Is Steady Bumpin

They Jumpin Off Their Feet

Check It Out

Ladies Got Their Hands in The Air

Shake It Like You Just Don’t Care

Party It Down Like Yeah (Yeah)

Somebody Say Yeah (Yeah)

I just love these songs. They are just straightforward silly, no irony, just stuff to listen to.

The big single on this is “Boom Boom Pow”

Their web site is http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/

I rate this CD 4 stars out of 4.

Tip, buy the clean version at Walmart if you have kids. I bought mine at Target, I will not play it with a kid in the car.

My World – Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art

Last week Sweetie and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary. One thing we did to celebrate was spend an afternoon at the Philbrook Museum of Art. We started with lunch in their restaurant, la Villa. It’s a very nice little lunch spot with a light menu. We each had the Grilled Chicken Salad. It was very nice. It was almost too pretty to eat. Sorry for the blurry photograph.

We then toured the museum. They had an exhibition titled “Auspicious Vision – Edward Wales Root and American Modernism.” It was pretty interesting in that it showed how American artists moved from Early Modernism (like Impressionism) to Total Abstraction like Jackson Pollack. I’m not going to pretend that I “get it” or even halfway understand it but I enjoyed the exhibit.

Then we toured the rest of the museum. I had enquired about the rules for photography. They said that the use of personal cameras was allowed, without a flash, in the entire exhibit except for the Auspicious Vision exhibit. So I took some photographs.

This is my favorite. I call it the “little arms” statue. There is nothing quite like little arms around your neck!

Those of you with little ones, especially little boys, enjoy this phase. When they get to be 11 and think that passing gas is funny, you still love’em, but things are not quite the same.

They had a Thomas Moran work or two. (uh, he’s a lot better painter than I am a photographer.)

They have a collection of objects entitled “Better Living by Design” from the George R. Kravis II Collection. Lots of everyday items, including a couple of ipods.

Some art from the Southwest.

Just as nice as the Museum gallerys are the grounds of Philbrook.

They have extensive plantings and very nice landscaping including water features.

One area had quite a collection of vegetables planted. Okra, squash, eggplant, and tomato. It turns out that they could not afford to plant about 3600 square feet of beds because of the economic downturn. So they turned the space over to a local food bank who was growing the vegetables. Man what a guilt trip for the donors! Really, I think that it is a nice program

Anyway, we had to leave to go pick SuperPizzaBoy from school.

Visiting Philbrook is a great way to spend an afternoon.

For other sights from around the world check out That’s My World.

Turkey and Taturs Trail Race 2009

“….miles to go before I sleep….” by Trail Zombie is one of my favorite blogs. TZ runs incredible distances most of it on trails. TZ runs marathon and longer distances (ultra Marathons). He runs at all hours of the day and night. He probably runs more miles on a weekend than I do in a month. He belongs to the local trail running club, TATUR, and helps mark the courses for the races they run. TZ makes the races sound fun so I decided to do their next one, the Turkey & Taturs Trail Race held Sunday. The race had three different lengths, 50K (30.1 miles, longer than a marathon which is hair over 26 miles), 25K (15.5 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). Wimp that I am, I chose the 10K race.

I have run in lots of road races. I’ve done two marathons, two half marathons, a 20K race, fifteen 15K races, and a whole boatload of 10K, 8K, and 5K races. They are fun, but I’m always looking for something different. The trail race was different.

First, there are not that many people which makes it less of a mob scene, second it is pretty much an event for the 40 and over crowd it seemed to me, and second the route is very primitive. (That is why they call it a trail run, duh). Third, you can wear headphones and listen to music (Yea).

Here is a map of the course.

The course is the thin red line. The 10K basically was the top half of the map. You can see the course twists and turns so much that the map is useless. Turkey mountain is laced with dozens of different trails and hundreds of different trail combinations. If you get off course, you are toast. After just a half mile I was running by myself, so I kept a sharp eye for the pink ribbons marking the course. It would be easy to get off course and if you do, you are lost, you are so turned around it would be difficult to know where to return to the start.

Just to add to the fun, it started sprinkling just before the race and it turned into a full blown rain later on. It was not cold and I was wearing technical fabrics so that wasn’t any big deal and it wasn’t lightning, which would be the deal stopper for me. The course web site said they wouldn’t cancel the race for rain anyway. I think these guys like rain and mud. It was kind of fun, running through the woods splashing through the puddles with abandon.

Here are a few pictures I took during the run.

Let me tell you something I learned about the brown mud. Its slick as snot so I picked my way carefully through it. I got passed by runners doing the 25K race and they would just fly on past, as did a couple of grandmothers and a great greandmother on walkers. They can be pretty rude with their little bells.

See the darker mud, it was pretty slippery so I had very slow going on it also.

This is a water station about halfway through the race. See all those cups? I think it means that I’m not in the lead. I blame all that brown and black mud.

I wasn’t getting my heart rate up enough on the course, so I stopped and did a little workout on this treadmill so I could stay warmed up. (Not really). Why the heck do people pick city parks to dump their trash? I award the people who dumped this here a poop hat award. If you live in Tulsa and have a large object you want to get rid of, you call the city and they will come get it. No cost, no questions. You don’t need to dump it in a city park!!! Good grief folks!!!

Lots of rocks on the race. They were very slick when wet so I went over them slowly to avoid hurting myself.

A sight to warm the heart of a crusty gas guy. A big inch natural gas transmission line running alongside the trail. Wow, that got me all inspired!! The line must have been laid along time ago. Now days they wouldn’t span a little creek like that. All the bubbas of the world like to shoot at them with their deer rifles. You say Turkey Mountain is a park there is no hunting allowed. I would say, if there are deer (and there are, I’ve seen them) then there will be hunters of those deer. (I also think that 99.99% of deer hunters in Oklahoma strictly obey the various laws regarding their sport.)

I didn’t get a picture of it but finally ran into some good running terrain. Lots of nice grass right before the finish. I have learned over the years to be running hard when you make the final turn to the finish line. You have to finish with style. If you cannot finish with style at least finish vertically. I did my best to ignore the knowing smirks of the grannys that passed me earlier. I think they cheated, I know they did!

And now for my lady readers, a little beefcake. Control yourselves, I’m a married man, not available. Sorry.

Running in the mud is fun!!!

And by gum, I got my participant ribbon!!! I’m the king of participant ribbons. Sometimes they run out before I finish a race though.

But you know what the important thing about racing is? The physical and mental challenges, communing with nature, rocking out on the headphones to the like of Metallica and Patsy Cline, becoming one with the universe, exploring the inner realms of your outer consciousness (or is it the other way around?)? No, none of that.

The most important thing about racing is:

Getting the Shirt!!!

I had lots of fun. I didn’t get to meet Trail Zombie but I will because this wasn’t my last Trail Race!

(Everybody knows that I made up the bit about the grandmother’s right?)

Proverbs 5:18 – Sunday Challenge

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

Proverbs 5:18

For other “Perfect Pairings” check out That’s Baloney.

Last Game at Driller’s Stadium

Tulsa’s AA Level baseball team is the Tulsa Drillers. They are a farm club for the Denver Rockies. The Drillers have played for years at Driller’s Stadium located at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds in an area of town called “Midtown.” It is a nice comfortable stadium with lots of room and free parking. Not much style to the park, but it is a great place to spend an evening watching baseball.

Next year the Drillers are moving downtown to a new Stadium, ONEOK Field. It is being built right now and will be finished in time for the first pitch early April. It is a spiffy looking facility and I’m sure that I’ll come to love it. You can click here and see a live view of the construction of the park. It is a little unusual because it will be facing mostly south rather than east. But I guess that will work. Here is a cut and paste of the view as of yesterday.

Very cool, you can see the diamond taking shape already.

One of the men in our Sunday School had access to some inexpensive tickets for the last game. So a bunch of us went. First we ate barbecue at the Rib Crib on Peoria. The food was good but look at these motorcycles in the parking lot. I just loved them.

Oops, baseball game!! Sorry.

We had the Star Spangled Banner. I hope the the flag at the new place flies as good as this one always does.

We had the game. Tulsa got ahead by 15 runs or so and most of us left. Hey we are fans, but we didn’t think the Arkansas UnNaturals were going to pull it off. (OK, they are actually the Naturals, but I think UnNatural’s adds just a tinge more interest. Don’t you? All them Arkansas boys on those long lonely bus rides away from home and ….) Well, so much for that. This was a church group!!!