Ready, Set, Run 2009

The Autism Center of Tulsa (“ACT”), formerly the Tulsa Autism Foundation, is having their annual 5K Race and Fun Run on May 9, 2009 at Hunter Park in Tulsa. It will be a certified 5K race and a very fun Fun Run. A good time will be had by all. The Yogi Family will be out in force including SuperPizzaBoy, who as some of you know has Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of Autism.

To quote from the ACT web site:

“The Autism Center of Tulsa was founded in 2005 with the mission of meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by autism and related neurological disorders to improve quality of life. The Autism Center of Tulsa provides programming that supports its mission in a variety of ways, including community awareness and outreach, early screening and intervention, safety, parent and professional information and training as well as family support and on-site resources.”

The Yogi family has benefited from the various ACT programs such as the Family Fun Nights, educational seminars for parents. They also have a resource center. They provide lots of support but they do not advocate any particular treatment approaches thinking that is best left to the parents and doctors of the children involved.

If your family has somebody diagnosed with Autism or if you know somebody else affected by the disorder please check out the web site and call them. They are very helpful.

As part of this race the Yogi family formed a team, “Logan’s SuperPizzaPeople,” to help out with the fund raising. To help SuperPizzaBoy get motivated to raise money we’ve thrown him in jail and we are not letting him out until he comes up with a $1000. I know that some people may think that is a little harsh but SPB doesn’t really mind except we we are not letting him play video games.

You might check out the link. There is picture of him in jail. If you don’t feel led to give, he would appreciate any supportive comments that you may have. If you do feel led to give I would appreciate it very much, not only for the money which will go to good uses but also to reduce the noise level in the house. We messed up and put his cell way too close to the house and he is yelling really loud. I can hardly hear myself think!

My World – Boston Avenue Methodist Church – Tulsa

In a city full of Art Deco treasures the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, downtown at 13th and Boston, may be the crown jewel.
It was completed in 1929 just in time for the stock market crash. The church was almost foreclosed on and converted to a movie theater but was saved when a group of businessmen chartered a flight to Kansas City and convinced the mortgage owner not to proceed with the foreclosure.

The two architects were Bruce Goff and Adah Robinson. The building features a 225 foot tall tower containing church offices, bells, and a prayer room. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

As nice and innovative as the exterior of the building is, the interior is stunning. The stained glass especially is spectacular. The church offers tours of the building at the conclusion of the 11 AM Service on Sundays.

One thing I love about Art Deco is the detailing. Below is a detail of the south face of the building showing three Methodist circuit riders on horseback.

Surf over to My World Tuesday to see unique photographs from all over the world.

Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience

Saturday afternoon the Yogi family again ventured to downtown Tulsa to the BOK Center. This time to see “Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience.” (Click the link if you have time, the production’ web site is awesome).

Walking with Dinosaurs is an outgrowth of the BBC Series with the same name.

This is a great show. The technology used is amazing as the dinsaurs look lifelike. They walk dynamically and in balance, the muscles ripple under the skin realistically.

I could go on and on but the short story is that we loved this show. The narrator of the story (a faux paleontologist with what looked like faux face stubble) did a great job of explaining what was going on all the while dodging the creatures as they maneuvered around the floor of the arena. The dinosaurs roared, some very loudly, the music was great. This is a first rate production.

Last Chance Harvey

Last Friday night, SuperPizzaBoy spent the night at a friend’s house so Sweetie and I were temporarily childless. So we went to the movies. Sweetie picked something I had not heard of, “Last Chance Harvey” a romantic comedy starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.

I like Mr. Hoffman OK but I’m always up for anything Ms. Thompson does. She and Hoffman do not disappoint in this movie. It is a story about two older folks, (one of them a lot older) who have a lot of regrets and missed chances. Plus both of them have that irritating habit that many people have of taking all cell phone calls no matter what else is going on.

Hoffman plays an American “jingle composer” who always wanted to be a jazz pianist who travels to London for his estranged daughter’s wedding. Thompson plays an English lady of certain age who lives in London with her mother and works as an interviewer at an airport.

They meet and fall in love after overcoming some Anglo-American cultural differences. They suffer some setbacks but since they are both tired of missed chances they end up together.

I rate this movie 3.5 stars out of 4. I highly recommend seeing it if you like romantic comedies.

Skywatch Friday – Ice Storm Coming

On Monday, those of us fortunate to live in northeast Oklahoma were told that an ice storm was coming Tuesday. We also had strange sky to the south that same day. I told Sweetie that it looked an “Angry God Sky.” The ice storm came and we lived through it (and I don’t really believe that God is mad at us Okies.)

For interesting views of the skys from all over the world, or to contribute your own images, check out Skywatch Friday.

Impressions Restaurant – Tulsa

Downtown Tulsa has two great lunch spots on Bartlett Square (you know, where the circle is). This past Monday with the ice storm coming I went to Impressions for some comfort food.

Impressions is the best lunch spot downtown. Its not the fastest, Tom and the folks that work with him, make everybody’s order one at a time. Nothing is prepackaged. If you want a sandwich, they make it in front of you. They are very efficient but its not like Arby’s a block north on Main. At Impressions, they take the food very seriously. Sometimes there is a line, its worth it.

I splurged. I had a bowl of the stew (the stew is the best in Tulsa outside of the Yogi household, where Sweetie is the chef) with French Bread, “buttered and toasted?” asks Tom. “Absolutely” I always answer, today a treat for me, the best Carrot Cake to be had anywhere.

Next time you are downtown and are hungry, and are not in too much of a hurry. Let me know, we’ll go have lunch at Impressions.

Let me tell you about Tom. Each and every customer that comes into his restaurant is treated courteously, their food is prepared carefully, and each customer is thanked personally for their business by Tom and wished a good day.

You can spend a lot more money for a lot less than what Impressions gives you.

My World – Frisco 4500

I was chasing a geocache with a couple of friends just north of downtown Tulsa when we stumbled upon this old steam locomotive sitting unattended in the middle of nowhere. Talk about serendipity! What a find.

A little research showed that it is the Frisco 4500 being restored by the Townwest Sertoma Club. The locomotive was built in 1942 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. It worked first pulling Passenger Trains and then Freight until 1950.

In 1954 it was put on display at Tulsa Mohawk Park and stayed there until 2000. Since then it has been undergoing a slow restoration. Hopefully, it will be moved to another park for public viewing again.

Read all the details on the Sertoma Club Website.

See finds from all over the World on My World Tuesday.

I Figured it Out – All by Myself

I have been so jealous of Georgie of Decisionally Challenged. Not only does her blog rock, she has those cool heart symbols framing her name.

I had been pondering that. Not because I want hearts but because I wanted to know how to do it.

I finally figured it out, all by myself.

So I am experimenting with it. I will never come up with anything as cool as Georgie’s symbols and I probably will probably drop the symbol I’m using as soon as everybody gets through laughing and lampooning about it.

Georgie, I hope you don’t mind. This is just a phase I’m going through.

Its Too Early in the Morning

About two or three mornings a week I venture from the house at about 5:45 am to go to my gym to workout. I just kind of get in automatic and somehow, even without coffee, I get there. I’ve been doing this for about 8 years so I’m pretty much in the groove.

Last week one morning, I was driving along in my groove. I passed a Tulsa Police car, and something chirped. It sounded like it was in my car. Now I’ve got all sorts of gadgets that are never very far from me even at that time. All of them make various chirps, beeps, and rings as part of what they do but this was different. I was looking around and trying to figure out what is going on.

I pulled up to a stop light and suddenly I heard from the car to my left and back a loudspeaker going off. I wasn’t really paying attention to what it was saying. I was still trying to figure if the chirp was one of my gadgets or a pre-explosion warning for my car. In my line of business, radios on external speakers are pretty common. If you have a com radio you can switch to an outside speaker so when you are out of your car watching other people work you can hear if your boss is about to show up.

Anyways, then the voice got louder and I looked out and back and the policeman in the car was glaring at me, yelling into his mike, talking about speeding, and checking my spedometer, yada yada yada. And then he took off giving me a hard glare on a swiveling neck as he passed by. I still don’t know most of what he said. I mean I could hear that it was high volume but I couldn’t make out the words very well.

And then I figured it out. I’m very slow at my fastest and I’m glacier speed this early in the morning. He had given me a friendly little chirp from his car to slow me down and I didn’t respond. And, then when he tried to give me a friendly little loudspeaker chat I wouldn’t even look at him.

So I don’t know what the deal is. I am certain that I was not speeding. I am certain that my spedometer works (It matches exactly the speed reading on my gps the few times I’ve checked it.) However, I am certain that I violated a fundamental rule. Never pass a policeman, unless other people are, and further, never ever ignore them. I’m also pretty sure that I had pissed him off somehow.

Not a good start to my day, acting like a dumbass. I’m not sure that this loudspeaker citizen communication program the guy was trying to do works very well either.I suspect that he had a call to go to and didn’t have time to mess with me.

Hey, check out the Tulsa Police Blog. All sorts of stuff on it.