Are we having fun yet?
Soonergrunt wrote at Balloon Juice from 2011-16.
Twitter: @soonergrunt
Mothers Day mid afternoon open thread
Well, now that we’ve all gotten the annual Mothers Day brunch out of the way, what’s the best or worst Mothers Day memories you all have?
When I was nine, my dad was working very hard as a City Manager of a small town in Wyoming. Normally he was on top of things like Mothers Day and birthdays and such, but he’d forgotten this year, and our small town didn’t have much in the way of consumer choice. For just about anything that wasn’t a truck part, a gun, or ranch equipment, you had to go to Denver or order it in the Sears, Wards, or Spiegel catalogs that we still got back in the dark ages of the 1970s and 80s.. Even the state capitol at Cheyenne didn’t have much.
So he forgot Mothers Day. He was leaving the office and his secretary asked him what he was getting my mom for Mothers Day, and he realized his situation. The Wards store was closed, so the only place available was Tru-Value Hardware. Ever since that day, I have remembered sitting in my room listening to my mom downstairs yelling at my dad about the bathroom scales he bought her (he’d vaguely remembered her saying something about needing one) and thought to myself “don’t EVER do that.”
My wife got homemade breakfast from me and my daughter, my son cleaned and washed her car, and I just got done building a raised flower bed while she’s been taking a nap. I’m not the smartest guy around, but I’ll never forget Mothers Day, 1979. In 21 years of marriage, I have never bought bathroom scales.
Also too, open thread
Mid Morning Open Thread
Some severe weather last night. No big deal for these parts though. We’re still grinding away at work on the new project. I missed my shot at young Freddie, but frankly he doesn’t really interest me enough to comment about him.
The USGS has issued an earthquake warning for Oklahoma. The first of it’s ITS kind west EAST of the Rocky mountains. I’m certain that our recent uptick in quakes–more in the last 10 years than in the entire recorded history of the region prior–has NOTHING AT ALL to do with hydraulic fracking. Nothing at all.
NBA (and other topics) Open Thread
The OKC Thunder are currently up 86-66 in the third quarter over the LA Clippers. UPDATE: The Clippers won, 122 to 105.
We had a record high of 97 degrees today. In early May. This summer is going to suck.
We have an uncontrolled wild fire in Logan County, just north of the city of Edmond on the north end of the OKC metro. One fatality, and 30+ structures destroyed. Half the state is under a burn ban. We have less than 10% of our seasonal or yearly average of rainfall, and a third of the state is listed as experiencing an “exceptional” drought. We expect another record high tomorrow, with severe weather approaching a 50% probability tomorrow through Thursday.
I just got home from the first 14-hour workday of the week as we work to install new WiFi access points in the OKC VA Medical Center. I feel like hammered shit, but I am looking forward to the over time pay.
There was an amber alert last night for an 8-year-old girl from Tulsa. The biggest topic of discussion on local news boards is the impending installation of the Church of Satan monument on the state capitol grounds near the 10 Commandments. This is followed closely by the news that some pastafarians are raising money for a monument to the FSM. The little girl was found later, and a person of interest was taken into custody.
Mary Fallin Can’t Even Murder A Man Without Fucking It Up
An Oklahoma inmate whose execution was halted Tuesday because the delivery of a new drug combination was botched died of a heart attack, the state Department of Corrections said. Director Robert Patton said inmate Clayton Lockett died Tuesday after all three drugs were administered. Patton halted Lockett’s execution about 20 minutes after the first drug was administered. He said there was a vein failure. Lockett was writhing on the gurney and shaking uncontrollably. They tortured him to death. The planned execution later Tuesday of a second inmate was postponed.
Mary Fallin Can’t Even Murder A Man Without Fucking It UpPost + Comments (150)
Cue gun groper saying something asinine in 5…4…3…2…
In a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA today, one student at a high school there has apparently stabbed 20 other students. A couple of them were injured bad enough to require surgery.
All of the victims are expected to make a full recovery.
Cue gun groper saying something asinine in 5…4…3…2…Post + Comments (129)
Mid-Afternoon Open Thread
What’s going on in the world?
Pro-Russians Call Another Eastern Part of Ukraine Independent.
EDIT: Rwandans Reflect On 1994 Genocide.
NSA Performed Warrantless Searches.
North-Korean Official Reportedly Executed By Flame-Thrower.
Tornado Shelters For Schools Initiative in Oklahoma Derailed.
Film Legend Mickey Rooney, Dead at 93.
UPDATE: Army Specialist (E-4) To Receive Silver Star Tomorrow.