After 117 hours, the electric trucks showed up in front of my house. What a glorious sight!
I called them the Texas Cavalry. Just like an old western movie, when things look their bleakest, the cavalry ride in and save the day. I big thank you to these guys for restoring my power.
I was starting to stress a bit. I cleaned my desk yesterday and found the following cartoon that my oldest brother sent me last year. I can relate.
After all the Budweiser shoot-out is this weekend.
“Please don’t snow. Please don’t snow. Please don’t snow.”
“If it does…. snow enough that I don’t have to work anymore this week, but not enough to knock out my internet.
This I pray, Amen!”
Losing Dish Network is a given. It goes off every time it rains heavy. That is normal, right? I mean normal for satellite reception. (Had to do a Google search. I cracked up when I found the following items.)
Dish Wedgie - Dish Hoodie - Dish Skinz - DishWraps - DishRags
I wonder if these work.
Does anyone out there use protection?
I was saddened by the departure of Lance Smith on CMT’s Top 20 Countdown at the end of last year. Lance was hilarious as the host of this show for the past eight years. I couldn’t imagine anyone stepping into his shoes. Kudos to CMT for replacing him with sexy Evan Farmer. Evan is the perfect choice. I loved him as the host of TLC’s While You Were Out.
Bye, bye Ugly Betty. I never “got you” and didn’t understand what others saw in you in, but to each his own. You leaving will open a time slot that ABC will probably fill with something else I don’t “get.” Because nobody asked me… like they should, because I would be great at that job. Cavemen…seriously. Leno at an earlier time…no way.
My latest TV find is American Pickers on the History Channel. Two guys rummage through old barns looking for items they can sell…or add to their collections.
Hubby hasn’t stopped talking about the “dressing down” that Lucky Spencer gave Elizabeth on General Hospital earlier this week. I can’t remember the last time he has enjoyed seeing someone else "get what’s coming to them" like that. Must have been back in his city council days.
We’re liking the new Lucky, played by Jonathan Jackson. Well actually, he is the old Lucky, because he played this role years ago. Not sure hunky Greg Vaughan would have pulled these scenes off as dramatically.
Over on Y&R, the new Tucker McCall character is now being played by Stephen Nichols. I recognized him immediately as the evil Stefan Cassadine from GH. I also knew he had been on another soap I used to watch. It wasn’t until he walked into a room wearing sunglasses that I shouted out, “oh yeah, Patch from Days.” See Patch wore a patch over one eye….
Too funny.
Only two more weekends till Daytona! Be still my heart.
I’ll fill the waiting time with guest appearances by NASCAR drivers on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader this week on CMT but Not the 24/7 Jimmie Johnson show on HBO. I get enough of him during the season.
Brad Keselowski wins his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Race for independent car owner James Finch. Unfortunately, Brad spun out Carl Edwards in the process. One of the most dramatic "in the air, on fire" wrecks I've seen.
That cracked me up when they compared Carl's sprint to the finish line to the Ricky Bobby scene in the movie Talladega Nights. If Cousin Carl would have only thought to rip off his clothes.
I have a lot of respect for how Carl talked about the crash in his after race interview.
On a side note, don't miss the upcoming June episode of Man vs. Wild where Will Ferrell eats reindeer eyeballs and rappels down glaciers in Sweden with series host Bear Grylls.
Funny Cartoon: My oldest brother emailed me about last week’s episode of Lost. I think he summed it up accurately.
As Ralphie May would say, “I don’t know if he is a punk-ass bitch or a bitch-ass punk.”
I think it is Busch’s arrogance that turns so many people off to him. I’m obviously not the only one that feels this way either, judging by the way he was booed after being introduced yesterday in Las Vegas before the start of the Sam’s Town Nationwide Race. This has been the response from the NASCAR crowd for over a year now.
The guy can drive, that’s for sure; having won numerous races in all three series this past year. Personally, I find nothing more boring than watching a race where Kyle Busch leads the majority of the laps and takes the checkered flag. Where’s the sport in one driver being so dominate? I felt the same way back when Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon constantly won too.
Such was not the case yesterday in Las Vegas. In one of the more interesting races I’ve seen in a long time, Kyle Busch overdrove his car while trying to take the lead on lap twenty-two. “Wreck him,” I muttered. Before the words left my mouth, Kyle was spinning and smashed into the wall. Nobody had touched his car, and it wasn’t me sending him bad mojo either. I often cheer for him to wreck, or blow up, or run out of gas; he hardly ever does. I smiled when he loaded up his racecar and left the track before the race was even over.
This was a strange race, fraught with mishaps, spins, wrecks, fire, and penalties. It came down to which driver would be left standing after all the mayhem. Only ten drivers where remaining on the lead lap by the end of the race. Greg Biffle, the eventual winner, had even run out of gas and gone a lap down earlier in the day. It was exciting to say the least. I didn’t even take my usual nap during the middle of this race.
Now, back to the Busch bashing.
I have a giant wall calendar at work that was given to me by the Interstate Battery representative. It’s great because it lists all the race dates. It sucks because it pictures Kyle Busch... a lot. But, I’ve found a way to overcome this.
Hey, maybe I am sending out bad mojo after all.
I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon with the Daytona 500 Qualifying on the TV keeping me company. One of my favorite drivers Mark Martin is currently leading the pack. Last night I enjoyed the Budweiser Shootout. It was a good race with several wrecks and hard racing. It was only 70 laps long, but I still managed to doze off at one point. Thankfully I was awake for the sprint to the checkered flag, otherwise known as maneuvering through the bigass wreck. I wouldn’t mind if all races were under 100 laps. The best part of races are usually the last few laps anyway.
Forgettabout those ocean wave or soothing sounds noise machines, sign me up for the sounds of racecars driving around a track. Puts me to sleep every time.
Dang Martin Truex just took the pole.
I’m stressing about my upcoming surgery. Wednesday is when I will be put to sleep, have my skin sliced into, flesh pried open, leg bone sawed in half, hip socket built up, and a new titanium ball inserted in the bone. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
I’m most concerned about the anesthesia. I wonder if this fear is in my subconscious from childhood. I don’t remember my first hip surgery, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t frightened by what was happening to me. I’ve always been afraid of being put to sleep. (I sympathized when I read this blog about The Mask)
I have a lesser fear of waking up and not being able to remember all my passwords. You know we can't do anything on our computers without our passwords. I’ve written some of them down just in case. I know that defeats the purpose. Also will I remember where I put the list?
If you don’t hear from me for a few days, this is why.
My dog Trixie will be affected most by my absence. She has a tendency to throw up if I’m late coming home from work. I’m guessing she will sit by the front door until I return. That’s pretty sad, isn’t it?
I’ve always felt that hospitals where the best place to go to pick up germs. Yes, I’m a germ-o-phob. Hey, they aren’t filled with healthy people, now are they?
Speaking of which, I almost had to reschedule my operation. I’ve spent the last few days fighting off a cold/sinus/earache. Bed rest, Nyquil and fresh oranges were part of the cure. This photo sums it up.
Hey, I plan on hiking through the mountains again with my new hip soon. You just wait and see.
Okay, I just saw this Tony Stewart commercial. I didn’t find it amusing because some of us people have phobias, okay? What do you think about it, funny or not?
Soap News: Big catastrophe on General Hospital this week. Big enough that the show will be unveiling a new hospital set in April, complete with a new nurse’s station. I still miss seeing nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin) behind the round 7th floor nurse’s station desk on GH? I guess you could say GH is getting a facelift. Not unlike characters Bobbie Spencer (Jackie Zeman) and Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson). Or is that botox? (Who besides me remembers that actress Jackie Zeman once posed in a men’s magazine?) On the show, the wealthy Quartermaine family pay for the Extreme Hospital Makeover.
Reality TV: Watch for Okie Christie Volkmer and her sister Jodi Wincheski on the next Amazing Race when it premieres Feb. 15. These ladies are Southwest Airlines flight attendants. I wonder if that will give them an advantage. Jodi is from Houston, Texas and Christie is from Choctaw, Oklahoma.
Also on the show will be the first ever deaf contestant, Luke Adams. He will be accompanied by his mom, Margie. Gay rights activist Mel White will be racing with his son Mike, screenwriter of the most excellent movie, “School of Rock.” One leg of the race has the contestants traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railroad through a snowstorm in sub-zero temperatures.
America’s Next Top Model starts again on Feb. 25. One of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ex-girlfriends, Kortnie Coles, is a contestant. She is listed as a 24 year old non-profit organizer from Houston, TX. Answer This... hosts a shot of her wearing the famous “Not Everything Is Flat In Kansas” t-shirt. She should be a lot of fun.
Speaking of NASCAR women... I wonder what ever happened to TLC’s reality show NASCAR Wives. It was supposed to premiere after the Miss America pageant last month.
In The News: Speaking of Pageants... It’s that time of year again here in Lawton, Oklahoma for Cameron University to crown a new queen. Each year the headline in the newspaper catches my eye.
Every year I think the same thing when I read it too, When is the Miss White CU Pageant?
Several earthquakes have occurred in Oklahoma recently. Centrahoma reported a 3.2 on Feb. 3, a 2.4 was recorded between Carney and Chandler on Jan. 29, and a 3.4 the day before that near Amber.
Amber, Oklahoma...home of some Steak(?) restaurant Hubby wants to take me to. Have any of you been there? Let me know if it’s good, okay?
Speaking of wacky... weather, that is. Have you seen the 5-ton ice sculpture of a “shivering” Al Gore. It was revealed by Craig Compeau in Fairbanks, Alaska. Compeau, a self described moderate skeptic of the whole global warming theory, is using the sculpture to raise money for Presbyterian Hospitality House. Participants guess whether this winter will be warmer or colder than it was the winter of 1947-48. Gore was born March 1948. More info at www.frozengore.com.
Television: Laura Prepon aka Donna from That 70’s Show will appear in five episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Could she be the mother?
Laurence Fishburne has been cast as Dr. Raymond Langston on the new season of CSI. Country music phenomenon Taylor Swift will appear in one upcoming episode of that show.In April, Scott Bakula and Chevy Chase will appear as software development rivals on three episodes of Chuck. Remember Chuck promising his sister that he would find their dad in time for her wedding?
Bakula is also scheduled to appear with Andre Braugher in a new Ray Romano series, Men of a Certain Age, airing later this year on TNT.
Idol Music: First of all, who besides me can’t stop singing David Cook’s Light On?There’s a DVD out about gold medal Olympic snowboarder Shaun White called Don’t Look Down. Evidently this was aired on ESPN and is now available via Netflix. The music from this video is coming out on a soundtrack this week.
Don’t Look Down features music from American Idol contestant, Australian cutie, Michael Johns. There is a beautiful duet on it with fellow Idol singer Brooke White.
Bubbly Brook’s cd, Songs From The Attic, is already out. She’s done a remake of Aerosmith’s Dream On (why?) and Coldplay’s Yellow.
Melinda Doolittle, who also didn’t win the Idol title, has a cd coming out February 3. She has a great pop, jazz, soulful sound. Everything R&B used to be.
Kelly Clarkson’s new cd, All I Ever Wanted, debuts March 17. The first single released is My Life Would Suck Without You. With Suck being the operative word. I don’t particularly care for this song, but the poster for it is... um... interesting.
In Print: Oklahoma rockers Hinder are now immortalized in a comic book based on the band’s touring experiences. I’m sure that even though the book has naked women sitting at their feet on the front cover, it’s totally PG... and PC.The iconic Stan Lee is working with Showtime to develop a show based on Perry Moore’s novel Hero about gay superhero Thom Creed, a high-school basketball player hiding his sexuality.
Remember the last show Stan Lee brought us, Who Wants To Be A Superhero? It was a campy reality show where every day people could act on their secret desire to be super. My favorite was Fat Momma with her belt of doughnuts. She wanted to help people who were down about themselves or being teased for being different.
Stan Lee’s character Spiderman had a special edition recently with a cartoon Barack Obama. The Inauguration Issue sold out quickly and has now gone into a second printing.
Okie Sister thinks the country could really use a new superhero in DC named Foreign Policy Woman.
In The News: Edward Vaughn, President of the Alabama NAACP made an arse of himself recently when he stated his objections to the Mobile Azalea Trail Maids being the only representation of the state in the upcoming inaugural parade. He, of course, preferred an all black group represent. He said the Maids remind him of slavery days and that their appearance would make Alabama a laughingstock. Little did he know that his racist comments were the only thing being laughed at.
The Azalea Maids are fifty senior girls from Mobile County who must have a high academic record and knowledge of state history, landmarks, and current events. It should be noted that this is a racially integrated group of ladies. They represent their state at many events wearing period costumes representing the colors of the Azaleas that line Mobile’s streets. The reason they picked this particular time period is because they feel it represents Southern Hospitality.
Fiddle-dee-dee. I don't no nothin' 'bout being a maid. I'd like to be a southern belle, but only if I can portray this one.
NASCAR: Only 20 more days until the Budweiser Shootout in Daytona, the official start of the 2009 racing season. Four extra cars will be in this year’s race, all wildcard picks. No doubt one will be Tony Stewart in the new Stewart-Haas Office Depot - Old Spice car.
TV Alert for my fellow NASCAR fans!
NASCAR: The Ride of their Lives airs Saturday December 13 on CMT. A retrospective of the first 60 years of the sport. The story of family bonds and personal struggle, rebellion and teamwork. Hosted by Kevin Costner.
You can also go to CMT.com and see a music video of Kevin Costner and Modern West's new song, "Backyard" featuring several drivers and fans. Didn't know Kevin could sing? Well, that's a matter of opinion.
The following should be sung to "In The Navy" by the Village People: It’s the Navy They want you, they want you CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Add Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the growing list of car owners searching for sponsorship.
The sponsor you’ll no longer see
It’s the Navy
For Nationwide’s Brad Keselowski.
It’s the Navy
Come on, Sailors, What’s the deal?
It’s the Navy, It’s the Navy
Jr’s driver has mass appeal!
It’s the Navy
Come on fans, he could use a hand.
It’s the Navy
Find a new sponsor to take a stand.
It’s the Navy
800 Dentist, or ADA would be grand!
No longer Navy, no longer Navy, no longer Navy
They want you as a hood tattoo.
The Navy is leaving the No. 88 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series at the end of the season, forcing Earnhardt to search for funding for the flagship car at JR Motorsports.
"We were informed last week that our sponsorship with the U.S. Navy will not renew at the end of the year," said team spokesman Mike Davis. "It's been an exceptional partnership since 2005, and we look forward to a strong finish to the season as Brad Keselowski and the No. 88 Navy team contends for a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship."
We Okies are fascinated with tornadoes. I personally find them very exciting, but I don’t know if I could ever be one of those folks who chase them around the state. That’s pretty brave. Here’s a couple of awesome photos that have arrived in my email recently. My older brother send me this next one. June 10, 2008 9:04 p.m. Orchard, Iowa taken by Lori Mehmen from her front door. On another note, the three day weekend gave me a chance to catch up on my recorded races. Now I can read the sports section of the newspaper and all my favorite NASCAR blogs. Good thing, since there is a lot going on right now with drivers moving to other teams or signing Got to go now, the Nationwide race starts soon. Happy Birthday, Sela Ward.
Around our house we say "Sela Ward" a lot. You know how sometimes you have a word on the tip of your tongue, but just can’t quite remember it. That happened in our house several years ago when one of us was trying to recall the name of an actress. Hours or days later (I don’t remember which now) it finally popped out of the blue..."Sela Ward!" We both laughed. So now whenever we can’t place a name or a word, we just replace the real answer with "Sela Ward" until we can think of the correct one.
Sela was fantastic in the TV series Sisters and Once and Again. Most recently she was seen on House.
I’m sure what she is most proud of is creating an emergency shelter in her home town of Meridian, Mississippi for abused and neglected children awaiting placement in foster homes. Talk about using your celebrity for good.
This one came from my father-in-law. Oil Rig - April 3, 2008 Lariat #2 Sandridge Energy south of Ft Stockton, Texas.
contracts to stay for more years in their present rides. The most exciting news is Mark Martin moving to Hendrix Motorsports next year to drive the #5 car full time. My husband and I are big fans of Martin. I think this will be a good move for him, as it was for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
The fact that people are still watching live TV is beyond me. Approximately 20 minutes of each hour long program is commercials. I don’t care to buy that stuff, so why would I want to be bombarded with ads. What do I do with all these extra 20 minutes? Um...I use it to watch more programs. Sad, but true. I am a TV junkie. Here’s the only draw back I have found to the DVR. Sometimes people, blogs, newspapers, or other media give details about television shows. I may have it recorded but have not gotten around to watching it yet. So I have to shelter myself from hearing certain TV related discussions. So I’ve been doing other things lately, especially on the warm weekends, and have fallen behind on my race viewing. This is the reason that I haven’t been blogging about it. I haven’t been able to stay current enough. I’ll leave that for the time being to the folks over at NASCAR Bloggers FT Digest. They seem to be right on top of the latest happenings. Not that I can read their site right now, because...I am so behind on my races. Grrr! The truck series had been extra exciting this year with first timers and Rookies winning races: Matt Crafton, Donny Lia, and Scott Speed. I enjoy seeing these underdogs win against the big racing teams. That and watching Kyle Busch blow up or crash out. I enjoy seeing that immensely. It always brings a smile to my face. Okay, and now, what’s the BIG something that always happens when I get behind every summer on viewing my racing? Somebody......let’s say, like Dale Earnhardt, Jr......wins a race after a two year streak. That’s kind of a huge deal. How do I shield myself from that kind of news? I actually found out about it the very next morning on one of my favorite blogs, The Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile. (Thanks for the spoiler alert, Michael.) My husband called me not fifteen minutes later to tell me to avoid it that particular morning. He knows I enjoy starting my day by reading TWWONW because the writer reminds me a lot of my younger brother. See, my husband’s a thoughtful guy who’s always looking out for me...but his timing is not always great. Well...sorry dude, but it’s true. I actually never heard any more about Jr’s win because...well...I don’t watch live TV, that’s why. The Digital Video Recorder was invented for me. I am their target consumer. For the rest of you, enjoying yours...you are welcome. How did I live before I had a DVR? While watching TV, I used to channel surf any time a commercial came on. I had it timed to perfection and knew exactly when to return to the original program. Sometimes though, I would try to watch two show at once this way. It used to drive my husband crazy. That and the fact that he never got to have control over the remote. Why? Because he didn’t know how to operate it, he still doesn’t. Why? Because I have control over the remote. Why? You get the picture.
Plus, every year about this time, the same thing always happens. Right here in the middle of racing season, I get behind on viewing all my recorded races. Part of this is because I enjoy so many different series; NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide (formerly known as Busch), Craftsman Truck, IndyCar, and NHRA Funny Car. I would watch even more if I had the time, but I can hardly fit in those last two. Ideally, for a four or five hour race, I would start watching my recording a couple of hours into it. That way I see the race the day it is run and don’t have to go around shielding myself from media. My husband goes so far as to throw away the sports section of the newspaper when it has race results in it. Isn’t he thoughtful?
For example, I was elated about Brad Keselowski winning a Nationwide race for JR Motorsports. I didn’t blog about it because it was old news by the time I watched that race. So, kudos, young Keselowski! I guess better late than never for congrats. (Keselowski is so cute with his braces.) I like saying Keselowski because Keselowski really rolls off of the tongue doesn’t it?
And does anyone out there start singing Bang A Gong by T-Rex any time you hear the name of Craftsman truck driver Brendan Gaughan? "Brendan Gaughan, Brendan Gaughan, Bren - dan Gaughan" No... Oh, I don't do that either... I was just asking.
I was driving across town yesterday on Cache Rd, nicknamed Crash Road, when this idiot in a red Ford pickup raced past me in the right hand turn only lane. The fact that the lane was ending didn’t deter this fool, as he cut in front of cars and crossed two lanes of traffic without signaling just before plowing through a major intersection. Hey, this isn’t NASCAR dude! Although it did remind me of some stunt Kyle Busch would try; sticking the nose of his race car into a spot that wasn’t big enough. With Kyle this usually results in spinning another driver out or turning their car into the wall. The other drivers around me must have recognized this "Rowdy" move too, because everyone checked up and backed off in order to avoid "The Big One." I wonder what the lawn cutting emergency was that had this moron in such a hurry anyway. I’m posting this picture in case someone he knows wants to call him into "The Hauler" and give him a talking to. Not that he would probably listen to anyone’s advice. Most people who live fast and loose seldom do until it’s too late. What do you need, a sign? How about this one? In case you can't read it, it says, "If God is your copilot, swap seats." And below it, partly blocked by a pole is the number for the DUI School.
Racing News: Danica Patrick finally wins an Indy Car race on her 50th try. Patrick becomes the first woman in history to win an Indy race! She took the checkered flag in the Japan 300 finishing 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves.
''It's a long time coming. Finally,'' Patrick said. ''It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio, and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous." 
I am so proud and happy for her. Oh and about that crying thing in Victory Lane, let me remind you of Jeff Gordon after the Coca-Cola 600 in 1994 sobbing like a baby.
Danica will be appearing on the Rachael Ray show on Wednesday, showing her how to drive a stick. Rachael in turn will show Danica how to cook a pork tenderloin. Sounds fun!
More Girl Power: ESPN Pit Reporter Jamie Little won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, becoming only the second woman to win the event in its 32 year history. She held off Craftsman Truck Champion Mike Skinner to take the checkered flag in the charity event.
"You go into the event with everyone out here wanting to help raise money for charity and have fun," said Little, "But when the race starts, the competitive juices take over and everyone wants to win."
The last-lap duel between Little and Skinner brought the crowd to its feet. As Skinner made contact with Little coming out of the treacherous hairpin turn on the 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach to pull side-by-side, Little was able to get back on the gas and pull in front of Skinner as the two came to the finish line.
"That was fun!," exclaimed Skinner. "Knocked a little paint off my car and had a blast!" 
Toyota donates $5,000 to "Racing for Kids" in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winner's charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a non-profit program benefiting children's hospitals in Southern California. Little’s winnings will be donated for spinal cord injury research.
Little beat out fellow celebrities drivers like Drew Lachey, Wilmer Walderrama, Nancy Lieberman, John Salley, Eric Dickerson, and Daniel Goddard who plays the character of Cane on The Young and the Restless.
Party On: Today’s most popular NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., opened his own bar this past week in Charlotte, NC. Whisky River is described by the Observer as "a perfect melding of country and rock 'n' roll -- from the cowhide-backed bar stools and a belt-buckle-trimmed bar to the giant lava lamps hanging from the black exposed ceilings and Bon Jovi coming from the speakers." 
And let’s not forget about the mechanical bull, three bars and a huge stage. Personally, I think it would be a blast to watch Jr. drive to victory lane on a big screen TV while hanging out in his orange colored club.
On Broadway: Patrick Stewart is receiving rave reviews for his leading role in Shakespeare’s Macbeth now playing at the Lyceum Theatre. This modern, updated production is set in a subterranean kitchen that serves as a military hospital in a timeless and nameless country. The single set contains a supernatural freight elevator, video projections, and a sink for Lady Macbeth to wash the gore. The Three 
Witches even rap. This is a role Stewart was born to play, having memorized all the soliloquies when he was fourteen, because he thought they were great.
Stewart earned his acting chops early on; spending fourteen years in the Royal Shakespeare Company. Of course, we all know his most famous role was playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek The Next Generation.
Monkism: What will our Monk do without his beloved shrink? Actor Stanley Kamel, age 65, was found dead in his home in LA on Tuesday. Kamel's last 
role was playing Dr. Charles Kroger on the popular USA Network show Monk.
Kamel also acted in Murder One, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Cagney & Lacey, Hunter, Hill Street Blues, and Days of Our Lives; to 
name only of few from the hundreds of shows he has appeared in. He was even in one episode of Star Trek: TNG, Where No One Has Gone Before playing Kosinski.
He once said he was most proud of his work on LA Law were he played Mark Gilliam, one of the first characters on television to have AIDS. He said Tom Hanks and Jonathan Demme studied those episodes long before they started making the movie Philadelphia.
TV/Movies: The NRA has lost their most vocal representative and past president, Mr. Charlton Heston. Some of my favorite Heston quotes: "The law-ab
iding citizen is entitled to own a rifle, pistol, or shotgun. The right, put simply, shall not be infringed." "From my cold, dead hands!"And let's not forget: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"
We all have our favorite Heston movie scenes that will stick with us forever, like the reaction to the Statue of Liberty on the beach. I wrote about one of my favorites Heston movies, Naked Jungle. Not one of his most popular, but I like it. Rest in peace, Mr. C.
Racing News: Mark Martin was inducted into the Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame on April 2, 2008. "It's really a great honor to be recognized for what we have been able to achieve at Texas," said Martin. "I've always enjoyed going there."
The Hall of Fame ceremony benefits Happy Hill Farm Academy, a working farm that helps children with a broad range of behavioral and academic issues sometimes as a result of abuse and neglect. You may have heard Dr. Phil talk about it.
In other racing news: Chrissy Wallace daughter of NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, recently made her racing debut, driving to a 18th place finish in Martinsville in the Craftsman Truck Series. She stayed on the lead lap and maneuvered around several wrecks. You, go girl!
Local Celebrity: Ft. Sill Commanding General MG Peter Vangjel and his wife Joanne pictured here with Miranda Lambert before her recent concert.
Food Find: Oreo Cakesters. Do not buy these; they are too delicious for words. Similar to a Little Debbie's product but with that rich Oreo chocolate. I h
ad been fighting the urge to try these ever since I saw it on the Walgreens check out aisle. Excellent product placement, by the way, for the impulse shopper lurking inside us all.
It was an exciting race weekend in Las Vegas. My favorite driver Mark Martin won the Nationwide series race on Saturday and Carl Edwards won the Sprint race on Sunday. Spectacular racing and wrecking both days.
Martin won the race by process of elimination; he was the last man standing. Everyone who had a car even close to catching up with him, wrecked or blew an engine or a tire, taking them out of the running. Then Martin took out Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski near the end of the race, on lap 195.
Always the gentleman, Martin had this to say in Victory Lane, "I've got to apologize before we do anything else. I ran into the back of Carl. I hate it. I just hate it, really, because we could have had a 1-2 finish with JR Motorsports."
Young Keselowski races for JR Motorsports owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in partnership with Rick Hendrick, who Mark Martin was also driving for that day.
Earhardt had this to say about Martin after the race, "We all know he's one of the cleanest drivers out there. He's taught this entire garage how to drive clean and how to drive respectfully. It's guys like him that taught a lot of drivers how to race."
I find that really interesting considering when I saw this wreck my first thought was that it looked just like something Dale Earnhardt Sr. would have done on purpose. He was called 'The Intimidator' for a reason, after all.
Sunday Carl Edwards, aka Cousin Carl, came from behind and overcame many obstacles to finish the race ahead of the pack. Dale Earnhardt Jr finished second.
Pretty boy Jeff Gordon smacked his car up the best on Sunday with his radiator actually flying off his car along with various other parts. He crashed into an opening on the inside wall that did not have the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers. This happened with only five laps to go on the race.
Victory was short lived for Edwards, post race inspection discovered that the cover was off of the oil tank and the team has been docked points and fined for this infraction.
I didn’t talk about last weekends NASCAR race in CA, because it was such a long drawn out event. The track in Fontana was too wet to be racing on. There was one spectacular wreck; the kind I like with wheels off the ground and fire. (video below, try to imagine it on my HDTV) Then the folks were out trying to cut grooves in the asphalt to counteract the water seepage on the track. Then there was more rain, and a day’s delay in finishing the race. Cousin Carl finally won the race about 52 hours after the drop of the first green flag; customary back flip ensued. The end.
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!
The 50th 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.
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.
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!”
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