Delay-ed reaction

I got a call this week from my son in the middle of the day.He was yelling something about Tom Delay. Finally, I got it. Delay is finally on the griddle. Good. 'bout damn time.

Of course, he's going to argue that this is just a partisan prosecutor -- a Democrat -- going after a good Republican. Sure. GOPers don't play that game do they? What was Kenneth Starr and the Whitewater investigation? Oh, yes. Impartial. How silly of me to forget.

So Delay is running for cover now, and trying his best to plead innocence. I hope this prosecutor has the gumption it's going to take to see this process through. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for prosecuting every Republican lawmaker. I'm for prosecuting any elected official who breaks trust with the American people because he thinks he's above the law. Democrat or Republican, male or female.

But there does seem to be a double-standard in politics. Democrats go to jail (or get impeached) for breaking laws. Republicans don't.

American taxpayers paid millions to investigate Clinton for seven years. Nothing was found, then the dumba$# goes and hands them something. He gets blown in the oval office and then lies about it. Geez. I still haven't forgiven him for that. He broke the trust -- not just of his family but the American people as well when he lied. Should he have gotten impeached? No. There shouldn't have been an investigation in the first place.

I've long said that former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating would be in prison today had he been a Democrat. I mean, come on. Oklahomans can't really have believed that a "friend" would be give him a quarter of a million dollars just because. Gene Stipe
spent his own money and that still got him in hot water, but he was a Democrat.

Anyway, my son was tickled pink to see Delay in some hot water. Yep. I raised a Democrat. Actually, I also raised a Republican (daughter). But neither one of them is so blinded by party loyalty that they can't judge each lawmaker on his/her actions. So I guess we just taught them to think for themselves.

As long as they cheer for the Sox to beat the Yankees, it's all good.

Girls just wanna have fun

Someone once said 'There's no such thing as too much fun." I beg to differ. I'm having what's lining up to be a "too much fun" weekend. It starts tonight.

My husband says I'm becoming the queen of the free movie pass. I've become proficient in spying the small print notices about picking up a free pass to a movie sneak peak, so we've seen first run movies for free all summer. Not that it's easy, it takes hard work. I grab the paper and scan it for freebie offers, and then have to plan my day so I can get to the designated place at the right time. Well, worth it. I think movie prices are way overblown anyway, and my husband was tired of going to the dollar movie theatre, so now we're regular sneak peak attendees. Tonight we're seeing "A history of violence."

Tomorrow night, and this I'm so excited about, we're going to see "Moving Out," or is it "Moving On." Whatever, Billy Joel music, so it will be cool.

Saturday we're helping some friends celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. How great is that!?

Sunday -- this one is tricky. Get up early, go to church. Come home, pick up daughter, go to bridal show. While I'm gone, hubby will be cooking a wonderfully delicious gourmet meal for us and friends who are coming over to our house around 5 p.m. In between the bridal show and the 5 p.m. meal, we're heading to Edmond for a quick visit to the UCO Jazz Lab to hear D.C. Minner et. al. play blues. Then back home, dinner with friends, and then over to a coffee shop to listen to

• Watermelon Slim

for some more blues.

As I said, too much fun...

I'm an initial

"What do you want to be called," my daughter asked, querying me about my preference for what the new grandchild would call me.
"I don't know, how about 'your majesty' or 'diva'?" I asked, still in shock at learning I was to be a grandparent at the ripe old age of 42.

Fast forward a few months and my daughter decided I was going to be "grammy." Our little grandson starting talking and saying everyone's name. "papa" "mommy" "daddy", but no name for me, or so we thought.

It wasn't until he really wanted something and he kept tugging on my leg, "E, babble, babble, babble." After a while, we realized that I was "E", it wasn't just a preliminary noise he made before launching into an unintelligible request or complaint of some sort.

Fast forward a few more years and adding two granddaughters -- my son's girls -- and I'm still "E."

Not that they can't say "Grammy" or "Grandma" should they so desire. No, they go out of their way to correct people about the name they've given me. They were delighted when a character on the Incredibles was called "E." And, no my name is not Edna. "E," you are on the Incredibles! And so I am.

Now I'm sitting here in my office, my red "Incredibles" phone handily by (yes, really. It's got the "I-logo" and everything cool. Flashes when I have a message.) and missing my grandchildren -- my three little monkeys very much. Whoever thought being a grandma would be so much fun. Play, spoil, send them back home.

Oh well, it will be the holidays -- not soon enough -- and I'll get to play with the little monkeys who all live far away now.

E will definitely have some spoiling to catch up on.

Addict uncovered

I'm an addict. I've known for a long time that I have an addictive personality so I stay away from harmful things like drugs and gambling. I consume alcohol only in small amounts -- well that's because I don't like being drunk. Why? Because I'm a control freak and when you're drunk you are NOT in control.

So what am I addicted to?

Lots of things: Television for one right now, which is weird because I never watched television when my children were younger. Now I LIVE for Survivor and Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy and...

Blogging: It's getting worse folks. Brace yourself.

Spider Solataire: Yep. I'm wasting my time. I'm supposed to be in the middle of this big project -- writing a textbook with a professor from Mizzou -- and what do I spend my time doing instead when I KNOW I should be working? Blogging or playing solataire.

Well that's because my husband the sports addict -- much worse than I -- is in the throes of Monday Night Football and I dare not interrupt. It's the Chiefs -- his favorite team, so if I dare mention that CSI Miami is on, I risk losing a limb.

I guess I could go do the dishes...nah.

Sports Fever

Most people look at me and NEVER think sports fanatic. But my most favorite job was when I was a sports reporter at The Missourian. Priceless.

Right now we Oklahoma City residents are definitely on a sports high -- well, not if you are a Sooners fan.

NBA -- First let me say, I'm very sorry about the way this happened. I'd prefer we still be begging any pro sports team to come here rather than having had a devastating hurricane be the reason we got a chance to be the home city for a team.

That said...The Hornets are calling OKC home! That's exciting. I've been singing the praises of this town ever since I moved here three years ago. This is an absolutely exciting opportunity for others across the nation to get to know a small city that has a lot on the ball. Just in the past three years, the changes in the downtown area have been amazing. That taxpayers are willing not once, but three times, to say "yes" to a tax to improve their city and their schools says a lot about the people here.

Yes, we've already called and gotten on the list for tickets. Can't afford 'em, but gonna do it anyway. It's a pro sports team -- here.

Baseball -- Damn the Yankees won their game today -- my apologies to all my NY buds -- but I'm a huge Red Sox fan. The teams are tied for first in their division! And the St. Louis Cardinals are top of their division. So life is good in baseball.

Football -- Plan to catch at least one Cowboys and/or Chiefs game this season. I'm not predicting any winners there, especially after the painful loss Monday night to the Redskins. Ouch. But gotta cheer my teams on.
Now if the Tigers just beat the Jayhawks in Kansas this year, all will be well... Mizzou-RAH!

Morning all..

Well, little brother is safe. He showed up at mom's with what few belongings he could cram into a rental car, girlfriend in tow (her folks are in Oklahoma). Don't know about everyone else yet, we couldn't get through on the phone lines yesterday.

Boom boom boom. Our house is near a busy street, and I'm so sick of people who think they can't drive their vehicle without sharing their music -- bass -- with the whole world. I'm not impressed that you spent a fortune on an entertainment system that you can only use when you are in the car, and that will be outdated as soon as the next one comes along, and that tells me you are so insecure about yourself that you have to show off to the world that "hey, I listen to music..." idiots.

I guess I'd better go finish that article that was due at 5 p.m. yesterday. But it's so much more fun to write random thoughts....

Drama

Well back to the old grind after two days away. I've forgiven hubby for breaking the mirror. I feel tired today since life has been a nonstop drama lately.

The funeral was ok. Of course, the drama there was the preacher's words. D didn't go to church anymore, hadn't since college. He didn't feel it was right to go where people condemned his life as "evil." So on Monday, as he lay in his coffin we all looked at him as this preacher who never met D in his life went on and on about how D had faith and lived a Godly life etc. After the funeral, hubby and I talked and we both agreed the preacher had no right to say those things. It wasn't D, and the funeral was a farce. Aunt M, the 93-year-old woman who always thought of D as her son though he was really her nephew, broke down crying and said the same thing. It was hard on her to be completely left out of planning the funeral. "He wouldn't have wanted such a thing," she said. She's right. So we rebeled and the few who really knew D went to dinner and talked and shared some memories and stories. That seemed a much more fitting send off.

The other drama was deciding to tell some of the older relatives that our youngest daughter is getting married -- to a black man. Never mind that he's a sweetheart who treats her like a queen and works harder than most young men his age, the news went over about as well as we could expect. We had to tell them before they came to the wedding since we don't want any embarrassing moments. If our daughter is happy, we're happy, so they'll just have to get over their biases. "Kids these days just have no respect for what they've been taught and how they've been raised," one relative said. "We raised her to believe that all people are the same," we said. Not all people. Some are more closed minded than others.

Drama #3: Hubby's mom seemed so detached this weekend. The alzheimer's gotten worse. Hubby and his brother, who went on and on about his last trip to OKC -- never mentioning that he never bothered to call us when he was in town -- went to the funeral home and prepaid for their mom's funeral. Sad, but a necessary preparation.

Drama #4: Unveils today, as we see thousands evacuate from south Texas. My youngest brother is in college down there, and hopefully safely on his way up to Amarillo to my parents home. We have cousins and in-laws who also live there, I hope everyone is safe.

Accidents just happen

Emotions can sure get in the way sometimes. I just blew up and yelled at my husband, whom I'm still not speaking to right now. I'm just upset. I had an antique mirror that his mom gave me a long time ago. He broke it tonight. I know it's ridiculous to be so upset, but I am.

Things have a way of standing for certain things/moments in our lives. My mom-in-law was always so MEAN to me after hubby and I first got married, ala Jane Fonda in Monster In Law. Really. If my daughter hadn't witnessed it and told my hubby about it, I don't think he would have believed it because when he was around she was just so sweet. The mirror represents sort of a turning point. She made an effort to be nice for no reason when she gave me that mirror.
I never thought I'd be glad that she was ill and couldn't travel anymore. But I guess I'm glad that she won't ever come to my house and know the mirror is gone. I certainly won't tell her.

I guess I need to go apologize for calling my hubby some not so nice names. But dang it. This is the second time this month he's broken something by pulling on an electrical cord without paying attention to what lay in its path. . . Ok so maybe I'm not ready to apologize. I really want to hit him -- that's how mad I am.

NO, I'm not going to. That would be unimaginable. But dang it.

Stuff, stuff and movie reviews

That pretty much answers it, nobody is reading this blog. That means this is the equivalent of talking to myself, which I'm actually pretty good at. Though, not as good as my husband who's easy to track down in stores because I can usually hear him talking to himself in the next aisle. Handy though, since I tend to lose him in stores.

Oh well. The story of my life.

Today was a noneventful day. Really. We got up - late. And, then decided to go to the Asian festival at Will Rogers Park. By the time we got there, it was over. Finis. No one there.

So, we headed to Bricktown. My husband got excited when he saw the classic car show at the Bass Pro parking lot, so we stopped. By the time we parked, walked across the street and across the parking lot to the show, cars were moving. It was over. Finis. We missed another event.

So, we came home and cooked spaghetti. Friends called and asked us to go fishing Sunday (not my thing, but hubby loves it.) Unfortunately friends want to go in the a.m. We want to go to church since we missed last Sunday. Bummer. And, we have tons of stuff to do tomorrow since we goofed off today. We're heading to Oswego, Kansas (population 2,000 -- all related to my husband) for D's funeral. Hubby's only brother -- older -- is flying into Kansas City and will also be there. So that means we have to watch everyone fawn over the "general" and again my hubby will be made to feel like he's the younger brother who doesn't quite measure up. That most definitely won't be fun. His wife is not going to attend. Heaven forbid. Her cousin twice removed celebrates learning to braid her hair or some other lame "family event" and she's there. But she's just too elite for Kansas, after all she's the "general's wife."

OK OK , I'm bitter. But hey, I can say all this stuff here because no one is reading this anyway. I just get bitter because my hubby is the most wonderful talented, kindest person in the world and his only brother is the only person I know who doesn't like him. His loss. Jerk.

When he calls our house, and I answer the phone he says this is "insert first name and last name" like he's a stranger. I feel like saying "Yes, I know. I recognize the 'I have a stick up my ass' accent.

Enough venting. I'd better go unwind now with a glass of wine. by the way, last night we went to see three movies at the drive in. Great night - State Fair and football games made it quiet and nice out there. Red Eye was good -- second time we've seen it and still kept us at the edge of our seats. "The 40-year-old Virgin" had its moments, but was at least a half hour too long. "Four Brothers" -- excellent action film -- a bit violent -- and definitely not believable. I mean come on, who gets to kill the bad guys, a cop and shoot up half a neighborhood and walk away? Not likely and it sends the wrong message to any young person who might watch it. AND, they never answer the question outright about why someone would kill their mom. I mean, I know. But still...

Why do I write?

A friend used to have posted on his computer a cryptic message: "Writing is like sex. First you do it for love. Then you do it for duty, and finally you do it for money." I liked the message another coworker had on his computer better: "I breathe, therefore I write."

Writers all like to think they have some divine gift -- insights into the human pysche that no one else has privilege to unless we enlighten them. Whatever.

Truth is most people haven't read your great novel or heard of it unless it was made into a movie. Then, they still don't know your name.

If you're a journalist, most readers don't read past the first three graphs. And your byline? Forget, they only look to see who wrote a story when they're pissed off and want to call your editor.

And blogs. I love my blogs. You would think since I write for a living, I'd find a different way to enjoy myself when I'm not "working." Wrong. But reality set in yesterday after I proudly finished my daily rant:

"Does anyone read that?" hubby asked, who has never read this blog himself.

"I think so, well...I know a couple of people do because we talk about stuff..." I said, hesitantly.

"Oh, so basically you're talking only to your friends?" hubby asked.

"I have more than a couple of friends," say I, with my writer's ego firmly insulted by now.

"Oh, I see," hubby says, walking away.

I was fuming. But I guess he's right. Is anybody reading this?

Second Thursday post

I must be chatty on Thursdays, because here I go again. But so much to talk about...

Texas executed a woman this week, third one since death penalty was reinstated. The Kinkster http://www.kinkyfriedman.com had some interesting stuff to say about that.

Dubya's speech tonight was good. He knew it, you could tell by the smirk he just couldn't suppress. My guess is Karen Hughes gave him a good scolding and told him to step up to the plate and sound tough. Don't get me wrong. It was a good speech. He said what he needed to say. He did what he needed to do. He did his job. Problem is that he should have done this at the very least one week ago. Just call my cynical, but it didn't ring sincere.

Jobs, rain, and Tom Coburn, Katrina

Too many topics on my mind today -- including a song that's stuck in my head: "The Thrill is gone" by B.B. King http://www.bbking.com

Jobs: Now I have a 20-hour a week design job to add to my multitude of writing gigs. This should be interesting, and will definitely make me a whole lot more organized due to time constraints. Remodeling will have to be a weekend job.

Rain: Rain is dreary, but it leaves my grass green, my trees green, my flowers green...rain is good.

Tom Coburn: Idiot. If I did a crossword puzzle when I was at a meeting, conference, etc. for my job. I'd be fired. I hope voters store this in their memory bank so we can fire this self-absorbed jerk in five years.

Katrina: Brown was right to resign. Now the good people of Louisiana need to get rid of their governor and other elected officials -- mayor of New Orleans -- who also failed them. Good to see so many Americans reaching out.

Time's up.

Trivial and other pursuits

Went on yet another job interview today. Yuk. I hate those, and I'm not even sure why I keep doing it. I oughta just kiss Oklahoma goodbye and find a job somewhere nice and warm year round. And then...a job posting in Kuwait caught my eye. I wonder what the weather's like there in December?

Yep. I'm a gypsy. I think I'm all settled in and really Oklahoma is a great place. We like it here. It's comfortable (well, except for the job thing for me.) But the thought of somewhere new is exciting. More people, more experiences to store in the memory bank. Stuff to dwell on when we're sitting in the rocker many years from now.

Yesterday, I joked about "free food" -- always good -- but the best part of the day as always was the great company that came with the food. After brunch five of us shimmied up to the table and played Trivial Pursuit. Something I had not done in a long time. It was fun, and in the process we learned that everyone is an expert at something or the other. And, it's amazing the amount of crap we remember.

Still waiting to hear when D's funeral is going to be. It's gonna be a long week, I can tell already.
At least we had a nice weekend.

Football, free food and life's complications

Life gets more complicated everyday. My husband's cousin died mid-week and his brother went out to Colorado to claim the body to bring back to his home state for burial. It's Sunday and he's still waiting for the body to be released. The problem is this cousin has lived a separate life all these years, and while most of us younger relatives knew that his male "friend" was more than just a friend the older relatives who probably knew have never wanted to admit it. They have to admit it now. The "friend" who has legal power of attorney is not releasing the body to the family. So no matter how hard Cousin tried to keep his secret in life. In death, life is even more complicated.

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Football -- All is well in Okieland. The Sooners won their game. Of course, the Tigers lost -- I told you our team loses a lot. But the Chiefs and Cowboys won, so it will be a good week.

Of course, knowing Sooners fans they'll all go into the office tomorrow morning and lament at how close the game was.

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Free food -- Today was a rare "free food" day -- the kind of days my husband lives for. We went to brunch at a friend's house, then on to a meeting that included a bbq afterward. Free food is good...that's what college taught us.

Michael Brown revisited

If Oklahoma journalists aren't feeling like a bunch of pansies right now, they should be. Myself included.

In the short time I've been in Oklahoma, I have met and interviewed Brown. I didn't think to check his credentials. Heck, he's from Oklahoma and a reason to be proud.

Now he's making Oklahoma just look plain bad. Bad enough that it's time to find out if he just "worked" in Oklahoma and came from some other state that breeds such silver-spoon in my mouth, my college buddy got me this job even though I wasn't qualified types.

I'll be a little harder on the media folks at the television stations, The Oklahoman, the Edmond Sun who have been here and more importantly covered the news here for decades. They are the only ones who would truly know if Brown was ever the assistant city manager or the assistant TO the city manager. They dropped the ball. They should have caught the "over statement" on Brown's resume.

Even then, really how does one make the jump from assistant city manager of a small city in Oklahoma to head of the federal emergency management agency? We should have asked those questions and we didn't. We were too proud of winning. Heck, there was probably some Texan hoping to land that job.

I don't know about you, but about now I'm sure wishing Brown was from Texas.

(In case you haven't noticed, this blog has a split personality. Tune in for tomorrow's rant -- oh God, I sound like one of the Ogle clones. Now that is a topic I'll have to tackle.)

Thursday post #2 - meme

10 years ago - 1995. My husband and I were students at the University of Missouri. He had just retired from the USAF and was majoring in Geography, perhaps because we had lived so many places. I was intent on going to law school after I finished my political science degree and writng for the student newspaper for the $10 an article they paid and for fun. We were broke - so broke. Had a son in college with us, a daughter in high school and one in elementary school. We drove a Chrysler minivan that blew a stack of smoke so thick the cars behind us had to wait awhile before they could drive through.

5 years ago - 2000. I was working in Texas -- as a journalist. The dream of going to law school long set aside because I simply couldn't afford it. My husband was still in school. Our son had graduated and was still living with us. Our oldest daughter was in college in Missouri and our youngest was starting high school. We were driving a "vintage" BMW. We were still broke.

1 year ago - 2004. Our son and oldest daughter had both found mates and married. They all had moved to Oklahoma. Three grandchildren now. 3, 2, 1 years old. My husband finally graduated the year before with a degree in accounting, but he was still in the same job he had before he graduated. The youngest was in college in Texas. We had moved to Oklahoma and were doing well. Happy, friends, driving a new Chrysler (not a minivan)

Yesterday - Our son and his daughters now live on the west coast. Our oldest daughter is back in Missouri going to school. The youngest is taking time off again to find herself. Worked, blogged, looked for a full-time job, dealt with family crises - my dad fell and went to the hospital, my husbands cousin died and prayed. Broke again. It's a cycle.

5 snacks I enjoy - Popcorn, Ice Cream, chocolate chip cookies, pistachio nuts, and hummus with veggies

5 songs I know all the words to - Someone to Watch Over Me, Paying the Cost to be the Boss (BB King) Since You've Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson), Amarillo by Morning (George Strait)
and probably every old American folk song ever written.

5 things I would do with $100 million dollars - Buy a house, pay off my student loans, buy cars, travel (to Europe, back to Okinawa and Australia) buy my parents a house and full-time care.

5 places I would run away to - a ranch in Texas, Cancun, Jamaica, France, Australia, home

5 things I would never wear - Mink (I'm allergic), any T-shirt with racist symbols, underlying meanings or band logo, spandex or lycra, Flower print anything

5 favorite tv shows - Lost, Survivor, CSI, The Sopranos, Desperate Housewives

5 biggest joys - my three grandchildren, my children, an evening with friends, money (of course) and 20 + years with my soul mate

5 favorite toys - my computer, camera, my paints and canvasses, my hubby, and my kitchen (I like to cook)

5 people I tag - Gina, Bart, Cindy, Sylvia and anyone else who's never done this.

Surviving our leadership

Don't worry folks. FEMA is on the job. The beleaguered band of incompetents who couldn't find New Orleans a week ago has found something it's good at doing.

News management. The powers that be have decided that news photographers, both print and television, can't take or distribute photos of anything suggesting a dead body.

Keep in mind, in our country's muddied history the only other times a "black out" of dead bodies in the media has resulted in catastrophic results. From the Civil War to Vietnam, and most recently the Iraq War, government has tried to hide the reality of war from its citizens.

But this isn't war. This natural disaster was a colossal failure on the part of our nation to care for its citizens. Maybe that's what FEMA is hiding.

Nothing could have been done to stop Hurricane Katrina. A lot could have been done to prepare for it. And, even more could have been done to avoid the needless deaths that occurred after the storm.

At a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan defended President George W. Bush and his staff, saying he did not want to "engage in the blame game." "We appreciate the great effort that all of those at FEMA, including the head of FEMA, are doing to help the people in the region," McClellan said.

FEMA Director Michael Brown has a lot of explaining to do. Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has a lot of explaining to do. President Bush has a lot of explaining to do.

If not to Americans, if not to the parents who held their young children as they died of dehydration, if not to the families who lost loved ones needlessly, then certainly to their God.

Theme Parks and Bozos

I have spent the largest part of my day chasing down theme park executives. Bozos, all them. No sense of fun or humor whatsoever. How the heck did they get into that business?

Ah well, the joys of the job.

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Got into argument No. 3 with daughter today. Asked if she was going out to look for a job today. Apparently that question is akin to "Are you planning to give away your first born?" Not that she has kids. Thank God.

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My dad made his second trip in an ambulance today to the hospital. Yesterday they sent him home. My mom had found him passed out in his room (yes, they have separate rooms -- don't ask, don't tell) . Today, he fell again. Damn.

I feel guilty for so many reasons. I feel as if I should be there in Texas to help with the taxing drives to and from the doctor, to and from the hospital. Then I get angry. When I moved there a few years ago to provide that kind of help, my mother created her usual "C is an evil woman" scene and proceeded to not talk to me, and still have my siblings still don't talk to me. My crime? Telling my sister that her daughter had confided in my mother that her stepdad (sis' husband) was getting a little too friendly. I had talked with teen girl about it, she confirmed it. So, I told sis. Some how through that, I became the bad guy. Teen girl, now an adult with tremendous issues, got scared and denied it. Stepdad came out smelling like a rose, and my mom denied any involvement, and was so "hurt" that I would throw something -- a lie -- like that at the family. So, for the year and a half I lived near them, they didn't talk to me. This was a small town mind you. My dad never stepped in to intervene. So, sometimes I'm still angry. The only good thing that came out of that, is that I know my sis though she denied any wrongdoing on her husband's part managed to never again leave the daughter in a situation alone with stepdad. So if I helped a little, I don't regret my actions. My only regret is that I didn't call the cops before I said anything to sis. So there, it's out.

Today, my older sister called. The one who remembers the abuse we took at my mother's hand before she found Jesus. She would beat us with whatever she had in her hand at the time, or find something to beat us with for just horrific infractions as going out in the back yard without asking her permission. On the outside, we were the perfect family. Behind that closed door, it was hell. Well, let's not forget this church-going woman was there every time the doors opened. But she didn't really change until much later. She's worried that my dad is probably going to die soon. She's right. But our biggest concern? Is who's taking care of mom? And, that is the tough part.

I think I need to go to church tonight. But I'm already sitting here drinking a beer. So I'll vent. I'm actually alone in the house right now, which is a rarity. I sort of like that. It's amazing how quickly you get used to living alone (well, just the two of us) -- yes, parents, there is life after kids.

But, sometimes your parents become your kids...

Oklahomans, Sooners and Madagascar

Heard on the news today that hundreds of volunteers from Oklahoma were turned away at Falls Creek. They had turned out to help set up the place for refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Too many had come to help. Nice problem to have -- just shows what great people Oklahomans are -- and that's a HUGE compliment coming from a Texan.

OK - if I have to hear one more time what a "tragedy" the Sooners experienced over the weekend, I'll barf on someone's crimson flag. Dang people. There's more to life than a stupid football fan. And, coming from Texas, it's just a given, I'm a big football fan. But it's just a damn game -- get over it and think about the real tragedy that has just hit this nation. You got it, I'm not a Sooners fan. But I do cheer for them when they play other teams. Well, except when they play Mizzou. That's my team, and it loses a lot. But I'm still a fan, and it's just a damn game.

By the way, the Tigers won this past weekend. :)

Madagascar -- I don't know what possessed me. Well, maybe the fact that our 21-year-old daughter is now living with us and despite the fact that she's 21, she still has the 13-year-old attitude that made me want to get out of the house. Anyway, Hubby and I went to see Madagascar -- at the dollar theater on 50-cent night. The jungle sounds coming from the two foot and under crowd were scarier than anything you might hear in the jungle. Cute movie. Never again.

Long weekends

Good news: Our son is doing better. He switched doctors after the first one diagnosed him without seeing the test results. He does not have cancer. He is however, still sick, without an explanation. More tests this week, still waiting for results.

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Other topics:

I like long weekends usually, except when I have looming deadlines for articles and can't get in touch with anyone because their long weekend started a day or two before mine. And, since I'm a workaholic, I have to find things to keep busy to keep me out of trouble.

Friday: Had a nice dinner with friends. Poor folks have been without operating air conditioning for a few days now, so they were glad to have the a.c. We were glad to have the company. And, they brought a lovely housewarming gift -- a Lifestyler cardio fit or something like that. I'm gonna use it really, but after trying it once, I decided the name "lifestyler" was too nice for what is obviously an ancient torture device. I think I'm gonna dub it the Kruger -- as in Freddy for those of you who never watched 80s movies. Really, guys. We like it. No more excuses like "it's too hot" for not going on a daily walk. It's the walk or the lifestyler, I mean, the Kruger. Which would you choose?

Saturday: Painting, sawing, hammering. Fun day. The "monkey room" is on it's way to becoming a reality. Before the weekend is out, I have to create a tree and grass for the jungle effect. Every room in our house has a moniker: the Flamingo room, the Tiger room, the boom boom room etc. Hubby went to Texas to pick up our soon to be son-in-law. Nice kid. We're going to spend a few days getting to know him. Poor kid.

Today: Doing as little as possible. My arms and butt hurt from the Kruger and the walking and the trips up and down the ladder.

But I still have to stay busy. Today, I think I'm going to see Madagascar at the $1 movie theater. I've just got to figure out when the least amount of kids might be there.

Looters vs. Finders

Once again, I'm in shock at the national media. I'm a writer. I consider myself a journalist. So some would think I'm part of the media. But the "national media" sometimes makes me cringe.

While we hear of the thousands of Hurricane refugees who are literally starving to death, there is a definite difference in how the media is reporting on people. The Associated Press moved two photos this week. One of a black man describes him as looting. Another of a white couple talks about them "finding" bread from a grocery store. Here's a link to the photos: http://www.snopes.com/photos/katrina/looters.asp

On the side of fairness however, I've also seen reporters that have allowed themselves to be human in front of the camera. Many are becoming the instruments of help -- for a woman who was separated from her two-year-old boy to others who simply need help. So kudos to those reporters who are there and willing to go out on a limb to do what they can to help those people.