Catharsis

So today we attended the ceremonial signing of the Oklahoma Pulse Ox Bill at the Capitol with Gov. Mary Fallin. It was a long, good day that I will remember until I am so very old that the only memories I care to keep are of my grandkids. But as I wind down for the night, I would like to share a few thoughts and reflections. 

First, yes, this was just ceremonial. The real bill was signed quietly one night some time back. This was the show for the legislators and advocates. So, much pomp and circumstance. Not the first time I've been to one of these or seen the process. I was a page and I've been in State Government for 15 years. Been there, always felt it was a lot of work and waiting for little reward. 

But I've never been on this side of things. It was... cathartic. I really get why we do these now and more greatly appreciate the hard work that is put in by those who work so hard to make it happen. Including my friend Ashton Mese who was there today, facilitating. It may not have seemed like a big deal to her and the other staffers. Though they would never say it, I am sure they all had a long list of projects waiting their attention that they would rather have been tackling, and I don't blame them. But I can now say, absolutely, this process matters. 

To this group of parents, some grieving for the obstacles that sit before their children, others grieving because our children are now beyond the reach of Earthly obstacles, it mattered. It mattered so very much. 

Second, I don't want to get into politics with this. Though in a spirit of full disclosure, I did vote for Mary Fallin and susbect I will again if I get the chance. Now regardless of that,...

I was deeply impressed by our Oklahoma Governor. This part of her job would have driven me crazy. 

So she sits at a desk with the bill while a group of people associated with that bill gather behind her. You all pose for a picture. She signs the bill and passes out a few pens. Then, inevitably, people try to talk to her about this and that and pose for individual pictures. There is a general rumble and chaos about it, managed chaos thought it may be, that would have me losing my mind. So many people with so many overlapping conversations. Names to remember, topics to stay focused on. We were the 11th bill of the day, really of the hour, and this was the second day, with so many more to come. 

And yet, while we posed, as my son stood by her right side she talked to him like any mom or grandmother would, trying to make him comfortable. When we took our opportunity to pose with her (me my wife my eldest son and a photo of our youngest son), she spoke to me and expressed her sorrow for our loss. We hadn't explained, though the topic of the bill and the photo of the grinning boy with a scar on his chest are pretty big clues. Still, she volunteered her feelings and her voice... it didn't exactly break, but it hurt. She wasn't in that moment a politician. She was a mother. And she got it. 

Take that for what you will. I was impressed by her in that moment. 

This is also the first time I've spoke to a Gov. or Lt Gov. and NOT insulted them somehow, intentional or accidental. It is sort of a streak I had going all the way back to '93. Kinda my thing. It is a good time to let that end. 

The third and final thought is how much the Capitol is like Walmart in that I always seem to run into all these people that I know. I already mentioned Ashton who traveled with me to Uganda, now a staffer for the Gov. Fallin. 

I also saw our prodigal intern Samantha Smith who is taking a break from the show to work for Farm Bureau this summer.

And, of course, we looked up our dear friend Dawn Marks who is a fancy-pants big shot doing research for the OK House now, but I've known her since she was a fellow nerd-dorm resident at OSU. Dawn is one of the most intelligent and unassuming people I've ever known and it is always a joy to see her. 

Then I ran into Rep. Don Armes, OK-63 (R). I'd interviewed him before for the show. He is well known and respected around campus as a man with an ag background. Took me a minute to place him as we waited for the same elevator. Introduced myself. he watches the show. That felt good. 

Anyhow, we had a nice, short conversation in the 1 floor elevator ride (I had a pregnant lady in tow, afterall). Anyhow, he strikes me as a genuine and nice man and should get his props as well. 

Plus, I thought about how completely my former boss would have freaked out at me being in the capitol talking to an elected leader, influencial in ag circles, without his supervision... He panicked about so much that didn't need to be panicked over... That made me smile too. 

App Test

Just a test of posting from the iPhone.

Turns out I have three sisters...

Okay, two flesh and blood sisters and an ongoing obsession with the band Sister Hazel. Guess which one this post is about.

Oh, my sisters are more than worthy of their own blog posts. Scores of them. But at the end of the day, those relationships have complexity. Nuance.

Today, I'd rather talk about one of the simplest, least nuanced relationships I have. Simply put, Sister Hazel makes music. I get happy. Done.

Mind you, I've rediscovered this great band from my college days only in the past 6 months. Taking advantage of the many, many, many free downloads available in Amazon's mp3 download section I stumbled onto a Sister Hazel tune. And not one from our collective glory days of the mid-90s.

As it turns out this band continues to pump out album after album of amazing music. And they give away songs that most acts would happily lock away into a vault searching for a ridiculous record deal. Songs like "Hello, It's Me," "Walls and Cannonballs," "Everything Else Disappears," "Ghost in the Crowd..." I could go on, but you get the point.

Honestly, my goal here is not to convert you and recruit new "Hazelnuts."

Yes, there is a term for this sickness.

Rather, my aim is to discuss bliss and embracing yours. I know Sister Hazel doesn't do it for everyone. My own lovely wife thinks I'm... Well, I'm not exactly sure what she things about my love of the band, but I doubt it is pretty. For her, it is Dave Matthews. Or sometimes Tool. Or sometimes Willie Nelson. (Damn, she is COOL!)

We all have something different. Music for some of us. Sports. Food. Alcohol. Cigarettes... Some stress relievers are better than others. But we all have one.

This music, these gravelly harmonies, they charge me. I stick in my headphones and crank the iPhone and suddenly I'm not grudgingly slopping through the dishes. My feet start tapping. My neck begins moving independently of my body. This fat old white man's body starts bouncing around almost to the beat. Before you know it, I'm getting household chores done AND giving the poor neighbors a show through our big, curtain-less kitchen window.

So I tell you that to tell you this...

Stress kills. And more so than we thought. On the elliptical this morning I was reading a National Geographic Special on PBS (it's called Closed Captioning, people) called "Killer Stress."

Turns out, stress really does horrific things to us. And when we say it ages you, we aren't talking about a few gray hairs. At the tips of every strand of DNA are these little caps called Telomers.

If you are familiar with cloning science, you are already familiar with telomers. They've been frustrating scientists in that field for years and years. If not, well, think of them as the little plastic tips on your shoelaces, the aglets. Over time, that tip will wear away and then your shoestring starts to fray.

Well, telomers do the same thing for our DNA. They protect it and keep it from unraveling. As we grow older, they grow shorter.

Stress hormones speed up that process.

Yep. Stress LITERALLY can cause you to unravel.

Who says sciences isn't creepy... cool... creepy... creepy and cool.

If you get a chance to go and watch that program, I do recommend it. Very interesting piece of television, with or without the Closed Captioning turned on. Loads more interesting things about stress and its effects on our health and relationships, not to mention the specific, frightening things it does to your brain. Seriously, last minute cram sessions for college kids: horrible idea!

The point, dear patient reader of my rambly, ramblingness, ... Find something. Music. Sports. Blowing bubbles in your milk. I don't care what. Just something that makes you feel light and happy.

I'm convinced that most stress is a choice. As is most joy. The world happens around us as it does. But we decide what to empower. And too often we empower the upsetting and unsettling.

Joy isn't hard to find in this world. But it is awfully easy to dismiss and diminish. So don't. No matter how simple or trivial, embrace your happiness and put down the stress no matter how massive it would seem.

I say this All For You. Change Your Mind and you'll be Happy. So Concede and believe me, and go find your Champagne High.

Speaking of happy. Sister Hazel's acoustic version of "Happy" from the Before the Amplifiers album... Wow.

Texas 4-H Centennial Clover

What the...

You might want to read these to know what I'm about to rant about:

http://newsok.com/article/3112638/1188314407
http://www.ocolly.com/2007/08/28/osu-stillwater-moves-up-deadline-for-campus-going-tobacco-free/


I need a few minutes on the soapbox. Hope you don't mind. Feel free to argue. Or agree. Or just laugh at the angry white whale screaming in the street. I just need to vent and you made the list of folks that get suffer through it. Sorry for that. That said, here we go...

---

What the HELL is up with my alma mater?!?!?!?!?!?

Okay, it was bad enough that they threatened (I haven't heard if they actually went through with it, cause I'm stuck in Texas) to use eminent domain to seize private property for that danged athletic village (which the AV idea is cool, but to use ED for THAT, calling that Village a PUBLIC USE???) and now this nanny state smoking ban in the great outdoors of our beloved campus (except of course for outside the Foreign Student dorms, which opens a whole different can of worms, seriously, OSU will work to save the Okie's and even the Jersey kids, but screw the foreigners???) that I'm just now reading about... (I'm in Texas so news travels SLOOOOOOOWLY)...

Berkley I can see doing that. NYU. Sure. Even the danged ole U of Texas in Austin. BUT Oklahoma Friggin' State!?!?!?!

I love my Cowboy's. Always will. I have Cowboy pride in winning years and ramp it up twice as much in losing years. But today I am struggling not to be ashamed.

I understand the logic on the smoking ban. And as a smoker that wishes he'd never started, I can see the glory in a smoke-free campus. I even understand the temptation to use ED for that property for the Village. But both should be SO quickly trumped by the basic guiding principles of freedom, personal responsibility and personal property...These options should NEVER have been seriously considered by our hallowed institution. This is NOT the behavior that they taught me.

And its NOT 'cause I'm a smoker. This could just as easily been banning caffeine or Oreo's or cats from campus cause some people are allergic to cat dander. Its friggin' ridiculous regardless of WHAT is being banned.

What REALLY blew my mind was reading that they would offer free patches and gum to students. It annoys me that its not for faculty too, but that could just be bad reporting. Regardless, its a BAD idea. Nicotine replacement can be dangerous. Throw on three patches at once and you are darn likely to have yourself a heart attack. Hopefully, won't happen. But if it does. Instant, MASSIVE lawsuit. And a lawsuit OSU should lose. And students aren't always smart. I sure wasn't. I knew great brilliant folks at OSU. None of them is even bordering on being a dumbass, but every damned one of them had their dumbass moments. We ALL know I did. The likelihood of a kid facing medical complications from OSU-supplied nicotine replacement products is HIGH.

And worse still, kid comes in and says, "Okay, I'm a smoker. Pack a day. Gimmie patches." They can't verify that the kid does smoke. So who would want them otherwise? ANY kid facing finals or mid-terms. Any Greek during Homecoming week that's class all day and pomp all night. Any of the dateless freshmen that want to stay up for three straight days playing on-line roll playing games. I knew folks that did all that and would have jumped at the chance for a free, effective stimulant.

Lets be clear, nicotine is a stimulant. And it is a dangerous drug if used improperly. And the first idiot that gets the idea that it'll help him through finals, granted maybe should be expelled from the gene pool anyhow, BUT ... Just a BAD idea. Bad. Bad. Bad. Actionably bad idea.

I love my Cowboys. But damn they are making it hard.

Okay, done venting now. I feel a little better. Thank you for this opportunity. I'm gonna go outside and have a smoke to cool off. After all, at least Texas A&M is still, occasionally, somewhat, kinda-sorta free...except for the parking, but that's another rant.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Don't forget the OSU-Georgia game is on ESPN2 Saturday.

Go Pokes, I guess...

Austin

Gotta love Karma...

Oklahoma must forfeit 2005 football season

By Associated Press July 11, 2007 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma football program must forfeit its wins from the 2005 season and will lose two scholarships for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. The penalties, announced Wednesday by the NCAA, stem from a case involving two players, including the Sooners' starting quarterback, who were kicked off the team for being paid for work they had not performed at a Norman car dealership. The NCAA said Wednesday morning it planned to announce its decision about possible sanctions against the Oklahoma football program, more fallout from a case that came to light last year when two players – including the Sooners' starting quarterback – were kicked off the team. In an e-mail sent to media outlets, the NCAA said a 2 p.m. conference call with Miami athletics director Paul Dee, the acting chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, was scheduled to discuss the case. On Aug. 3 – the day before the Sooners began preseason practice – Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops dismissed quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn from the team amid allegations that the players had been paid for work they had not performed at a Norman car dealership. The NCAA subsequently alleged that Oklahoma had failed to adequately monitor the employment of several athletes, including some football players who worked during the academic year. The NCAA said Oklahoma's "failure to monitor" led to the university not detecting NCAA rules violations.

World History as it Really Happened

I wish I could take credit for writing this. But no, just another wonderful, anonymous forwarded message. Enjoy -Auz

World History as it Really Happened

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomad/hunter/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups: Liberals and Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while
they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement. Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as "girliemen."

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy and group hugs and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided. Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting revolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, home interior designers, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter
rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to actually work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a
business of trying to get MORE for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history: It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers. And to more liberals just to tick them off.