Satire

Satire has been around for as long as I can remember, and as my eyes grow week, my hair turns grey, and my joints stiffen, satire gets better.  My formative years of satire were spent watching Saturday Night Live from the 70's, 80's and 90's.  I will admit that they had some rough spots, or dry spells, however they find consistency during presidential campaigns.  This in itself should be an indication of times to come.

Going back even further, in to the paper era of entertainment (books) one still finds reminantes of satirical works.  Books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, etc, have been read by millions.  These days, satire, and very funny satire, can be found around every nick and corner. With the advent of 400 cable channels, youtube, blogging, The Onion, and the like.  Below are a couple of my favorite videos from the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Curling

Figure Skater Falls Through Ice - Print

Figure Skater Fall Through Ice - Video

2014 Olympics

The Winter Olympics have finished, an so has any discussion I may have about figure skating for the next four years.  A few weeks ago I found myself chatting it up over a cold beer with another of my male co-workers.  

This year's Olympics had its fare share of surprises.  Athelets from around the world faced off in a variety of sports.  I could regurgitate the medal count and play by play of my favorite sports, however, I will save you from those thoughts.

The Olympics have been a magical time for the past few decades.  With little to no boycotting of the events.  Countries sending athletes to compete against other countries.  The Cold War days of the United States versus Russia, has faded to a fleeting memory, as athletes born after the fall of the Berlin Wall compete, for personal and national pride.

My favorite winter sports include

Curling - nothing as exciting as two dudes with brooms strategically placing a 47 pound chunk of granite in just the right spot.

Biathlon - a sport that can actually help you sustane life in the artic,,as long as you had cross country skis, and a riefile with a flap to cover the eye your are not using to sight the target .  

 

Bobsledding - last year I rode down the 2004 Salt Lake City track in a bobsled on wheels.  We hit 65mph, and it was an unbelievable ride.

Hockey - what is not to love about a sport where (at least the guys) take of the gloves when they are going to fight.  Additionally the names of some of the penalties, icing, body checking etc are pretty unique.  Of course it is icing, they are playing on a rink of ice.

The list could go on...  Looking forward to the summer games of 2016.

This year with the games in Russia there was much media attention given to Russian politics, as seems to be the came refused less of where they are played.  

+15

In my most recent trip to Canada I had the opportunity to explore Calgaries sky bridge system, the +15.  Named the +15 because it sky bridges are all about 15 feet above the ground.  This is intriguing since Canada is on the metric system.  More fun facts about the system

Made up of 59 bridges

First opened in 1970

16 km long, making it the longest suck system in the world.

Like the tunnel system in downtown Houston, one finds a variety of resturants, shops and services along it route.  While these are all included in the buildings that the systems connect, it still makes it easy on a cold (extremely cold) day to walk to a food court, of stretch your legs.  Of course when the weather is nice, there is an increase in sidewalk traffic and a decrease in the +15 traffic.

Island on Wheels

After living in this house for over two years I finally decided to try the buffet or island in a new place.  When we move in it was against the north wall in what would be call the breakfast nook.  Of course we did not have a kitchen nook table, we had two dinning room tables.  So the smaller one went into the nook.  Part of my "objectives" for the year (since I do not set resolutions) was to impart some orginization in a couple of areas.  The kitchen nook was on that hit list.  (On a side note, the United Nations makes Resolutions, and we can see how well those have worked out.  That could be an entire series of blogs.)  

It seems that since I move the island, which is on wheels, to the kitchen I have more space in the kitchen nook area.  However I have not done any major cooking in the kitchen since making the move yesterday.  I thought that it was pretty inventive to put wheels on the island.  It makes it some much easier to move.

Also on my orginization hit list is the garage.  Primarily moving a lot of the food stuff we store out there indoors, to get it out of the way, and keep it a more constant temperature.  

The Lyric Theater - OKC

Saturday night Amy and I went to see a production of The Odd Couple.  The show was at Lyric's Plaza Theater, which is off the beaten path, on 16th street.  The production was great, I had never see the play before.  I thought the actors did a fantastic job in their roles.  Showing the comical pains when two friends who are different move in together.  The audiance was dressed from blue jeans and untucked shirts to some folks with sports jackets and ties, including one bow tie.  At the conclusion I decided that I will need to go back and watch some of the other productions.

We also tried a new resturant, the Iguina Mexican Grill.  I had two enchalides, pork and charizo, both were really good.  Also, instead of having the tradition refried beans and rice, there were multiple options.  I went with black beans and fried vegetables, including mushrooms.  Amy had a burrito, that was good, there was a suttle undertown that made it a bit off.  There was some sort of bar-b-que flavor to it, which felt as out of place as a fox in the hen house.  The atmosphere of the joint was festive, but cramped.  Each time some one walked behind me, I could feel them brushing my chair.  Also, I felt like a little kid sitting at the adult table.  Our table was six inches higher than the rest, but our chairs were the normal height.  I tried to make the most of it, thinking that I was closer to my food and it would take less effort to eat.

Roses

Red Roses, the flowery symbol of love.  Last Friday was the War on the Roses, as valentines day took its toll on these, the flowers of love.  According to news reports 224 million roses were grown for Valentine's Day, and 51% of individuals purchased Red Roses.  This comes out to a total of 1.9 billion dollars spent on flowers alone, just on Valentine's Day.  That is a massive amount of flowers, in comparison the Tournament of Rose (Rose Bowl Parade) which only uses 500,000 roses.   

I was miffed when I learned that rose colors had different meaning, and giving a white rose, sends a much different message.  For men, a rose is a rose, and that is all there is to it.  To the floral community each rose is for a specific reason.  Here are some examples. 

• Red - Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romance, and a time-honored way to say "I love you." The red rose has long symbolized beauty and perfection. A bouquet of red roses is the perfect way to express your deep feelings for someone special.

• Yellow - The bright, sunny color of yellow roses evokes a feeling of warmth and happiness. The warm feelings associated with the yellow rose are often akin to those shared with a true friend. As such, the yellow rose is an ideal symbol for joy and friendship. 

• Pink - As a symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as an expression of admiration. Pink roses can also convey appreciation as well as joyfulness. Pink rose bouquets often impart a gentler meaning than their red counterparts.

• White - White roses represent innocence and purity and are traditionally associated with marriages and new beginnings. The white rose is also a symbol of honor and reverence, and white rose arrangements are often used as an expression of remembrance.

I did give Amy some red roses on Valentine's Day.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

Street Signs, stop signs, billboards, construction signs are all around.  There are signs all around telling us to do the, where the line starts, which door is in and which is out.  The last two are particularly important to look at and acknowledge when at the Ceta Canyon church Camp dinning hall.  Going in the out door could result in a collision, or even worst, a dressing down of sorts by the staff.  I think maybe they saved that only for the adults who cold not read or follow directions.

Some signs blend into the scenery, while others and blaintly obvious.  Other signs just blend into life as we know it, and a few make is do a double take.  I do not remember what establishment I was in when I came across the sign below.  It is the first one I have ever seen like it, so I read the entire thing, and followed directions.  I still washed my hands, even though the handle had some sort of anti-bacteria treatment.  You just never know where the next amusing sign will be.  I would like to express my thanks to the Sloan Comapny, maker of fine goods, and funny signs.

French Press

Sometimes in life we are looking for something and find it in the most unexpected places.  (Great start for a romantic post, I should warn views that the story takes an unexpected turn).  So there I am at the Jumbo Foods in Enid, and there it is on aisle 14.  Right on the end, with an sweet aroma wafting through the air.  Alas, I found whole coffee beans, brown paper bags, and the in store grinder.  I was shocked, surprised, and elated, only to have my dreams crushed if only for a moment while I figured out how to work the grinder.  

This discovery on Saturday allowed me to utilize my new French Press to make coffee.  It was a different experience, an the kids had a lot of questions, as they watched while eating.  So not only did I get to use it, I got to explain what I was doing to a captive audience.  The coffee had a much deeper flavor, more intricate taste, the word bold does not describe it.  It was kind of messy, probably a rookie mistake somewhere.  Also, the process had a relaxing feeling as I watched the hot clear water pull the flavors and colors out of the coffee, thus becoming medium brown and flavorful.  

Please do not think I am becoming a coffee snob, my favorite brand of regular coffee is still Folgers, while my favorite coffee shop is still Roasters in Amarillo.

http://www.roasters.biz

  

Groundhog Day Snow

Today the white snow blanketed the area, covering any imperfection in the lawn, street, or roof line.  This cleansing that you can see is most beautiful, with it's pure white color, and soft edges.  The crisp cool air which wakes a person up when they have their first breath of it.  All is well, and then the kids want to play in the snow.  Taking the pristine landscape of white, and trampling it, with foot prints, snow angles, and snow balls.  Across the lawn they run chasing each other with snowballs, aiming, throwing and missing, until they cannot stand the temperature.  Then, it is time to head in for hot chocolate.  Here are a few pictures from todays snow, which did not slow us down.

Action Shot

C&E

What is it???

Super Bowl Sunday

Tommorows game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks means that baseball season is only a few months away.  Baseball, the game of Ty Cobb, Reggie Jackson, Nolan Ryan, and Mickey Mantle to name a few.  A game that resembles life more than any sport.  For example, it is a team sport, where players can make spectacular plays with out anyone else helping.  That is not the case with football, the quarterback can make a spectacular throw, however he is dependent on the office line to hold the defensive line and the receiver to catch the pass.  Also, there is no clock in baseball, no arbitrary timelimit on the game.  In refgular season, if the game is tied, it goes until someone is victorious.

There are several MLB teams that I like and root for.

Astros - Yes, the colorful team that played in the eighth wonder of the world. They were the first team I saw play, and I have seen them in person more than any other team.

Chicago Cubs - Thanks to WGN out of Chicago, and the fact that Wrigley Field did not have lights until my high school years I saw more of their games on TV.

New York Mets - I cannot recall why I started rooting for the Mets, no matter how long I think about it, it is blank.

Atlanta Braves - Much like the Cubs, their  TV benefactor TBS showed many games that I watched.

Colorado Rockies - When this expansion team started, I decided that I would make them my team... It did not last.

Boston Red Sox - By far the team that I root for and follow throughout the season.  A few years ago we were in New England during playoff time, and I was impressed and amazed at the furvor that their fan base has.

What I would consider to be a good year for a few of these teams:

Astros - will 100 games

Red Sox - World Series Championship.

Braves - eliminated by the Cubs in the play offs.

Cubs - lose to the Red Sox in the World Series.

So as you can clearly see, I am a bit conflicted when it comes to baseball teams.