Help! I'm Trapped in the Elevator!

Today at work, I went down to the smoke hole with some fellow co-workers (I don't smoke). When we went to board the third floor elevator, we noticed it wasn't quite acting right, but it's always had a quirky personality. Not thinking too much of it, we got on, pushed the button, and the doors shut behind us. But then nothing happened. The elevator refused to budge. A quick glance around the compartment, followed by a nervous laugh. One of us decides to try to pry the doors open with our fingers. No luck. Uh, this sucks. We pushed the call button. After a couple of rings, someone actually answered our call. "Dominoes pizza!" Just kidding. I have no idea who it was. After talking to the guy for about 10 seconds, one half of the door opens. Deciding not to tempt fate, we step back out into the hallway and decide to take the stairs. All in all, I was only trapped for about 20 seconds, but that was long enough.

Tulsa Transit

If the price of gas has got you down, you might be interested in one of these alternatives.

If you are interested in using Tulsa's public transportation system, maps & schedules are available on the Tulsa Transit website.

If you are interested in carpooling to work, eRideShare is a good place to look, I'm told.

Fall TV Shows

Okay, folks, here is a list of start dates for the fall shows I am looking forward to:

Station	Show	Date	Time
WB	Supernatural	Tuesdays?	8:00pm CST
FOX	Prison Break	August 29th	7:00pm CST
NBC	Surface	September 19th	7:00pm CST
ABC	Lost	September 21st	8:00pm CST
ABC	Invasion	September 21st	8:00pm CST
ABC	Desparate Housewives	September 25th	8:00pm CST
ABC	Commander in Chief	September 27st	8:00pm CST

J.C. Watts Will Not Run

I read this morning that J.C. Watts will not be running for governor in Oklahoma next year, and all I can think is: hallelujah! Though I don't like our current "quiet" governor, I doubt J.C. Watts would be any better. In fact, I'm sure he would be a thousand times worse.

The Future

If gasoline prices continue to stay as high as they are for the long-term, I'm wondering if we will see urban people exercising more public transportation options. With this in mind, I decided to see if I could get to work from my house relatively easy using an established bus route. Unfortunately, the closest bus only comes to within a mile or so of my workplace, and that just isn't close enough, especially on rainy days like today.

I would like to see train service become popular again for cross-country travel. I have a love affair with trains. There's something timeless about riding one. But I have concerns about train safety in the U.S. The train companies cut corners in the U.S. by building dangerous railroad crossings in several places, and a few times a year you hear about a car being struck or a derailment. Most train crossings in Europe are safer because the highway usually goes over or under the train track.

We'll have to wait and see, I guess.

The War is Over...We Lost

Well, it looks like the United States has conceded the major sticking point on the Iraq constitution: the Iraq constitution will be based on Islamic law, after all. The parliament will not be able to pass legislation that contradicts Islamic beliefs.

What a colossal disappointment! The enshrinement of religion in the role of government has proven itself evil more times than not, and I can't think of a single Islamic state that isn't hostile.

Henrico County Riot

Did you guys read about this? This is crazy! Apparently, the Henrico County school system decided to sell a 1000 used iBook laptops for $50 at the Richmond International Speedway in Richmond, Virginia the other day. Hundreds of people showed up and a riot broke out faster than you can say "Start your engines!" One woman wanted a laptop so bad that she wet herself in line rather than step out of line and risk not getting one. Another guy, who has seen way too much Emeril Lagasse, hit a guy with a chair while saying "Bam!" at the same time. An enderly man was pushed to the pavement. Someone is selling the above shirt on eBay.

Used iBook laptop: $50
Emergency room co-pay amount: $150
Making a quick buck off someone else's tragedy: priceless

Gravity Refuted

With all the controversy surrounding evolution and Intelligent Design, I got a good laugh out of this article from the Onion.

Tulsa Tops Yet Another List

Expansion Magazine has ranked Tulsa as the most attractive city in the nation for businesses looking to expand. Way to go T-Town.

Taking Out A Second Mortgage On My House...

just so I can afford to drive to work! Have you seen the price of gasoline today? It would be cheaper for me to pour diamonds in my gas tank!

I need one of those Mr. Fuzion devices that Marty McFly had.

Boycott

Last week the NRA asked us to boycott Conoco Phillips for supporting a law that makes it legal to fire an employee for having a gun in his/her car at work. A few Oklahomans, mostly hunters, have already been terminated under this law.

I'm feeling conflicted about this. I don't agree with the gun law. But on the other hand, Conoco Phillips supposedly doesn't rely on foreign oil, so by supporting them, you are not supporting foreign oil producers. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Bell's Amusement Park Moving?

The owner of Bell's Amusement Park in Tulsa, OK, is stating publicly that he is considering a move to Jenks. Jenks is welcoming Bell's with open arms. Bell's is home to the only coaster (the Zingo) in the United States that has a city ordinance prohibiting it from running after 9 pm. Why? Because some idiotic neighbors of Bell's complained the noise is too loud, many of which moved into the neighborhood after the coaster was built. What did they expect? They're next to the Fair Grounds! It's a noisy place. This has also prevented Bell's from building any new coasters, something the park desperately needs. This fight with the neighbors is almost as old as the Hatfield and McCoy disagreement.

Though Tulsa will lose out on some revenue, I think it's a smart move. They're considering an area near the Oklahoma Aquarium. Bell's can only get better if they have some room to grow, without any petty neighbors causing problems for them.

I hope they take the Zingo with them.

6 1/2 Pounds Down!

I resumed WeightWatchers last week. On my first week I lost 6.5 pounds. I was so happy, I treated myself to a Freezoni from QuikTrip. Wonder how many "points" that's going to cost me?

Gatesway Balloon Festival Pt. 2

The balloon glow on Friday night was disappointing, due to the bad weather in the area. Only three balloons were inflated. So I got up the next morning and was treated to scenes like the one above. It was so whimsical to see all these balloons floating in front of downtown Tulsa. I could have stayed all day.

Gatesway Balloon Festival

After a 1 year absence, the 2005 Gatesway Balloon Festival is occurring in Tulsa this weekend. I wholly recommend it, especially the Balloon Glow event.

State Question 723

A national group is saying that Tulsa's roads and bridges are not being maintained properly. For Tulsa residents, that comes as no suprise. Our potholes are more like sinkholes: they've been known to swallow entire vehicles whole.

State Question 723 is coming up that would provide extra tax money to fix the roads. Oklahoma has a history of mismanaging funds, particularly when it comes to giving Tulsa an equal share. Whether or not the extra tax would be beneficial remains to be seen. I don't think S.Q. 723 is very popular with most voters, however.

So what's the best way to fix the streets? I remember seeing a Dateline episode a few years back where a company made rubberized asphalt that lasted several times longer than normal asphalt. But, of course, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. There were two problems with it. 1) It was more expensive in the short-term (but since it lasted longer, it was actually less expensive in the long-term). 2) Existing companies did not want to offer rubberized asphalt because they felt they would get fewer contracts.

Maybe we should all just trade in our cars for hovercrafts. We wouldn't even need roads or bridges, just grassy areas and open waterways.

10th Planet Discovered?

Space.com is reporting a 10th planet, larger than Pluto has been discovered in our Solar System, although some scientists think we need to change the definition of what a planet is. Still, I think it's interesting that we've got all this equipment and we are only now discovering it. Makes you wonder if the killer asteroid could be right in front of our faces.

The Lack of Updates

No, this blog isn't dead. I just haven't had time to post lately. A project at work has been taking up all my free time. Hopefully, I'll have more time to blog in the upcoming days.