Okie Sister

Elmer Thomas, Senator & Park Man

John William Elmer Thomas was born in 1876 on a farm in Indiana. He was encouraged by his mother, a former teacher, to further his education. He became not only a teacher but also a lawyer. He developed a keen interest in politics at an early age and campaigned for presidential hopeful William Jennings Bryan. Thomas was inspired by a poster for a Rough Riders reunion in OKC. He turned his interests to Oklahoma and moved here in 1900. In Lawton, he married Edith Smith and they had one child, Wilford Smith Thomas in 1904.

Thomas recognized that water was a major issue for the new town of Lawton, so he and Hal A. Lloyd of Altus, OK opened Medicine Park Resort on Medicine Creek. The resort had a dam that diverted water to Lawton, which was fifteen miles away. Thomas hosted parties at his resort and was called, “the Sage of Medicine Park.”

Elmer Thomas was elected to the first Oklahoma senate in 1907. While chairing the appropriations committee, he worked toward the funding for the new state capitol, he helped establish the state game and fish department and he oversaw the installation of the state’s first fish hatchery at Medicine Park.

Throughout his political career Thomas supported Indian Affairs and education measures. He knew Quanah Parker and witnessed the baptism of Geronimo at Medicine Park. Thomas continually worked to improve the farming problems in the state, supporting relief bills and expanded farm credits. As the farm crisis worsened during the Great Depression, he argued for inflating the currency to stimulate the economy.

During the Roosevelt administration, Thomas brought public works projects to the area and secured the location of Tinker Air Force Base. He financed the Fort Gibson and Tenkiller Corp of Engineer projects. "I can get money for a dam easier than for my own breakfast" Thomas once said. President Roosevelt refered to Thomas as an old friend.

Thomas was interested in exportation of surplus goods, the Federal Reserve System, European geopolitics, and military preparedness. He served in military intelligence and inspected bases for their combat readiness. During WWII, his subcommittee secured funding for the secret atomic bomb project.

Elmer Thomas was defeated in the 1950 Senatorial race and went on to practice law in Washington until his retirement in 1957. He moved back to Lawton and died here in 1965. He is buried in Lawton's Highland Cemetery.

Richard Lowitt, former history professor at OU, published Thomas’ memoirs last year, “Forty Years A Legislator.” The Carl Albert Center at OU has numerous photographs available for viewing of Thomas throughout his career.

Why am I giving you this Oklahoma history lesson today?

• Because they don’t teach this stuff to you kids in school anymore, it is my duty as your ‘elder’ to pass this knowledge on to you young’ins. (Oh, by the way, Senator Thomas encouraged the teaching of foreign languages in school.)
• Real people stories are fascinating to me and I thought others might be interested in them too.
• I am writing a story about Lawton’s Elmer Thomas Park and all the memories the park holds for me. In my ever expanding quest for knowledge, I had to know more about the man that the park was named for. There is also a lake in the nearby Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge that bears his name.

So come back to read my little park story, and maybe a refuge story or two, or another famous Okie bio. You’ll definitely want to hear more about Medicine Park and the rich and famous, as well as, the ‘gangstas’ who stopped by there in the early 1900’s.

Can't You See

Today’s song makes me happy when I hear it, but I guess the theme is not really a feel good song. Toy Caldwell is singing about a woman leaving him and the pain he feels about it. There are lots of guitars and a flute part in this bluesy tune. “Can’t You See” became an anthem for the Marshall Tucker Band. It’s a great classic rock standard.

When I hear this song, I think of a time in the late 70’s. My best friend was dating a guy who was living with a friend of his out at Medicine Park, OK. The house was right on the creek just below the dam. I seem to remember that it had a basement with a rock wall that was a waterfall; very cool. We had a lot of fun partying out there with friends. Mostly I just liked the setting, as it was very serene sitting outside by Medicine Creek. The city of Medicine Park, OK was founded by Elmer Thomas. I’ll tell you more about him later.

Can’t You See by the Marshall Tucker Band

I'm gonna take a freight train down at the station, Lord
I don't care where it goes
Gonna climb a mountain, the highest mountain, Lord
And gonna jump off, ain’t nobody gonna know
Can't you see, oh, can't you see,
What that woman, Lord
She been doin' to me
Can't you see, oh, can't you see
What that woman, been doin' to me

I'm gonna find me a hole in the wall,
I’m gonna crawl inside and die
’Cause my lady, now a mean old woman, Lord
Never told me goodbye
Can't you see, oh, can't you see,
What that woman she been doin' to me
Can't you see, oh, can't you see,
What that woman, she been doin' to me

I’m gonna buy me a ticket as far as I can,
I ain't never comin' back
I’m gonna take me that south-bound,
All the way to Georgia now,
‘Till the train it run out of track
Can't you see, oh, can't you see,
What that woman, she been doin' to me
Can't you see, oh, can't you see,
What that woman, what she been doin' to me

Feel Good Music

I’m a music freak. I always have some song playing, even if it’s only in my head.

I drive to and from work everyday singing at the top of my lungs. Yeah, that crazy looking woman is me. Sometimes I even do the head bob or play air drums. When I walk in the door of my home, I immediately turn on some Classic Rock to fill the room.

Isn’t it amazing how certain songs can take you back to some period of time in your life. In junior high, my friends had a sleepover with the Eagles’ “Hotel California” playing all night long. I can remember hanging out at Across The Street restaurant listening to the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” play on the jukebox. Or the day my friend got lost out at the mountains, I remember driving around listening to Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” play on my Mercury’s car radio. This same friend is the one who introduced me to the music of Carlos Santana. He played “Inner Secrets” for an entire day while we partied with some other close friends. Oh, those were the days. Hooray for the 70's, when the music was awesome!

Almost every day, I hear some great some that lifts my spirits and makes me feel happy. Usually these are played on the oldies station. I think I will start posting some of my cheerful songs. Hopefully they will make you feel good too.

Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James & The Shondells

Look over yonder what do you see
The sun is a-risin' most definitely
A new day is comin' people are changin'
Ain't it beautiful crystal blue persuasion

Better get ready gonna see the light
Love, love is the answer and that's all right
So don't you give up now so easy to find
Just look to your soul and open your mind

Crystal blue persuasion, mm-hmm
It's a new vibration
Crystal blue persuasion, crystal
Blue persuasion

Maybe tomorrow when He looks down
Every green field and every town
All of his children every nation
There'll be peace and good brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion

Tommy James said "Crystal Blue" was taken from the Book of Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony. But, he preferred to think of the blue crystal as planet Earth. Television viewers saw the beautiful blue round sphere being shot back from the moon in 1969, the year the song was a hit.

No Weddings, Only Funerals

My husband is attending another funeral this morning. I can’t tell you how odd that is to say. He has always had a very strong aversion to going to them. I was convinced that he would not even show up if it were his own. Something happened to change the way he sees these events; we had lots of funerals this past year.

My mother passed away in September. Mom had prearranged her ‘going away party’ down to the songs that were to be sung and who was going to play the music and everything. This say a lot about the kind of person she was. She liked things done her way and she took control of important matters. This pre-arranging takes a lot of burden off of families. I’m actually surprised mom didn’t hold the funeral before she passed away so she could be there herself; she always loved a ‘get together.’ My mom was a woman of strong faith in her Lord and knew exactly where she was going when she left this earth.

My older sister added a video tribute to the service and wrote a eloquent eulogy that was a ‘this is your life’ story about our mom. For someone who thinks she cannot express herself well, she did a beautiful job of explaining our mom in thought and word. This says a lot about the kind of person my sister is as well; she is much stronger than she realizes.

The unthinkable happened when my other mom, my mother-in-law, passed away only two months later. There were no pre-arranged plans for a service. Actually, she had no idea how many lives she had touched and really didn’t think a funeral would be necessary. This say a lot about the kind of person she was; humble and unassuming. She gave so much of herself to others while she was on this earth, she even visited with my mom when she was so ill. The very night she went into the hospital, she had called to tell me about a show she wanted to make sure I knew was on TV. She was so very thoughtful like that.

My husband helped his dad make the funeral arrangements while still continuing to keep the family business up and running. I had been feeling ill that weekend, so I continued to stay in bed and cry for the next two days. I had to drag myself out of the house to assist my husband at work; not that my sitting there bawling was any actual help. Preparing food and going over and visiting with the family is what comforted me some.

I think staying busy was a coping mechanism for the pain my husband was in. This say a lot about him; the strength he showed was remarkable. There is a poem I’ve always heard, “If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs…you‘ll be a man, my son.” My husband is quite the Man! He was strong for his family when we were all falling apart.

The service for my second mom was a packed house. Everyone she ever met instantly became family to her and they never forgot the kindness she showed them. Many sent plants and cards; numerous calls and visits were made to the house. Friends even showed up with platters of food for the gathering family. I genuinely think this touched my husband deeply and he realized how important it is to acknowledge a loved one’s passing; to recognize the life they lived. I think now he wants to be there for other people the way people were there for him and his family. He is paying their kindness forward. Plus, it’s just the sort of wonderful thing that his mom would have done for others; he is her living legacy.

Nobody likes going to funerals, but it is important to show up. It’s a way of saying, “This person mattered in the world” and that means so much to those left behind.

If

by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Sister Sightings (3)

Real Monk: You can’t keep an obsessive compulsive disorder suffering detective down. USA Network has ordered a seventh season of Monk. “You might say we were ‘obsessed’ with making this deal,” EVP of Original Programming Jeff Wachtel said in a statement. “Let’s face it; It’s not easy to ‘wash your hands’ of a show like Monk. We have high hopes that this summer it will once again ‘clean up’ in the ratings.” (Thanks, Shecky, you’re funny!)

Television News: ABC Daytime has entered into a multi-show product integration partnership with Campbell Soup Co. to promote the company's support of the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement, which raises awareness of heart disease in women.

This is why they are annoying me with all those awkward product placements in the middle of the show; and also why they made the character Nurse Epiphany suffer a heart attack on GH. Boo…hiss…two thumbs down ABC.

Movies on TV: "Music and Lyrics" is a cute Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant flick. "Man of the Year" is a funny (and serious) Robin Williams, Laura Linney election movie. Both worth watching. I tried to watch another movie, but I hated it two minutes into it, "Stranger Than Fiction" starring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson. I absolutely hate narration...and this is what the movie is about; a man hearing narration in his head. I had no idea! I couldn't watch it.

Local Celebrity: State Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields apologized for his actions Tuesday, three days after being taken to a detox center from a party where he allegedly tried to take a rodeo cowboy’s guitar. At least three people were taken to detox centers after the party that followed a bull riding event. Professional Bull Riders spokeswoman Jodie Edmonds said, “A couple of guys who work for us took him to the ground.”

“I acknowledge an incident occurred last Saturday night,” Fields said. “However, it was simply a misunderstanding of a practical joke among friends gone bad. I am embarrassed about the incident and take full responsibility. I apologize for my actions and ask forgiveness.”

Only in OK: To celebrate national FFA week, tractors of all sizes rolled into the parking lot of Waurika High School Friday morning for "Drive Your Tractor to School Day.” Ag Instructor and FFA Advisor Chris Kidd says he loves helping students prepare for their agricultural careers after high school, but he also wants to make it something they enjoy too. FFA Motto: Learning To Do, Doing To Learn, Earning To Live, Living To Serve.

Food Find: Being that I’m kind of cheap frugal, I picked up a box of cereal the other day for $1 at my local grocery store. I also liked the fact that the box was only about 7 or 8 ounces in size; I get annoyed when I have to throw out stale cereal. I’m the only one in my house that eats cereal so it’s hard to finish one of those large boxes. The cereal, Marshmallow Mateys, was supposed to be comparable to another brand. Well, it was really good; I couldn‘t tell any difference! I also recommend Honey Nut Scooters. They are both produced by Malt-O-Meal and actually have comparable or more ‘good’ ingredients in them than their counterparts. Oh, yeah, and they only cost a dollar a box. (End of awkward product placement.)

Funny Cartoon:

Is there a Dr in the house?

I need to find a new doctor. My doc is good and also he’s a jovial fellow. There are several nice people working in his office as well. One of the problems at the office is a major break down in procedure or communication when trying to get a prescription refilled. Somehow this simple task turns into a week long ordeal with them. This is not a new dilemma either; I talked with the doctor about it several years ago. I guess it fell on deaf ears. The last time I called the office, the surly person on the other end of the phone told me, “They have 24 hours to get back with you.” It was very hard for me to stay cool knowing I had called the first thing on Monday morning and now it was Wednesday afternoon! That was the last straw. Well, that and some other things.

In sharp contrast to this unnamed doc and his office, is my veterinary’s office.

Dr. Briggs and all the staff at the Meadow Wood Animal Hospital are always so helpful and kind. I call there for a prescription refill and it is sitting there waiting for me to pick up on my way home from work. During office visits they handle my dogs professionally and take time to gather all the necessary information about them. They answer any questions and concerns that I have, and often give me tips and helpful advice. They make sure they go over any treatment instructions until I understand them completely. Dr. Briggs often asks me to call in to the office and give updates on ‘my girls’ conditions. Overall they make it an enjoyable experience for my dogs. Jackie gets so excited to be there that she rolls over on her back and makes a lovely fountain. They just laugh!

Since Lola is epileptic, I have to call any time she has a seizure. They record this information in her chart and then you know what happens next? The Doctor calls me personally on the phone and talks to me about Lola’s treatment! This kind of personal customer service is almost unheard these days. Have you ever had a doctor call you like this?

I do still miss Dr. Jennifer Webb, who worked there when I first started rescuing dogs. She is responsible for saving Trixie’s life; with some help from my sister. I’ll always be grateful to them both. Trixie almost died from Parvo the very first week I brought her home. Dr. Jennifer always remembered every minute detail about my dogs. She had a ‘real’ baby and started working in a nearby city closer to her home. I hope she is happy!

Bottom line here, I think I deserve to be treated as well as my dogs. I don’t need my ears scratched or my belly rubbed, I just want some common courtesy. Woof!

Sorry

My husband has every reason to hate me now. Here’s why…

Last summer he found this new online program where you could build your family tree and invite your family members to logon and help grow the tree with names. He added his immediate family and grandparents and some aunt and uncles. Eventually he had about a hundred names on his tree.

Then, he made the mistake of sending me a link to it and my life has not been the same since. Little did he know that I would become completely obsessed with genealogy from that point on. I have spend hours and hours on my computer researching my family lineage. I started with papers that I brought home from my mom’s house. Then I emailed my brothers for more information. My oldest brother also became obsessed with the quest for missing names. We quickly took over the online family tree and built it up five or more generations on all sides of our family until we had over 1000 names. I’ve also been in touch through email with distant cousins all over the state in my quest for knowledge. Bewildered and abandoned by my online work, my husband lost interest in his own side of the tree.

"Sorry honey, but here’s something you may not realize. My oldest brother and I first started emailing each other about genealogy but quickly developed a very deep and meaningful friendship. So in a way you are responsible for bringing us together. That relationship has multiplied and brought several members of my family closer now."

Towards the end of last year my husband started blogging. He is a very good writer, sometime serious, sometimes sad, often times completely ridiculous. Now with his new fancy camera he can become quite the photojournalist too; as he has always enjoyed added photos to his witty stories. At the beginning of the year, he made a vow to blog once a day for 365 days. He was off to a good start and then I got sick. He had to take over the care of the dogs, and the care of the house and the care of me while I recuperated. Needless to say, doing my job as well as his, wore him completely out and he didn’t really have time to sit down and pen (keyboard) something meaningful each night.

Well, then I started blogging. Not sure if anyone in my family noticed the significance of the date of my first blog 2-4-08 (my parent’s street number). Blogging came easily for me, the ideas just flow out of me at an alarming rate. I actually write several a day most days and have to decide which one to post. The knowledge of that must really sit well with my husband who had to abandon his once a day blogging goal.

"Sorry again honey, but here’s something else you may not realize. You inspired me to express myself and I feel it’s really a good way to get me to come out of my shell. So that’s a good thing, right?

Seriously, I am sorry that I have taken all your fun ideas and ran down to the other end of the field with them, and spiked them in the end zone, and then done a little happy dance around them.

Wow, sorry I ate the hotdogs you brought home last night too; they were really good.

And you didn’t really want to eat that chocolate Valentine’s candy that somebody gave you, right?"

Country Music, Remakes, and NASCAR

This is an edited version of something I wrote 1-22-08.

I sure am listening to a lot of country music lately. My husband’s a little bit country; I’m a little bit ROCK AND ROLL. At first I thought this might be because I’m getting older and mellower. Nah, that’s not it. I think it’s more that I feel that there is very little really good music being produced in the rock/pop genre these days.

There are more and more crossovers between Pop and Country too. Garth Brooks started all that; didn’t he? I mean, when did Bon Jovi become country? And the Eagles new music recently came out on the country stations. New pop artist Colbie Caillat and country artist Taylor Swift (my husband’s crush) are on both charts now, as were The Wreckers last year. American Idol winner Carrie Underwood has made millions for both genres. Following her this past year, fellow Idol winner and popstar Kelly Clarkson sang a duet of a song she wrote when she was sixteen called “Because Of You” with her personal idol, Reba McEntire. I liked this song better with Reba singing it. Kelly also hired Reba’s husband as her new manager. I wonder what’s next for her.

Willie Nelson just covered a Dave Matthews song, “Gravedigger.” I love it.

Willie rocks.

 

Remember when Johnny Cash covered the Nine Inch Nails hit “Hurt” a few years back? It’s cool like that.

Remakes can be a good thing sometimes. Garth Brooks did a remake of “Shameless” that was better than the original performed by Billy Joel, who I’m a huge fan of. One of my favorite songs of all time is Garth’s “The Dance.” Not much better than this song in my opinion.

On the radio this week I heard an oldie of Eddie Rabbitt’s, “Suspicions.” It was being sung by country artist Tim McGraw. Made me remember how much I liked Rabbitt back in the day. Well, I’ve always liked some county. Even as a teenager, I liked Willie, Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Charlie Pride, Keith Whitley, George Jones, George Strait and Hank Williams Jr. (who I‘ve seen in concert)

Then there were all the bands that they categorized as Southern Rock: Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker, Pure Prairie League, Allman Brothers; and the greatest of these is…Lynyrd Skynyrd. I guess they are considered country now!

*Skynyrd is coming to town….more on that later!

Well, back to today’s country. I’m a fan of baritone Josh Turner, Eric Church, Keith Urban and soulful Gary Allen.

Brooks and Dunn, (who I saw at a concert in Eagle Park, Cache, OK of all places) have a remake of “My Maria”; originally sung in 1973 by Texan B.W. Stevenson.

My Maria, there were some blue and sorrow times. Just my thoughts about you bring back my piece of mind.

This past year, I enjoyed their feel good party song, “Hillbilly Deluxe.” 

Put on the smell good, put on Skynyrd, head into town like a NASCAR winner.

On a side note: Kix Brooks and the late, great Dale Earnhardt Sr were good friends. The video “Honky Tonk Truth” features a play on Earnhardt's resemblance to Brooks, with the two switching roles throughout. Actually, Country Music and NASCAR kind of go hand in hand; there are many ties between the two. Charlie Daniels had a song, “Intimidator,” about Earnhardt. “If the Good Die Young” by Tracy Lawrence is dedicated to drivers Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki.

*Follow up note: After I wrote this I saw a video of Huey Lewis and Garth Brooks singing “Working for a Living.” It was shot in the middle of the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the cars racing past them. On the radio I heard Kenny Chesney give a shout out to legend Richard Petty in his song, “How Forever Feels.”

Of course, I lot of people think that the tie between country music and NASCAR is being RedNeck! Yee-haw! I call it pure Americana! It’s a feeling of familiarity; of shared life experiences. You do know that stock car racing came out of drivers running moonshine during Prohibition. They used to race down back country roads with their lights turned off so the revenuers didn’t see them. The drivers started arguing about who was the fastest, so a race was arranged on a track carved out of a Georgia farmer’s field. How American is that, to be the fastest? (There’s a 1958 movie about it called ‘Thunder Road’ starring Robert Mitchem.) I’ve never tried any White Lightning; I wonder if it’s anything like Everclear?

A new favorite country singer is long-haired Jason Michael Carroll. His song “Living Our Love Song” is a big hit right now.

Baby just look at us, all this time and we're still in love…People said it would never work out. Living our dreams and shattered all doubts. It feels good to prove 'em wrong, living our love song.

Then there is the big surprise of Big and Rich. They started off a few years ago singing with the Muzik Mafia, which consisted of a rapping black cowboy and a dancing midget. No kidding; I hated them. Very strange for a country group, didn’t go over big with the old school folks; but they did have a hit with “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” And then out of nowhere (minus the Mafia) they released this song based on a true event of the Vietnam War called “8th of November.” Then they released a beautiful wedding love song called “Lost in This Moment.” What’s up with that? Now I actually like them; hope they stay this way.

Another side note: John Rich has a new show on CMT (Friday nights) called ‘Gone Country.’ Celebrities compete to have a song produced in the country market by Rich. These are not country folks by any means; Maureen McCormick (Marsha, Marsha, Marsha), Julio Iglesias Jr., Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, and my personal favorite Dee Snider of Twisted Sister.

And finally, there is Miranda Lambert. She didn’t win the title of ‘Nashville Star’ when she appeared on that television show, but she went on to be a hell of a rockin’ country star. She is a real musician that plays guitar and writes her own songs. She has a little ditty out right now called “Gunpowder and Lead.” In it, her fella done treated her wrong and I think she is gonna smoke him. Now, what’s more country than that?

*I can not stop singing this song ever since I saw her in concert.

The bottom line here is…I like good music. All kinds: fun music, dance tunes, empowering anthems, sad songs, or mushy love songs. I like well written songs that have a melody (and preferably lots of guitars) and are sung by real musicians. These are the songs that will be heard again and again over the years; that will stand the test of time.

Oh yeah….and I like NASCAR!

Take Five

My husband says I have a very eclectic tastes when it comes to music; I would agree. But I think he actually meant, “You listen to some real crap.” (He sounds square like that sometimes.) I like to listen to all kinds of new music.

At the top of my favorites would be Classic rock and Southern rock. At the bottom, or usually not making the list, would be Hip Hop and Rap. I also like Pop, Country, Acoustic Guitar, Jazz, and lots more in between.

Just this past week, I could be found sampling the following:

SSB by Salvador Santana Band - The much anticipated release from Carlos Santana’s son. I would call it a Latin blend of urban hip hop, rap and funk. There’s keyboards and horns: a real party dance sound. One track, Me & You, features Carlos’ famous guitar work. There’s a remake of the song, Do It (Till Your Satisfied). I liked the songs, "Menea" (en espanol) and "My Own True Love." It’s interesting, but hard for me to get past the rap.

I Stand by Idina Menzel - My first thought when I saw the video of the song “Brave” on VH1’s website was “This gal can really sing.” She has an incredible range. She has a pop sound that I thought leaned a little toward sounding ‘Broadway.’ When I looked her up, I found out she appeared both in Rent and Wicked. If you like pop/Broadway tunes, give her a listen, as this cd is quite enjoyable.

Mescalito by Ryan Bingham - The find of the week; this former bull rider can sing. He has a gravely voice, a soulful sound, and a southern rock/country band complete with harmonica, mandolin and steel guitar. First single is called "Southside of Heaven." This cd needs to be added to my collection.

Just A Little Lovin’ by Shelby Lynne - Tribute cd to Dusty Springfield featuring remakes of nine of her hit songs and one original by Shelby that was inspired by Dusty. Includes: Anyone Who Had A Heart, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, I Only Want To Be With You, and The Look Of Love. Very nice.

Day Trip by Pat Metheny Trio - The first release from Pat’s current group featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez. My favorite song on this cd is “The Red One” a more upbeat version of an earlier release. Jazzy and smooth as always.

News Flash!

NBC dismisses Fall debuts and moves to a year-round schedule of staggered program introductions. The move is intended to appeal to advertisers, who crave fresh content to keep viewers tuned in. NBC plans to announce a 52-week schedule in April, a month before ABC and CBS will unveil their fall lineups at splashy presentations known as upfronts. The decision means that NBC will be committing to a new lineup of shows earlier than any of its competitors, while also inviting advertisers to build marketing plans around specific shows and perhaps to integrate brands and products into the plots of the shows themselves.

See, I was just telling you about this; it's all about the advertisers...must sell soap!

Bob Geldof, longtime social activist who organized the Live Aid concert in 1985 to raise money for debt relief for poor African countries, has remained closely engaged with African affairs. He spoke off the cuff to reporters this week who were waiting for a press conference with President Bush and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Mr. Geldof praised Mr. Bush for his work in delivering billions to fight disease and poverty in Africa, and blasted the U.S. press for ignoring the achievement. Mr. Bush, said Mr. Geldof, "has done more than any other president so far."

Okay, now I’m going into my full Jerry Fletcher mode. I see my blog here as my wall of pictures and articles; my un-coincidences. “If you acknowledge the conspiracies long enough, sooner or later you're going to get one right.”

I mentioned the shooting-down of the spy satellite in an earlier blog. Here’s the updated info:

A Navy heat-seeking missile is getting its first real-world use in an attempt to demolish a crippled U.S. spy satellite before the orbiting craft falls back to Earth. It needs to strike the relatively small fuel tank aboard the spacecraft in order to accomplish the main goal, which is to eliminate the toxic fuel that could injure or even kill people if it reached Earth. The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific Ocean beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, indicating the first window of opportunity to launch an SM-3 missile from a Navy cruiser, the USS Lake Erie, in an effort to hit the wayward satellite.

Okay people, they are clearing the ocean. Does this not disturb you?

Un-coincidentally….

On Wednesday, February 20, 2008, beginning at 7:01 p.m. PST, the moon will move completely under the shadow of the Earth in a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse can be seen in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The moon will be completely under Earth's shadow for about 50 minutes. During this time, the moon won't be completely obscured because of indirect light coming from the Earth's atmosphere. But the moon will appear to change colors from light gray to orange or deep red. The shade depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere.

So, to wrap up…

UFO Sightings in TX….Lunar Eclipse…..Navy Shooting Down Spy Satellite…..Deadly Toxic Fuel….Clearing a Section of Pacific Ocean…..President Bush in Rwanda.

So where’s Cheney…Raven Rock Mountain?

50th 500

The 50^th running of the Daytona 500 was this past Sunday. I have to say the best part of it for me was the pre-race extravaganza. All the former winners of the race were honored during the opening ceremonies including Junior Johnson, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrel Waltrip, and Bobby Allison.

They even brought back some of the cars these guys drove to victory lane and paraded them around the track. The sit down interviews where they reminisced about their favorite Daytona experiences was priceless. Junior Johnson drove the pace car and Richard Petty waved the green flag to commence the race.

The race itself was not as spectacular as the pre-race hype. Things didn’t heat up until about the last 40 laps and then the three lap sprint to the finish didn’t disappoint.

I’ve got to tell ya, I always like to see an underdog win. Ryan Newman finally broke his 81 race winless streak by taking this year’s checkered flag. Helping him achieve the win was his Penske teammate Kurt Busch, who finished second. Good for them.

This is how Newman usually finishes a race.

Hope

Here’s an example of the diametrical nature of my life. I’ve already spoken about some of my Monkisms, so you might assume that I’m some sort of neat freak. This could not be more false; I’m actually kind of a slob. However, I am disturbed by my things not being neat and tidy. Mainly the problem is I don’t have a place for everything, so naturally things can’t be in their place. Compounding this problem has been a year of home renovation. This involved clearing items from one space, in order to work in that area of the house, and piling them up in another area of the house. One day I hope to have enough rooms renovated to accommodate all my piles of stuff. Oh, and there is the pile of stuff in the garage awaiting a garage sale. See, I am also trying to get rid of some of my piles of stuff.

Anyway, back to my story….

One day I went to get my Viva Santana double cd set to put in my car. Being that this is my favorite cd, I decided to make a copy of it and have the copy in my car so that nothing would happen to the beloved original discs. I think I laid the cd down by my computer somewhere. Not sure why I didn’t go ahead and copy it at that moment, but I didn’t. When I did go to copy it, of course, I could no longer find it. Well for the last three months or more, I have looked all over my home, office, and car searching for Viva Santana. I just recently admitted to my husband that I’m such a mess that I lost my favorite music cd. Not that my messiness comes as any surprise to him, he lives with it, after all. I have held out hope that some day my cd would reappear just like my “Hope” did that one time.

“Hope” being Hope Brady, a character on Days of Our Lives, played by the beautiful Kristian Alfonso. I had a January 1986 Redbook magazine that she graced the cover of. Inside this magazine were some of my favorite recipes. They were from Ed’s Diner in Chicago. Ed serves up real food, blue plate special style in his famous fifties diner. Ed’s Meat Loaf and his German Chocolate Pie were always favorites around my house.

Well “Hope” (aka the Redbook magazine) got caught up in one of those companies coming, I don’t have time to clean my house, let’s scoop everything into a box and hide it, cleaning frenzies. (Okay, people, do not pretend like you have never done this before!) Well, it was as if “Hope” had vanished off the face of the earth. I searched high and low for months, muttering to myself, “I’ve lost Hope, I‘ve lost Hope.” My husband found this very amusing; as he also found the happy dance I did on the day that I found it again. I think I was cleaning out the garage over a year later when I went through a box of stuff and squealed out that I had found my “Hope.” Oh happy day! I ran through the house waving the magazine above my head. Now I could make my meatloaf again and also that fantastic pie with the chocolate and coconut; and that tuna noodle casserole and that fruity Jell-O dessert. Mmm….

(I’ll put all the recipes on my recipe link over there on the side of this page.)

So the moral of the story is, never lose “Hope.”

My internet was slower than usual today. This happens a lot of times after big thunderstorms like we had this weekend. It is usually remedied by rebooting the computer under my desk that came as part of my wireless internet connection. So, there I was crawling under my desk, in the middle of a no man’s land of a hundred tangled wires, when I look over to the left and see some floppy disks back behind another computer that I don’t use anymore, but it is still sitting there for some unknown reason. Well, I haven’t used any of those floppies for awhile, but I used to use them in my camera; and anyway I should probably pick up the disks that are collecting dust under my desk, even if they don’t possibly have pictures on them. This was easier 'thought' than done. I had to pull that computer out a little bit and wedge my arm back behind it to reach the floppies. And yes, I did bang my head underneath the desk just like my husband would have done. So, I’m reaching back there and pulling out not only floppies but also some recordable cds and yep, you guessed it, Viva Santana! Oh happy day, again.

See, never lose hope!

Kid Saves Rock?

I heard a song the other day called “All Summer Long.” It’s a nostalgic tune that meshes the piano line from Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" with the guitar licks and lyrics of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama."

Dog gone it, I really liked it, even after I realized it was a single off the new Kid Rock cd. Let me state for the record that I am NOT a fan of the Kid. His past behavior and foul mouth are hard for me to overlook.

He sings about some weighty issues in another single titled, “Amen.”

It's another night in hell
Another child won't live to tell
Can you imagine what it's like to starve to death
And as we sit free and well
Another soldier has to yell
Tell my wife and children I love them in his last breath
C'mon now amen, amen, amen
Habitual offenders, scumbag lawyers with agendas
I'll tell you sometimes people I don't know what's worse
Natural disasters or these wolves in sheep clothes pastors
Now       damn it I'm scared to send my children to church
And how can we seek salvation when our nations race relations
Got me feeling guilty of being white
But faith in human nature, our creator and our savior, I'm no saint
But I believe in what is right

Here’s some random lines I pulled from the infamous title track “Rock N Roll Jesus“. To me, it seems to be about music and not about some god complex. I’ve also heard him comment before about there being a lot of un-American BS out there.

Been alotta cheap talk but I rock still
Been alotta false prophets and quick hits
Been alotta bling bling but it ain’t real
It’s a Rock revival
It’s all sex, drugs, Rock n Roll
A soul sensation that you can’t control
And you see I practice what I preach
I’m your Rock n Roll Jesus

Well, I’ll say one thing for him, he is who he is; he doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. I read an EW interview in which he was asked about the messianic song title “Rock N Roll Jesus.” Several words were blanked out, so it was pretty choppy, but here‘s what I was able to gleam from it.

"When the Virginia Tech shooting was going on, and people were getting killed, afterwards I heard that people were writing letters asking God where he was, and I think God, if he could speak, would look down and say, ‘What, you ------- kicked me out of school — you don't want me there anymore. You want to change this whole country and take me out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and all your crazy ------- weirdo left-wing --------, just like your crazy ----- -------- right-wing -----.' I think the album title is a way of putting Jesus' name back out there. It's not blasphemy, because I don't need money. I'm already ------- rich. It's just something that I think is the right thing to say right at this time. It's much deeper than just saying I'm the king of ------- music, here to save rock and roll."

Is Kid really deeper than his raunchy exterior? Let’s look at the company he keeps. Longtime friend Rev. Run of Run DMC and J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf (former Allman Brothers Band guitarist) perform with Kid on this cd. Kid has also performed in the past with Hank Williams Jr, Gretchen Wilson, Bob Seger, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Sheryl Crow. He’s filled in on tour with both Metallica, and the new Lynyrd Skynyrd band.

Maybe there is more to this guy that I just don’t see. Hey, he can’t be ALL bad, he did go on a USO Tour to Iraq. There are very few performers lining up to do that. I know Oklahomans Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood have gone and of course the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

Carrie Underwood and the cheerleaders were not afraid to go to Iraq. Hooah!

Imagine Brotherhood

My oldest brother ended an email recently with a line from a song called “Everything Possible” sung by The Flirtations. Here’s the chorus from the song:

"You can be anybody that you want to be, you can love whomever you will.
You can travel any country where your heart leads and know I will love you still.
You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around, you can choose one special one.
And the only measure of your words and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when you're gone."

They also recorded “We Shall Be Free” which was a huge hit by Oklahoma’s own Garth Brooks. Garth was inspired to write the song after witnessing the 1992 LA riots. Basically, what he says in the song is: we shall be free when there is no more hunger, homelessness, prejudice, and hatred. When we walk hand and hand as one race…mankind.

Man isn’t everyone for that? Well, at the time, some radio stations would not even play this song. They picked out one line “When we're free to love anyone we choose” and suddenly the song took on a whole new meaning.

Garth had thought that the controversial line in the song was going to be “When we all can worship from our own kind of pew” But he said, “Nobody said Jack about that.”

Remember how much flack there was about John Lennon singing “Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky.” “Imagine” was labeled as anti-religious and the ‘atheist’s anthem.’ Churches were in an uproar about it and sermons were preached condemning it.

This happened in the early 70’s. Has anything changed?

Granted, Lennon was a peace-loving hippie activist being monitored by the FBI who once said, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I don't know what will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity. We're more popular than Jesus now. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary.” After this statement, records were burned by conservatives and some radio stations stopped playing all Beatles songs. Can you imagine burning Beatles' records?

I thought the message of “Imagine” was “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” “No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.”

I personally think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written; made even more poignant by the fact that this artist and father who also sang “Give Peace A Chance” was shot dead in front of his home on a New York City street. He certainly left a lot of love behind.

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” - The Beatles

Garth Brooks also once said, “I believe that peace is one thing worth dying for. That’s probably the biggest paradox there is, that you have to kill for peace.” “Personally, I would like to see the United States as a very patriotic country, a very proud country - but also country that allows love and freedom of expression, that allows people to pursue whatever in hell they want to pursue, as long as it doesn't offend the rights of others.”

Well put Garth, well put! I also believe “you can be anybody that you want to be, you can love whomever you will” as long as you are not hurting others. Imagine a perfect peaceful world, where everyone allows each other to express their own opinion about these matters. How cool would that be?

And finally, about “the love you leave behind when you are gone” I refer to Carlos Santana, who thinks of his music as a universal message of love, tolerance and brotherhood. He often speaks of peace, joy, acceptance, compassion and understanding. Here’s his life philosophy: “May the heavens open up and the angels bless each and every one with the deep awareness of your own light.” “If you can do that, you will be a better person. You will transcend being Christian or being Muslim or being Hindu, because when you die, they’re not going to care about that stuff on the other side. They only care about how much light, joy and love you shared while you were on this planet.”

He put a lot of his ideas into this song:

Brotherhood...
All around - sweet brotherhood
No more us and them -
Oneness
No more politics or denominations
Brotherhood
No more war, violence, or pain
Compassion
In brotherhood, we'll find
Joy............Dynamism
Sweetness......Softness
Soulfulness....Dignity
Tranquility....Serenity
Harmony........Perfection
Harmony........Perfection
One mind!
One truth!
One life!

Soap Plugs

Well, they said it was going to happen; changes to the way advertisers get us to notice their products. With more and more people recording their favorite television shows on their digital video recorders, or TiVo, no one ever has to watch a commercial again if that is what they choose. You do realize that each hour long program bombards its viewers with approximately 20 minutes of advertising?

So, what is the result of all this fast forwarding past those ads. Hideous plugs in the bottom corner of our screens for upcoming shows on that television station, for starters. Next, is product placement during the shows themselves. Movies have been doing this for years, now it is happening more and more on the small screen. This might be an actor holding a product or the more subtle approach of a product just being seen on the set. Sometimes the actor just mentions a product by name.

Then there is the General Hospital approach. A female character on that show recently was holding a bottle of spaghetti sauce when her female lawyer friend stated, “Prego, the working woman’s friend.” Wow! I found this to be a shameless plug; working the product into the actual storyline. But then again, this is a soap opera after all. These serials were always intended to sell the soap; being first sponsored by the big soap manufacturers.

Wouldn’t it be fun to hear those Desperate Housewives sitting around discussing what feminine hygiene products they use?

How about the cast of The Office doing the little dance with the arm movements while talking about the heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea medicine they are all taking after eating the bad guacamole at the last office party?

Michael Chiklis on The Shield could have an emotional, heart-warming side story about his ongoing treatments at The Hair Club for Men.

What if that cute little Snuggle Bear could join the cast of Lost and wander around on the island with the ‘Losties’ in search of the big bad Polar Bear?

Can you imagine?

The possibilities are endless.

There have been rumors of new interactive advertising on our televisions for some time now; sidebars with product icons you can click on to learn more about them or to purchase them, all from the comfort of your Lazy-boy recliner. What’s next, pop-ups on our television screens, where we will all have to search for that tiny X in the corner of the ad in order to close them?

Grrr!

Sister Sightings (2)

New SciFi Series: The animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" will debut on Cartoon Network in the fall. The TV series will follow a theatrical release for "Clone Wars" on Aug. 15.

"I felt there were a lot more 'Star Wars' stories left to tell," says creator George Lucas, who's executive producing the animated series. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward." The CG-animated "Clone Wars" will be set in the time between Episodes II and III of the movie franchise and follow Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala in their struggle to keep the galaxy free.

Does anyone else think these characters look scary, as do a lot of cartoons these days?

I freaked out when I first saw that show Zoboomafoo on PBS. Its got a flying, talking lemur puppet thing. It's part live-action, part claymation, and part mind-tripping weirdness.

More TV New: Both “Chuck” and “Life” have been picked up by NBC for a second season. Imagine two shows I watch not being cancelled, that’s so rare.

In Memorium: Ron Leavitt, a veteran television writer and producer best known for co-creating Married with Children, has died of lung cancer at the age of 60. He also worked on The Jeffersons and Silver Spoons. On creating the dysfunctional Bundy family, Leavitt said the show was his "adolescent rebellion against all those shows where everyone sat together at the dinner table and got along . . . and solved the world's problems in 22 minutes." He called it the anti-Cosby show.

"He created that show to make people laugh and show life isn't perfect," said the model and actress Jessica Hahn, with whom he had a relationship. You remember Hahn, the former church secretary, best known for her sex scandal with televangelist Jim Baker.

In the News: Remember all those UFO sightings back in January around Stephenville, Texas? One of the witnesses is now being harassed by military aircraft flying over his property both day and night. Low flying helicopters are disturbing his livestock and his sleep. Why would they do this if not to shut him up?

Maybe it’s all part of that secret military mission to shoot down the spy satellite that is currently hurling towards Earth.

Funny photo: My father in-law emailed me this picture titled Fox Hunt. I got a good laugh from it and it’s sound wisdom: “When you are in deep shit, look straight ahead, keep your mouth shut and say nothing.”

 

Top Dog: Uno, a 3-year-old beagle made history at the Westminster Kennel Club show, becoming the first of his breed ever to win the top prize. He was clearly the fan favorite and got a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. Handler Aaron Wilkerson called Uno a "people's dog" and a "merry little hound."

Monkisms: Watching woman cough into her hand at the Korean buffet line and then reach for the serving tongs. (We were all taught to cover our mouths, weren’t we? People, the new school of thinking is, cough into your arm or shoulder.)

Someone pointed out to me that my opening of doors with my elbow, with my purse or with my hand pulled up into the sleeve of my jacket was unusual, to say the least. (You mean everybody doesn’t do this?)

Happy Hearts Day!

Happiness.....

is being married to your best friend!

It's Time DW

It’s been eight months since I heard those three little words that mean so much to me; that let me know that the world is a wonderful place to be.

“Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!”

These words, often followed by “Let’s go racing boys!” are spoken by Darrell Waltrip as the green flag drops to commence each NASCAR race broadcast on FOX. Waltrip, a three-time former NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, became a race analyst in 2000.

Waltrip and the whole FOX team make watching a race so much more enjoyable than those folks over at ESPN and ABC who take over the broadcasts in July, after TNT has had them for awhile. I haven’t researched why the races are moved around like this; I just know as a fan that they are much better with Chris Myers, Waltrip, Mike Joy, Larry McRenyolds and Jeff Hammond. Plus Dick Berggren and others trackside.

At the beginning of Waltrip’s broadcasting career, he pushed for mandatory safety measures that have made racing a safer place for all drivers today. He certainly knew plenty about crashes. A week after his friend, the legendary Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in 2001, Waltrip interviewed NASCAR President Mike Helton. He pressed him for an explanation concerning the four driver deaths in less than a year, all caused by basilar skull fractures incurred in accidents. Waltrip then pushed for mandatory head-and-neck restraints, even demonstrating the device during a broadcast. Seven months later NASCAR mandated the HANS device, only after the death of another driver.

(You can read all about Waltrip and his career in his autobiography, DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles.)

IN MEMORIUM

I can’t write about these broadcast guys without also mentioning that this past year we lost Benny Parsons to lung cancer. Parsons, also a Winston Cup Champion was beloved by his colleagues and admired by those he mentored in the sport. He worked last as an announcer for TNT. He will be missed and the season will not be the same without him.

This Bud's For You, Jr!

I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout this past weekend as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the checkered flag. What a validation of the decision he had to make this past year to leave the racing company that his father founded and move to Hendrix Motorsports. This came after negotiation talks with his step mother, Teresa Earnhardt, broken down over his role in the future of DEI. Although clearly one of the best drivers on the track, Jr. hadn’t been in victory lane since 2006, having had a series of bad breaks and numerous engine failures in his DEI cars. “So Take That, Teresa!”

A happy Dale Jr. is a happy NASCAR fan base; as he is the most popular driver around these days. A happy fan base is a happy corporate NASCAR; as product and ticket sales should only increase by his success. This makes for happy sponsors too. Jr’s sponsor is the National Guard, so this makes for happy National Guard members. For me, just to see the pure joy on Jr’s face was priceless. I think it had been about 52 races since a win.

This 70 lap exhibition race didn’t have any big wrecks, only a couple of blown tires. The crashes came the day before during the practice session. Eleven out of the 23 participants sustained some sort of damage by the end of it, with several drivers, including pretty boys Gordon and Johnson, having to go to back up cars.

And then there was the Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart incident during practice. They wrecked into each other and just kept beating and banging all the way back to the entrance to the garage. They have an ongoing feud on the track. Needless to say, they got called on the carpet for it; with the result being a six race probation. Rumor has it Stewart threw a punch at Busch during the meeting in The Hauler too. This kind of controversy makes for big headlines and lots of publicity. Not a bad thing for ratings.

Officials had promised to let the drivers show more emotion this year. I think they will have to draw the line at using your car as a weapon, as young Busch has done at least twice now. He almost ran over one of Stewarts’ pit guys just last year at Dover. 

I remember the good old days of racing. When the race would end and the drivers would jump out of their cars and beat the snot out of each other. Any one else remember the Allison brothers and Cale Yarborough going after it at Daytona? Sometimes the whole pit crew would jump in. It would turn into a giant melee out in the infield. It was great fun! It was part of the enjoyment of the race, part of The Show. The sanitized version of today is a little subdued for me sometimes.

Of course, I really dig the wrecks too. Especially the Big Ones where you have cars flying through the air, upside down, or on fire! Just like the ending of Daytona last year. Of course, its only fun if nobody goes to the hospital afterward. Well, thanks to DW and other safety measures like the safer barrier walls, the driver usually hops out and waves or bows to the cheering crowd.

Now, only three more days until Daytona and I hear the four words that make my heart beat a little faster, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”

They Like Me, They Really Like Me!

My husband walked in the door last week with a box addressed to me. I quickly started scanning the ol’ memory bank to recall what I had ordered. If it was for him, I didn’t want to open in right there in front of him. I searched the return address for clues. Not recognizing having bought anything there, I tore open the package to find that my sweet daughter had sent me a present. “It’s not even my birthday,” I noted.

This wonderful girl had been thinking about her Mom and sent me something on an ordinary weekday. How cool is that?

The present was a new Rachael Ray cookbook. My daughter liked several of the recipes in it and wanted to share them with me. Like her mom, she enjoys cooking and trying new recipes. Oh, and eating; we both like eating!

She is a fantastic cook by the way! She has a whole repertoire of cheesecakes that are out of this world; I swear she could sell them to the finest bakery anywhere.

I’m very proud of the accomplished, thoughtful young woman that she has become.

Just as my husband came in the door that evening, my computer’s internet browser came to a screeching halt. My computer had being ailing for a very long time. It had never been as fast as our high speed internet access would allow. For that reason, my husband would never even use the computer at home. It was just too frustrating for him to have to wait for a page to load. He named it That Compaq Piece of Crap or Comcrap for short. I even went so far as to wipe the hard drive clean and perform a complete reinstall on the Comcrap last year, to no avail.

The very next day, my husband walked in the door with another box for me. Yep, a brand new computer! What a surprise! This bad boy smokes across the internet; while I‘m writing and listening to music on it! Gee, just like a computer is supposed to do. Plus, look at the size of the widescreen flat monitor, its massive! 1680 x 1050 pixels for my fellow computer geeks out there.

I’m very blessed to have this man in my life. Buying this computer is a big deal to me and I appreciate the gesture very much.

I do have to admit that it crossed my mind for a second that it might be hard for him to enjoy his brand new digital camera that he bought for himself this past week, if I was sitting here with a broke-ass computer. Just kidding…or as my daughter would say to me, “you’re so pretty.”

Monkisms?

Monk is a character on the USA network; characters are welcome there.

After the mysterious death of his wife, Monk developed a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. Some of his phobias include germs, needles, milk, death, snakes, mushrooms, heights, crowds, and elevators; in this exact order. When asked how he could stand on top of a table to escape a loose snake, given his fear of heights, he answered simply, “Snakes trump heights.” Everything has to be perfectly aligned and orderly in Monkland.

He gets by in life with the help of his shrink, a personal assistant and his photographic memory. His assistant is always at the ready with a “wipe, wipe, wipe.” His memory enables him to solve crimes for the police; Monk used to work for them. About his former job he once said, “I couldn't change the world, I knew that. But I could fix little pieces of it.” All this combined makes Monk lead a lonely, isolated, somewhat monk-like existence.

I have three, maybe four, of Monk’s top nine phobias listed above; plus a few of my own that I’m keeping to myself for now. Stick around and I’m sure they will eventually reveal themselves. Maybe we can make a game out of it, since I have decided to document my Monkisms. Then I can put them in order of severity. Wait, I think putting things in order is OCD.

Like Mr. Monk, its possible my number one would be germs. I have been accused of obsessively washing my hands. Here are the facts.

My mother taught me at a young age to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. She also taught me how to balance yourself over a toilet without actually touching it, but that‘s another story. Anyway, I have a very small bladder (I know, too much info) plus I’m a coffee addict; so I have to ‘go’ a lot and I always wash up afterward. I think this is all good and normal and keeps me from catching something. Now when out in public and using their facilities, I use the paper towel that I dry my hands with to open the door. Some think this behavior odd or would call it a Monkism.

Mother also told us kids to wash up before dinner. Well I certainly do that. I also think it’s a good thing that the person preparing the food has done so with clean hands. Of course, I wash my hands several times during the course of making a meal.

We have all these dogs in our house that constantly demand attention and petting, so I have to wash the dog hair off my hands frequently during the course of a day. I will never forget the morning that my sweet husband brought me a Blueberry Muffin from the kitchen. I was in the recliner with all the dogs in my lap and couldn’t get up without disturbing the delicate balance of nature; which is getting all the dogs positioned around me without causing me to go into spastic leg cramps! But back to the muffin. I reached for the delicious blueberry goodness and noticed the bottom of it was completely covered in white dog hair. My husband insisted that it was not because of his hands. Of course, I later checked the bottom of all the remaining muffins in the kitchen. Yep, all clear.

I always wash my hands after handling a lot of money. I make bank deposits for both of my jobs. The storyteller I work for brings in all these waded up dollar bills from book sales after he performs at schools. I can picture in my mind all those snotty nosed kids handling that money. Yuck! Okay, I’ll give you this one as being obsessive. I don’t think it has been proved that all those nasty bacterium, like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, found on our monetary bills actually can make us sick.

For the most part, I think I’m just cautious. I have been spotted spraying Lysol around my house when someone is coughing and sneezing around me. Is this considered germ phobic?

Sister Sightings (1)

New TV show: Eli Stone is enjoyable but it’s a familiar plot if you watch General Hospital. It’s the Nikolas Cassadine story line about a guy who has something in his brain that makes him hallucinate. I was glad to see George Michael employed again. He was in the first episode. Eli’s assistant is the divine Loretta Devine. Her character on “Boston Public” used to tell the principal, “Smell my shoe.” Alias dad Victor Garber is Eli’s boss at the law firm. James Saito plays Dr. Chen, an acupuncturist. He was in several episode of MASH, where he played the South Korean.

Guilty pleasure: American Idol – that crazy brit Simon’s ego trip cracks me up.

Funny clip on TV: From VH1’s Best Week Ever - Carol Channing at her bank when it was robbed. They impersonated her declaring, “I was Whawwwbed. They Whawwwbed us!

In the news: Max Baer, Jr’s live-in girlfriend committed suicide. Max played Jethro Bodine on Beverly Hillbillies. He is currently trying to build a casino that would include a signature oil derrick. “We-l-l doggies!

Comparison: Max Baer, Jr. and Wayne Newton’s new face. Do they have the same Nevada surgeon?

New CD: Taylor Dayne, “Satisfied.” This is her first CD in about ten years. Sultry and soulful. Just beautiful. She sings the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit song Under The Bridge and The Rolling Stones' song Fool To Cry.

Local celebrity: Councilman Warren had a half page commentary in last Saturday’s newspaper. Subject – Cost of County Jail. Friday night he was interviewed on the local news. Subject – Shooting at City Council meeting in MO.

Monkisms: Cringing when snotty nosed husband handed me the remote. Turning the door knob to enter snotty nosed husband’s office.

Urgent message to Stoners in Florida: The Highway Patrol found the 60 pounds of marijuana plants that you stuffed into two large garbage bags. To claim, phone 1-800-UBU-STED

Cheers Me!

I’m trying to force myself to leave the comfort of my home more. It’s month two and I’ve gone out two times. That may not sound like a lot to most people. I can tell you that it is two more times than I had gone out at this same time last year.

The funny thing is that I really enjoyed myself both times. I think it had a lot to do with the company I was keeping. I started off by going out on New Year’s Eve. Might as well start new behaviors at the beginning of the year, when everything is new and full of promise.

There’s a big joke in my household because I’m never, ever awake on New Year’s Eve. This was probably only the second or third time in the past fourteen years that I actually stayed up until midnight.

I do recall ringing in the Millennium. My daughter and I ribbed my husband because he was very concerned about Y2K; to the point of us calling him Chicken Little, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” She even made him a large sign in case he wanted to stand on the street corner and proclaim that ‘The End Is Near.’ It was all in great fun!

 

1-1-08

This year we went out to a local bar and met up with some  friends to listen to the blues band, Blueprint. They were the scheduled entertainment for the evening.

A couple of the members of this band and my husband have known each other for several decades. They only look slightly different than they did in the 70's when they were in the band Fragile.

It was very loud; you couldn’t even carry on a conversation without yelling. We enjoyed the music and we enjoyed the unscheduled entertainment too. That would be watching the drunk people around us. Drunken people are always very entertaining. “Cheers Me!”

Someone even got up and danced at one point. I think it was the dance that Elaine performed on Seinfeld.

I’m not big on the bar scene; it’s way too smoky for me. We stopped and dropped our attire just inside the doorway when we got home. These articles of clothing went immediately into the washing machine; although I did suggest burning them. I’m a little OCD that way.

Kerosene & Gunpowder & Lead, Oh My!

Here’s an edited version, from an email to my sibs, of my second venture out into the big world.

2-3-08

Well I had the most awesome time last night at the Miranda Lambert concert. I'm in such a good mood today; I can't wipe this silly grin off of my face.

I was really excited when my husband got his golden ticket to this event. The concert was to honor our men and women in uniform. I told him I thought it was my patriotic duty to attend. He laughed at me because I've never gone to any of the numerous ceremonies out on post that he has been invited to over the years.

I didn't realize the VIP treatment he would receive. We parked right at the front door and were escorted to the VIP seating, which was a cordoned off area down on the floor right in front of the stage; well stage right. The middle section was where all the soldiers were standing in front of the stage par-ty-ing. That section of people, who were standing, went back to about the middle of the building.

Someone asked us to sit on the front row with them. You bet I will! In front of us was an open area to the stage. A few fans from our area stood at the stage, about four rows of people. Even with them there, we still had a big open area in front of us. It was extremely loud up there.

Miranda was awesome! She sang all her hits, New Set of Strings, Don't Bring Me Down, Gun Powder and Lead, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Me and Charlie Talking, Famous In a Small Town, and lots of others.

When she closed the show with Kerosene, the crowd went wild. They were jumping up and down just like Miss Miranda. It was so much fun!

She is an energetic performer and seemed to really appreciate the soldiers there. She even gave one of  them a kiss during the show and said, "Don't tell my boyfriend, Blake Shelton." Blake's also a country singer; very cute fellow who was born in Ada, OK. I think he is about 10 years older than her. He had a big hit this past year with "Don't Make Me."

I got up and stood up by the stage, next to, but separated from all the partying soldiers. There you could rock out! I whooped and hollered and had a big ol' time. I felt like a teenager again.

 

See here's me and there's Miranda!

Side note: the soldiers were drinking Bud in red and blue bottle shaped aluminum cans.

I had never seen  this hybrid before. Of course, I don't get out much...

This is probably what I looked like to the partying soldiers.

   

When the concert was over, we drove right out of there, no lines, no waiting. We were probably off post before most people even got to their cars. VIP rocks!

Now somebody tell me when my ears will quit ringing...

Music Video of Miranda Lambert singing Kerosene.

My Twisted Addiction

The great philosopher Homer J. Simpson once said, “Mmm Donuts.”

I say, “Mmm Bread.”

It’s the lunch ladies fault for making those delicious flakey warm school rolls with the greasy, buttery tops. This started my life long addiction to The Bread.

My husband makes an incredible loaf of Challah Bread at the holidays. He mixes the dough in the bread machine, forms it into a braided loaf, tops it with sesame seeds and then bakes it in the oven. Heaven! Well, he used to make this until we/I started eating better for our health. You know how hard it is for someone with an addiction to The Bread to lose any weight.

“I no function bread well without.”

I like all bread products: French Toast, Garlic Bread, Italian Bread, homemade flour tortillas, Thanksgiving pull apart rolls, bread sticks, Pizza crust, bread pretzels from the mall, Asiago Cheese Rolls, Hoagie Buns, Red Lobster’s cheesy biscuits, our friend Jackie’s Cinnamon Rolls, Bagels, Muffins, Pancakes, that brown bread from the Outback, Waffles, and my Mother in-law’s famous Potato Rolls...just to name a few. You get the picture. Nothing comes between me and The Bread. Except for….

 

How many of you have had trouble opening your bakery products lately? They have these new closures on them that say Twist/Tear. I usually shred these papery plastic things trying to get into my rolls. Then I try to pull open the package like it’s a bag of chips; doesn’t work. Finally, I get out the scissors (if I can find them) and cut the top off of the plastic bag. Why do they make it so hard to get into your buns? What?

My search for the source of my displeasure took me to The Netherlands…seriously! Innoseal Systems, Inc. is owned by Twinseal BV headquartered in Tilburg, The Netherlands. From their website:

You know you are in trouble when you need a three step diagram showing you how easy it is.

“The Innoseal bag closure system ensures your customers can open and close their plastic bags without any fuss. The tags use a tamper proof paper end to prevent people from opening your products and then returning them to the shelves without your knowledge. This ensures health and safety are maintained and your reputation in the bakery business is protected.”

Without any fuss…are you kidding me? I’m all about tamper proofing our food supply, but these are not easy open. Plus my Mrs. Baird’s bread a few aisles over still has the old standard twist tie on it. Are bakery products a bigger target for possible tampering? 

I do have to give Innoseal props for their slogan “Protect Your Product From A Twisted World.” That’s funny! What are the people at Innoseal smoking? Oh, wait, they allow that in their country. How about you comedians at Innoseal put down the pipe and make a product that actually works.

Either that or I will have to find a Netherland-ian child to open my Italian Bread for me, after opening the Tylenol bottle, so I can get some relief from the big fat headache these new closures have given me.

Must have The Bread…….

The Crafty Little Devil made me do it

I was inspired to Blog by my incredible niece Amy. Evidently she has been doing it for several years now. When I discovered her writings this past year, I thought it was a great way for a busy person to keep in touch with a large family. To write personal emails to all who love and care about her would take every hour of her day. She’s that sweet! Hearing about her day, made me feel close to her; a part of her life. She’s happily married to a great guy and they have a spankin’ new baby boy. Life seems to really be going her way; and she so deserves it. They are truly living their love song.

By the way, I have several incredible, beautiful nieces and a couple of handsome nephews too. These young men and women have grown up so fast. I’m very proud of all of them! Most have spouses and children of their own now. I have not been as big a part of their lives as I would have liked to have been; mostly just see them on holidays now. Boy, have I miss out. I would really like to know more about each one of these unique individuals.

I know how much visiting my special aunts always meant to me. The ones I saw the most were my Dad’s sisters and sisters-in-law Willie, Bessie, Edna and Pauline. We had a lot of fun together.

But back to the progression of the blog...my niece inspired my husband to blog, who inspired our friend and my younger brother to blog, and they all inspired me.

“Sometimes even the little things can have a lasting impact on someone’s life and we aren’t even aware of making a difference.” – Okie Sister 2008

It's all about me....

I’m an Okie, obviously, and proud of it; born and raised in SW OK. I have three brothers and two sisters; just like the Brady Bunch. Guess who broke the boy, girl, boy, girl pattern. Yep, that would be me.

I started this blog to help stay connected with these siblings. After both our parents passed away, we kids started emailing each other to try to get to know one another as adults. My emails were getting pretty long and wordy. So here I am, out here in cyberspace, filled with trepidation. I’m not sure I’m really okay with “the others” (aka. people I have never met) reading my crazy ramblings and personal thoughts about life.

For me it will be “a social experiment” and I’m excited to be trying something new. After all, my New Year’s resolution was to be more sociable. This is saying a lot because my favorite activity in life is to be at home watching television. My motto could be: “All I Need to Know about Life, I Learned from Television.” I will probably talk on this subject ad nauseam.

Other subjects of interest are Family, Music, Sci-Fi, Food, NASCAR and My Dogs (or ‘my girls’ as I call them.)

So fasten your seat belts…