the blog of brad

New Orleans / Gulf Shores Vacation!

2011-09-14T18:00:00.002-05:00

Just got back from a great vacation to New Orleans and Gulf Shores, AL with my friend Nora, who came over from Germany! We were a little anxious as the weather kept looking worse and worse and, indeed, Tropical Storm Lee did put a damper on things. It rained almost constantly in New Orleans while we were there but we braved the precipitation and made the best of it! I was most certainly on the fence about New Orleans before we went. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. And, I will say, it's like no place I have ever seen before.

New Orleans

Shortly after arriving (and before Nora got there), I took a ride on the old St. Charles Streetcar to get my first glimpse of the French Quarter. (It would be my only ride; the rain shut it down for the rest of the trip.) I stood toward the front so I could see how it worked. Very interesting; I imagine it takes some decent training to drive one of those. I found the Quarter is a hodge-podge of everything you can imagine. It's very unique and local; one doesn't see many chains there with the exception of Canal ST. (Just ask Nora if she ever found a Starbucks.) I didn't last long on my solo trip, but we made several other visits during our stay. I would say my favorite spot in the Quarter was Pat O'Brien's Pub. In fact, we went there three times, twice for music and drinks and once to eat lunch. They had a great piano bar, we had fun singing along and even visiting with a few of the locals (one of which took our photo, above). We had to try a Hurricane of course; which I found most delicious. I also had a Rainstorm or two.... it just seemed appropriate to have both. ;-) We had some good food, naturally, including Masperros. And I even tried some Jambalaya. We had beignets at Cafe Du Monde, as everyone told us we MUST do. They were pretty good; reminded me of funnel cake.

We did some things outside of the quarter too. We ventured out and explored the area around our hotel and had some Voodoo BBQ, which I didn't find that much different than regular BBQ, but I'm no expert. We had drinks two nights at a charming old tavern just down from our hotel. We had the friendliest bartender one night; she made the visit even more enjoyable.

Our visit included a trip to the Garden District, which was full of characteristic old homes. I loved the porches (I love a good front porch). Many were double-decker porches. We saw quite a few "famous" homes, owned by actors and sports stars or homes that inspired books and movies. The sidewalks were of note here; the old trees had rooted them up where it was quite an experience in itself to walk on them. You might be walking along and have the sidewalk jump up 2'. We visited an old cemetery in the area. We had heard of NO cemeteries in a tour earlier; they certainty do things differently there. It's something else to walk through one. At the end of our tour we stopped at a book store (which was a favorite of the author Anne Rice) for a rest and snack.

Our last day we rented a car (that we would later drive to Gulf Shores) and visited an old plantation called Oak Alley. The weather was absolutely beautiful; we were soaking up the sunshine. The plantation was beautiful as well; the 300 year old trees were a sight to see, especially from the balcony of the home. It was the perfect end to the first part of our trip, and we had a beach to get to....

Gulf Shores

I had last been to Gulf Shores in 2008 and I was excited to go back. The weather, which at the beginning of our vacation looked to be stormy had cleared up and it looked like it would be quite nice. Then, I get the call.... the building our condo was in had some time of electrical fire or other failure and the Fire Marshall had closed it for two weeks. But, thankfully, with a little help back home, we were successfully moved to another building and it only turned out to be a minor inconvenience. So, off we went!

The weather, it turned out, was marvelous. The sun shined upon us the whole time (in truth, perhaps too much according to my peeling skin). We had a very low-key time. A lot of laying on the beach, playing in the waves and trying out some local places for food and entertainment. Having a room adjacent to the beach is marvelous. We had a balcony facing the beach (where we had breakfast in the mornings) and I left the door to my bedroom open each night and let the sound of the rolling waves put me to sleep. Absolutely amazing. The people in Gulf Shores are the friendliest I have ever encountered. I don't think we passed a single person without one of us saying hello or having someone ask how we were. I guess everyone is in such a good mood because they're in a great place! I finally got a little homesick on our last day there; which was quite good for me considering it was our 10th day of vacation.

So, overall, a great vacation! It's taken me a little bit to transition back to normalcy!

Photos on Facebook

New Orleans: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2146821762522.114157.1605636710&l=618328dffc&type=1

Gulf Shores: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2170986846634.114987.1605636710&l=35369f415c&type=1

Grant's First Birthday Party!

2011-05-28T21:47:00.005-05:00

Grant's First Birthday Party! 28 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Grant's very first birthday party (excluding the birthday dinner on his actual birthday) was Saturday, May 28th at Asher FBC Fellowship Hall! It was a very cute camping theme with a gift boat, log cabin, tent and more! He loved all his new toys but was very fond of his new car! Everyone had a great time and mom and dad took a very sleepy (and happy) boy home for bed.

There are pictures over at Flickr!
Or start a slide-show!

Oklahoma History Museum

2011-05-14T23:49:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma History Museum, 14 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

A friend and I went to the new Oklahoma History Museum. I had been there before, but only to the research part (nerd, yes, I know, hehe). The museum was not bad. There was a special exhibit on "Oklahoma Driven" featuring a lot of the first generation cars that was interesting to see. They were all either very small or very large. haha. Afterward was a very good dinner at Belle Isle Brewery and a fun evening out. Yeah, that's right.... I'm getting out every once in a while now and it ain't too bad! ;-)

For more, see Flickr Set

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T23:40:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day, 08 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We had a great Mother's Day! We had a cookout at mom's house with a lot of food including hotdogs, hamburgers and polish sausage with all the fixings. Attending other than us five was grandma and Sally's parents- David and Brenda.

For more, see Flickr Set

Babysitting Grant

2011-04-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

Babysitting Grant, 30 Apr 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Mom was babysitting Grant. I only caught the tail end but it was still fun. I love the way he lights up when he sees an iPhone. He's going to be an Apple Geek for sure, I already see it. It cracks me up he knows to swipe the screen to change the pictures. We spent a little time on the patio where he tried to figure out Annie (yes, it appears to be a dog, but much bigger, friendlier and quieter than Jersey. hehe. I'd be confused too). We took a walk up the road to visit papa for a bit. I tried to take a nap with him toward the end of the evening but he'd have none of that. He kept attacking me!!

For more, see Flickr Set

Blog "Winter" Catch Up

2011-04-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned lately what a bad blogger I am? Oh yeah, in my last ''catch up" post. Well, my friends, here's another one. It's okay though, because not much has happened anyhow. -)

December

Christmas
This year we had Christmas at mom's house with the Pitts side of the family. We had a great group and a great meal!

January
New Years
Steve and Sally hosted New Years this year. We had some great snacks and fun and I think I crashed about 10:30. haha. But I got up again to watch the ball drop!

Fort Worth
I went with a friend to Fort Worth for a quick little get away. Fort Worth is beautiful and has a lovely downtown. We went to the Fortworth Botanical Gardens. The Japanese Gardens were beautiful!

For more, see Flickr Set

March
Master Bathroom Remodel
I finally finished remodeling my master bathroom and I loooove it!

For more, see Facebook Album

So, that's pretty much it. Oh, it snowed like a crazy lot, but that's just becoming the norm, now isn't it? :P

Remember the Surveys?

2011-01-05T00:49:00.004-06:00

Remember the good 'ole surveys we did back when MySpace was all the rage? Those were kind of fun.... and stupid. Even though I realize how big of a dork doing things like this makes me, I have archived my surveys over from MySpace over here to my blog. They can be viewed here if you feel like taking a blast to the past. Or, here are some of my favorite Q&A's:

51. What are your initials?
BAH. You know, like the sheep.

55. I say Shotgun, you say:
You're how old?

2. What color is your shower curtain?
I have a shower door. It's the color of hard water stains.

7.What is your favorite video game?
Duck Hunt. And, BTW, I haven't played video games since like 1987.

8. Had a nap today?
No, but I'm thinking of bringing that topic up with the boss. You know, enhanced productivity and such. I'm almost certain it's going to happen.

10. Is there an animal that creeps you out?
Snakes, followed by anything in large numbers. I don't care if it's cute, fuzzy rabbits, if there's a bunch of them, it makes me want to pull out the shotgun. I don't really have a shotgun.

17. Have you ever caught something on fire?
Oh, yeah... I love fire. I set a little a fire in the garage of my little plastic town when I was a kid... just to watch it burn. I got in so much trouble for that. WHAT? I was outside!

26. Are you wearing nail polish?
Yes, a pretty red, to match my truck

31. Sun or Moon?
I think the delicate balance we got going on right now seems to be working for us.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail? We don't have voicemail at work. If I happen not to be there and get a call, someone just takes a message and then doesn't give it to me. Works pretty effeciently

17. What is your favorite christmas song? Man... work on the Christmas slide show every year for hours on end and you will hate them all too.

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Grape. I didn't know one was allowed to use any other kind.

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes, otherwise all the crap on my nightstand would be on the wrong side.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? My hair is crap.

2. How much cash do you have on you? Probably less than $20. I have almost completely stopped using cash. Yes, I am the wave of the future. My new credit card has the PayPass feature where I can just tap it on the little machine and go (don't have to sign the little stupid slip, usually). I am still waiting for the day when I do this without the cashier bothering me about it. Almost everytime, they say "You have to slide it" while doing a sliding visual effect with their hand. And, I'm like, A) no you don't and B) I know how to use a credit card. Either that or they try to take it from me while I go for the tap. A little training is in order here.

4. Favorite planet? I'm going to have to go with Earth on this one. Safe choice, I know.

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? I honestly have no idea.

16. What's a word that you say a lot? "Shocker." We say it at work when things go predictably wrong. We say it a lot.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Wow, not ever, but in the last three days, huh? Sounds like who ever wrote this little survey *may* have a substance abuse problem. I, for the record, have "done" no drugs.

22. Your worst enemy? Crabgrass?

02. Planned baby : I've always assumed so... why-- what have you heard?

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Some claim I can fix computers just by being near them?

1) Who was your Valentine?..:
Oh, shut up.

3) What did you recei..ve for Valentine'..s Day?
Really, shut your mouth.

4) Do you celebrate 4/20?:
Okay, so I had to look this up… National Weed Smoking Day? Is that on the calendar? I must have missed
it. Well, there’s always next year.

Have you ever stripped for money?
Oh my gosh…. I've GOT to tell you guys that story someday.
You're stuck on an elevator with the person you fell the hardest for, what happens?
I think it would go something like this. First, there would be some waiting. Then one of us would press the emergency alarm and try the phone. No one would answer the phone, bc I don't think those things really work anyway. So there would be some more waiting. Then I would stand on their shoulders and open the access panel. I would peer up into the elevator shaft and see a ticking bomb! It would explode and the elevator car would rush us toward certain death! There would be screaming. Then the emergency break would catch. We would break a sigh of relief, but it would be in vain because another bomb would explode the emergency break and we would again be rushed toward sudden death! More screaming. Then the certain death.
Why, what did you think would happen?

If you ever want to live to see another day, you're forced to snort cocaine, do you do it?
Sounds like a pretty good excuse to try cocaine to me.

If you woke up in one of the Saw movies, do you think you could survive?
No way. I could barely survive watching one.

you wave when you see people you know?
No, I flip them the bird.

What's your favorite type of bird?
Oh, you mean those things that crap on my truck? Kill them, kill them all.

Do you ever say "yo, hoe!"?
Well, I think that would be "yo, ho!" unless the reference really is to a gardening tool. But, either way—no.

If you had a pet penguin, what would you name it?
If I had a pet penguin…. ? Really?

*Is tomorrow going to be a good night?
Well, if I could tell you that—I would be in a totally different profession.

Blog “Fall” Catch Up

2010-12-27T18:00:00.001-06:00

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m so horrible at this Blog. Facebook takes up most of my free time; I’ve considered giving it up altogether. But I think it will be interesting to look back on sometime, so I will continue the best I can. In that somewhat indifferent spirit, here’s my fall catch-up entry. BTW, wasn’t fall just awesome? The weather was beautiful! And I seemed to have lots of stuff going on.

September

Mom’s Birthday

We celebrated mom’s birthday at Red Lobster in Shawnee. Grant, clearly not in a celebratory mood, slept through most of it.

Flickr Set>> (Not uploaded yet)

October

Texas

I had some stuff going on in October! Early in the month I went to Allen/Grapevine/Dallas in a combo shopping/work trip. I did some shopping for the New York trip at the outlet mall in Allen, stayed at Ted and Evelyn’s condo in Grapevine, then went to Dallas the next day. At Dallas, I went to the Dallas Zoo for the SmartStrand Zoo Challenge (I’m sure you don’t care, it’s a promotional tie-in thing Mohawk was doing with SmartStrand carpet and rhinos, elephants and camels). I also went to Dealey Plaza and Museum, which was the first time I had been there. It was very interesting, especially since nothing has changed much since that historic event happened.

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625136318100/

Earthquake!

Dude, I just felt my first earthquake. It was awesome.

New York City

The next weekend, I left for New York City! This is one of those trips I had wanted to do for a while. Somehow Nora, my friend who lives in Germany, and I were able to make this work and met there. I was so overwhelmed right at first. The amount of people, traffic and noise was astounding. I (mostly) adjusted though and ended up having a good time, although I think once will be enough. Some of my favorite things were Battery Park, which is near the World Trade Center site. It is right on the water. The views were amazing, the photo opportunities were endless and it was relatively uncrowded and quiet. I also loved the day we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I enjoyed the two observatories we did, Top of the Rock (GE Building) at night and Empire State Building during the day. The night we went to watch a Broadway play was fun too. We didn’t get to see much of Central Park. I would have liked to have spent more time there, if only time would allow for everything. As we were exiting though, we joined an (apparently) impromptu sing-along of Beatles songs at Strawberry Fields, across the road from where John Lennon lived and was killed. It was a lovely way to end the evening. In addition, while we were there, we got to meet up with not one, but two, high school classmates and current area residents, which is nothing short of impressive considering our school size. Like I said, I’m not sure I will ever go back, but I’m glad I got to see it. How people live there is beyond me, but it seems that it’s quite popular. ;-)

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625095823865/

(Small) HS Reunion

After a stop in FL, Nora came to visit Oklahoma before returning to Germany and we got to get together with some other classmates over dinner at Polo’s in Ada. It was very nice to see everyone!

Flickr Set>> (Not uploaded yet)

Halloween

I went to Steve & Sally’s for Halloween. We had some good food and gave out lots of candy. Just how Halloween should be.

November

Thunder Game

I went to my first thunder game with Steve in early November. I actually enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. I want to go back!

Thanksgiving

Mom hosted a great Thanksgiving meal. In attendance were Grandma and Bill, Papa Bruce, Steve, Sally, Grant, mom and myself.

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625468497092/

Christmas Lights

At the end of November, Christmas lights were glowing once again.

Pic>> http://www.facebook.com/bradaholt?ref=profile#!/photo.php?fbid=1580012672649&set=a.1538177386793.75023.1605636710

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-12T18:21:00.001-06:00

Pretty Poinsettia Print Christmas 5x7 folded card

Visit Shutterfly.com for classic photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

4th of July Patio Party (Observed)

2010-07-18T18:00:00.001-05:00

(This is the last of my blog "catch-up" posts, so there are new posts all the way down to the one about Grant.")

JulyCookout_16July2010 012
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I had planned my first official patio get-together for July 3rd. We were going to have a cookout and then watch the fireworks later that night. I worked so hard getting everything ready outside and getting my house clean inside. But then it rained it out. So, we tried again the next Friday. I worked so hard getting everything ready outside and getting my house clean inside. But then it rained it out. So, we tried again the next Friday. I had really lost all motivation to make sure everything was perfect, but still made a half-hearted attempt. We had the party a few hours after work, which I found to be a big mistake because there just wasn’t enough time But we pulled it off, more or less and celebrated the 4th a few weeks late.

There are photos, although they are arguably all pretty bad due to light conditions. If you want to look at them anyway… http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157624396727557/

30. Yea.

2010-07-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

In celebration (or mourning) of my last day as a twenty-something, the family took me out to Norman. We ate some pretty good Mexican food at Ted’s and watched “Day and Knight.” Then the next day I turned 30. There are no pictures. That’s probably for the best.

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-20T18:00:00.001-05:00

This father’s day Steve and Sally invited us over for lunch. It was Steve's first father's day. We had a nice meal and visited with family. Then Steve and I snuck out to the pasture to try out some new explosives he had been wanting to experiment with. It was actually quite a bit of fun, blowing some up.

For pictures, check out: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51387&id=1605636710&l=f96f8134ac

And there’s a video of us blowing stuff up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVfuoFLLh34

Patio is almost there!

2010-06-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

Patio_13June2010
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

My patio is finally done (well, mostly)! This has been quite a little process. It started in early-May when I tore off my sorry excuse for a deck. I built it almost five years ago out of left-over fence panels. It was intended to be temporary until I built my real deck, but as these things often are, temporary turned into semi-permanent. I had thought I was going to build a new deck, but decided to go with a patio with concrete slab instead. Funny thing: When I tore out the tile in my kitchen and dining room, I took up some panels in the deck and discarded all that tile under the deck. I presumed it wouldn’t matter because when I built the new deck I could just go over it. But with the slab, I had to move all that tile. It was in hundreds and hundreds of pieces. It was much fun.

Then it rained for a while, so it pushed back my concrete. And then it rained some more. And some more. Finally it had been dry for a couple of weeks but I still hadn’t heard from my concrete guy. So I called him, only to find out he had “forgot about me.” But a few days later he was out there and I got concrete laid. Thank goodness. By the end of May I had the slab poured and cured and got my furniture assembled and on the patio. All that’s missing was everything else. I was lucky to have a “do-it-all” guy around who had just finished repainting my house, and he agreed to help me with the patio as well. By mid-June we were pretty much finished. I added a little “side-deck” on the side of the patio and raised up my fence a little for privacy. I still have two things yet to complete: laying tile and a little bit of landscaping around the patio. I can’t wait until it’s completely done! But it’s been nice so far. I love hanging out there, lounging in the chaise, surfing the web or eating dinner.

If you want to check out the patio, head over to Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157624553525094/

Welcome Mr. Grant (Starting to catch up on my blog!)

2010-05-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Baby Grant Experience. Bruce Grant Holt born Wed 5-26, 2:07 am, 7 lbs 14 oz, 21" long, Purcell, Okla. Brad and baby Grant (I'm thinking about stealing him a little bit here.)
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Bad Blogger! Bad, bad blogger! So, I have been MIA for a while but I am going to attempt to catch up a little this evening. Let’s flash back to almost two months ago… when Bruce Grant Holt joined us. Here’s a little play-by-play.

Tues. May 25
AM: Sally is at Purcell MH and labor is induced.
6:00 PM: Mom and I decided to head over to Purcell as things were progressing along. We hoped there would be time to eat before the big event. Ha, ha. Ha ha ha. Ha.
8:00 PM: Got through eating, everything still going well, ETA 9-10 PM.
10:00 PM: Pushing has commenced (my apologizes to Sally if she doesn’t care for these details on my blog. LOL) I start taking a deep interest at these green dots on the floor and follow them around the hospital.
11:30 PM: Still no baby. They decide to do a c-section, but there is another mother in the same situation and she is in more distress, so she gets to go first. But everything is still okay with mom and baby. They tell us how odd this is that there is even another mom giving birth in the small hospital at the same time, even more so that they need to do two c-sections at the same time. Goody.

Wed. May 26
12:30 AM: Still not in surgery. Facebook followers give up and go to bed, except Nora who is in Germany where it is morning.
1:00 AM: I awake from my attempted nap in my truck. It was somewhat successful. I eventually found a position that involved my feet hanging out the window. Shortly after the other mom’s baby is delivered. We momentarily consider just stealing that one.
1:30-ish AM: Sally is taken into surgery. We are told it shouldn’t take long, so clearly it will be like 5 AM.
2:10 AM: Baby Grant is finally born! 7 lbs. 14 oz.
2:30 AM: We get to see him for the first time. He has like 30 pictures taken of him in 30 seconds. Steve comes out shortly after and is really proud and tired.
3:00 AM: We get to go back and see Grant and Sally. We get to hold Grant and take a few pictures with the new little guy.
3:30 AM: Left the hospital and headed to Asher.
4:30 AM: Back home at Asher and instantly to sleep.

This was my first “birth” experience and it was truly amazing! For pictures of Grant on his first day and since then, check out this set on Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157624141183926/

Oh, Wal-Mart… how you annoy thee.

2010-03-02T17:40:00.000-06:00

Went to Walmart today to get some things for work. Usually, the day is slightly less annoying than the evening. Today, not so much. So... here we go... Top 10 Things That Annoyed me at Walmart Today:

1. Orphaned shopping carts in the parking lot

2. Shopping carts returned to the corral in a haphazard manner rather than in two, nicely organized lines

3. People parking in places that aren’t parking spaces

4. People trying so very hard to find the closest possible parking spot on the warmest day of the year

5. Almost as many people using electric carts as those not (maybe they all need them, I don’t know, but I doubt it)

6. One person blocking one side of the isle, another one blocking the other while eating an apple pie. I stand there for two minutes and give her a dirty look. She states she needs something where the other person is. And, apparently, doesn’t know how to walk backwards.

7. “Walmart People” (Oh, you know.)

8. Walmart employee answering a question using the fewest possible words and without making eye contact or moving in any way (although the second person I asked happily walked me to the item—my hat off to you)

9. Not enough checkers. Too many self-serve lanes.

10. “Please place your item inside the bagging area. Please place your item inside the bagging area. Please wait for assistance.” The item is in the stupid* bagging area, you stupid* machine! You want me to throw it in again? How ‘bout I purchase a hammer and place it in the bagging area after I finish beating your stupid* speaker into oblivion? Not so demanding now, are you?

*Not the words I wanted to use.

Winter Blog Catch-up!

2010-03-02T17:30:00.001-06:00

FebSnow_11Feb2010 048
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Woah. Major blog black-out, huh? Facebook has kept me so busy I forgot about my little blog here. Today, I catch up! Here's what I've been up to this winter, "check it out over at Flickr" style.

11 Feb 2010: I captured the 50th snow of the winter at, appropriately enough, Wintersmith Park. It was probably the prettiest snow I have ever seen. Flickr Set >>>

06 Feb 2010: Ice Storm Aftermath - Asher. The ice tore up the trees and power lines pretty good. I photographed a little of it and help with the cleanup. CHAINSAW! (Multiplicity fans, anyone?) Flickr Set >>>

30 Jan 2010: Winter Storm 2010! The first storm of the new year came early and came big. A few photos, but I didn't venture out much. Flickr Set >>>

31 Dec 2009: Happy New Years! I go to some of the calmest New Years parties on the planet, but we had fun. And, the little dog, too. Flickr Set >>>

25 Dec 2009: Christmas / Is this blizzard going to kill us? Major blizzard time fun (and the closure of I-35) kept some of our guests away, but we made the best of it and had a pretty good Christmas. Flickr Set (Christmas) >>> Flickr Set (the snow) >>>

29 Nov 2009: Steve's 27th Birthday at Ted's in Norman. Flickr Set >>>

That's it! I'm all caught up.

Another Broken Bow Trip?

2009-11-16T20:32:00.006-06:00

It had been 11 years since we had been to Broken Bow and this was our second trip of the year. But, for a few different reasons, the trip earlier this year was a partial-bust, so we decided to make an impromptu "make-up" family trip to Broken Bow / Hochatown. We relaxed in a great cabin, visited Broken Bow Lake and the park and ate a couple of good meals at the local steakhouse. The weather cooperated this time and turned out to be a pretty nice and relaxing weekend.

Photos over at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157622819603646/

You think you have computer problems?

2009-10-27T21:47:00.002-05:00

I post this because, in retrospect, it is vaguely humorous to me. And, to show those of you who think you’re the only ones to ever have computer problems, that this is indeed not the case.

Sunday evening I began work on a video tribute to show at my great-uncles funeral the following day. As these videos usually are, it was rather a last-minute deal. And, in this particular case I had less time than usual because I had started assembling a storage shed kit manufactured by the makers of Hell over the weekend and couldn’t stop it half completed as it would most likely been destroyed by the wind and such.

I was already frustrated to the point that I had no patience left for anything else. I about tore my screen door off the hinges, for instance, as my house had shifted and it no longer worked the way I expect screen doors to work.

Luckily, I had most of the pictures already in digital form and had scanned in the rest. This is usually the most time consuming part. In a decision that would haunt me for the rest of the evening, I chose to use Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to create the video rather than my normal PowerPoint. I dropped the photos in, added captions to each and sat back and thought… wow, that was easy. Ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. Ha. My nightmare begins.

Each picture was only showing for 5 seconds- not nearly long enough. No, problem, I though, I’ll just increase the time. Turns out, there is no such option. Seriously. I Googled it. This is, by far, the most ridiculous thing I had ever discovered missing from a program. I was expected to manually increase each slide by dragging a little bar over to 10 seconds. For 70 slides. I found a work around though. WMM has a feature where one can slow all the slides down ½ speed. Which makes each slide 10 seconds. Good. For now.

I then run through it to discover that the captions don’t stay with the photo, but on position in the timeline where I put them. So I had to manually move 70 captions under their respective photos. And also increase the time by dragging the stupid little bar.

Ready for music. WMM won’t accept iTunes music. Which was expected- same way with PowerPoint. So I use this little program to convert the iTunes file to WAV. However, it has decided it can’t find my audio input device, so that’s out. Rather than struggle to figure out that problem, I just whip out my notebook computer to do the conversion there. I don’t have the program, so I go to download it, only to discover my wireless network is down due to my router crapping out the day before. So, I manually connect my computer to my temporary replacement wired router but it will not connect to the Internet. Absolutely refuses. My mind boggles. So, finally I connect it to my neighbor’s wireless internet which drifts into my house occasionally (thanks, neighbor). I get the program downloaded and go back to my desktop to get the music. I burn it to a CD since I can’t access my network to get the files off iTunes. Back to the notebook—the music absolutely refuses to play. New idea… run an audio cord from the desktop to the notebook and record it that way. It records… absolute garbage. I don’t know why—copy protection probably. I finally got the music converted on the desktop by downloading a different program.

Now time to insert the music into the slide show. Works out fine except it’s three minutes longer than the photos. Usually, I would divide the music by the number of photos I have and change the duration of all slides accordingly. But, as I mentioned before, not possible in WMM. So, I had to manually adjust each photo an additional five seconds or so, until I got the length right. This, of course, threw off all the captions again. Got those fixed. Okay… finally done.

Time to burn to DVD. I have an external DVD burner and TV in my office I use. I play the video to the DVD burner and record it. Only, my TV has quit working. Dead as a doornail. So, I get a really long cable and run it to my bedroom TV. Which is on channel 60 for the satellite, but needs to be on channel 3. Which is not a saved channel. So I dig out the remote only to find the batteries dead. I change the batteries and find it still doesn’t work. Turns out the batteries had corroded and damaged the little bouncy spring thingies. So, I got a knife and scratched all that off and finally got it to channel 3.

Only it turns out after all that, WMM did one thing I liked… it lets me burn off a nifty DVD with menu right from my computer. I try to forget the last half-hour I spent connecting a TV.

It’s now 2:00 in the morning. The computer is doing something called encoding that is taking forever. I decide to call it a night with an Advil PM because I’m so wound up yet so tired. I did get it finished up the next morning with little time to spare.

So, if you somehow read this whole thing, think of this experience the next time you have a computer issue and maybe it won’t seem so bad. And, take my advice, if you’re using something that works, by all means, just stick with it. And stay away from WMM.

San Antonio

2009-10-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

SanAntonio_27Sept2009_Alamo (13)
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Thursday through Sunday found me in San Antonio for a little extended weekend getaway. It was rainy and cool on Thursday, but the weather was beautiful for the rest of the trip. Stops included the Alamo and Riverwalk (of course), the Spanish Missions, SeaWorld, and a few other things.

There are some photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157622476607040/

The 50 Things of Me.

2009-08-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

The 50 Things of Me.

Here are the rules - post this list on your profile (in Notes) replacing my answers with yours.

Tag 25 people to do the same thing.

If I tagged YOU, it's because I want to know more about YOU!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My grandpa on my mom’s side (Bradley) and my dad’s middle name is Alan. Incidentally, my name was supposed to be Alan. There’s this thing that goes back 5 generations where the father gives the son his middle name. So, it has went… Jonathan Theodore, Theodore Ernest, Ernest Bruce, Bruce Alan… and I was supposed to be Alan something. But, my parents did it backward. I’ve thought about having it changed, but I don’t really like the name Alan as a first name.

2. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Oh, I don’t dislike it. It could be neater. It is neater if I slow down.

3. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
My grandma’s funeral in January. Kind of teared up the other evening during my fifth viewing of “Apollo 13,” but I wouldn’t consider it a full-blown cry.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ham

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No kids. Might be an uncle soon though!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think so. I’m pretty middle-of-the-road. I don’t think I, as another person, would be turned off to be my friend.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
More often than I probably should.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yup, still in there.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe from the back of a pickup truck onto the ground below. Maybe.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
I don’t eat much cereal, but when I do it’s Raisin Bran or Cheerio’s. I used to love Apple Jacks, but haven’t eaten them in a long while.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No, I’m more of a slip-on, slip-off kind of guy.

12. DO YOU STILL TALK TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART?
I didn’t really have one.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Vanilla, but only because I like to make Root Beer floats or malts out of it. If I was just going to eat ice cream by itself, probably Cookies n’ Crème.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Probably what they are wearing.

15. RED OR PINK
Definitely red; don’t care for the color pink.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I hate my hair! No, seriously. I am really bad about being around other people. Groups freak me out. I don’t know how to work them.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My dad.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Of course I do.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Khaki shorts and white and brown shoes.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
It’s pretty quiet right now.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Some shade of blue…

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
New car smell, BBQ, coffee… but probably not together.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
A customer at work, I’m sure.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
No one sent it to me; I just picked it up somewhere else.

26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH.
The only time I watch sports is during the Olympics. I like the diving and gymnastics.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Brown

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
I used to wear contacts or glasses, but I had “the surgery” last year. About two more payments and I’ll have that baby paid off too.

30. FAVORITE FOODS.
Oh, I am so over food. Nothing excites me anymore.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. I hate scary movies.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
“Apollo 13,” unless you count NBC’s made-for-TV movie “Storm,” which may been the worst movie ever but I kept watching it anyway.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Baby blue.

34. Summer or winter
Winter if it’s summer and summer if it’s winter.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
I don’t know

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
95% of the people. Maybe be shooting a little low at that.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I’m reading San Antonio travel guide, if that counts.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
A mouse.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
The conclusion of the two-part thrilling made-for-TV movie “Storm.” See question 32.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
Ice cracking when you pour water on it.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I… don’t… really care.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Philadelphia, via the DC trip.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Some claim I can fix computers just by being near them?

46 WHERE WERE U BORN?
Shawnee, OK

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I’ll take whoever and enjoy them.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
Oh, yeah. Throw that in my face.

49. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
Blue.

50. LAST PLACE YOU DROVE?
Home.

Broken Bow Special

2009-08-05T22:09:00.004-05:00

HoltBrad_HoltBruceA_BrokenBow_SEPT1983
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've added a special set over at Flickr where I'll be adding photos of our many, many Broken Bow / Beaver's Bend trips. When we were younger, it seemed like we went every year (sometimes twice). There's some on there from the early 80's now and I'll add others later on.

Check the set out over at Flickr-ville: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157621958292602/

Chiaobama. If you say so.

2009-07-19T18:01:00.003-05:00

It's the Chiaobama, ladies and gentlemen. I joke you not. www.chiaobama.com. When I saw the commercial during SNL, I thought it was one of their fake commercials. I was laughing so hard. Who would buy this? Isn't it offensive? It's definitely stupid. Don't tell me it's not stupid.

July 4th Cookout

2009-07-16T18:08:00.000-05:00

July4Cookout_04JUL2009_ 014
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

A little delayed blogging here, but I was waiting to get some photos from my aunt as I didn't take many. On July 4th, we had a fairly large gathering at mom’s house to celebrate Independence Day. My aunt Linda was down from New Jersey with her family, so mom wanted to do something for them while they were here. Also in attendance was my uncle Darren and his wife, Abigail as well as grandma Mary. Steve and Sally brought along friends Lynlie and Adam and Sally’s parents, David and Brenda. There were also 6,000 kids there. Okay… let’s see… alright, maybe it was just six. I stress out around kids. Big time. So, it doesn’t really matter if it was six or 6,000. Well, it might a little.
It had already rained twice earlier in the day and it was starting to rain again as people arrived. I’m not complaining though. Never gripe about rain in July in Oklahoma. Never. Shortly after the feast which included hot dogs, hamburgers, polish sausage, pulled pork, and many sides and deserts, Steve decided it was time to go shoot guns. It’s just what he does at family gatherings. It’s still raining, so I decide not to go. But then fireworks scare one of the children and there’s crying, so I’m like… “hey, Steve, wait up!” We get to our destination (AKA Pond #3) and start unloading the “targets,” which include several plastic containers, a chair and a microwave. I got to chunk the microwave off the pond dam to the ground below. It was quite satisfying. During an amazing display of fire power, the rain intensified. After we were thoroughly soaked, we returned to change clothes. Steve had to clean all the guns because of the rain. And, I, my camera.
When we returned we found out the fireworks had been canceled due to the rain (both Asher and Ada had them the next week, though). So, we just ate some more and watched some pretty funny videos Linda’s kids had made on Jib-Jab.

There are photos and video, and they're over at Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157621430193613/

Ada Air Expo

2009-06-20T19:19:00.004-05:00

AdaAirExpo_20June2009_US_045
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Today, Steve, Sally, Mom and I went to the Ada Air Expo at the airport. There were so many people there; it was kind of unbelievable. We found shade under the wing of a small plane and enjoyed the show. I also browsed a small car show they had set-up. The Lima Lima flight formation team was by far the most interesting part but it was last and we were trying to leave and beat the rush. We probably should have stayed and watched all of it, but we did see the majority, I believe. It's probably not something I'll do again, but it was interesting to check out. Afterward, we went and ate at Applebee's and then I came home and crashed. It was pretty warm out there.

Photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157620022813616/

Is Pepsi okay?

2009-05-30T18:55:00.001-05:00

This place doesn't serve Coke. Can you say irony?

Mini-Vacation to Broken Bow not according to plan...

2009-05-17T18:49:00.006-05:00

BrokenBow_15May2009_ (5)
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Just got back from a mini family vacation to Broken Bow. When we rolled into town we stopped at the grocery store to find out the car show at the park, the primary reason for our visit, had been canceled due to flooding. Dandy. Come to find out later, though, it had moved to the high school, rather than being cancelled. Not quite the same picturesque setting, but better than no car show at all. After the groceries, we stop at KFC where I'm almost certain we got some chicken that would give me food poisoning in the coming hours. I almost didn't get anything because they didn't have grilled chicken, and that would have been the smarter move. Our cabin was in Hochatown and, while very nice, not quite as secluded as we would have hoped. A few hours after the chicken, no one was feeling too well, but I got quite sick and stayed that way for the majority of the trip. Fun deal. The car show was fun, we got to see a lot of nice cars, although I think I liked the trucks better. Sunday was a beautiful day and I was feeling better, so we went as far as we could into the park, which was closed due to the high water. We went down a hiking trail to this stream with the clearest water I had ever seen. We shot some photos there and relaxed for a bit before heading back home. It was a nice way to end the trip, even if it didn't all go according to plan.

There are photos on Flickr if you want to take a look.

Things I learned from bowling...

2009-04-30T20:24:00.004-05:00

So, we just finished up our 36 week bowling league. This was a first for me and I had bowled probably a total of 10 times prior to joining the league. We did okay, we got 3rd place overall and 2nd in the second half. I think there were 15 teams. Who knew I would learn so much...

I was good even when I wasn't. I did improve, but at the beginning I was pretty bad. However, through the magic of handicaps, I got 98 points just for showing up. I think maybe it was the highest there. It dropped to 76 by the end, but still pretty helpful.

They don't count handicaps in your personal score. Every time we finished, my teammates would be like... hey, you bowled a 100 tonight. And, I was like, no... I bowled a 198! And, they were like... no, you don't count the handicap in your score, just the teams total. And, I was like... why the heck not!? I would always beat everyone if they did. And, they were like... okay, point over.

The bowling alley bathrooms are nasty. Enough said.

The bowling alley machinery has issues. Just a few of the problems encountered... balls getting stuck. Missing pins (sometimes 1, sometimes 8). Pins just falling onto the lane as you're bowling (always good for a laugh). The machine wiping away all the pins after the first delivery and counting it a spare (you don't get to keep it, sadly). They players all have these hand signals for what's wrong. They yell up to the counter and do the hand signal for what's wrong. It's quite funny. Perhaps the funniest thing is when they have to manually set one pin. You just see this hand come down and place a pin on the lane. Cracks me up every time.

If it's 1-2, it's going to be a long night. The notorious lanes 1 and 2 are the worst in the bowling alley. When we were unfortunate enough to get those, we just figure it's going to take at least an extra 30 minutes. We also figure on Ray getting mad and a) throwing his shoe, ball bag, etc b) kicking the ball return or c) running up and down across the rest of the lanes yelling because everyone else has gone home anyway.

Brook! AKA Brooklyn, it is usually yelled by the other players whenever the ball goes to the left of the head pin rather than the right. I was totally lost the first time it happened.

Allen Cheerleader: When there is three pins left, in a roll, with spaces in between (like missing teeth). I don't condone it, I'm jut reporting it.

Fact'd. When you bowl a good ball, but the pins just don't go down. Such as: dude, you just got fact'd. And sometimes that cleverly disguised PG version isn't used at all.

To the Wall! Nothing but strikes from here out. I don't really know why it means that.

Not all strikes are equal. If you bowl a strike, but on a horrible ball, at least one member of the opposing team will bend over and pretend to throw up, as what they witnessed just made them that sick.

The lanes can be dry or wet but are rarely perfect. I still don't know exactly what that means either, but I should learn because it seems to be a very good thing to blame bad bowling on.

Beer Frame. Whenever everyone bowls a strike except for one person, that person has to by everyone else a beer. It doesn't always happen, but someone always notices.

Sandbagger! Means a person who bowls bad on purpose to keep a low handicap, but is usually yelled in humor at someone who has bowled an otherwise perfect game and then does not strike. Then, everyone yells sandbagger! at him like he did it on purpose.

Cherry picker! Usually yelled at a bowler when there are two pins left side by side and he only gets one of them. I don't know why.

You have to do the hand slap or the fist bust ever time. Every time you bowl, you have to slap hands with your teammates if you got a mark (strike or spare) or bust fits if you didn't. This usually applies to the other team too, in the interest of showmanship. But some teams have different rules. Like hand slaps with both hands. Or only fist busts. Or, no fist busts. And, sometimes the spectators get into it to. There's an awfully lot of hand slaps and high fives going on, let me tell you. And don't leave anyone hanging, for goodness sakes. They'll either chase after you screaming slaphands! slaphands! or look all puppy dog sad.

Oh, yes. Bowling. How could I not do it again next year? Actually, I think it will be pretty easy.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Day... who knows? Who cares?

2009-04-26T20:33:00.003-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_26Apr2009_ 004
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Ahh, the day I have been waiting for. The day I can claim "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" Well, it's probably a little too early for that but, hey, if it's good enough for the President, it's good enough for me. But other that one stubborn, wacked-out angled wall of crown molding that caused me to cuss more in an hour than I had in my whole life, it really is done. I still have a few little accents to put up as I find them. Things didn't turn out quite as "Central Perk-ish" I had first imagined, but I'm happy with the result. I got less inclined to make things "eclectic" as I went along. So, the brick wall went out as did the green trim. The menu chalk board got down sized and removed as a focus piece. I'm still going to make my red SERVICE arrow though and hang it above the cabinets. And, I'm going to get a coffee maker. Because I think I would be too embarrassed to admit to someone that I couldn't serve them a cup of coffee in a coffee house themed kitchen. Heck, I might even try a cup myself. You never know about me. I'm a loose cannon.

Yes, there are photos. They can be found here.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Days 15-21

2009-04-16T23:32:00.005-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_16Apr2009_ 001
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've had a "week and counting" sickness which has decidedly slowed progress, but I'm happy to announce the tile is now finished! I love the backsplash. I think it really added a lot and made the kitchen look a lot more expensive, even though the tumbled stone is really quite affordable. I sprayed a few pieces with nickel metallic paint (the same paint I used to transform my bronze cabinet pulls), so I think that helps pull it together with the knobs and faucet. I saved myself some money too since those the metallic decos are $5 each (our cost) to buy them ready-made. I hope to get a new stove someday, one that won't cover up the backsplash (plus it's a horrible stove anyway). I still have mixed feelings about the floor (which is not fun feelings to have). I wish I had went a little lighter. The brown color is coming off a little orange-y with the dark cabinets and brown walls. I'm coming around to it, though. I think when I get the while trim up it will help break it up a little. All-in-all, I think it's coming along very nicely. Maybe I'll get finished up this weekend, if I can just get well.

Follow the progress over at Flickr.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Day 14

2009-04-09T23:13:00.002-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_09Apr2009_ 001
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

'Twas the night before the flooring and all through the house... Brad was driving himself crazy trying to get ready and acting like a louse. I was so not in the mood to work this evening, but flooring is coming tomorrow so I had to get ready. That included painting. With a brand new roller that broke--no exaggeration--within two rollings. Something came loose inside and it just swiveled every which way. So, that made things even more unpleasant. Here's just one example of some fun I had. I knocked over a full glass of water onto my cabinets which I had just finished putting a coat of stain on. That ticked me off, so I threw the cup and what water was left on it splashed onto the wall I had just painted. That really ticked me off, so I threw down the roller, which knocked over a can of polyurethane off a table and 90% of it spilled on the floor (that was fun to clean up, plus I needed the polyurethane). So, I decided it was time for a break. Anyway, I eventually got everything done, cleaned up and moved the oven and fridge out by myself, which was quite a challenge in itself. Tomorrow is flooring and backsplash (at least it BETTER BE) and, hopefully, this weekend I will get the crown and base molding up. Then I will be done!

Follow the progress over at Flickr.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Days 6-13

2009-04-08T22:17:00.003-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_08Apr2009_ 001
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

The cabinets are mostly done! The cabinets are mostly done! With exception of a few problem spots I have to address and all that crap on the counter, I think they look pretty awesome! Tomorrow is painting day (I've settled on Latte with white trim, after turning my back on the "June Day" yellow with stained trim). Hopefully, Friday is flooring day, but I've already been bumped once. Can you believe that? Me. Bumped on flooring. I. Have. Never. In. My. Life... oh, okay. Whatever. After the flooring I can start moving stuff back in. And dust my house! Those things should start to get back to normal next week. A little sooner than I had anticipated, so that's good.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Day 4 & 5

2009-04-02T22:00:00.002-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_02Apr2009_ 005
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I really thought I could contain the dust. How naive of me. I tried really hard. I did. I completely sealed off the kitchen with plastic. I taped up the vents. I opened up all the windows. I was proud of myself. But, it's kind of like Jurassic Park when they say that "life will find a way"... except it's the dust that found a way. It didn't help that anytime the front door opened it changed the air pressure and breached my plastic barrier. Oh, well. Things needed a good dusting anyway.

The neighbors will all be glad to know that demo is complete! It's probably a good time too. I think they were about to plan a revolt. I dusted everything off today, so I'm ready to stain the cabinets and paint. Hopefully, I'll have some major progress to show off next week.

For now, I will go take a shower and wash out the several pounds of dust in my hair. Today, I got to see what I will look like when I'm old and gray. Ehh, it wasn't all the bad.

If you like, follow the progress over at Flickr.

They're redoing Crazy Corner! They're redoing Crazy Corner!

2009-03-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

So, I read in the AEN today that they're finally redoing Crazy Corner! I'm sure my little rant had... absolutely nothing to do with it. But, no matter, they're redoing Crazy Corner! Now, I heard that they were doing this back in 2007, along with adding a much needed turn lane on Arlington. The work was supposed to start in January... of 2008. Yeah, that never happened. But, there's actual plans drawn out so this is a good sign. Of course, since Arlington is also a state highway, the state has to approve them, which can take up to a year according to the paper. So, who knows when it will actually happen, but it's a move in the right direction.

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation, Day 2 & 3

2009-03-29T18:17:00.002-05:00

KitchenDiningReno_28Mar2009_ 010
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Before I started the long process of chiseling up lots of ceramic tile, I participated in a stress-reducing exercise you should all try. First, I wrote on the tiles the many things that annoy me. Then, I destroyed said tiles with an air-chisel. Revelation (after it took me about 30 minutes to remove one tile): Maybe my tile wasn't as ugly as I thought. But, things did get better and went a little faster, although something is wrong with the tool I'm using.

Day three I decided to move to cabinets and try to figure out what was wrong with the tool on Monday. Mom came up to help (thank goodness) and we got everything sanded. Revelation (after removing 19 cabinet doors): Maybe my cabinets weren't as ugly as I thought.

Photos over at Flickr if you want to take a look... http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157616000984204/

Kitchen / Dining "Central Perk" Renovation

2009-03-27T20:58:00.003-05:00

FriendsCentralPerk
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I'm about to start my next house renovation project, and it's going to be the grand daddy of my renovations thus far: the kitchen and dining room. I kind of wanted a theme, but I wasn't sure what it would be. Then I decided to spin off my living room--which is kind of a "New York" theme and do a coffee house. And what better coffee house to do than... Central Perk! And, so, my obsession has begun. I have been searching eBay for cool Friends and coffee house item and recruited my grandma for look for things at garage sales. If anyone has any creative ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'll post my progress over at Flickr, starting with today-- which was just gathering ideas. This weekend I am going to start demo. The ugly white tile is going away and going to be replaced by a very nice "Brown Pearl" in a 20" format. It's going to be such a mess.

Photos over at Flickr... http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157616000984204/

My Newest Favorite Thing

2009-03-19T22:44:00.005-05:00

So, every once in a while I discover something new and it becomes my newest favorite thing. A couple of weeks ago, it was Internet on TV. Which, yes, has been around a while, but since I have a computer connected to my Plasma TV in the living room it opens up all new possibilities. And the quality has improved so much lately, it's kind of crazy. I missed an episode of Fringe due to bad weather knocking out the satellite signal, so I just pulled it up on Hulu and watched it in near HD-quality. Very cool.

Anyway, on to my newest favorite thing. I was using Google Maps today at work as I do often to map out customers addresses. I noticed, for the first time, "Street View" showing up on the results. And, I thought, no way has that made it to Ada. In case you're not familiar, Street View is something Google is working on where you can see images of houses, etc. just like your driving down the street. Not aerial imagery, actually the front of houses, businesses, etc. I had played with this a little a while back, but it was only available like in New York, etc. I figured it would be years and years before they got the smaller towns like Ada. But, sure enough, all of Ada is on there (that's a screenshot of my house above from the application). And Asher, mind you. It really will be a handy thing when you're trying to find a place you've never been before. Not only will you see the map, but you will actually be able to see the buildings in the area so you'll be a little familiar with the area when you actually go. And, imagine shopping for houses from another state. You can check out the whole neighborhood from your computer! And, as an added cool-factor, it all works from my iPhone too.

Checking into it further, there are a few people raising a fuss over privacy issues (houses, kids, etc. being online for all to see). It doesn't bother me any-- it was all taken from public streets--but what's your take on the issue?

50 States plus DC. How many have you been to? 20

2009-03-17T12:50:00.002-05:00

50 States plus DC. How many have you been to? 20

Instructions:

The average is 8; how do you match up?

Put an X by the states you have been to. Since just putting a X is boring, also add something you remember about that state. Why did you go? If there's a state you want to go to, put an O and say why! When you're done, count up your X's, and post it after the subject. If you're on Facebook, tag any friends you'd like to take the survey!

* Alabama X Went there for this first time in July 08. My grandpa has a condo there on the beach. It was nice!
* Alaska
* Arizona O Would love to see the Grand Canyon.
* Arkansas X Went there several years ago to watch my cousin play ball in Fayetville (?)
* California
* Colorado X Went to Denver in HS to show my sheep in a National show. Went tubing.
* Connecticut
* Delaware X Drove through it from DC to PA.
* Florida X Went to Orlando in HS to Walt Disney World, Universal/MGM, and a few other things. Best ride: Twilight of Terror!
* Georgia X Been to Atlanta airport a few times. May go watch the Braves some day.
* Hawaii O Sure, why not. Ooooh, I could see where they shoot Lost!
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas X Just drove through on the way to CO.
* Kentucky X Just drove through on the way to NC.
* Louisiana X Went to Shreveport once.
* Maine
* Maryland X On the DC trip our resort was in Maryland.
* Massachusetts O I'd like to see Boston someday.
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi X Went to Biloxi once. Did not like it. We did see some interesting Civil War stuff though.
* Missouri X Been to Branson twice and St. Louis once, but just the airport.
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North CarolinaX Went to watch my cousin play ball.
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma X Lived here for oh, 28 years.
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania X Went to Philadelphia. Modern city: Yuck x2. Old town: Very interesting and enjoyable.
* Rhode Island
* South CarolinaX Went to Myrtle Beach on the NC trip. Very pretty beach.
* South Dakota O Would like to see Mount Rushmore, but probably wouldn't make that trip.
* Tennessee X Stopped at Graceland on the way to NC.
* Texas X Been there several times for different reasons. San Antonio was very cool. Seems like a busy state.
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia X Went to Arlington National Cem and Mt. Vernon (Washington's estate). Nice trip.
* Washington O Would like to see Seatle, just so I could say I have.
* Washington DC X Finally got to go after wanting to forever! Very cool, but will wear you out!
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

The Letter Game

2009-03-04T12:53:00.003-06:00

Okay, here's a fun game you should play...
If you want to play, leave a comment on this post letting me know, and I'll assign you a letter. You post ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on. My friend Felicia assigned me the letter C, so here I go.

Computers! Yes, sometimes they can be absolute evil and the most frustrating part of the day, but think of life without them. No Flickr! No Wikipedia! No Solitaire sans actual cards!
Carrots! I so love them, however you wish to fix them for me.
Cell phone! I wouldn't have included this on my list before the iPhone, but now I couldn't live without it (figuratively speaking).
Christmas! Although not a good time last year, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year.
Conspiracy theories! They're just fun.
Consistency! How I love things being consistent.
Courtesy! We should all be nice to each other.
Credit cards! Such an easy way to pay for things, and I get cash back!
Creativity! It makes all things more interesting.
Cars! Because you can only walk so far.

In an update to my Crazy Corner post, I used my cell phone while going through the intersection the other day! I was like... oh my gosh, I can't do this! I couldn't get in a word in edgewise though to ask them to hold on a minute. Such a hypocrite!

I can't afford not to buy a new keyboard

2009-02-28T20:12:00.004-06:00

I have this wireless keyboard I've had for years that I have a love/hate relationship with. It has some special buttons for the photo program I use and they don't make it any more, so I have refused, up to now, to buy a new one. The problem is that the CTRL key wore out long ago. This is problematic because I use the CTRL key a lot when I organize my photos. I will get like 20 selected and when I go to select the next one I will lose all my selections because the CTRL key will stop working. It's so frustrating, but I keep trying over and over. If I hold it down hard enough it will usually work. But about a month ago I got especially mad and threw the keyboard in the general direction of my office door. Unfortunately, it hit the door not once, but twice putting two keyboard-sized holes in it and then flew into the hall where it put a small dent in my wood. But, I picked up the pieces and a little tape and super glue later, I was back to work. Fast forward to tonight. I had been working on a website for several hours and was tired and hungry. The CTRL key had been giving me fits all night and there was this commercial for Carter County Dodge that kept coming on the radio and inching me ever so close to insanity. The CTRL key failed for about the tenth consecutive time so I took the keyboard firmly in both hands and drilled it ever so destructively into the floor. Oh, you should have seen it. Keys went everywhere. After a break and realizing that I had to get the site done and didn't have a backup keyboard, I starting reassembling. It was like a puzzle, really. I have yet to find the right SHIFT and the F10 button, but ehh... those aren't that important anyway. My trusty keyboard and I will power through... at least until I can get to Staples tomorrow to replace it. I really don't think I can afford not to. And, now you know my dark side... astonishing little patience with computer peripherals.

Rules for Crazy Corner

2009-02-25T15:42:00.004-06:00

Since I have to go through Arlington & Mississippi (AKA Crazy Corner) at least twice a day, I have created a list of rules that, if followed, would make the journey a little less frustrating. I have had my fair-share of near misses there, and one that was not so much a near-miss.

PAY ATTENTION! Go when it's your turn.
If you miss your turn, YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK. Do not just try to go the next available time. It screws everything up. Wait until it's your turn again.
Cell phones are not allowed at Crazy Corner. I will come out of my truck and remove it from your hand. Harshly.
If the person next to you goes, you might as well too.
If you're turning right from Mississippi to Arlington, you don't have to yield. Stopping will get you hit. Exception: If a semi is turning into the adjacent lane, maybe you stop a little because they will run your butt over.
If you're in the right lane of Arlington going east, you have to turn right. Do not attempt to go straight. You will get ran over multiple times, most likely by those following rule 5.
Don't stop on the tracks. You will get ran over by a TRAIN!
If you're on Arlington going west and want to turn right onto Mississippi, use the off-ramp. Don't go up to the intersection and turn right. It confuses people and it's a weird turn anyway.
Watch for the one-way signs. I've seen a few people turn down the wrong way and that just isn't a good thing.
If you are wanting to collect money, hand out literature or dress up as the Statue of Liberty and/or Uncle Sam for advertising purposes, STAY AWAY FROM CRAZY CORNER. The absolute last thing that intersection needs are more distractions.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Back to the District of Columbia Part V

2009-02-08T23:00:00.003-06:00

Okay, this is the last post in this series, mainly because I don't really know my roman numerals past this point. Sunday was our last day and we were determined to fit two more things in before we left: the National Archives and the National Portrait Gallery. But we had to go to Union Station first to store our luggage and ended up only having time for the National Archives. We didn't go here on the first trip (another intended to). We went through a few exhibits and got to see original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Very cool. The Declaration was very faded, but still in decent condition considering its age. The Constitution was in much better condition. After lunch at Union Station, we hoped on the Metro for the airport. After a little layover in Chicago (first time I'd been there) we were finally back to good 'ole Oklahoma. It's good to be home.

Photos now on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157613546211559/

Back to the District of Columbia Part IV

2009-02-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

Today we left the convention around noon and headed for our US Capital tour. We intended to do this on the October trip but didn't get around to it. At the bus stop we met a couple from Ohio that was also at the convention. They hadn't been to DC in a while, so we told them some of some of the sights and showed them how to use the Metro rail. I'm somewhat of an expert on that thing after two trips. We went through the new visitor's center, which opened up just a few months ago. We got to go into the Senate Chamber and see them in action which, while a pretty boring issue, was interesting at the same time. We got to see the compass in the floor of the capital, which is the "center" of Washington DC and the four quarters originate from as well as a few other interesting things. Saturday night we ate steak at a hotel restaurant and watched the water, light and music show to end the night.

Photos now on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157613546211559/

Back to the District of Columbia Part III

2009-02-06T23:05:00.004-06:00

This morning I had to get up at 6:30 (yuck) for breakfast and the opening ceremony. I had a few classes then lunch. The food's quite good here, and paid for, so that's a plus especially in expensive DC. We happen to sit down with a couple from Lawton, so that was coincidental. After lunch we went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History on the Mall. It was closed when we were here in October, but it had re-opened. It was a fun place, we spent a lot of time there and took a lot of pictures (I'll post those to Flickr later). They had an exhibit on Route 66, and a lot of it had to do with Oklahoma, so that was really interesting. They had a portion of the highway from OK laid down, the OK Route 66 signs, two trucks with Oklahoma licence plates and one of them-- get this-- had an advertisement for a company in Shawnee. When the museum closed we had a couple of hours to kill before our "off-site" event at the Air & Space Museum, so we went up to the Washington Monument. We only got to see if from afar last trip. It's amazing how tall that thing is. Like, really, really tall. As we made our way back down to the mall toward the A&S, we still had a little white to kill and it was really cold, so we ducked into an art museum, which happened to be open even though the museums usually close at 5:30. Turns out they were showing a film that was open to the public. What film you ask? It was a Persian film with subtitles about two men trying to get two cows across the country and the tribulations they encountered. We decided to hang out by the restrooms for a while, but eventually browsed the rest of the museum. We saw some pretty interesting things. They had hieroglyphics and cave carvings from centuries ago. I thought only in DC can you duck in to kill time and see something from 2000 BC. Walking down the Mall in the same area we had just a few months back, I thought for just a second that we were still on that first trip. But I was pretty tired. Finally, it was time to go to dinner at the A&S Museum. They opened up the museum just for us, which may sound good, but I think there was just as many of us Mohawk people as there would normally be in regular visitors for this time of the year. I got to take a picture with Tommy Mohawk, which is our mascot, in case you didn't know. We ate, several times actually, as we had already been through this museum fairly extensively in October. After the event, a tour bus took us on a tour of the city and we got back around 11. So, too tired to post photos tonight, but maybe tomorrow. Until then...

Back to the District of Columbia Part II

2009-02-05T22:42:00.004-06:00

Back tracking a little, before arriving at the OKC Airport. We stayed the night at an OKC hotel last night because our flight left so early. We stayed at one of those inexpensive joints on Meridian that has a shuttle to the airport. Here's how checking in worked, and I'll try to be as accurate as possible here:

I walk in to the front desk and hear something like "can I help you" from a back room.
I say "hello?"
"Yeah, what can I do for you"
"I have a reservation."
"Wit who?"
"Uhh, you."
"No, I mean what's the name?"
(And, remember up to this point I am still having this conversation with the other person not in the room. Finally they come up.)
"What's the name?"
I say "Holt" and hand her my confirmation sheet.
"And, uhh, what kind of room is it?"
"A two-bedroom suite."
"How many?"
"Two"
"And, uhh, what did you pay for it?"
"About $65."
"$65 exactly?"
"No, I think it was $65.33."
"And when you checking out?"
"Tomorrow."
"How much you say you pay for it again?"
"$65.33."
(Up to this point, she has never looked at the computer or wrote anything down. Finally she goes to the computer. I was kind of expecting her to ask what room number I was staying in next.)
Okay, yeah, uhh huh here it is.
"You need a receipt?"
"Yes, please." (Business expense here!)
She hands me a receipt saying I paid $0.00 for the room. I didn't even try to get that corrected.

One of the things we went over once I got to the convention was making the most of the face-time one has with his customers. This was a good example of the complete opposite of that.

This place in DC (actually we're in Maryland) is one nice hotel, and it is huge! It's built on the Potomac River (photo above). Everything is brand new, there's a shopping and dining center next door, but most of it's still being worked on. The resort it right on the river and it's very beautiful.

Back to the District of Columbia

2009-02-05T06:27:00.004-06:00

In a last minute decision (as in Monday) I decided to go to the Mohawk ColorCenter convention in Washington DC, in a series of post I shall call... Back to the District of Columbia! That's a little throw-back to Back to the Future in case you missed it. Now, I know what you're thinking, what's a Mohawk ColorCenter Convention? Well, it's a flooring convention. Now, I know what you're thinking, flooring stores have conventions? Yeah, if your an all-special Mohawk ColorCenter store! It's pretty big too. We get to see and purchase the new products and displays for 2009 and there are seminars and such. There's a couple of events too, like one night we're going to eat dinner at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and we get the place all to ourselves for three hours. Plus, I'm sure to sneak away and see some of the stuff missed on the October trip. In Oklahoma City now about to board, so until the next post...

The lost art of saying "thank you."

2008-12-28T12:18:00.005-06:00

Okay, a little rant here. I'm a big stickler for the whole being polite thing. Lots of "please" and "thank you's" from me. That's just how I was raised. I'm beginning to see an unfortunate trend of that going away, especially in businesses. If I buy something from you, no matter if it's a Mountain Dew or a new truck, I want to hear you say "thank you," and try to mean it too.

I'm going to tell the person who waited on me thank you too, even if I don't hear it first. You helped me, so you're getting a thank you. Here are some acceptable responses to my thank you, in order of my preference.

1. Thank you too!
2. You're welcome
3. Have a good day

Here are some unacceptable responses, one of which inspired this rant.

1. Yeah.
2. Mmm Hmm
3. Uhh huh
4. No response whatsoever

Okay, I'm done now. If your in the business of helping people, please take this to heart. Oh, and thanks.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T16:18:00.004-06:00

ChristmasEve_24Dec2008_ 013
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

For our decidedly low-key Christmas Eve this year we had Pizza and Pasta from Pizza Hut, opened gifts and played a game where we pretty much made up our own rules. We laughed a lot over not much at all and ate too many brownies.

Why, yes, there are pictures on Flickr. And, they're right about here

And, for what just edged out last year as the worst Christmas ever, mom and I spent it at the hospital with Mamalee who is not doing well. We had lunch and dinner at the Casino next door to the hospital, which was sad all in itself. (but not all that bad food, it turned out). We did get a break and joined Steve to watch Valkrie, which was okay but not exactly the feel-good fuzzy movie we should have went seen. Here's to a better Christmas next year.

Christmas and a Movie

2008-12-22T08:18:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, we all went up to Norman to have a good Christmas lunch with a few of the Pitts side of the family. This is the first time we have done this and will be my only Christmas dinner this year as we have canceled our big Holt Family gathering this year due to my grandma being in the hospital. For Christmas Eve though, the immediate family is going to have a brisket lunch and open presents-- nontraditional for us this year.

Yesterday, we also went to see "The Day the Earth Stood Still." We didn't listen to the reviews when we went to see "The Happening" and was punished for ignoring them. We were punished again. I did like the last line though... "It's leaving." "No, he's leaving." How sweet. I almost shed a tear as I was running for the theater doors.

New Advertisements Collection

2008-12-20T14:37:00.005-06:00

AtkinsStore_Jan1914
Originally uploaded by Small Town OK

New over at "Small Town OK" Flickr is a set of old advertisements collected from the teens. There's only a few up now, but I'm on the look out for others. Better Go Now! There are BARGAINS GALORE!

Hurry on over to Flickr before they're all gone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asherok/sets/72157611384456967/

Twelve Months of 2008 Survey

2008-12-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

Twelve Months of 2008 Survey

................................

Twelv..e Month..s of
2008 Surve..y

JANUA..RY

1) Who kisse..d you on new years

No one.

2) Did you have a New Year'..s Resol..ution.. this year?..:

I think I did, but don’t really remember what it was. Since I can’t remember what it was, can I say
I accomplished it?

3) Does it snow where.. you live?..:

When it feels like it.

4) Do you like hot choco..late?..:

Yes, with marshmallows on top, please.

5) Have you ever been to Times.. Squar..e to watch.. the ball drop?..:

No, I think ..Times Square.. would freak me out pretty
extensively on New Years.

FEBRU..ARY

1) Who was your Valen..tine?..:

Oh, shut up.

2) Do you care if the groun..dhog sees its shado..w or not?:

Not so much.

3) What did you recei..ve for Valen..tine'..s Day?

Really, shut your mouth.

MARCH

1) Are you Irish..?

Yes, from one side.....

2) Do you like corne..d beef and cabba..ge?:

I wouldn’t think so.....

3) What did you do for St. Patri..ck’s day?....

Nothi..ng speci..al

4) Are you happy.. when Winte..r is prett..y much over?

Yeah, I’m tired of it by then.

APRIL

1) Do you like the rain?..:

Yes

2) Did you play an April.. Fool'..s joke on anyon..e this year?

I don’t believe I did.

3) Do you get tons of candy.. for Easte..r?

Nope

4) Do you celeb..rate 4/..20?:

Okay, so I had to look this up… National Weed Smoking Day? Is that on the calendar? I must have missed
it. Well, there’s always next year.

5) Do you love the month.. of April..?

I don’t have an intimate connection to the month of April.

MAY

1) What is your favor..ite flowe..r?

I’m randomly pulling one from a box right now… and the winner is… I don’t care.

2) Finis..h the phras..e "..April.. showe..rs…":

I’m just going to leave you hanging on that.
It’ll drive you crazy.

3) Do you celeb..rate May 16th:..

Oh, great. Another one I don’t know. What is this one… “National Jump Off a Cliff
Because Everyone Else is Doing it” Day?

4) Is May anyth..ing speci..al to you?:

A pretty nice month.

JUNE

1) What year did/..will you gradu..ate from high schoo..l?:

1999

2) Did you do anyth..ing fun durin..g this month..?

I went to Cattlemen’s to eat… that was fun and good.

3) Have a favor..ite baseb..all team?

....Atlant..a....
Brave..s, just because my dad liked them.
I have to make fun of Sally a little bit because she spelled it
Alanta. Just like it was on Steve’s
cake.

JULY

1) What did you do for the 4th of july?

Was at ....Gulf Shores.., ..AL.... soaking in some rays and watched
fireworks later that night.

2) Did you go to the firew..orks?

I didn’t so much go as walk out on the balcony.

3) Did you blast.. the A/C all day?

We weren’t inside much.

AUGUS..T

1) What was your favor..ite summe..r memor..y of '08?

I’d say ....Gulf.. ..Shores.... for the most part.

2) Did you have a sunbu..rn?

A little, nothing too major.

3) Did you go to the pool a lot?:

Went to the ocean a lot. The pool only
once.

SEPTE..MBER

1) Are you atten..ding colle..ge/..schoo..l?

No

2) Do you like fall bette..r than summe..r?

Yes, fall is nice.

3) What happe..ned this month..?

My brother got married.

OCTOB..ER

1) What is your favor..ite candy..?

Twix.

2) What did you dress.. up as for Hallo..ween?..

I didn'..t.

3) How did you celeb..rate Hallo..ween?..

Went to Steve and Sally’s house.

NOVEM..BER

1) Whose.. house.. do you go to for Thank..sgivi..ng?

My mom had Thanksgiving this year.

2) What are you thank..ful for?

Even though it’s all doom and gloom on the news, I’m thankful that if you stop
and think about, and look around, we’ve still got it pretty good.

3) Do you love stuff..ing?

No, only dressing will do.

4) Anyth..ing worth.. menti..oning.. from this month..?

No, not really.

DECEM..BER

1) Have you ever been kisse..d under.. the mistl..etoe?..

Yes

2) What do you want this year for Chris..tmas?..

I’d like my grandma to get better so she could enjoy Christmas.

4) What do you love most about.. Decem..ber?

I like the gathering of family and the Christmas lights. I like the first snow.

Cattlemen's

2008-12-14T11:05:00.004-06:00

Cattlemens_12Dec2008_ 002
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

On Friday night, Bradley and Mary invited us all up to Cattlemen's in Oklahoma City's historic stockyard city (just had to add that). I think this was the first time I had been there, although there's a chance I went on a FFA trip once. I told Steve the restaurant reminded me of JD's in Ada... "We haven't remodeled in 50 years and we're proud of it!" We had a nice meal (the steak was very good) and then went back to Norman to look at their new house, which was very nice.

There are pictures over at Flickr. Go and get 'em.
http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157611251636558/

Steve's 26th Birthday

2008-11-30T16:42:00.004-06:00

904512-R1-03-20A
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We celebrated Steve's 26th Birthday a little early, since it fell on a weekday. It started at his house, we came to check out his new TV Steve and Sally bought themselves for Christmas. Steve played a little XBox for us. We were going to watch the new Bond movie in Moore, but didn't quite make it, so we ate first at Red Lobster in Norman. Red Lobster, yeah I know. It was a total shocker for me as well. We went by Sam's to check out surround sound systems and then headed back to Asher where we had cake and ice-cream (good) and watched the OU-OSU game on TV. Attending were Steve and Sally, mom, Todd Hughes, Brenda and David (Sally's parents), Jennifer and Marty (Sally's cousin) and myself.

The pictures are on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157610530115844/

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T08:19:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving_27Nov2008_ 031
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

This year I had Thanksgiving at mom's house. We had almost 20 people there and had a good time. Lunch was at noon The weater was perfect. Some sat outside and enjoyed the day. Mamalee seemed to be enjoying herself and sat outside in the sun for a while talking, so that was nice. We had a great meal and several went down to the pond afterward and shot various guns at poor pumpkins and other food goods. The day ended with the last leaving around dark, so a pretty successful Thanksgiving it was.

See this pics on Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157610255552459/

SantaFe

2008-11-16T14:15:00.001-06:00

SantaFe
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Steve, Sally, myself and the rest of Ada checked out the new Santa Fe Steakhouse Sunday afternoon. It was pretty good. And that's one big.... uh, fan.

Voting madness (not that there's anything wrong with that)

2008-11-04T17:14:00.004-06:00

I went to vote today at what I thought would be a good time, 2:00. I had to wait in line over an hour. I've never seen so many people voting before. Everything other time I have voted there were one to two people in front of me, max. Which is a good thing. I'm glad people got out and voted. Now it's just up to the networks and their magic touch screens to let us know how it went.

You... yes, you. Join flickr.

2008-10-21T17:52:00.000-05:00

I'm on a quest to get people to join flickr. Which... I'm just going to go ahead and say it... may be the coolest website on the whole www. So, here are my reasons why:

It's an easy way to share all your pictures with everyone.
It's also an easy way to share pictures with just a select few. You can create permissions and feel very powerful.
You can tag all your pictures which makes it easy to find that picture (and any other like it) very quickly.
It's free although you can purchase a pro account for some special added powers.
It's a community. I can comment on your pics, you can comment on mine, complete strangers can comment on other complete strangers.
You can draw little boxes on the pictures and add funny notes. Like, you can draw a box around someone's hair and say... hey, that's some stupid-looking hair.
When you log in, you get to see any new pictures your friends have added.
You can view pictures other places than your computer. I can view them on my iPhone and on my TV (via AppleTV) for instance. Of course, you'd have to have those things.
It's a great backup in case your house burns down and stuff.
And, for you fellow bloggers, it's easy to create a blog from any picture WITHIN flickr. That's right, you don't even have to leave the site.

There's other things too, but I have the uncontrollable urge to stop at 10. So, join flickr, won't you? If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and help. As they say, flickr really is more fun when others join in.

If you want to see my flickr pages, see http://www.flickr.com/brad_holt and http://www.flickr.com/asherok

As if you care Lasik update

2008-10-14T19:53:00.005-05:00

If anyone is considering Lasik and wanting to know how things are going with mine at 30 days, here you are: All things are great! I forget I had it, which I'd say is a good thing. I was a little concerned the first week. My far-away vision was good but I was having problems focusing on text a few feet away. It didn't really kick in that that had improved until today. I was at work at the front desk and a customer had a sample board about eight feet away. It had color swatches on it and under them, the color name in about 12 pt. text. I was reading them from the front desk and he said... "no way can you read that." And, I was like... oh, wow... I can! Which I don't think I could have done with contacts. So, yes, all praise to the lasik surgery. I go for my check-up in a few days. Barring any bad news there, I'd say go for it. (If you'd like to know how the actual surgery went, just click the Lasik label tag underneath this post.)

I am still unsure of when I will stop reaching for my glasses in the morning, though.

DC Vacation Update: Day 4

2008-10-08T18:23:00.003-05:00

At the White House!
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Our final full day started with the White House. We went through the visitors center before the tour. I was pretty excited about going inside the White House. It just seemed sureal that one could do that, in this day anyway. What did I think? Well.... small, small, small! I couldn't believe how small the few rooms we got to see where. The blue, red and green rooms were a little startling. They're called those names for a reason. The State Dining Room was very understated though and quite elegant. We didn't get to see the East Room where the painting of George Washington hangs (the only thing saved from the WH before the British burned it) as some event was going on there. That was a little disappointing. At the end of the tour we got to go out the front door (!) and down the drive where we took a few pictures, knowing this is as close as we'll ever be to the WH again.
Quite tired from the WH tour, we blew off the Capital tour and had a long lunch and rest instead. We did an abbreviated tour of the Natural History Museum, mainly to see the dinosaurs, which were just amazing. Which ends our last full day here.
I must say... it was fun but I'm ready to head back home. It's too crowded, too loud and too fast-paced for this Okie!

DC Photos on Flickr

DC Vacation Update: Day 3

2008-10-08T18:13:00.003-05:00

MonumentsNightTour_07Oct2008_ 045
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Yesterday (Tuesday) we started the day by touring the Library of Congress Jefferson Building. We started not to go and just sleep in. You know... library... congress... sounds like a snore-fest waiting to happen anyway. But it was a very beautiful and interesting building. It's one of those that makes you think... they just don't build them like this any more. The building itself, and not necessarily anything in it is the attraction. The ceiling mosaics were amazing. Everything had a story behind it. While we were there we also got to see an original rough draft of the Declaration of Indepedence in Jefferson's handwriting with his notes-- marking this out, adding that, etc. It was pretty faded but still amazing to see.
Our second stop was the National Mall. We stopped briefly at the Smithsonian Castle and then it was on to the Air & Space Museum. We got to see many of the famous air and space craft we've all heard about.... Spirit of St. Louis, the Wright Brother's Plane, the Apollo 11 Spacecraft, the list goes on and on.
After a lot of walking, we went back to the hotel to rest for an hour. We ended up sleeping for four.
We just barely made it to Union Station to catch a twilight tour of the monuments. We stopped at the Jefferson, FDR, Korean, Vietnam, Lincoln and WW II memorials and monuments. We missed the bus after the Lincoln Memorial and had to hoof it to the WW II to try and catch up. It was pretty dark... a little scary. But we made it. After a late-night dinner at McDonalds in Union Station, we ended our latest day thus far... midnight.

DC Photos on Flickr

DC Vacation Update: Day 2

2008-10-06T22:24:00.005-05:00

PhiladelphiaPA_06Oct2008_ 004
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Today we took a bus to Philadephia, PA. This was an experience. We took what is called a "China Bus," which is a pretty inexpensive way to get there. We had to go to China Town, which was both weird and a little scary. And I should have seen this coming, half the people on the bus were Chinese. While I don't have a problem with this, I just hate not understanding what a person is saying. And, when it is happening all around you... it can cause some anxiety. I was wishing I had brought my headphones. Of course, there were the mangled-english signs which are always entertaining ("Not response for belonging" for example). The driver apparently could not speak English. I asked when the bus was leaving and he replied with an abrupt "Yes." When we got to Philadelphia, he kept yelling "Philadelphia off! New York stay on!" over and over. Okay... Philadelphia (or at least the part we started in) was a little scary. The people were lound, annoying and rude. That part wasn't enjoyable. But when we made it to "old town" things improved. It was very interesting seeing the Liberty Bell and touring Independence Hall, where the Constitution was approved. Benjamin Franklin's neighborhood was also interesting to see. It's amazing to think how old these buildings are (at least for the US) and all the history that had happened there. Tomorrow is the Smithsonian Museums and downtown. All this time and we have yet to see the White House!
DC Photos on Flickr

DC Vacation Update: Day 1

2008-10-06T22:13:00.005-05:00

MtVernon_05Oct2008_ 005
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Sunday was basically all about George Washington, with the exception of a morning trip to Arlington National Cemetery. While, of course, not a "fun" trip, it was very interesting to see the final resting places of people like JFK. I thought the Memorial Amphitheater building was amazing (more on Flickr). The afternoon we spent at Mt. Vernon, George and Martha Washington's estate. The area was very interesting and had a lot to look at. We toured the mansion as well as the many outbuildings and Washington's tomb. So, why else was the day about Washington except for Mt. Vernon? Okay, here we go: Our hotel is called One Washington Circle Hotel. We crossed Washington Circle to get to the metro. There was a statue of Washington on a horse in the circle. We went to Mt. Vernon. And, on our way back... we had dinner at... wait for it... George Washington University Hospital. Yes, we went into a hospital for the sole purpose of eating. It was the only thing open at the end of our day on the way back to the hotel. Hey, it wasn't that bad!

DC Photos on Flickr

I'm off to DC!

2008-10-03T17:53:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow morning I leave for DC! I've been wanting to go for about 10 years now, so I hope it's not a big fat letdown! I'm sure it won't be. It's going to be a major state-fest, too. Oklahoma to Georgia to Maryland to DC (not really a state, I know) to Virginia to Pennsylvania and back. On Sunday, we're going to Arlington Cemetery and Mt. Vernon- George Washington's estate. Monday, we're going to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's Post Office and a dozen other buildings. Tuesday is the Library of Congress and Museums. Wednesday we get to go INTO the White House (which I'm pretty excited about because it's much harder to get into than it used to be), tour the Capital and visit the monuments. And Thursday we come back home. Depending on my level of tiredness, I may post the days photos in the evening on Flickr, so check it out and you can keep track of what we're doing (like you really care that much!)

Flickr Link

The Bahamas!

2008-09-26T18:21:00.002-05:00

Royal Towers, Atlantis, Bahamas
Originally uploaded by slapshots

I just found out I get to go to the Bahamas next year! I'm very excited. It will be the first time I have left the country. Plus... it's the Bahamas! A few fun facts I have already gathered. They accept US money and there's no exchange rate (which is good right now) but they drive on the other side of the road! And, get this, they have left-side vehicles like the US. But drive on the other side of the road. Crazy! It's like everyone's a postman over there! We'll be staying at a new resort called "Atlantis." The picture was taken by another Flickr member, so if you click it you will see more photos of Atlantis, but I didn't take them.

Ada McDonald's goes tumbling down

2008-09-26T10:58:00.002-05:00

This was kind of fun to watch. It would have been even more fun to do!

Lasik didn't kill me. Yea!

2008-09-21T16:35:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I have wanted Lasik for about 10 years now and finally had it done. And, you know what, it wasn't so bad. For sure not the horrible torture that I had in my head. I was actually more okay with the cutting part than the vision correction part, and I think most people are the other way around. With the cutting part they put this suction thing on my eye and I lost all vision. If you can get past that... it's all good because you can't see or feel anything (or smell anything for that matter). The second part was really freaky to me. While it was probably more comfortable than the cutting (no suction thing) I could see everything they were doing (more or less) plus the laser smelled like... burning flesh? I don't know what that really smells like I guess, but they assured me it was only the laser smell and not anything they were doing to me. Good enough, I said. It's only been a couple of days and I'm not 100%, but they said it will keep getting better. I plan on writing a full review of the whole experience at some point. It would have helped me if I could have found even one review of the place I had it done at.

New Family Photos

2008-09-21T16:33:00.002-05:00

HoltTracy_SpeersHoltLee_HoltEverettShelly_Sept69
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've posted about 50 "new-old" family pictures over at Flickr, including this one of Mama Lee with Tracy and Shelly in September of 1969. You'd think I'd be nearing the end of these, but no... that would be incorrect.

Steve & Sally's Wedding

2008-09-21T16:31:00.003-05:00

WeddingCake2_13Sept2008
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've posted a few photos (mostly of which I stole off myspace) of Steve & Sally's wedding, etc. There should be some more added later on.

If I had a pet penguin and other stupid questions.

2008-09-16T05:33:00.001-05:00

If I had a pet penguin and other stupid questions.

Current mood:sleepy

If I had a pet penguin and other stupid questions.
---

Do you think your wasting your time on the person you like?
Can't say I'm doing that at the moment.

Do you think you can fill this out without lying?
I think so. Let's find out, shall we?

Whats the last thing you put in your mouth?
Milk

Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew?
No.

Where was your default picture taken?
Front steps of Asher FBC fellowship hall.

Name something that made you laugh today?
I was looking Steve & Sally's wedding pics and saw the one where she shoved cake into his face. Big time.

How late did you stay up last night and why?
About 12, I think. Because I can.

When was the last time you cried?
Several weeks ago.

Where is your biological father right now?
He passed away

What was the last thing someone bought for you, who was it?
My aunt Evelyn brought me back a shot glass from the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

When is your birthday?
July 6

Can you live a day without TV?
I have… but there were withdraws.

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
I would hope some are.

What are you wearing?
Boxers and a shirt

Where do you wish you were right now?
I'm okay where I'm at.

Is anything bothering you right now?
Yes.

Do you hate anyone and why?
No, I don't think anyone has hurt me that bad.

If you could go back in time and change things,would you?
One or two.

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?
In most cases, but I can think of a few exceptions

Ever want to get married?
Someday…

Ever kissed your friends boyfriend or girlfriend?
No.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Oh… someone at work. I don't remember who.

How are you feeling right now?
Starting to get a little sleepy. Finally crashed from my cool-air high I had earlier this evening. I went crazy after driving back from bowling in the cool air with the windows down. I yelled parts of the song I was listening to at people out the window. Drove way too fast, too.

If you could seek revenge on someone, would you?
Not at the moment, but I could be tempted to in some cases.

Last argument?
I don't really remember, but I have a feeling it was with Ray at work.

Have you ever stripped for money?
Oh my gosh…. I've GOT to tell you guys that story someday.

Excited about anything?
A little anxious/excited about having Lasik Thursday and STOKED about going to DC next month.

What's a happy time you've had in the past week?
Steve and Sally's wedding. Which was also exhausting.

What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?
I referenced it, and the answer is, "K."

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
Mmmmm…. Yeah….. I think…. Usually.

Are you a morning or night person?
More of an… after-lunch person. Let's say that.

Are you there for your friends?
I would like to think so. Probably could be more, though.

Are you a jealous person?
I can be… but I don't think too much.

What's annoying you right now?
I've kind of got a head-ache.

You're stuck on an elevator with the person you fell the hardest for, what happens?
I think it would go something like this. First, there would be some waiting. Then one of us would press the emergency alarm and try the phone. No one would answer the phone, bc I don't think those things really work anyway. So there would be some more waiting. Then I would stand on their shoulders and open the access panel. I would peer up into the elevator shaft and see a ticking bomb! It would explode and the elevator car would rush us toward certain death! There would be screaming. Then the emergency break would catch. We would break a sigh of relief, but it would be in vain because another bomb would explode the emergency break and we would again be rushed toward sudden death! More screaming. Then the certain death.

Why, what did you think would happen?

The celebrity you love the most offers to marry you, as long as you don't talk to any of your current friends or family members anymore, do you marry them?
Doesn't sound advisable.

If you ever want to live to see another day, you're forced to snort cocaine, do you do it?
Sounds like a pretty good excuse to try cocaine to me.

If you woke up in one of the Saw movies, do you think you could survive?
No way. I could barely survive watching one.

When is the last time you were in a photobooth taking pictures with friend?
That would have been probably 20 years ago with Steve when they first put one in at Shawnee Mall.

Do you have any gay guy friends?
Not that I know of.

Did your last kiss mean anything?
Yes

Do you love someone in your friends list?
No

Do you wave when you see people you know?
No, I flip them the bird.

Do you chew cotton candy or suck on it until it dissolves?
i don't eat cotton candy

Who's the last person you had a sleepover with?
Oh… I have no idea.

Have you ever seen someone you knew and purposely avoided seeing them?
I'm afraid so.

Do you secretly like someone?
No

Do you announce when you have to pee?
No… and if you do, please rethink that habit

Who was the last person you cried in front of?
Oh… let's not get into that.

Are you good at hiding your feelings?
I think so

What is your favorite color?
It's always been blue.

What's your favorite type of bird?
Oh, you mean those things that crap on my truck? Kill them, kill them all.

Do you like pineapple juice?
Like, straight-up? I wouldn't think I would.

What level English are you in?
I'm not even sure what that means. I would say that I am gooder at English than other languages.

CD player or iPod?
iPod

Whats your favorite shape?
Now that's a thinker… going with…. square!

Do you wear jeans to relax at home?
Jeans? Relax? Do those go together? I think not.

Do you ever say "yo, hoe!"?
Well, I think that would be "yo, ho!" unless the reference really is to a gardening tool. But, either way—no.

If you had a pet penguin, what would you name it?
If I had a pet penguin…. ? Really?

Are you happy right now?
Spaztastic.

What are your plans for tomorrow?
Wake, breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, watch lots and lots of TV, shower, sleep.

I've joined a bowling league.

2008-08-29T22:03:00.003-05:00

bowling_logo
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Now I've went and joined a bowling league. I don't know exactly why, I guess I thought I needed to get out more. It's comprised mostly of fellow co-workers. Apparently they needed me because I am a horrible bowler. Something about handicaps, I don't really know. What they neglected to tell me was that it costs $12.00 a week. And there's a sponsor fee. And you need shoes. Oh, and a ball too. And it goes on for 26 weeks. Talk about fine print. So, the way I figure it, I will be "investing" about $700 and half a year in this little adventure. At least I got to pick the team name! We bowl every Monday night, so come support us. Actually, no wait... let me improve first... then you come support us! All the way, baby!

I'm finally doing it!

2008-08-29T21:43:00.003-05:00

After years of wanting to... but, no I can't... but I want to! But, no, I just can't... (you get the picture) I am having Lasik surgery. Which is kind of a big deal for me, because I am really weird about my eyes. I'm afraid they're going to start doing their thing and I'm just going to punch them upside the head or something. I've managed to achieve an outstanding intolerance to my contacts though and can't wear them but a few hours a day, if that. This is usually followed by a nice headache and it's becoming all too annoying. They're very funny at the Lasik place though. They advertise the $599 and eye, of course. But once you get up there, they tell you for that price they use, and I quote, a "vibrating razor blade" to make the flap. Or, they can use a nice laser for only pennies more per day (a lot of pennies). And, I'm like... you keep that vibrating razor blade away from my eyes! Even though I'm pretty sure it's all a ploy to get me to pay much more than $599 an eye... the threat of vibrating razor blades to my eye balls will cause me to fall for it every time.

A Few New Photos...

2008-08-29T21:39:00.003-05:00

Randomness_23Aug2008_ 023
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've posted a few new photos to my personal Flickr site. Nothing too exciting... mostly nature shots.

New Yearbook

2008-08-29T21:37:00.002-05:00

1961Indian_Page_27
Originally uploaded by Small Town OK

I've published a new yearbook to Flickr... the 1961 Indian. Thanks to Bob Riggle for allowing me to scan his.

Small Town OK

2008-08-29T21:35:00.002-05:00

ShawneeOK_27Aug2008_ 050
Originally uploaded by Small Town OK

I'm expanding my Asher Flickr page to all small towns and what makes them cool! To that extent, I have renamed it Small Town OK. I've just posted some pictures of Shawnee.

In addition, I've started a couple of groups. If you don't know what that is, it's just a pool that any Flickr member can dump their photos into, as long as it fits into the group. There's some interesting pictures in there.

Asher: www.flickr.com/groups/asherok
Ada: www.flickr.com/groups/adaok
Okla. National Register of Historic Places:
www.flickr.com/groups/ok-nrhp

08/08/08 08:08 :: What were you doing?

2008-08-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know this type of thing is going to happen every year 2001 to 2012, but it's kind of fun. At 08:08 PM 08/08/08 I was watching the opening games of the Olympics. What were you doing?

Last of the Gulf Shores Pics

2008-08-08T19:38:00.003-05:00

GulfShoresAL Jun-Jul2008 2 255
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I have posted the last of the Gulf Shores vacation pics (taken by others) over on Flickr. Take a look, if you wish.

New Ada Photo's on Flickr

2008-08-08T14:37:00.004-05:00

AdaOK_03Aug2008_ 034
Originally uploaded by Small Town OK

Okay, I know you probably don't care, but I have posted some new photos on Flickr of Ada, East Central and Wintersmith Park. This particular one is of the Sugg Clinic, an Art Deco style building downtown that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I've also started a new Flickr group called "Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places" (whew!) that has a lot of interesting buildings and sites in Oklahoma. The address is www.flickr.com/groups/ok-nrhp

36 little secrets... nothing you’re going to blackmail me with.

2008-07-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

36 little secrets... nothing you’re going to blackmail me with.

Current mood:sleepy

36 little secrets:..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Be honest no matter what!

[ ONE] Where was your default pic taken ?

On the steps of Asher FBC Fellowship hall at Christmas. I have used the same one forever and just keep changing the background to match my page. Because I'm a litle odd that way.

[TWO] Whats ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />ur middle name?

Alan. The shorthand "your" is so high school, btw.

[ THREE] Your relationship status?

Indefinitely single

[ FOUR] Have you ever lost a close friend?

Yes

[ FIVE] What is your current mood?

A little sleepy but otherwise satisfactory

[SIX]What is one of your sisters names?

I do not have any sisters, but I have a brother, Steve.

[SEVEN] Whats your favorite color(s)?

Blue and yellow. I kind of like the new AT&T phone books.

[EiGHT] if you could go back in time and change something would you?

One in particular... but I'm not going to tell you.

[NINE] Have a crazy side?

I tend to go a little off whenever authority figures are absent. Both at school and now at work.

[TEN] Ever had a near death experience?

Not that I know about.

[ELEVEN] Last kiss that made you think, "God I love him/her

Honesty, can't say I've ever thought that exactly.

[TWELVE] Angry at anyone?

Nobody's on my list right now.

[THIRTEEN] What's stopping you from going for the person you like?

I'm an idiot.

[FOURTEEN] When is the last time you cried?

Don't remember exactly when... a couple of weeks ago. Tried to watch dad's memorial video again. Nope... still can't get through it.

[FIFTEEN] Who would you do anything for?

I'm going to have to limit that to just family if we're going to throw "anything' in there so haphazardly.

[SIXTEEN] Are you happy with your life?

In most areas... but a couple not so much.

[SEVENTEEN]Do you wish someone died?

Wow. Heavy question. But no.

[EIGHTEEN] Is there someone that you will never stop loving?

Yes

[NINETEEN] What Kind Of Phone Do You Have?

I have an overly priced, overly hyped iPhone and I like it. So there.

[TWENTY]Who do you trust most?

My mom.

[TWENTY ONE] Ever been in a fist fight?

No... can you imagine me.... in a fist fight? Seriously?

[TWENTY- THREE ] Do you speak any other languages?

No, I've taken a little Spanish, but forgot most of it. I wish I did though.

[TWENTY- FOUR] Can you talk to people about anything?

I'm going to say no on that one-- not anything.

[TWENTY- FIVE] Describe your life in one word

Consistent.

[TWENTY-SIX]Have you ever kissed in the rain?

Can't say that I have.

[TWENTY-SEVEN] what are you thinking of right now?

The answer to "what am I thinking of right now?" Whoa... that's one of those weird never-ending loop of a black hole questions, isn't it. Better move on.

[TWENTY- EIGHT ] What should you be doing right now?

Laundry, cleaning house, planning my DC trip, getting ready for bed... basically anything but this.

[TWENTY-NINE] Who are you thinking of right now?

Nobody in particular. I'm trying to answer this survey, for goodness sakes.

[THIRTY] What are you listening to?

Just the roar of the AC

[THIRTY- ONE] Who was the last person you told I love you to?

Mom

[THIRTY- TWO] Who was the last person who yelled at you?

I guess the closest thing would be a customer at the store last week. She wasn't really yelling, but she wasn't pleased either.

[THIRTY- THREE ] Do you act differently around the person you like?

I don't "like" anyone in particular right now, but I'm quite sure I would.

[THIRTY- FOUR] What is your natural hair color?

Brown. I've always wanted to have black hair, though. So, while there is no artificial color, if there was... that's what it would be.

[THIRTY- FIVE] Who was the last person to make you smile?

I was walking down Hwy 1 after work today (I get board of exercising the route way everytime, so today was walk down the highway day) and these two girls in this truck starting honking at me and waving. I waved back, to be polite of course, and when they got by and was pretty sure they didn't know me and just wanted to see if they could make me wave and crazy strangers driving down the road. I found it funny.... so I smiled.

[THIRTY SIX] have you ever screwed up a friendship and want a way to fix it?

No, most of my friendships are pretty much screwed-up free at the moment.

Drama at the carpet store...

2008-07-18T12:04:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's three police cars in our parking lot. I don't have a lot of details, but let's just say they're not looking at flooring. Oh, and there was an arrest made.

Killing time...

2008-07-09T04:31:00.000-05:00

Killing time...

*What holiday is closest to your birthday?
Independence Day (almost a 4^th of July baby, my mom always said)....

*Why did you go to the doctor for the last time you went?
Hives all over my entire body including my face, which rivaled Hitch, from the movie.....

*How old will you be in 5 years?
33. That's getting kind of old!

*Where was the last place you went?
The bathroom? Oh my… hmm. ....Gulf Shores.., ..AL.... would probably be more of an appropriate answer.

*Is there a mirror in your room?
Why yes there is. What you're going to do with that info, I have no idea.

*Do you have a twin?
No, I do not.

*When was the last time you were sick?
I had a pretty bad cold last month.

*What was the last movie you watched?
The Happening. That was funny--- although I don't think it was supposed to be.

....

*Are you afraid of shots?....

I can't say I'm a big fan.

*What color are the walls of the room you are in?
Pretty darn white.

*How many letters are in your middle name?
4.

*How many times have you donated blood?
Just the once in high school. Combining my "not a big fan" of needles with squeezing blood from my body unfortunately equaled never again for me.

*Are you wearing anything blue?
There's some blue in my boxers.....

*Have you ever dyed your hair an unnatural color?
No

*Who was the last person to make you think?
Whoever wrote this question. I had to think about who was the last person who made me think.

....

*Who was your last text from?
I really have no idea.

*What is your current mood?
Pretty good.

*Whats your dads name?
Bruce Alan

....

*What color is your underwear?
Kind of a red white and blue stripy thing.

*Angry at anyone?
Not so much.

....

*What do you want most in life?
I'm just not willing to put in the effort to answer that. Sorry.

*What should you be doing right now?
Finishing up laundry.

*Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
Sure.

Ever kissed someone over 40?
just my family members

*Who is someone you wish you could work things out with?
Nobody I can think of

*How did you and your number 4 become friends?
She was my ad rep for KKFC then KYKC. Her grandpa also works at our Mini-Storage.

*Regular Cheeto's or hot?
Regular, if either.

*If someone doesn't like you, its usually because..
They're just jealous. They're hatin'

*Do you like being around a large group of friends, or two best friends?
Usually smaller groups. I like my alone time too.

*Do you think you'll be married in 10 years?
One would think… but nothing on the horizon right now.

*Are you afraid of the dark?
Not really—used to be though.

*Ever talked to someone that was drunk?
Yeah, just last week. Was not fun.

....

.. ..

*Are you taller than your mom?
Yes

*Are you an emotional person?
Not really

....

.. ..

*Has anyone ever spread a rumor about you?
At least one I know of....

.. ..

*Have you ever punched a hole in the wall?
Can't say I have.

*Do you think you are a good person?
Pretty much, I think

*You're sitting at home bored, who do you text?
I don't text.

*What woke you up this morning?
Stupid alarm clock. Every day!

....

*Is tomorrow going to be a good night?
Well, if I could tell you that—I would be in a totally different profession.

*Do you wear clothes from Hollister?
What's Hollister? Or, no.

*When was the last time you cried really hard?
in September

*You're stranded alongside the road, who do you call first?
That would depend on where I am stranded.

*Why didn't you answer the phone the last time it rang?
I don't recognize the number. It was like +47 478 78789 77. I was like, what the crap is that?

*Have you ever been in handcuffs?
Play ones when I was a youngster.

*Who is the next person you want to see?
Ed McMahon… standing on my porch with a big check. Wait… he doesn't do that anymore, does he?....

Travel Horror Story (coming back from AL)!

2008-07-07T18:00:00.002-05:00

All I had heard was bad things about the airlines, so I was not too excited about flying again (this would only be my second time), but we had not problems getting there. Getting back was a little rough, though. This is going to be long and I am going to use "so" a lot.... We were leaving to go back home Sunday and as we walk into the airport I get a text that the plane is delayed, leaving at 11:15 instead of 10:05. Which was not that big of a deal since we had a 2 hour layover in Dallas. So, we get to the ticket counter and it's only going to be a 10 minute delay (good thing we didn't come an hour later). So we get loaded up and start to take off, and about the time we should lift off the engines shut down and the emergency lights come on down the aisles. Not great. The pilot tells us there's a problem with the plane and we have to go back to the gate. So we sit there for about 20 mins and we have to deplane. The next flight out doesn't leave until 5:00 and this is about 10:30. We were supposed to be back in OKC by 4:30, mind you. So, we are pretty much trapped at the Mobile airport (which has nothing in it other than a snack bar) for 6 hours without a vehicle. We mess around for about an hour and decide to go back through security just in case they get the plane fixed. We get through security and hear our names and that we have 1 minute to board. I guess they fixed the plane and we never heard the announcement. So we ran all the way through the airport (we were the last gate, of course) and they go ahead and let us board. Then there is supposedly an extra person on board so they try to figure that out for about 20 minutes. Then it starts lightening and knocks out the airports computers so they can't get the final paperwork to leave. Had we left even within 45 minutes of re-boarding, we had a chance to catch a second connection in Dallas. But when we finally get to Dallas as 3:35, we missed that connection by 5 minutes. The next plane to OKC didn't leave until 11:00! So we rented a car and drove back to OKC (we were with someone who had their car at the airport). So, it was a big mess and we got back about 4 hours later than planned, but I guess we're rather lucky to have got back at all. So, there’s my travel horror story (there always must be one!).

Brad's Beach

2008-07-03T17:47:00.005-05:00

This is where I spent a large part of today. I walked about a half- mile down the beach (that's our condo in the background) to this place where there was literally not a person. So, I declared it "Brad's Beach" and hung out in the water for a while, letting the waves knock me around. The seagulls kept me company.

I had my iphone with me in a bag, but didn't want to take it into the water with me but also didn't have anyone to watch it on the beach, so I buried it in the sand (along with some cash and credit card) next to this old log. I put my shirt on the log so I could find it later. I was like--- "don't steal my shirt... don't steal my shirt."

For all the pics, just click the thumbnail at right.

We're here!

2008-07-03T09:11:00.003-05:00

We're here!
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We made it! Actually we got in last night but we went and ate and got in late, so I was so tired. I'm out on the beach this morning. It's right outside the condo- very cool. It's not very crowded either-- I hope it stays this way!

Vacation Update

2008-07-02T17:46:00.004-05:00

GulfShoresVacation_02Jul2008_ 004IP
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We've made it to DFW! We'll be departing here in about 20 minutes
after, hopefully, a short delay. Then it's on to Mobile and finally
Gulf Shores, which is near Pensacola, Fl.

This airport is HUGE, BTW. We're riding on the tram now to our gate. Next update from Alabama!

Leaving OKC for Vacation

2008-07-02T16:15:00.003-05:00

GulfShoresVacation_02Jul2008_ 003IP
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

In the spirit of live casting, I am going to keep my all my blog visitors (count: 2) updated on my Gulf Shores vacation. We're high above OKC headed for DFW. This plane is so cramped. I have to admit-- it's been a while since I have flown and I (quietly) freaked out a little when I looked out the window. Scared of heights and all. But I adjusted.

MSN's on top of things!

2008-06-24T17:26:00.001-05:00

MSN
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Okay, so I am browsing MSN Tuesday morning and this red banner pops up that says "BREAKING NEWS: George Carlin had died at 71." And, I'm like... didn't that happen Sunday? All right... maybe it wasn't funny enough to merit a whole graphic, but I got a kick out of it.

Oh, and by the way, "The Happening" is a horrible movie. I mean, like one of those that you'll laugh through it because you just can't believe that it's really that bad. But it is. It really is.

Warren Theater

2008-06-14T22:15:00.003-05:00

We're at the new Warren Theater in Moore, except for Steve who's apparently on a roller coaster. Really cool theater, btw. We paid for The Happening but snuck into The Hulk after we couldn't get good seats. And that covers my "done something wrong" for the day.

Original River Bridge Pics

2008-05-20T19:58:00.003-05:00

Old18Bridge8
Originally uploaded by Asher OK

I added a few more pictures, some of which include the construction of the original South Canadian River Bridge, taken about 1920.

A Few New Asher Pics...

2008-05-18T23:25:00.003-05:00

AndesOrville_ArcherEva_AndesGertrude_AndesEarl_abt1928_possKentuckyHotel
Originally uploaded by Asher OK

I uploaded a few new Asher pics to Flickr, including this one of the Kentucky Hotel taken about 1928. Watch for more later this week.

Dang you Braum's!!

2008-04-27T19:49:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I just left Braums drive through and- yet again- I have a
less than full drink. Major pet-peeve! As much as they cost I expect
a FULL drink! Hmmmm... these blogs are going to have to get more
interesting.

Working in the yard

2008-04-20T13:25:00.001-05:00

Working in the yard today... isn't it nice? But certaintly windy-
kind of getting on my nerves!

Livecasting!

2008-04-19T23:46:00.003-05:00

Hey... I finally made the leap and got an iPhone! So I'm going to try
Livecasting-- basically live blogging from whereever I happen to be. Now something exciting needs to happen. Sitting on my couch with the laptop will have to work for now...

Sent from my iPhone

New Asher Photo's Added

2008-03-03T20:58:00.003-06:00

GilesHardware
Originally uploaded by Asher OK

I've got about 80% of my Asher photos tagged and posted to Flickr. Which is quite an accomplishment, if you knew how long it takes to tag some of those. This photo is of Doc Giles hardware. The photo's on his counter are of his three sons, Les, Stan and Frank, all of which were serving in World War II. Load up the original size picture and check out the background-- some interesting things in this picture.

New Yearbook

2008-03-03T20:53:00.003-06:00

Memories1965-66_Page_01
Originally uploaded by Asher OK

I've posted a new yearbook over at Flickr... "Memories of 1965-66." It doesn't identify anyone--because, clearly, that would have been too much trouble, but it might be fun to look at nonetheless if you're of that generation. Or not, even... some of the clothes and hair is funny.

Asher Pics are on the move...

2008-02-10T13:33:00.003-06:00

Asher pictures now have their very own Flickr page! I've done this because I am tagging them now and I don’t want to get the Asher tags mixed up with my family/personal tags. So--bottom line--much better.

To learn more about the whole tagging thing, go to:

http://www.techelp.us/asher/flickr_PEOPLESEARCH.htm

Or, you can just head on over to the new flickr page:
www.flickr.com/asherok

Four things...

2008-02-03T20:02:00.001-06:00

Four things...

SUBJECT: FOUR THINGS

*Four things about me that you may or may not have
known in no particular order. The directions are at the end.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Building ramps at the trailer shop (which begat my second club after IHMRB… BAW—Brad against welding).
Iron worker at the trailer shop (used a big mean machine called a "Piranha" to cut up metal. Kind of fun… for a while).
Whatever I was at the SPOT (manager, concession stand clerk, janitor…).
Accounts Manager / Sales at Holt Flooring. Yes, that's right—I've never had a job that my boss' last name wasn't Holt.

B) Four movies I would watch over and over (or have watched over and over)

Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part III
I don't have a fourth… but if there is ever a Part IV it shall appear here.

C) Four places I have lived

Asher
..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Ada
Somewhere else in Ada
Somewhere else in Ada

D) Four TV shows I watch

Lost
Friday Night Lights
Bones
Chuck

E) Four places I have been:

Kissimmee, FL
Myrtle Beach, SC
Denver, CO
San Antonio, TX

F) People who e-mail me (regularly):

People willing to enhance my "phallus."
People wanting to save me big money on my meds.
People sharing hot stock tips (load up on GHMD!)
People offering to show me things they probably shouldn't be showing.

G) Four of my favorite foods:

Carrots (however, whenever)
Chicken
Apple pie
Steak (a GOOD steak)

H) Where I would rather be right now:

Outside, since I'm sure it's still nice (why aren't I?)
A really nice hotel (I like hotels)
A cruise (sure, I'll jump on board with everyone else)
One of those really cool jumbo jets I keep getting emails about.

I) Four friends I think will respond:

Nora perhaps?
I don't think anyone else will. Prove me wrong!

J) Things I am looking forward to this year:

Hopefully going to Washington DC this fall!!! I'm very excited.
Spring
My brother's wedding (never been in a wedding before)
Christmas (I know, I know… but I like it!)

Now, here's what you're supposed to do... and
please do not spoil the fun.

Hit forward, delete my answers and type in your own. Send it to your
friends INCLUDING the person who sent it to you.

The theory is that you will learn a lot of
little-known facts about those who know you.
Remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.

Just thought this was funny...

2008-02-01T21:49:00.000-06:00

Mattress Store Experiments With Non-Blowout Sale

RICHMOND, VA—Customers were assured they would get a pretty good deal on a brand-name mattress. Not an out-of-this-world, unheard-of deal. But pretty good.

Christmas Day 2007

2007-12-29T10:09:00.002-06:00

IMG_1026
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Ahh, it was to be such a simple, stress-free day. We we're going to spend Christmas Day at my house. Open up a few presents and then go out and eat lunch. One minor issue--- nothing in Ada is open on Christmas Day! I called every restaurant (and then every quick stop that serves pizza) and nothing was open. So, we improvised and, courtesy D&W, rounded up enough supplies to have hamburgers and chips (as anyone who knows me knows I keep no food in the house). Mom made some tasty monkey bread and we had a pretty good time. But, I guess we'll know better next year. We had a beautiful snow the next day... just hours late of a Christmas snow!

Christmas Pictures

2007-12-24T22:51:00.002-06:00

IMG_0943
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've posted the Christmas 2007 pictures because I'm fast... like a cat. I'll probably have some more to add later from other people. If anyone needs a printed copy of one or more, let me know.

Store Christmas Party 2007

2007-12-23T17:25:00.002-06:00

IMG_0875
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've posted a few pics of our "Holt Flooring" Christmas party, which was Tuesday, Dec. 18th. We had a delicious meal at Pete's in Kreb's and did desert and gifts at Ted & Evelyn's cabin in Calvin.

Photos that need your help!

2007-12-17T21:29:00.002-06:00

SpeersJohnsonMaryKay_SpeersHalePat
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I have created a special set of pictures that I don't know where they were taken. If you have a spare moment sometime, browse through them and, if you know something about one, leave me a comment. Please be as descriptive as you can. To get to this set, just click the example photo at right. Once there, you'll see "This photo belongs to: Where were these pictures taken? (Set)" Click that to view the whole set. You have to be signed in to leave a comment. Thanks for any help!