Thursday, September 29, 2011

Spelling?

Who says you can't find anything worthwhile on Facespace?


Tuesday, September 27, 2011

One For the Money Trailer

I have to admit, it looks pretty good. Hopefully it will be as funny as the first couple of Stephanie Plum books. Thoughts?

Are the Planets Aligning?

What I've learned lately...

Republicans (as least those who want to be President) believe in three things:

1) If you don't have health insurance, for whatever reason, you should just die instead of being a burden on the tax payer. Or you could do what Ron Paul laughingly suggested, ask for help from your neighbors or the churches!

2) State sponsored executions in this country are an applause line.

3) Being a homosexual member of the armed services is worthy of being booed. I understand that most of the people on stage at the GOP debate probably don't believe this but then again not one of them had the balls to stand up to the terrible behavior displayed by the conservative crowd.

4) Oklahomans were buying this shit at the Fair:


Patti Stanger needs to know when to shut her mouth.

“'The Millionaire Matchmaker'” told a gay male caller he could maintain an open relationship because 'there is no curbing gay men,' she said."

To be honest, in my opinion, I don't think her remarks were too far off the mark but it's probably not something you would want to say on a television show promoting your own show. Again, in my experiences, I haven't known many gay men who have been able to carry on a long term relationship without some form of cheating entering into the equation, my own personal experiences included. Having said that, the influences of gay social life in Oklahoma City probably contribute more heavily to this phenomenon than gay men being unable to commit. I mean probably the biggest form of social interaction for gay men here is in a dank gay bar replete with alcoholics and drug users. Not a good place to hang out with the hubby.

I still, and will always, hate the Washington Redskins. They can't even beat a banged up Cowboys team that has an offensive line with an average age of 12 along with third sting wide outs! I love how Tony Romo went from the goat to the hero in a matter of a couple of weeks. Yes, it's cool to be a Romosexual again. How 'bout them Cowboys?!

Finally I learned that I just can't ride scary carnival rides anymore. I left my sphincter on the ride pictured below:

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Darth Vader

Saw this at Reddit and the geek in me just couldn't help but pay it forward...

That Meme That's Going Around...

I like these kinds of memes. From Sunday Stealing.

Cheers to all of us thieves!

A. Age: 38.

B. Bed size: Queen.

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathroom.

D. Dogs: Not anymore. I do like Beagles and Basset hounds.

E. Essential start to your day: Nothing, if we're talking about legal drugs like caffeine.

F. Favorite color: Blue.

G. Gold or Silver: Platinum!

H. Height: 175.26 cm.

I. Instruments you play: Played French Horn and trumpet but it was many, many years ago.

J. Job title: Intake supervisor at the County Morgue.

K. Kids: No thank you.

L. Live: Shiny Toy Guns?

M. Mother's name: Mildred.

N. Nicknames: Dave, Pooh, Pooh Bear, or the Debil.

O. Overnight hospital stays: None.

P. Pet peeve: Religious zealots and social conservatives.

Q. Quote from a movie: "You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it."

R. Right or left handed: Right handed.

S. Siblings: Two, a brother and a sister.

T. Time you wake up: Anywhere between 5AM and 3PM.

U. Underwear: Boxer briefs.

V. Vegetable you hate: Not a fan of tomatoes.

W. What makes you run late: My alarm not going off.

X. X-Rays you've had: Chest and foot.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Just made some stew, viva la fall.

Z. Zoo animal Lions, tigers, and bears.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Dear Diary, I Named an Elephant Today...

From W.T.F Weekly Meme.



1) Next week is my 30th birthday, but I'm boycotting it because I am not ready to leave my 20's behind. What has been the toughest birthday for you so far?
My toughest birthday was 31. The realization had finally sunk in that I was in my 30's! 40 is just around the corner. Yay!

2) In general, what is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
I really don't like amusement park rides. I have visions of flying off the rails on a roller coaster ala Final Destination 3. I'm going to ride some today at the Fair since my niece left me a bunch of tickets she had left over from her trip there.

3) Recently the Oklahoma City Zoo held a contest to name its newest elephant baby. With today (Sept. 22) being Elephant Appreciation Day, what would you name an elephant if you could name one?
Stampy! From a great Simpsons episode when they had a pet elephant. Can anyone even remember when that show was good?

4) On Sept. 22, 1920, the Band-Aid was invented. What is something you wish you could cover up with a Band-Aid?
Sally Kern's mouth?

5) Other than gasoline, what do you frequently purchase at a gas station?
Smokes, Dr. Pepper, and of course Giant Chewy Sweet Tarts.

6) If you had to eat only three different foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
This is a tough one! Cereal, soup, and some kind of fish course.

7) Today (Sept. 22) is Dear Diary Day. Finish this sentence: "Dear Diary, I wish I knew ..."
I wish I knew back then what I know now...

8) Would you rather have children and make a decent salary or have no kids and make a great salary?
Not a fan of children so I'd have to go with a great salary. Besides can you even afford to raise kids on a "decent salary?"

Troy Davis

I'm sure everyone has already seen the drama that unfolded last night as Troy Davis' last appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied and he was finally put to death by the state of Georgia.

"Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, who was working as a security guard at the time. MacPhail rushed to the aid of a homeless man who prosecutors said Davis was bashing with a handgun after asking him for a beer. Prosecutors said Davis had a smirk on his face as he shot the officer to death in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah."

Link.

This is third time Davis' execution had been halted since 2007. Apparently the game clock finally ran out on him in spite of seven witnesses from the original trial changing or recanting all or part of their testimony. That's what's so crazy about this whole story. I'm really surprised that the Supreme Court didn't at least grant a new trial. Having said that, I really don't know the complete facts of the crime and trial other than what I've read and seen on television. Maybe the correct man was punished. What if the correct man wasn't?

There's something very wrong, in my opinion, with a country that allows the state to execute people. Talk about the ultimate government intrusion, to take away all that someone is and will ever be. Putting aside that the death penalty has never been a deterrent to crime, I believe that the possibility of killing one innocent man is justification enough to trash the whole system. Alas, America demands an "eye for an eye."

That's my opinion, what's yours?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Devon Tower Tops Out

I read in The Oklahoman (aka the Daily Disappointment aka the Fishwrap) the other day that the Devon Tower downtown had reached it's maximum height and the company was going to celebrate with something or other at the sight today. To honor the occasion and the changing Oklahoma City skyline I went down to Bricktown this afternoon to get a picture of the building.



Since it towers over all other buildings in the area, it kind of reminds me of this:

Monday, September 19, 2011

Monday Mayhem

I keep meaning to participate in this meme and I always seem to forget. Not today! Click on the picture below to check out the site.

Join Us for Monday Mayhem

What's the best way to get rich?
Hard work and dedication! Oh screw that, playing the lottery.

Have you ever eaten anything that you once saw alive?
The only thing that comes to mind would be lobster and oysters.

What creeps you out the most about clowns?
The fact that someone would choose being a clown as a profession.

Tell us your best or favorite garage sale or flea market find.
Nothing. I don't go to garage sales or flea markets. Strike that, I used to go to a flea market here in Oklahoma City when I was 19 that had a bar in the back. I just went to drink because they didn't try to ID me.

Who should get slapped on the wrist today?
I'm not sure about a slap but I sure would like to punch Sally Kern in the face.

What do you need to accomplish this week?
I need to get my dining room prepped so I can paint the walls and woodwork.

What's your best tip for online shopping?
If you can't get free shipping forget about it.

This was pretty random. Can you tell us something really random to end this week's meme with?
My boy Mario is always watching out for me when I'm at my desk.

Sunday Funday Monday VIII


This picture is from a couple of weeks ago with my friend Cole on the best day of the week, Sunday Funday. I promise my hair usually doesn't look like I'm wearing a toupee!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Self-Made Man

Another book I found at the bookstore of mom is "Self-Made Man: One Woman's Year Disguised as a Man" (287 pages) by Norah Vincent. Where does she get all these books? From Goodreads:

"Following in the tradition of John Howard Griffin (Black Like Me) and Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed), Norah Vincent absorbed a cultural experience and reported back on what she observed incognito. For more than a year and a half she ventured into the world as Ned, with an ever-present five o'clock shadow, a crew cut, wire-rim glasses, and her own size 111/2 shoes-a perfect disguise that enabled her to observe the world of men as an insider. The result is a sympathetic, shrewd, and thrilling tour de force of immersion journalism that's destined to challenge preconceptions and attract enormous attention.

With her buddies on the bowling league she enjoyed the rough and rewarding embrace of male camaraderie undetectable to an outsider. A stint in a high-octane sales job taught her the gut- wrenching pressures endured by men who would do anything to succeed. She frequented sex clubs, dated women hungry for love but bitter about men, and infiltrated all- male communities as hermetically sealed as a men's therapy group, and even a monastery. Narrated in her utterly captivating prose style and with exquisite insight, humor, empathy, nuance, and at great personal cost, Norah uses her intimate firsthand experience to explore the many remarkable mysteries of gender identity as well as who men are apart from and in relation to women. Far from becoming bitter or outraged, Vincent ended her journey astounded-and exhausted-by the rigid codes and rituals of masculinity. Having gone where no woman (who wasn't an aspiring or actual transsexual) has gone for any significant length of time, let alone eighteen months, Norah Vincent's surprising account is an enthralling reading experience and a revelatory piece of anecdotally based gender analysis that is sure to spark fierce and fascinating conversation."


A very interesting read from an author I knew nothing about just a few days ago. While I find some of Vincent's generalizations about men to be off target at times, she more than makes up with it with a very adept writing style laced with humor, humiliation, and tons of wit. Then again what do I know? Obviously the gay male is a whole other animal from the predominately blue collar dudes she was infiltrating. Recommended.

The Lower 40 Meme, Part Two

Once again from Sunday Stealing.

21) Have you ever flown a kite?
Now that I think about it I don't think I ever have. Weird.

22) Do you wish on your fallen lashes?
No, I'm not a fourteen year old girl.

23) Do you consider yourself successful?
Success can be defined in a multitude of ways. Not really but I'm working on it.

24) How many people are on your contact list of your cell?
Off the top of my head I think around 50. Just did a purge of unneeded numbers.

25) Have you ever asked for a pony?
Refer to question number 22.

26) Plans for tomorrow?
I'm going to Homo Depot to try and find a texture solution to cover up the 80 year old wallpaper in my house so I can then paint it, sell it, and get the hell out of Dodge. (I'm writing these answers on Friday night for a Sunday morning post).

27) Can you juggle?
I cannot, but thanks for asking.

28) Missing someone now?
Maybe Kim but I'm always missing that hag.

29) When was the last time you told someone "I love you"?
Probably in the last few days to my mom or your mom.

30) And truly meant it?
Yep. Filler question?

31) How often do you drink?
Far too often, but I'm trying to change that.

32) How are you feeling today?
Good! Got around early, went to the Fair, and ate sustenance on a stick!

33) What do you say too much?
Felicia. It's what I call most everyone.

34) Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
Nope. I was a good little boy.

35) What are you looking forward to?
Fall along with cooler weather.

36) Have you ever crawled through a window?
A couple of times but nothing devious.

37) Have you ever eaten dog food?
No, I'm not on Medicare yet. Edit: meant to say Social Security!

38) Can you handle the truth?
No. Can anyone, really?

39) Do you like green eggs and ham?
One the one or two occasions I've had it it tasted the same as regular eggs and ham. Ditto with green beer too.

40) Any cool scars?
Not really other than emotional.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

New Blogs I'm Reading

So they're not all new, to me, but I'm adding them to my blog list just the same.

Apple & Mystery Snail Farming - I have not clue how I stumbled on this blog but it's an interesting look at snail farming! It just goes to show you that you can find just about anything on the Internet.

The Electronic Replicant - Another great blog/page on a variety of topics that I found through comments he's made here.

Good as Gay - I think I found this blog through a comments section on another blog. Great writing from a young perspective on a variety of LGBTQIA topics.

The Oxymoron Conundrum - I've known Mr. Happy for a long time now and I've been reading his blog almost since its inception. An interesting mix of topics, some I admit that aren't my cup of tea, but they're always well written and well thought out.

Boomer Sooner

Usually once or twice a season one of my Sooner friends will invite me along to an OU game in Norman. Inevitably at some point I'll complain about the band playing nothing but "Boomer Sooner," the fight song. They just roll their eyes and disparage me by saying I'm just an Aggie fan (by the way Oklahoma State hasn't been officially called Oklahoma A & M since 1957). Finally after some digging I found a blogger for The Phoenix New Times who gets exactly what I'm talking about. In an article listing the top 10 worst college fight songs, the author ranks the Oklahoma Sooners as second worst and goes on to say:

"On January 2, 2008, I had the misfortune of attending the Fiesta Bowl. Even though I was in a suite with free food and beer, what should have been an awesome evening was marred by this one horrible song. OU lost the game by 20 points, but as many times as we heard this song, you'd have thought they were winning by 50. Every score, every first down, every defensive stop, hell, every single break in the action seemed to inspire OU's band to fire this one up again. And again. And again. Not only do they play the shit out of it, but it's not even their song. They ripped it off from Yale. Finally, the lyrics are just fucking inane. 'Boomer sooner, boomer sooner, boomer sooner, boomer sooner.' Dear God, please make it stop."

To make this posting even better and timely the blogger goes on to anoint Florida State with the worst fight song in America:

"Aside from being vaguely racist, this is, quite simply, the most annoying college football marching band song of all time. It has no lyrics, consisting only of a stereotypical Native American war chant. FSU fans perform the 'tomahawk chop' motion with their arms while chanting, a tradition that was later co-opted by Atlanta Braves fans, much to the dismay of the sports-watching world. Other Indian-themed sports teams have mimicked it as well, but nobody does it as obnoxiously, or with such maddening frequency, as the FSU marching band. They might be the world's largest marching band, but they also have the world's shittiest fight song."

So tonight as everyone is watching the number one ranked Sooners take on the number five ranked Seminoles listen hard through those television sets to arguably a battle of the two worst college fight songs in the land.

"I'm a Sooner born and a Sooner bred. And when I die I'll be a Sooner dead.
Rah, Oklahoma! Rah, Oklahoma! Rah, Oklahoma! O-K-U!"


Lord.

Link.

How to Use the F Word

I have an affinity for tee shirts, especially when I travel. I don't feel complete unless I come back with something to wear back in Gooberville. A good example would be the Blackhawks shirt I bought in Chicago last October. Am I a hockey fan? Nope but damn if I didn't love the mascot on the tee shirt.


Of course the more offensive the shirt the better. In my last adventure to New York I got a cheesy shirt in Chinatown, in fact one of only two items I brought back with me from the trip (the other was a Super Mario 1UP Mushroom beanie from Mecca, aka The Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Plaza, which is quite the schnizzle). The shirt was labeled "How to Use the F Word" and listed the following:

1. Dismay - Oh! Fuck it.
2. Aggression - Fuck you.
3. Passive - Fuck me.
4. Command - Go fuck yourself.
5. Incompetence - He's a fuck-up.
6. Laziness - He's a fuck-off.
7. Ignorance - He's a fucking jerk.
8. Trouble - I guess I'm fucked now.
9. Confusion - What the fuck?
10. Despair - Fucked again.
11. Philosophical - Who gives a fuck?
12. Denial - You ain't fucking me.
13. Rebellion - Fuck the world.
14. Annoyance - Don't fuck with me.
15. Encouragement - Keep on fucking.
16. Etiquette - Pass the fucking salt.
17. Fraud - I got fucked by my insurance agent.
18. Difficulty - I can't understand this fucking business.
19. Identification - Who the fuck are you?
20. Ugliness - You're a dumb looking fuck.
21. Agreement - You're fucking right.
22. Benevolence - Don't do me any fucking favors.

I wore the shirt this morning at the butt crack of dawn to meet my dad for coffee at Starbucks. Unfortunately it was covered by my hoodie due to the cooler weather Zeus has bestowed upon us lately. Thus I was unable to offend anyone.

Of course the coolest tee shirt of all time can be found here.

The Great State Fair of Oklahoma 2011

Just some random thoughts on one of the biggest events to grace Oklahoma City on a yearly basis, the great State Fair of Oklahoma:

I noticed yet again that there was a Confederate flag flying over the Fair. Why?

I went for a more traditional food choice this year to fill my belly, a hot dog on a stick, or more commonly known as a corn dog (I couldn't find the giant ones that Rick Perry and Michelle "bat shit" Bachmann have been seen eating lately). Good stuff though I'm not sure why mom had to have a bite after she had already visited three other food vendors! I don't like to share. I finished off with a fried Snickers later. It was decent but a little too heavily breaded in my opinion and it wasn't even on a stick.

Of course it was raining. I posted on Facespace that I hadn't seen this much rain since the Festival of the Arts, the other big outdoor event in Oklahoma City which seems to usher in biblical deluges. While having a rainy afternoon kept the attendance down and made parking easier, it also meant that I was freezing my ass off running from building to building.

I was on mullet alert red when I entered the Fair but I have to say I don't recall even seeing one. Lame. I did notice that a lot of the "cowboys" roaming around the grounds had their pants tucked inside their boots. As the old joke goes this is normally a sign of a sheep fucker but I think this actually had more to do with the rivers of rain water running down the streets. Can someone more versed in the cowboy arts give me a clarification on this?

I always look forward to seeing the Oklahoma Democratic Party kiosk every year for the morbid pleasure to see what my pathetic excuse for a political party is up to. I found through talking to one of the volunteers that they were no longer allowed to hand out bumper stickers of a political nature as people had apparently used them as a form of graffiti on cars parked at the Fair in years past. Weird. On a more positive note, they did have a bean poll which I found pretty cool. They had a list of political issues in tubes where you could add up to ten beans to any of the issues you care about most. I split my beans evenly to environment, protecting Social Security, and other topics of a liberal nature. I omitted adding a bean to increasing military spending and deficit reduction.

Finally, apparently, what could jokingly be called the Space Needle, is now closed. I was looking forward to an unobstructed view of downtown. Alas it's become extinct much like the monorail only to be left unused as a reminder of what used to be really cool about the Fair experience.

So readers, what's your favorite things about your state fairs? Is it something you take part in yearly?

Friday, September 16, 2011

New Animal Crossing 3DS Trailer!



Yes I'm a lunatic when it comes to this series of games. Think the SIMS meet Nintendo. I'm patiently waiting to obtain a Nintendo 3DS for this game alone. Looks like there's some interesting additions to the gameplay. Enjoy. Or don't.

You Know You're From Oklahoma If...

I'm sitting here hoping the rain will subside so I can make a trip to the State Fair and eat something, anything, fried on a stick! You know the State Fair is going on in Oklahoma City because it's fucking raining.

Speaking of "you know" phases, here's another list I found online this morning on how you know you're from Oklahoma. It's a little longer than the other list I posted on this blog as my first post ever.

Though many of the items on this list are indicative of life in Oklahoma, a lot of them could be swapped with another state in the south or Bible Belt.

You know you're from Oklahoma if...

You say ya'll... many times a day.
Bedlam is a BIG deal.
You can tell when it's tornado weather.
When you drive through a neighborhood anyone out walking will smile and wave at you. You've worn flip flops in the winter.
You have stopped to let a family of deer cross the road.
You thought the twister ride at Universal Studios wasn't windy enough.
You know who your neighbors are, how many children they have, and when one of them gets married or graduates.
There are at least 2 to 3 Sonics, McDonald's, and Little Caesar's in your town. You've been off roading - many times.
You or someone you know was born, raised and still lives in the same town.
You know that Miami, Oklahoma and Miami, Florida are pronounced two different ways. You plan events around football games.
You are a Cowboy or Sooner fan.
You learned how to do country and western dances at school.
A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah and Chickasha.
You can remember the name of the last state legislator to introduce a bill involving castration, and he didn't mean farm animals.
You know exactly what calf fries are, and eat them anyway.
You think that people who complain about the wind in other states are sissies.
It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in an airplane crash.
You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.
It doesn't seem odd to see the term "chicken fried chicken" on a menu.
You save all your life for your dream vacation, and use it to go to the OU/Texas game.
It doesn't seem peculiar if your sweetie says "I'm going in to town for something" even though you live in town.
You don't turn on the news until 20 minutes past the hour, because that's the only thing you care about anyway.
Your quarterback is hurt and it is the top story on the six o'clock news.
You keep track of the grain and hog futures on the radio.
You don't buy all your vegetables at the grocery store.
You go to the State Fair for your only vacation.
You get up at 5:30 A.M. and go to the coffee shop, where the waitress never asks what you would like. She already knows.
You are on a first name basis with the county sheriff.
You think that using the elevator involves a corn truck.
You can drive 80 mph on a two-lane dirt road with one hand, but driving 45 mph on a four-lane expressway in a city scares you to death.
You use manure on your grass instead of Weed and Feed.
Your nearest neighbor is in the next zip code.
You know the difference between feed corn and sweet corn... while it's still on the stalk.
You wear cowboy boots to church.
You know that everything goes better with Ranch.
You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
"You wanna Coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."
You know what "Orange Power" and "Crimson & Cream" means.
You actually get these jokes and are fixin' to send them on to other friends from Oklahoma.

Anyone out there from another state want to share a similar list?

Monday, September 12, 2011

Bonjour, Girl!

Orginally saw this the other day at David Dust. Check it out, I laughed so hard I shed a solitary tear...

Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

I made a quick trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum this morning on a whim. Maybe it was because of all the coverage yesterday of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. It's a nice place to visit for somber reflection. I just thought I would share.


The Reflecting Pool that used to be fifth street.


The Field of Empty Chairs. The nine rows of chairs represent the nine stories of the building with each chair in position relative to what floor someone lost their life. The five westernmost chairs honor those who died outside the Murrah Building.


The Survivor Tree. An elm that survived the blast across the street from the Murrah Building.



Friday, September 09, 2011

Sally Kern Needs to Shut the Fuck Up!!

Lunatic Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern is at it again:

"You know if you just look at it in practical terms, which has destroyed and ended the life of more people? Terrorism attack here in America or HIV/AIDS? In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean."

Link.

Absolutely disgusting. Her hate speech not only besmirches those who live with or have died from HIV/AIDS but also those who have fallen due to terrorist attacks here and abroad. This on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She should be ashamed. Yet the good folks of western Oklahoma City and Bethany continue to re-elect this nutbag. Thank Jeebus we have term limits in Oklahoma.

A friend on Facespace commented on this story saying that Kern was a pathetic embarrassment to Oklahoma. She was wrong. She's a pathetic embarrassment to humanity.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Thursday Night Football

I'm not really a fan of Thursday night college football but I have no choice to watch Oklahoma State take on the Arizona Mildcats. It's actually a pretty nice game and a rematch of last year's bowl game between the two teams. We won the last meeting by the way...

I predict the Pokes win tonight by at least 14.

Any football fans out there?



Pictures from last weeks game in Stillwater. If you look really hard you can see me, I'm the one in orange...

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Running Blind

My next novel from the bookstore of mom is "Running Blind" (486 pages) by Lee Child, an author I've never read before. From Goodreads:

"People say that knowledge is power. The more knowledge, the more power. Suppose you knew the winning numbers in the lottery? What would you do? You would run to the store. You would mark the numbers on the play card. And you would win. Same for the stock market. Same for basketball or the horses or anything. Same for killing people.

Women are dying. Women who have nothing in common except the fact that they once worked for the military. And they knew Jack Reacher. How and why these women are in danger completely baffles the elite FBI team working the case. There is no trace evidence. There are no links between victims. Their bodies have no fatal wounds. And the killer entered their homes and exited again like a summer breeze. Are these perfect crimes? There is only one certainty: there is a new kind of killer out there, one so calm, cautious, and careful that even the brilliant Reacher is left running blind."


An interesting mystery/thriller in spite of it being the fourth in a series of books featuring hero Jack Reacher (my mother always gives me books that are in the middle of some series). This fact didn't deter from me liking the novel though it would have been nice to start at the beginning and know a little more about Reacher's background story. Well written by Child, especially when it comes to dialogue. Mysteries or thrillers are so common place in the market it's hard to find a writer or story that really stands out. Having said that I was very impressed by the conclusion of this novel and how the killer is found. It had me guessing right up to the end. Recommended for fans of the genre and Lee Child.

Fried Bubblegum

Leave it to the Texas State Fair to come up with the most bizarre food you can fry, again. Justin Martinez, a 30 year-old Arlington, Texas baker, took home the State Fair of Texas's Seventh Annual Big Tex Choice prize for "Most Creative" for fried bubblegum.

Link.

Interestingly, there's no actual gum in the recipe. Martinez created the familiar taste with bubblegum flavored marshmallows that were deep fried, covered in icing and then dusted with powdered sugar.

Disgusting. And I thought last year's fried beer entry was bad enough!

So once again as fair season rears its ugly head, I ask all you foodies out there: what's the weirdest fried food you've ever had on a stick (or not on a stick)?

I'm still waiting for fried weasel...

Sunday, September 04, 2011

The 20 Questions of Doom Meme

As always, courtesy of Sunday Stealing.

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Do you believe in Heaven?
I do not. As I've said many times on this blog I don't suffer from that particular mental illness.

2. Have you ever come close to dying?
Not that I'm aware of, though I did have an interesting experience with a freight elevator once.

3. What jewelery do you wear 24/7?
None. I wear a watch but not 24/7.

4. Would you ever consider having plastic surgery?
Maybe. Botox or something along those lines.

5. What do you wear to bed?
It varies. Usually I fall asleep in my clothes on the sofa. If I actually drag myself to bed I go with a tee and underwear.

6. Have you ever done anything illegal?
Sure. Hasn't everyone?

7. Who was the last person that you touched?
Dann.

8. Where did you eat last?
Mexico Joes yesterday in Stillwater.

9. Besides your own blog, are there any that you routinely read but never comment on?
Yes, often. I lurk around many blogs.

10. Ever been involved with the police?
I've never dated a policeman. Was that the question?

11. Do you talk in your sleep?
I've been told that I do on occasion.

12. Now a celebrity fantasy. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend?
This is an oddly placed question.

13. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
Not really but I'm working on it.

14. Where do you wish you were?
Chicago or New York City.

15. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Never.

16. Is there any type of dancing that you love to do?
I like to two-step and waltz but I don't know if I would characterize it as love.

17. Last gift you received?
I can't remember. Books from my mother maybe.

18. Last sport you played?
Beer pong.

19. Last place you went on holiday?
New York City last month.

20. Current Song?
"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People.

Friday, September 02, 2011

City on Fire!

Happy September everyone! Cooler weather, football, and conflagrations.


The drought is certainly taking its toll on Oklahoma as fires rage around the city. The other night I could see big plumes of smoke to the north and the east from my front porch! Luckily living in the ghetto pretty much shelters me from out of control fires.

My friend Timmy made a good point on Facespace the other day about the fires. Why aren't conservatives blaming god's wrath on this latest round of natural disasters in Oklahoma? You know, like they did the earthquakes and hurricane back east. Maybe because Oklahoma bleeds red more than most states and is kooky Christian country. There are more churches in Oklahoma than in all of California. Wrap your head around that.

Besides burning up, here's what's on tap for me this month:

9/3 - Football!!! I'm so starved for sports I just about can't stand it. Sure there's the WNBA and Tennis. I may be gay but I'm still a man! I'm looking forward to good things from Oklahoma State and the Dallas Cowboys this season. (And death to the Sooners!)

9/4 - Arctic Cold Front! Supposedly the hottest summer on record in Oklahoma will come to an end early Sunday morning with a cold front moving through the state. The forecast for the week following the cold front has our highs only in the '80's! Break out the fur coats.

9/5 - Labor Day. Just an excuse to have two Sunday Fundays in a row.

9/9 - Visit Oklahoma City Weekend (TM). My friend Jason from Chicago is visiting me here in the city for the second year in a row. What could possess him to want to come here again is beyond me but I'm excited to see my friend. He'll also have a boyfriend in tow that I believe has never been to Oklahoma. Commence with culture shock.

9/15 - The Great State Fair of Oklahoma opens. Ten days of bad food, scary rides, and people watching like you wouldn't believe! Look for me in line at the fried turd on a stick vendor.

9/25 - OKC AIDS Walk and 5K Run. A great charity and event but why did they move it to September from October? I hope it's not too hot.

So what's everyone else doing of interest this month?