Rush Limbaugh Needs To Shut It

I don't normally wish bad things to happen to anyone, but if there were such a person it would be Rush Limbaugh. He recently made the statement that Michael J. Fox was either off his medication or acting in a series of political ads where Fox states he supports embryonic stem cell research. Fox has Parkinson's disease, and it apparently obvious in the ads. He's been struggling with the disease for years now. That's why he left Spin City--it was affecting his performance.

My grandpa had Parkinson's too until he passed away, and for Limbaugh to make such a ridiculous statement really upsets me. Why does this guy continue to spout ignorance? You'd think he'd say something smart every once in a while, but I haven't heard it.

Osage Hills State Park

Yesterday, I spent most of the morning at Osage Hills State Park. The trees are turning yellow, orange, and red, and it is at it's peak right now. It's spectacular.

I saw lots of animals yesterday. I saw a couple of raccoons, an armadillo, several turkey vultures, a tufted titmouse (never seen one in person before), some woodpeckers, a duck, and probably a dozen deer. My most surprising encounter was with a doe. I had just closed up my camera bag and was preparing to move to the next photo spot, when I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. I looked up, and there she was, staring at me from about 20 to 30 feet away. She had two fawns with her. Luckily, my camera was still available to shoot, so I shot a couple of pictures of her before she lost interest and moved on. It was one of those magic moments that keeps me going back out into the woods.

Speaking of which, I really need to thank my dad for getting me involved with Boy Scouts when I was a young man. At the time, I went through periods where I hated it. We went camping a LOT. But when I look back on it now, it really helped cultivate my appreciation for nature and all its splendor.

Kick-off of the Oklahoma Centennial

The Great State of Oklahoma is turning 100 next year. I got a thing in the mail the other day with some of the upcoming celebrations. The three that caught my eye are fireworks displays on three consecutive nights.

On November 16th, there will be a fireworks display at the 96th Street bridge near Jenks. The following night on the 17th, there will be one at the 21st Street bridge in Tulsa (where they have the 4th of July fireworks display every year). And the grand finale will be on the 18th in downtown Tulsa. This one I am very excited about as it is literally a once in a lifetime event. The downtown display will have not only fireworks but also lasers. A few years ago when Tulsa turned 100, they did the same thing, and it was spectacular. I thought I'd never see it again.

Right Lane Closed

Here is something that happens in Tulsa (maybe other places too) that is really aggravating to me. A lot of times (usually on the weekend) you'll see an orange, diamond-shaped sign on the side of the road somewhere that says "Right Lane Closed". So you'll immediately dart over in the left lane, only to find out that the right lane really isn't closed, and some lead-footed (possibly clairvoyant) jerk will pass you by on the right. Every time this happens, you'll see the cones or barrels that were used when the lane was closed on the curb. So basically the road crew finished up its work on the road and moved its cones out of the way. But these guys always leave the damn sign up. What's up with that? Laziness? Sick sense of humor? Incompetence? What?

Cyndi Lauper

We saw Cyndi Lauper last night at the Brady Theater. I felt bad for her. She said they had just put together a new show with a new crew, and they were having a lot of problems getting the sounds levels adjusted. More than once, she yelled at the people off-stage (and a couple of times at her band on-stage) to do this or that. Apparently, she's a perfectionist, which is not a bad thing--she wants to please her fans.

Despite the technical difficulty, she put on a helluva show. She came out into the audience several times, and I was literally only a couple feet from her. The security guard did not like her doing that, and he told her to get back on stage. She said something like "I know you're not talking to me. You gotta deathwish or something?"

It was a fun show, and I recommend anyone who likes Cyndi to go see her when she comes to your town.

President Bush Turning Green?

I just read an article claiming the White House wants to halt or regulate a bunch of high seas fishing techniques that are destructive to the environment. And his plan has an emphasis on creating sustainable fisheries, too. I know, I know, I'm in just as much shock as you are. Considering how he reacted to the Kyoto Protocol, this really doesn't sound like something he would say. Maybe there's hope for him yet!