Hunting Bigfoot - Bible or Bazooka?

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I am not sure if this is the thing one should blog about or not but I have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. One day last week I was fortunate enough to get to catch up with some relatives and we were talking about one thing or another. I can’t remember exactly how the conversation segued into the rather obscure subject of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch as the more sophisticated refer to him, or her, but it did. We were laughing and joking about the show Monsterquest on The History Channel and about all of the rubes that contend they have seen said mythical beast.

We were about five to ten minutes into the discussion when one of my aunts proclaimed, “The reason they never find a dead one is because he’s a demon!” At first I wasn’t certain what to think of this. I wanted to laugh but felt it would be inappropriate, because she didn’t intend for it to be funny. I know that those of you who know me are asking, "since when has that ever stopped him?" but I do have SOME tact from time to time. Anyway to move along, she did manage to point out that there are some characteristics about Sasquatch that are consistent with the spiritual world, but they are also equally identifiable with Santa Clause in that no one has ever found a dead one yet thousands of people claim to have seen him. In case you’re wondering, yes, I was quick to point out that no one had ever found a dead Santa Clause either but that didn’t mean he was a demon.

Fortunately, Good Old Uncle Keith was there to side with me in that if ever there were such a shaggy beast combing the forests and eating owl carcasses and what not, he was probably not of a satanic or demonic nature but rather just a misplaced primate that had pituitary issues.
So this prompted me to think about the subject of Bigfoot on a broader scope. I don’t think he exists. I wish he did. I think it would be cool to find out after all these years that there was such a thing. I have to admit that I do enjoy the occasional show on History or Discovery Channels about BF and other fabled monsters but I don’t hold any stock in their existence.

I think that people need to believe in something that can not be explained or “fixed” by conventional scientific explanations. This is so that we can keep the flame of creativity and imagination burning. As long as we can conceive of things that can’t be explained it allows us to constantly ask, “But what if…” as it pertains to a world where fantasy and folly are just as important as science and technological innovation.

In some way it seems like the more technologically advanced we become the more we actually need things that can’t easily be explained and identified. Of course the most obvious example of this is religion, but that is different because religion doesn’t ask us to solve the riddle, it just asks us to accept things based on faith, thus making it an inherent belief as opposed to a question or riddle that must be solved.

I guess what I am trying to say is that because we now realize the futility of tilting windmills we might need these other things such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster or any other of the litany of so called monsters to keep us connected with the world of “What if’s…” If Bigfoot did exist and if one were captured or found dead in the road after having been caressed by a semi then I think that the entire world might actually be a little let down, because the mystery would have died. I think it is the mystery that people enjoy discussing more than the actual beasts themselves. If we discovered that Bigfoot were real, one can’t help but realize that six months after the first few news conferences and countless TV programs had aired, the allure of discussing the beast would be gone. All of the questions would have been answered and we would no longer need to wonder.

So that being said, maybe it is a good thing that your aunt and uncle can almost come to blows about whether Bigfoot be flesh and blood or demonic… What would be the fun in knowing for certain?

Hook, Line and .44 Magnum

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There must be something really special about fishing. If you take time to really stop and think about it, what allure is there that will make men drive long distances and spend a considerable amount of time and money just to get a fish to bite a hook at the end of a line? The concept is pretty simple in nature, but there is something about the whole experience that causes grown men to throw out all sense of reason and pursue this activity with extreme zealousness.

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I am going to tell you a tale about a fishing trip that shows exactly to what extremes men will go simply to reach a good fishing spot. The story is somewhat dubious from the beginning because it involves my Uncle Keith. Add to the mix myself and my old man and you have a pretty good chance for calamity of some sort. This is one of those fishing stories that a lot of people don’t believe and those who do just kind of shake their heads and walk off.

It was a nice spring morning and we picked up Keith down around the metropolis known as Wayne, Oklahoma. He had assured us that he knew of a pond where the fishing was so good that basically you had to beat the fish back into the water with clubs to keep them from just offering themselves up as a conquered foe. For about eight to ten miles we were told how good the fishing was at this pond. As we approached the gate, good old Keith decides that this might be an opportune time to tell us about one of the more interesting ground rules regarding this particular fishing hole.

You know it is going to be interesting when the conversation starts out, “Hey, do ya’ll remember that old boy up in Oklahoma City that shot that other one in the head?” I remember thinking to myself, “Not really but I am certain you will explain,” and he did. Uncle Keith went on to say, “Well this guy we’re gonna be fishing with is him.”

I remember asking the question to which I was afraid I already knew the answer, yet still I asked, “So is this the shooter or the shootee?” Unfortunately I was correct in that I actually did know the answer beforehand when he said, “Oh this is the guy that pulled the trigger. The other one is dead.” Now this was not a situation in which he said, “This could be the guy…” or “They think he might have…” or even “He knows the guy that…” but no this was certainly the guy.

I asked good old Uncle Keith if maybe he thought that this was a detail he might have wanted to tell us before we actually arrived. He assured us by saying, “Oh he’s a good guy he goes to our church!” Somehow this didn’t really reassure me. Now here is the part where things get really interesting. We know that the property we are entering is inhabited by a known killer who is awaiting trial, but as long as the fishing is okay we seem to be willing to run the risk of being snubbed out as long as we have a good chance of catching fish. How messed up is that?

We drove in and down in a clearing was a really nice looking pond. Beside the pond was a tent and a pick up camper, but no pickup… just the camper. So it appears that these folks had no home, just a tent and a camper. Homeless and a propensity to shoot people, nothing screams respectable citizen like that combination. But nonetheless, we still decided to wet a line. Keith was right, the fish were biting and we were having a pretty good time.

At this time we see an individual emerge from the tent. I looked as best I could and didn’t see him brandishing any firearms so I didn’t bolt right away. The guy came up and Keith introduced us. The guy talked for a while and seemed to be pretty normal. We continued catching fish and talking to the guy and after a while he seemed like a pretty decent guy. I decided it best to avoid the subject of killing his former neighbor back in OKC and made certain to keep the topic of conversation relegated to fishing and camping. We continued to fish and talk, and of course watch for sudden moves, for a while until it was almost noon. All in all we had a lot of fun.

So the point of the whole story is that the urge to catch fish can drive people to put themselves in situations in which they would not normally find themselves. I mean what are the chances of him killing three more people while out on bail? That would certainly not look good for him at his pending trial. So apparently the chance of good fishing outweighs time, money and risk of being shot? Yeah makes sense to me. Anyone know a good spot?

If I Turn My Head Sideways I Can See Part of the Screen

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Well kids I am going to complain some more. I know that those of you who know me personally will find that difficult to believe but yes I am going to complain. At this point I would like you to direct your attention to the January 7, 2010 post entitled, “Closed for Winter” in which I complained about the over zealousness of schools, businesses and government agencies to cease operations because they deemed that it was either too cold or too snowy for their employees to get dressed and go to work.

I know some of you agree, some of you disagree, that is not really the point here. I was right of course, hahaha, but anyway today I want to talk not about the closings themselves, but the method in which the public is advised of these closings. I have to admit that I do not watch Channels 9 or 5 so I don’t know the method in which they list their closings.

Channel 4 leaves the listings up all night and therefore compresses the portion of the screen in which the program is shown. At least that was the occasion one night this weekend when I was trying to watch CSI Miami in HD. The HD was a no go. The listings were flashing across the top of the screen on two different crawls. It was really frenetic and I thought I was going to have a seizure or a stroke or something. Okay that last part was just me babbling, there was no real danger of a stroke.

I remember last Christmas and then again around the beginning of the year when we had all of the closings, Mark R. used to complain incessantly on Facebook about the practice. I was watching DVD’s at the time so I really didn’t feel his angst at that point. I now do. So I have been asking myself the following questions: Why can’t they just list these closings on their website? Why can’t they just run them once at the top of the hour and once again at the bottom of the hour? Why can’t they run them on an alternate feed or different channel? Why can’t the good folks at KFOR simply inform those who are interested to check their sister station KAUT? I am certain there is ample technology to get the message to the people without messing up the HD feed.

Most of the people have computers, those who don’t could certainly call the institution or organization involved to seek the necessary details. Do we really need to have a 24 hour banner telling the entire population of Oklahoma City and the surrounding area that Uncle Zeke’s Fly Fishing courses will be cancelled? I can see listing the schools and companies employing more than 250 people. But do we really need to list EVERY dog and pony operation that calls in to the news channels?

This weekend I saw a notification that the Mt, Saint Mary’s High School luncheon had been cancelled. Not that I have anything against St. Mary’s, after all I am an alumni of said institution. I am guessing that this weekend luncheon affected probably 50-75 people at the most, again just a guess. But because of this, every poor sap like me who wanted to watch CSI Miami in HD was denied. Oh yes they were also advising us that some truck driver training course was cancelled as well. Seems to me that this would be a prime time to get the pupils some training related to driving in inclement weather… but do they use the same logic as myself? Guess not!

So now I come to the part where I ask myself, “Am I out of step here? Am I the only one, besides Mark, who really gets annoyed at things like this?” I am betting that I’m not. I know that there are those who will cite some arcane clause of an FCC code that says television stations must do so many things in the name of public service as held with the licensing agreements they signed, etc etc etc. But certainly there is way they can do so in a manner which has less direct impact on the viewers. Well I have ranted and complained enough for a while… and speaking of The Rant, correct me if I am wrong Mark and Brad, but did we not establish The Rant back on "The Row" several years before it became popular on KFOR? Hahahah.

I shall cease my complaining for now… but rest assured I will find SOMETHING to gripe about in the near future. And yes I know the picture at the top has nothing to do with school and business closings but I found it during an image search for KFOR and decided to go with it.

An Injustice Of The Highest Magnitude

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I think that the people of my office are pretty much like most people, give or take the day to day neuroticism that can so easily pervade the call center environment. Like most office dwelling residents of the cube farms we all ask the same question each day, “What do I want for lunch?”

The corner on which I work offers the following fare: McDonald’s, Sonic, Long John Silver’s, A&W, KFC, Casa Parrico (An overpriced Mexican joint with sub-par food), and a Mazzio’s, nothing to really jump up and down about.

More than once my colleagues and I have voiced our disappointment that there are no Del Ranchos on the north side of town. Why is this? They say that Edmond used to have one but it went under. There was what could basically be called a Del Rancho Kiosk on Britton but it was just not the same. It was like a snow cone stand and was so cramped that I am betting the attendant actually had to sit on the grill in order to access the service window. I only ate there twice before it closed and I have to say that I was not that impressed.

I did some checking and it seems that there are no Del Rancho’s north of 10th Street. Why is it that the good people of North Oklahoma City are being deprived of one of the finest tasting examples of wholesome Okie goodness, the Steak Sandwich Supreme? I know everyone hates the commercial from the 70’s with the semi-retarded little kid who says “Steak Sandwich Supweme.” I am betting that his last name is Richardson and his family now wants to build your famwy’s home. If you don’t get that last joke give yourself a pat on the back for not habitually making fun of kids with speech impediments. The rest of us will just laugh on the inside and feign guilt later.

I checked the Del Rancho website and it did confirm that the first true Del Rancho was indeed located on 15th Street in Del City, hence the name. The original location was somewhat of a hybrid because it had drive up service like most others but it also had a very spacious dining room attached. I know that as a kid our family dined there quite frequently. They used to have the Pizza Burger and the Chuck Burger which were favorites of mine and my sister respectively, I’m not sure if those two items are still on the menu at the remaining locations.

I tried to call the phone number listed on the web site but never got an answer and I really didn’t feel like leaving a message. I would certainly think that there is a market for Del Rancho in NW OKC but I am not exactly certain which corner would be the best location demographically. I approached a very successful OKC restaurateur who has worked very successfully with multiple franchised restaurants and told him that he should open a Del Rancho in North OKC as there was a void. He said that he once briefly considered it but he is now wanting to branch out into something new and possibly even brand his own establishment rather than seeking out another franchise relationship.

I told him that with his business acumen and knowledge of the restaurant business he would probably be able to make a go of a Del Rancho franchise but he would not indulge my request to bring the beloved Steak Sandwich Supreme to the inhabitants of North Oklahoma City. So for now I will still have to make the trek hither and yon to fetch myself some caloric rhapsody.

Old Yeller, Not Just A Move Hero Anymore!!!

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She must not have been too important in the long run as I can not even remember who she was, but some time ago I was talking to a young lady and I advised Brad that if for some reason or other I should ever start to develop feelings for this lady he was to take me out back of the BWW and do me just like Old Yeller, put me out of my misery. He laughed and said he would do so. It was at that moment that we decided that there may indeed be times that a really good friend might just need to execute the Old Yeller Clause.

The Old Yeller Clause is a situation in which you just ask your wingman, or winggirl if the case may be, to take ya out back and whack you because you are just too far into someone that is ultimately going to be bad news for you. We of course feel that this is a necessary and appropriate action and as an act of honor and compassion should transcend and supersede any actions or remedies set forth by legislation or legal precedence. The courts of course see it otherwise. That is why one day Brad and one of his coworkers actually drafted a document, while it will not hold water in court, the person can always feel good about their deed as they wait on Death Row.

The reason Brad’s friend at work felt that she needed a separate agreement was because she thought I might not have the stomach to off Brad, hahahaha, oh how little she knows. One day back at the BWW Brad and I were reviewing this concept with another friend of mine Lindsay, a beautiful and charming young lady whom I am sure has probably been the incentive for countless young men to seek out Old Yellering’s in the past.

Lindsay conceived another aspect of the practice that we had not considered. She held that at times, if a person was so distracted that they may not be in total control of their faculties a true friend could, actually should, act as a third party catalyst and set forth the motion themselves, a sort of mercy killing by proxy, as it were. Brad and I both liked this idea and decided that it could indeed be considered a logical and sound progression to the practice.

But then we thought more and more about the circumstances that might arise and we thought about those people who might not have a close friend they could rely on. It was then determined that in the spirit of altruism, all the individual need do would be face the setting sun just before it slipped under the horizon and say the name “Old Yeller” three times and the mythical beast would appear before them to put them out of their misery. We actually tried this once but the only thing that turned up was a stray cat. We decided that the reason the big old wooly dog didn’t appear was because we were not sincere in our beckoning calls.

So in closing, remember, if you feel like you are getting in over your head and you know there is a chance that it might get really ugly just look to the setting sun and call his name. Or… Just have your friend hit you really hard with a shovel

Finally, A Hope For The Universe

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He’s back and it is about time. The earth had actually been spinning correctly on its axis until he tilted it back. But we can now rest easy because it seems that the World’s Most Interesting Man is back in business and stunning people each day. The clever Dos Equis commercials featuring new footage of the exploits of the World’s Most Interesting Man are back and I know that I am glad. It had been months since I had seen any new footage of this cool guy.

He not only travels the world being The World’s Most Interesting Man, but he will be your Facebook friend, he will even let you enroll in a training course, online, that will let you try to be as cool as he is, you will fail of course. I tried to think of someone as cool as this man but even I fell short. I thought of James Bond, he came close but didn’t measure up, George Clooney fell out of the competition in the first round. If he were alive Ricardo Montalban might have been in the running but that’s pretty much a moot point now.

It has been said that at times this man, who has no name, must wear glasses to protect the Sun from his eyes. They have said that his blood smells like cologne, but no one can name the exact scent. He’s been known to reject Megan Fox, twice. He once read a man’s mind, in Braille. He has been heard speaking Russian, in French. There is no woman this man can’t have and no feat he can not accomplish.

So it is with a great appreciation and admiration that I welcome back The World’s Most Interesting Man to the airwaves with all new exploits and accomplishments… Stay Thirsty My Friends

Point of Sale Panhandling

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I could never imagine what it would be like to find myself on the streets. No money, no roof over my head, no food and no real prospect of improvement. We can imagine what we might do and we can try to conceive what it might be like, but I am of the opinion that unless you have been in that situation you really have no clue what you might do or how you would react.

The intersection near my place of employment is a frequent home to panhandlers who stand there with the requisite sign about needing food or money or both and they usually have the obligatory “God Bless” written somewhere on the sign. The purpose of this entry is not to discuss whether they are in the right or the wrong. This posting is not to debate whether they are legitimately in need or simply too lazy to seek gainful employment. The purpose of this article is talk about a new form of panhandling I witnessed Saturday night.

My friend Brad, his kiddo Buddha, and yours truly were dining on some fine seafood at the local Long John Silver’s. I am just a slave to the creatively named L5 platter which is not to be confused with the A5 platter which consists of A&W fare. As you are guessing this is one of those little combo shacks that houses BOTH an A&W and a Long John Silver’s. Which leads me off on a bit of a tangent in that I sometimes worry about the quality of my food in these places because what if the “Burger Chef” was the only one there to make my fish? Would he or she have the necessary skills to produce the same savory quality which is attainable only by a full time fish man? I don’t exactly lose sleep over this question but it does make one scratch one’s head does it not?

Anyway, I will now get back to the issue of what I have deemed “Point of Sale Panhandling.” A rather scruffy looking gent came into the A&W/LJS Combo Shack and took a seat at a table somewhat close to us. He had a coat which was torn in the back so that the filling was coming out and he was less than tidy. I am not going to go into detail because we have all seen the type and to give specifics would only waste time and in a sense further degrade the individual even though I doubt he will ever have the opportunity to read this.

To make a long story short, the guy was sitting at the table for a few minutes and then he leaned over and engaged in conversation with a couple that I would guess to be in their early to mid fifties. They spoke very quietly for a few moments and then the older gentleman and what I am assuming was a homeless individual approached the counter and placed an order. The older gentleman paid and the less fortunate man soon carried a tray heaped with fish back to his table and began eating.

I am still trying to figure out if there was a breach of panhandling protocol here. Is this form of panhandling more “professional” than the traditional sign bearer at the intersection? With this method one knows that their contribution is going directly toward sustenance. In this case a good source of protein, fish or chicken. One can be certain that their donated funds go to food rather than alcohol, cigarettes, drugs or spray paint. I have to admit that I would be far more inclined to actually pay $4 or $5 directly to LJS so that this individual could eat than I would to slip him a couple of dollars while waiting on the traffic light.

So last night I asked myself, had the person approached me and asked me to buy his dinner I think I probably would have. I had just gotten paid and this is the check that does not have any major bills earmarked for allocation so yeah I probably would have. Now conversely had I seem him with his good old cardboard sign standing on the median I most likely would not contribute.

That being said I think our friend here might have a good gig going. I know the restaurants are more than certain to take an opposing view of the situation but if the patrons in the establishment are willing to kick in a couple of bucks for a meal then I guess the restaurants might just realize that a sale is a sale and as long as there was no frothing at the mouth or public urination they might find it acceptable. Of course this would preclude OU’s Austin Box from dining there but I am sure it’s a worthwhile trade off.

This then led me to thinking about the following prospect. What if the restaurants actually saw an increase in profits because of this? Let’s say that not one, but three beggars staked out the joint. If each of the panhandlers were successful, that would potentially make for six sales rather than just three. There would be the three original sales to the average customer who would then make a second purchase on behalf of the panhandler for a total of six sales, thus effectively doubling their take had the panhandler not been there.

If one figures that the average panhandler could eat two pieces of fish, a scattering of fries and two hushpuppies, the contents of the beloved L5 platter, once every two to three hours, and there were three beggars, then basically that could result in the sale of an additional six platters every three hours. If the restaurant were open twelve hours then that would mean that an additional twenty-four platters were being sold daily. One must then consider whether these inflated numbers would be enough to compensate for the three to four people who would leave at the site of the homeless people. My guess is that in the long run it would be more profitable because even if people bolted at the sight of the panhandlers there is still a good chance that they would simply take their food with them.

Okay I admit that the last two paragraphs were just me having fun and creating an excuse to demonstrate my amazing mathematical skills and acute business acumen but nonetheless it was an interesting thought. The point is that I just found this method of panhandling to be more courteous to the donor because the donor was able to see exactly how his donation was spent. We don’t even get that consideration in reference to our tax dollars.

In conclusion, if nothing else I hope that this has made each of you who reads this more appreciative of what you have and of the support systems such as family, spouses, friends, etc that might have assisted you at some point in your life to make certain that you were never in the shoes of this poor guy who had to ask someone for help. I did some more thinking. If you really want to help that individual standing in the median maybe give them a gift card to one of the fast food places within a reasonable walking distance. Maybe they can use it, maybe they can’t but at least you will know that you didn’t give the guy money for something other than food.

So You Wanna Be In Pictures, Huh?

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A couple of days ago myself and some coworkers were talking about movies and how they were made and what not. I decided to tell them about the time I was able to participate in the making of a small budget film. A few years back I became the self-imposed leader of a small group of individuals who rode ATV’s (4 Wheelers) together and we formed a loose knit alliance known as Central Oklahoma ATV Club. I ran the web site and sent out E-mails about proposed rides and such.

One day I got a call from an individual who had seen our website and introduced himself as one of the assistant producers of a motion picture production crew shooting a film near Guthrie. I think his name was Dennis Green but I am not certain. He advised me that he needed five or six individuals to ride ATV’s in a scene for the film. These were non speaking roles and the individuals would have to provide their own ATV’s. He explained to me the type of ATV he was looking for as well as the sizes and shapes of the riders. Since round was not one of the shapes he was looking for I would not be riding in the film. I was offered a part as an extra in a restaurant scene but I am a little camera shy. As he was describing the requirements I was instantly assembling a crew of riders in my head.

I contacted the parties that I thought would meet his criteria and to the man they all agreed that it was something they would be interested in undertaking. One of the riders didn’t have the exact type of ATV they were looking for so mine was used in the filming. This was my contribution to showbizz. The night of the shoot came and we all gathered at the shooting site. This is where the fun begins.

The shoot took place about ten to fifteen miles east of Guthrie on a piece of land owned by the Hefner family. The place was so remote that I had some difficulty finding it. I turned into a pasture and crossed the cattle guard and I knew I had reached the right place because in a clearing of Cedars I saw a small enclave of tents and trailers and lights. It was either late February or early March as I recall and it was about 45 degrees and it was intermittently spitting a very light rain with a harsh north wind. I arrived about 7:00 PM and I had no idea how long the night would turn out to be.

All of my riders were already there, I had almost decided not to go because of the weather but I figured it was a once in a lifetime chance to see movie making in person, fortunately I arrived just in time. I met with the producer and we walked down to the spot where the shooting was to take place. He explained to me what it was we were trying to do with the ATV’s and how the director wanted the shot to proceed.

The shot was supposed to be one in which the main characters were herded together into a clearing by the evil villains on ATV’s. Well we got to the small clearing in the forest where the shot was to take place. Well they lit the spot and walked around looking at it. Then they moved some lights and spent another 45 minutes walking around again. Then they decided they needed a tree in one certain spot. There was not a tree there as things were so you guessed it! They planted a tree right there. It was a small pine tree about seven feet high and they had a stand on it kind of like a Christmas tree stand that they buried and it looked just as natural as if it had grown there. So now that they had spent three hours getting the spot lit and the tree added it was time for the actors to walk through. They looked at it and tried different ways of approach.

Finally they were ready for the ATV’s. The director called us all together and explained the importance of making certain that all of the riders converged on the scene simultaneously. I thought to myself, this is never going to happen. The reason was that some machines accelerated faster than others. But after a couple of trial runs it all came together. I think they did it in two takes if I remember and then it was time to go to the Craft Tent. I was expecting a big time Hollywood spread. I had visions of brisket, roast beef, all kinds of nice things. Seems Hollywood folks are just not in tune with brisket and such. The only things we found were Diet Coke, Twinkies, Ding Dongs and some really old cheese that had been out a while.

All in all it was a seven hour night and I had seen a lot of really cool stuff. The shot with my ATV was left in the final cut and my good friend Mikey Newcomb is seen, at least in silhouette, atop the machine that looks like it belongs on Baywatch more than a horror film. As for the film itself, it is now available on DVD and is entitled “The Hunt.” The film was directed by Fritz Kiersch who also directed Children of the Corn, Tuff Turf and a couple episodes of Swamp Thing. He was very likeable and was not the personality type that directors are often shown to be in the media.

I really enjoyed myself and I would love to watch them film more movies, perhaps in the daylight this time. Brad and I have a dream to go to Austin and watch them film the last season of Friday Night Lights but I really doubt we will be able to do that.

So if you have some free time and you want to check it out you can actually get if from Netflix either via DVD or direct streaming.

For Trailers and more information visit the following links

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454843/

http://www.thehuntmovie.com/

http://www.netflix.com/WiSearch?oq=&v1=the+hunt&search_submit=

Everything Old Is New Again...

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I initially decided to write about something else for this entry but I made a last minute decision to change. A lot of people don’t know this but recently Cox added a few channels to their digital lineup. They added a couple of religious channels and a new channel that I find to be somewhat interesting, RFD-TV. RFD is on channel 147 and they air programming aimed at rural America. In case you are wondering, I think RFD stands for Rural Farm District but I am not one hundred percent certain on that.

I haven’t seen all of the programs that are offered, but I have had the pleasure of enjoying a program called OK Horizon which is a pretty good show. The program is almost like Discover Oklahoma but it does not deal exclusively with tourism. I’ve seen two episodes thus far and both have been pretty interesting. The show has its own website at http://www.okhorizon.com/ which offers podcasts in case you want to check them out.

Last night after work I watched an episode that the DVR picked up. The scheduled time was Friday morning at 12:30 AM if anyone wishes to note the slot. But the topic of this entry is not really Ok Horizon in and of itself, but rather the topic of discussion for that specific episode. The guest was Bob Blackburn of the Oklahoma History Center. Ironically, Blackburn spoke little about history overall but a great deal about the economic history of Oklahoma.

Blackburn pointed out the various cycles of “Boom and Bust” that have visited Oklahoma throughout the state’s relatively short history. He cites that 1889 was certainly a noteworthy boom as the period from 1889 through 1930 saw a great deal of expansion in both population and industry as well. Oklahoma went from having a Congressional delegation of only three members in 1907 to nine in 1930. Currently we have seven.

I think that everyone my age and older remembers the Boom of the early to mid 1980’s which ran through the early 1990’s. This was a time when we saw phenomenal growth. I remembered the general mood and atmosphere of that time being really upbeat and positive. The local television stations were constantly airing spots for the city’s newest and most popular night spots. Places like After Daddy’s Money, Fritzy’s, Michael’s Plumb, Quicksilver, After the Goldrush and even the Longbranch down on Agnew were pulling in money hand over fist as the oil industry was in full bloom and it seems that a lot of people had expendable income. Then came the bust when oil prices dropped and things were not so prosperous. A lot of businesses closed and things just didn’t seem as cheerful any longer.

Well the last few years have seen oil prices return to what are probably all time highs. I think I remember it being around $110 a while back. I had always been asking myself, “Oil is high again, why is it that we are not seeing another boom?” Last night I realized that we have indeed been seeing a bit of a boom I just didn’t know how to recognize it. All this time I had been expecting the indicator of a boom to be the return of that feeling I enjoyed as a youth, when everyone was happy and everyone had a lot of fun.

I finally understood that I was too shortsighted to realize that those feelings were not so much the feelings of a booming economy, but of being between the ages of 14 and 20. All this time I had been associating, and grossly confusing, the euphoria of youth with the byproducts of a booming economy. Now that these blinders of logic and reality have been removed I can indeed see that we as residents of Oklahoma City are reaching the end of what was actually a pretty good run, the boom has lulled to a plateau but Blackburn thinks that things will surge once again.

I know that the experts have claimed that OKC has been somewhat recession proof as compared to the rest of the country, most notably the two coasts. I now realize that this is because of the surge, or boom, of which we had been riding the crest while the remainder of the country fell into what has been openly called a recession, at least by the All State man in the commercials.
So it seems that OKC had a bit of a boom but I was too blind to see it.

The names have changed. Kerr McGee and Skelly have given way to Sandridge, Devon and Chesapeake. Quicksilver and After Daddy’s Money have been replaced by their modern day counterparts of Sky Bar and City Walk, which were made possible by the Maps project and its success.

As I am now realizing that I sort of missed the boom because I was looking for a feeling that had yet to return I am suddenly able to see that it was again the youth that found the fun and folly over the last few years. All of the night spots in Bricktown pretty much cater to a younger crowd than myself and I know that most of my young friends have certainly taken advantage of this opportunity. I have even garnered some great times there myself, but again I was too shortsighted to realize that they were products of the very boom I was still awaiting.

I guess this all goes to show that perception is virtually everything. Perception can change and cloud one’s vision of reality to the point that sometimes we find ourselves proverbially left in the dark because our goggles are tinted to one extreme or the other. I was so wrapped up in the trappings of middle age that I was unable to see that the very circumstances which made my youth so enjoyable during the boom of the 80’s were now also being enjoyed by my younger friends today. It seems that time can rob one’s vision in more ways than one.

The Best Educational Opportunity You May Not Know About

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Well it seems that spring football has begun at the state’s two comprehensive universities, and as a bit of happenstance I am actually sitting next to the Morning Animals from WWLS as I write this at the beloved BWW. But they are of little importance because I am not a fan. I just threw that out there for those of you who are.

Each year we have to hear about the Gundy family of MWC and their life as “A House Divided” as the weeks lead up to Bedlam. The term, a house divided actually goes back to the civil war days, which shows you how original the local sports media is here in Oklahoma. But anyway I shall get to the point of this entry. People here in Oklahoma seem to think that there are only two universities in the state. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Cowboys and I actually got my degrees at OU. But here in the last two years, I’ve learned more and more about a smaller school in the state that I think had I known about it when I was looking at schools I might possibly have opted to attend. The school of which I speak is The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma or USAO.

I had heard of the school in the past and had even driven by it as I made my way to Lake Burtschi for some fishing but I had never given it much thought. About a year ago I went to a couple of soccer games there at the school because one of my young friends plays on the Lady Drovers soccer team. I am guessing the team is named The Drovers because the school is in the vicinity of the famed Chisum Trail over so which so many cattle drives took place.

When I went to watch the Lady Drovers play I instantly noticed how little hassle it was. I was able to park right there at the venue. There were no campus police to deal with, no parking decals, no ticket sales and no problems. It was sports and recreation purely for the purpose of sports and recreation. An unadulterated process you will not find at either OU or OSU.

I think that the University offers a pretty good scholastic program as well. It is consistently ranked very high, often times number 1, by U.S. News and World Report as the best quality education value in the United States. Reviews and awards aside I know the curriculum to be sound and I know that the classroom leadership is responsible and competent. I once proof read a paper for my friend and then a couple weeks later when I spoke to her she told me the grade she received. I was somewhat astonished because it was a really great paper but it seems that her instructor graded pretty strictly, about on par with those of my Masters program at OU.

The campus itself is pretty small but really nice to look at. I remember the students there were all pretty laid back and things seemed to just be more upbeat and care free than what I remembered about my academic career at OU. There were no maddening crowds of thousands at class change and the campus was not so spread out that you had to sprint to make the next class within the afforded 10 minute timeframe.

My friend introduced me to a couple of her teammates and they all seem like really great kids. They are all pretty well rounded and seem to be quite realistic about their outlook on life. Knowing what I know now, I think that if I had it all to do over again I might have opted to go to USAO.

I am already looking forward to fall because it will mean College Football and Drover Soccer. I am not a huge soccer fan, I watch it occasionally and I understand some of the rules but not all of them. I can never understand why sometimes it’s okay to run into the other player and sometimes it’s not. But I’ve learned that when in doubt, just sit back and watch the action.

Next fall will be my friend’s final season as a Lady Drover. She will then go on to pursue a career in physical therapy and I am certain that she will succeed in her endeavors on and off the field. I hope that my schedule will allow me to go down and watch a couple of games.

That being said, if you have a child who will soon be attending college and you’re not locked in to a decision as of yet, I encourage you to take a look at USAO and see if it offers the curriculum, program of study and learning environment that you think might be geared toward your child and their needs. I think you just might be surprised.

If You Can't Laugh at a Serial Killer, What Can You Laugh At?

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Book Review:
Hurricane Punch by Tim Dorsey
Harper-Collins Publishing 2007
368 Pages


This was the first title I have read by Tim Dorsey but I can assure you that it will not be the last. I was looking for some light reading to occupy my time during lunch break at work. I saw the cover and the review was one word, Hilarious! And never a truer word was spoken. Tim Dorsey takes the reader on a virtual tour of his home state of Florida all while making them laugh hysterically at the antics of his main character Serge, a loveable serial killer and his chronically stoned but ever reliable wingman Coleman.

The only negative is that the book is somewhat frenetic but Dorsey always finds a way to bring the reader into the tense and context in question. I was not aware of it at the time of purchase but this book is part of a series of books and I want to say that it is probably the sixth or seventh in the series. But don’t let that scare you away. The book is certainly readable as a standalone entry. I just recently purchased the first book in the series, Florida Roadkill, from Amazon and I am about 100 pages into it.

More than a few times I have actually laughed out loud at the phrasing and dialogue Dorsey uses to compel the story as a whole and the interaction between Serge and Coleman specifically. If you are looking for some light reading that is fun, superfluous and certain to bring a smile then I highly recommend Hurricane Punch.

It's 10:00 PM Do You Know Where Your Remote Is?

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The last post mentioned that our favorite media personality is Bobbie Miller of KFOR. That wasn’t always the case but it certainly is now. Bobbie Miller is our favorite because we actually respect and admire her. We learned firsthand that when confronted with a socially awkward situation she has the poise, grace and emotional intelligence to remain calm and is always the consummate professional.

One night about six months ago we were at our beloved BWW and I am not going to lie to you all, we had been doing some drinking. Well Mrs. Miller came in to do a live shot about the increasing price of chicken wings. I think she initially thought about interviewing us but after a little bit of conversation it was soon apparent to all parties involved that we were way too drunk to be on TV so she selected another table. It was not our most shining moment.

The point is that even though we were drunk and most likely more than a bit obnoxious Mrs. Miller remained calm and totally cool the whole time. She was likeable, pleasant and completely professional. She talked to us for probably 15 minutes before setting up for the live shot. She was even gracious enough to pose for pictures with Brad’s little girl and even with VOO DOO MAN. People who know and like us won’t even pose with VOO DOO MAN. Her actions that night qualified her as the quintessential ambassador for KFOR.


Ever since then we have been unwavering Bobbie Miller fans. It’s not that we know her or anything like that. We follow her on Twitter and she usually has two or three interesting tweets each week. Brad even turned her on to a story about the replacing of road signs on Hefner Parkway. She was even kind enough to check this blog when I first started it and give a professional opinion.

Like I said, we don’t know Bobbie Miller but based on her tweets and what we see on air she is a very grounded and respectable young lady. I think if I had a daughter I would want Bobbie Miller to be her role model.

Now That You've Built It, He Will Come!!!

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Okay, it began as a simple trip to Logan’s for some steak. It evolved into a multi-hour, multi-casino dash through the hinterlands of Oklahoma, Pottowatamie and Lincoln Counties. Brad and I decided we would go to Firelake and play some “craps.” Well in Oklahoma, Indian casinos cannot play any type of gambling games that don’t use cards. So instead of dice, they just number cards 1-6 and use them as dice…they are allegedly random but I have my concerns. So we played some fake craps for a while and then some blackjack.

While we were at the Blackjack table we were kind of making fun of the adaptations that they had made to the games. Well apparently one of the floor ladies got mad and asked, “Is there anything else you want to make fun of while you are here?” I shot her a quick grin and said, “I’m sure I will find quite a bit before I leave.” We then made fun of a one legged woman with a stump in a wheelchair but that didn’t really have anything to do with the casino…Lord we apologize.
Well we were down about $70 each which is not too bad really.

We left the Firelake, home of poor service and bitchy floor people and decided to go to Kickapoo Casino where a friend of ours is a frequent patron. We got a little bit lost because we missed the exit and decided to backtrack via county roads. After thirty minutes we relented and broke out the GPS.

Via the helpful voice of the generic GPS lady, we found our way to the Kickapoo Casino. Once again we laughed and made fun of the relatively small structure. This place was not going to be confused with the Venetian or Bellagio. We joined the players club so that we could get our $20 KICKBACK…aren’t those casino marketers just ever so clever with their little “kick” phrases at the Kickapoo Casino?

With newly loaded player cards we hit the machines. Most of them were the bingo based games that are considered Class II gaming I believe. Anyway, it was odd to see that the casino had so many high denomination games. Usually the Oklahoma casinos are so heavily laden with penny machines that it is difficult to find one that isn’t.

Our little friend advised us via phone what her favorite machine was and out of homage to her we plunked a few dollars into a “Lucky Ducky” and the returns for me were pretty sucky. Brad fared a little better and won about $10 I think. We eventually made our way to a bank of machines where Brad saw a game depicting a flying squirrel and he knew that this was his machine. I parked my fat ass on a stool a couple of machines down and slid a $20 in the machine and before we knew it, after about three minutes play we were up about $100 each on these machines which meant that we were pretty much even for the day. We cashed out ASAP!!!

The drive home was less eventful as we didn’t get lost but Brad damn near started speaking in tongues when he saw what is probably the last remnant of the Taco Tico chain. They were closed otherwise I am certain Brad would have grabbed the wheel and forced a visit. We visited McCloud, OK, the home town of former All Star BWW girl Amber Walls. Then somewhere, my brain came up with a little ditty about one of our favorite BWW girls, Nina. We adulterated the tune and lyrics of Jingle Bell Rock to craft a nice, ribald little tune that try as we might, we simply could not get out of our heads.

Finally back on I-40 and headed west into OKC Brad decided that he needed to notify our favorite media personality of today’s antics via Twitter. So he whipped out the phone and began “@Bobbiemiller…” One last stop on the agenda brought us to Walmart. We were probably drawing some strange looks, well okay MORE strange looks than normal, as we walked about the aisles of Walmart unconsciously serenading any poor unfortunate listener with a couple verses of the recently composed love ballad “Baby Goat Rock”

All ended well as Brad bought some frozen pizza, I recommended Tony’s and he agreed. I picked up some Velveeta and Rotel and dropped Brad off at his car and the day was over. But it was a good one.

I Am Anti - Best Buy

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I know that in the past I have been a big proponent of purchasing things locally, especially electronics. The reasons have always been ease of return and the fact that as a last resort I could always get some modicum of satisfaction by throwing a rock through a plate glass window.
I have always been a fan of Best Buy and have made hundreds of purchases there including some big ticket items.

Well I have to tell you that from now on I will be patronizing Best Buy a great deal less. As for big ticket items I will shop Amazon almost exclusively. The last two or three times I have tried to purchase something at Best Buy I am informed that it is out of stock. This happened last spring with a car stereo and it happened again just recently when I went to purchase the very laptop which I am using to hack this out.

I went to the Best Buy at 63rd & May and found the item I wanted but as you guessed, they were out of stock. They said that the MWC store had 3 in stock so I drove over there. When I arrived they advised me that they did indeed have three of the items I sought in stock but they had been “modified” in that in-store personnel had done an upgrade on them. By “upgrade” they meant that they had already created the restoration disks and installed six months worth of anti-virus software. For these upgrades they wanted to charge me $99.

At this point I began to bargain with them and point out how senseless it was to try and charge me this $99. They said that they could undo what they had done but it would take them 4 hours. I argued and told them they were being unreasonable. I then asked to speak with the manager and I went around and round with him. He explained to me that the “upgrades” they did would save me a great deal of time. He then looked at me and said, “I don’t know about you sir, but my time is very valuable and I would be more than happy if someone had already created my restoration disks.” It was all I could do to keep from laughing. What I really wanted to do was look at him say, “Sir, you work at Best Buy… I can just imagine how valuable your time is,” but I was nice and refrained. I know hard for me to believe as well but I did..I really did.

First I told them to kiss my ass and walked out. But I really needed a new laptop as my old one would not stay on any longer than 5 minutes before it would just shut down. So I headed back and I actually ended up spending less money with them than I was planning to because I found this particular model (HP Pavilion dv6-2155dx) that I really like and the price was right $699.


I am in the market for a new LCD and I can tell you this. The only part Best Buy will play in my selection and purchase is that I will go there to look at the TV’s and see what I want and then rush home to order it on Amazon where I can take advantage of free shipping and no sales tax. Best Buy can go to hell… I am now an Amazon man.

Bob “Best Buy Sucks” Bobman

When I Die, I May Not Go To Heaven.. Just Send Me Down To Dillon Instead

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Everyone knows that Texans think they are the biggest and the best in every category. They love their Dallas Cowboys and worship their Longhorns but they also hold high school football in quite high regard as well. In fact their fervent zeal for high school football has been called a secular religion by some pundits. Several years ago a journalist by the name of H.G. Bissinger set out to chronicle the phenomena that is high school football in the city of Odessa, Texas home to one of the most winning teams in state history, the Permian Panthers. I am guessing that the name Permian refers to the geological formation and natural gas pocket known as the Permian Basin. Obviously the gas and oil industries are just as important to Texas as they are to my native state of Oklahoma and the impact of the industry can never be underestimated.

While I am sure that the 1988 Permian Panthers were one hell of a football team they are not the focus of this posting, nor is the book which chronicles the season, the team and the community. The focus of this article will be the fictitious, yet equally amazing, high school football team known as the Dillon Panthers. The Dillon Panthers are of course the team featured in the TV series Friday Night Lights. The series of course stems from the 2004 motion picture of the same name directed by Peter Berg, who is also responsible for the series. The film starred Billy Bob Thornton as coach Gary Gaines and Lucas Black as his star quarterback Mike Winchell. But enough about the film, let’s get to the TV show that numerous blog readers have expressed as being among their favorites.



Friday Night Lights centers around the lives of coach Eric Taylor, played by Kyle Chandler, and his family. Coach Taylor has an amazing wife in the person of Tammy Taylor, played by Connie Britton, who also played this role in film as well. Tammy is a remarkable woman in her own right in that she is a grounded and sensible woman who is about as strong as they come both personally and professionally. Tammy is the Principal of Dillon High. This prototypical nuclear family has two daughters, Julie who is 17 and Gracie Bell who is a toddler.

Each week Coach Taylor is presented with various problems relating to the team, the players and the politics of football in Dillon. The show focuses on the family life of Coach Taylor just as much as it does on the sport itself. The show points out the multiple roles that Coach Taylor must play ranging from father to coach to administrator to recruiter and even his role as best friend to the illustrious Buddy Garrity, one of the Panther’s most staunch supporters and President of the Booster Club.

The show has many colorful characters and does an excellent job of showing how each character interacts with and relates to the others. The show is about as realistic as any, and probably more than most. The show certainly goes through many changes and adaptations. It could be said that the evolution of the show is somewhat analogous to a student entering high school because there are so many unexpected turns and twists which occur over the course of their four year odyssey through the formative years we call high school. Just like in high school, people leave, people come but we are usually fortunate enough to keep our same corps friends. The show is much like that, several auxiliary characters but most story lines are anchored in the principle characters.

I think everyone has their favorite characters on the show. I know that I am kind of partial to Buddy Garrity, played by Brad Leland. Buddy is kind of like myself in that he is boisterous, could stand to lose a few pounds and has an over inflated sense of self worth. He is usually getting Coach Erick Taylor into one scheme or another but his intentions are always pretty good… well most of the time.

It is almost as though the show has two major characters, the Taylor family in general and then another huge figure in the show is the troubled Tim Riggins, the former star of the Dillon Panthers who has yet to find his niche. College football was an opportunity for him but he didn’t like the scholastic component of college life. Who knows, perhaps he should have given that letter of interest from OU more attention.

Riggins is played by Taylor Kitsch who is obviously there to pull in the teen and young lady demographic. Kitsch’s acting abilities are pretty good because at being close to 30 he is somewhat believable as a 19 year old drifter trying to find himself. Tim and his older brother Billy provide an enormous amount of texture to the series.

The remainder of the cast consists of characters who play fringe roles which have differing degrees of importance throughout the various episodes and seasons. Jesse Plemmons plays Landry Clark who vacillates continuously between hero and dupe. Some days it’s good to be Landry, some days it sucks. He is an intellectual who has trouble finding peers because he feels more mature than most of them yet at times he is emotionally vulnerable and held hostage by his feelings for the lovely Tyra Collette, the town bicycle.

Besides Trya, the cast also contains several other young ladies who confuse, confound and complicate the lives of the males in Dillon. Lyla Garrity, daughter of Buddy, is the quintessential Homecoming Queen and cheerleader who was part of the perfect couple with the star quarterback until adversity struck and they parted ways. Lyla’s role was then slanted to be somewhat of a catalyst rather than a protagonist because in some ways she is more divisive than anything. The casting of Minka Kelly in the role was pure genius because she looks like the girl that almost every high school has but no one wants to, or is perhaps afraid to, admit that they are enamored with her.

The show originally aired on NBC for the first two seasons. But despite a lot of hot teen sex, the ratings were just not where the network wanted them to be. While the fans were not tuning in, the critics were certainly watching and it was the crucial acclaim that saved the show. The show then took a very strange turn as far as the way in which it was aired. In a deal with satellite provider Directv, the show’s producers agreed to air seasons three and four on Directv and then air them on NBC months later. The show will have a fifth season but it is slated to be the last.

Season Four has seen some drastic changes to the show’s storyline, plots and settings but hopefully they will not be seen as the point at which the show “Jumped the Shark*.” I think that the show still has a solid enough base that Season Five will be poised to bring the storylines to a close and still provide the viewer with both entertainment and a satisfactory ending to the show.

I know that myself and several of my friends will be very disappointed when the credits roll on the final episode of Friday Night Lights. Some say that the show is aimed at teens, but I think that anyone who ever played high school football, or even went to high school, can identify with certain aspects of the show. Once we see the last glimpses of Dillon I am certain that it will be difficult to find another television show that has as many different dynamics yet is able to pull them all together into a coherent and interconnecting storyline.

If you’ve never watched the show it is available on Netflix and I think the first two seasons are available for streaming. So check out the happenings in Dillon, Texas if you’re not familiar with them or relive some of your favorite moments if you like.

Bob “Blue 33, Blue 33, right side slant on two” Bobman

*Jumping the shark refers to a term which identifies the exact point at which a show startes to go in a negative direction and is not able to return to its original level of quality and content. The terms is specifically derived from the show Happy Days back in the 1970’s. There was one episode in which the cast of the show visited Hawaii and “The Fonz” was challenged to a water skiing challenge in which he was to use a ramp and jump over a pen in which a shark was swimming around. Fans and experts agree that from that point forward, for numerous reasons, the show began to decline in both quality and popularity. Since then the term “Jumping the Shark” has come to mean that the show is no longer viable with the original audience.

Axmen... Okay I Guess I Do Watch Reality TV

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Okay I know that in the past I have been a little harsh on reality TV and those who watch it regularly and just as in the past I must admit that there is another reality show that I watch. I never really realized that the show Axmen was considered a reality show, I guess I never really thought of it much. My attention was drawn to Axmen this week when one of my friends and Blog reader Mark R. pointed out that the daughter of one of the individuals featured in a past season was killed by the family Rottweiler. The girl was the 4 year old daughter of Jesse Browning Jr.

Browning Jr. was not included in this season’s cast. In past seasons he has been extremely volatile and basically acts like somewhat of an ass to his employees. He is prone to tirades and fits and comes really close to crying when put in stressful situations. I remember that he used to take a great deal of his angst out on the camera crew. He was always screaming at them and telling them to take the camera out of his face and then walking off in a tantrum that most five year olds would be envious of.

The problem with Jesse was that NOTHING was ever his fault, he was the foreman on the job and ultimately responsible for everything but every time there was a setback or a problem which could have been addressed either by a little preventative maintenance on equipment or better communication between himself and his crew. It seems that Jesse Jr. was never proactive in trying to run the crew and his leadership was primarily reactive in nature. It was decided that this year Jesse Jr. would remain behind a desk at the offices of J.M. Browning Logging. Jesse Sr. is a little more calm and responsible and is very proactive when it comes to running his people and his company.

This blog really has little to do with the loss of Jesse’s daughter and I am certain that she was a good little kid who just made the mistake of playing with their family dog. Only 4 months earlier the same beast attacked another family member but I guess as long as no one loses a hand everything is okay. Those of you who watch the show understand that little jab, and for it I apologize but it was something that just kind of popped into the messed up noggin of mine. For those of you who are not familiar with the show, the patriarch of the Browning clan, Jesse Sr., is missing most of his left hand which I think he lost in a chainsaw accident.

I have to say that I used to really enjoy Axmen when it first came on. I think that to a certain degree it was somewhat representative of the day to day life of a logger in the Pacific Northwest. But now in this second or third season the show has been reduced to basically an extension of WWE with stages arguments and confrontations. They have gotten rid of Dwayne Dethlefs and his son. The Dethlefs were two of the more colorful characters especially the father Dwayne who was a crusty old man who was one of the best loggers on the mountain but he just had a few problems with authority and was not afraid to express them.

Last season the show introduced two new aspects of logging, helicopter logging and aqua logging, to the show. Chopper logging is about as exciting as watching paint dry. The individuals who have taken up aqua logging which consists of retrieving cured wood from bottom of rivers are a confused and dysfunctional father and son combo who are either the best actors on the planet or really get so frustrated at each other that their blood pressures are probably well into the 300’s.

They are pretty funny to watch for about 15 minutes but then one grows weary of their antics.

Last season also introduced a new logging crew by the name of Rygaard Logging. Gabe Rygaard and his old man are basically the two biggest assholes known to humanity. I really wish just one time that fat bastard Gabe or his arrogant old man would try to talk to me the way they do to their employees. I would beat the hell out of one or both of those bastards. I have decided that Gabe has fallen into the WWE trap as he is not able to pull it off well as an acting stint. This year Gabe is just off the charts and I am certain that all of his swagger and bolstering are purely WWE antics. This is proven when he drives to an employee’s home and starts slamming the patio furniture around in a fit reminiscent of the kid who allegedly had his World of Warcraft account cancelled…but I think that was fake to a certain extent as well.

When all is said and done I will probably continue to watch Axmen unless they just show too much helilogging. I guess I do watch UNreality TV afterall….but I will never stoop to the Bachelor or Dog Whisperer or Project Runway.

Bob “I Wish Dwayne would beat the hell out of the Rygaards” Bobman

Do You Remember OTASCO???

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Lighting the patch was the coolest part of the whole process. After the tightening of the vice and then the cleaning and buff down came the fire. Light the match and then burn the patch. That was all there was to it, now the inner tube for your bike was good to go for at least 1,000,000 miles. And the best place to get that patch kit and ALL parts for your bike was OTASCO. OTASCO stood for Oklahoma Tire and Supply Company. They sold tires but they also sold just about everything else except groceries. OTASCO was a place where you could buy a couch and a gun and a window air conditioner and a clock radio all from the same clerk and all within a 15 feet radius of one another. The small shops sold just about everything. They even had their own in-store credit system kept on ledger cards in the back.

The sold car stereos and home stereos and furniture and of course tires and auto parts. I remember that my old man was a hard core OTASCO man. I am pretty sure we had one of the store credit accounts because I always remember my Dad doing a lot of business at the desk behind the cashier. We lived near two different OTASCO’s. There was the one at 44th & Bryant that we went to most of the time and there was also one at 15th & Sunnylane that was a little bit larger as I recall.

When I was really young I can remember that around Christmas they would run animated ads with a little character named Timothy, who I am guessing they used some creative licensing with Tiny Tim of the Dickens story. But anyway the ads would open up with the little animated kid saying, “Time for Timothy...” and then Little Tim would set forth about telling you which toys were cool and which ones were on sale.

I loved OTASCO. The neighborhood kids would ride our bikes up there and look at guns and toys and bikes parts and guns and radios and more guns. At the risk of further cementing myself into the crotchety old man character, I have to say that things really were different back then. We were probably between 8 and 12 but they would just hand us rifles and pistols to hold and admire and never told us to come back with our parents or anything like that. In this day and age if a kid rode his bike to a store and asked to look at and hold a gun they would probably call a social worker and want to commit the kid to in-house treatment somewhere for a 72 hour observation and I am certain that DHS would demand that the parents be counseled and attend court ordered sensitivity training.

I am going to spare everyone the lengthy details but I will certainly give you all a link that will tell you all about the history of the store and how it rose only to fall in the 1989’s when Oklahoma was at its most prosperous.

The origins of OTASCO began in 1918 in Okmulgee, OK when three Lithuanian brothers named Sanditen opened their store. 1922 saw the business expand to nearby Henryetta and then eventually in 1925 they headquartered the growing business in Tulsa. Eventually by 1943 they had expanded to 83 stores in Oklahoma and the surrounding states. The chain did well, 1960 saw a change in ownership as the Sanditens sold the chain to the McCrory Corporation. At this time there were 86 company owned stores and 167 franchised outlets. Then an action took place that started the downfall, it seems that in 1984 the employees themselves purchases all of the shares and it became one of the largest employee owned operations in the country. 1988 saw the company file bankruptcy and then 1989 saw the closing of the stores.

All I know is I liked OTASCO and even though it may not have HAD everything a Walmart has, I would still patronize OTASCO and pay a little more if given the opportunity.

According to Wikipedia there are still two stores operating under the OTASCO name, one in Beaver, OK and one in Borger, TX.

The link below is from a site that deals with some of Oklahoma’s commercial history. You might find it to be of interest

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/O/OT004.html

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Glad to Have Jay Back!!!!

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This is going to be a quick one folks. I just caught Leno’s first monologue in his first show back at his old gig. I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Conan and I am going to admit that I have never really watched more than 20 minutes of Conan since he got his show several years ago. I hate to admit it but I have never watched him for very shallow reasons. I think that Conan is the personification of the proverbial “red headed stepchild.” The man is difficult to watch, and to be honest he makes me nervous for some reason.

That being said I am glad Leno is back and I am sure he will continue to kick ass. I had once heard that NBC would be implementing a policy that would limit the tenure of ANY host of the Tonight show to five years. I hope that is not so. I think that America needs an example of longevity and consistency. I think that in some weird way, a long term host like Leno helps to add a little bit of stability to our society. The fact that Leno can in some instances be considered somewhat as an institution, much the same way Carson was is more valuable to our society than some people realize. A longterm presence, in essence a constant when things get tumultuous, can be a very good thing.

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A lot of the people I know are not old enough to remember Carson. He was the master. His run on the Tonight Show was VERY long. I don’t know exactly how long but quite lengthy.

I hope that Leno can carry on for another 10-15 years and leave on top just as Carson did. I have to admit that I will always prefer Leno to Conan or Letterman any day. I remember when Letterman jumped ship to CBS and it seemed as though all of a sudden he was no longer funny. I don’t think Leno suffered any as a result of this little time slot experience because he was dead on tonight.

Anyway to wrap it all up, I think Leno is good for NBC and I also think he is good for America in this position.


Bob