There was an article in the news today about the NFL claiming ownership of the phrase “Who dat” in reference to the New Orleans Saints football team and are considering ownership rights to the fleur-de-lis. The article says that the NFL sent a cease-and-desist order to some lady in New Orleans who was selling t-shirts with the logo “Who Dat” on them.
That got me thinking, and I must admit that the thinking made my brain hurt.
If the NFL can claim to own the rights to a phrase and to a symbolic flower used in cultures long before football was invented, then I may be violating some NFL rule because I’m feeding the cardinals and the ravens in my back yard. And the neighbor’s bronco could never be used to stud a horse and have colts without the permission of the NFL.
I suppose when counting my chickens before they hatch I have to skip the number between 48 and 50 unless I notify the NFL.
I guess when Pam and I talk about clothing we have to avoid saying anything about earth tones and browns.
If and when the sun ever comes out and I get a sunburn, I suppose I’ll have to pay royalties to the NFL when describing my sore redskin.
Energy has become a political issue, and we don’t need the NFL criticizing when we connect a charger to a deep cycle battery to get ready for an ice storm.
The next time we grow some sweet corn, even though we won’t sell it for a buccaneer (that would be a high price for corn), we should be able to get a few bills per bag without the NFL complaining about it.
And if we ever moved again we should be able to hire some excellent packers without worrying about what the NFL has to say.
One of my chief enjoyments is to scan the skies for aircraft and jets and I certainly don’t want some NFL lawyer ramming some cease-and-desist order down my throat when I write about it in this blog. I mean, after all, we seahawks and eagles and an occasional falcon out here all the time, but if the NFL gets its way we won’t be able to tell anybody.
Admittedly, out in these parts there are not many large predatory cats, such as jaguars and panthers and Bengal tigers, but why should my free speech be limited if I want to warn Pam about other midnight raiders getting into the chicken coop?
Being in Oklahoma, we live near all those Texans, and I can’t imagine those folks putting up with the NFL telling them they can’t say certain things. The consequences could be titanic.
Bear with me for a moment: We should not be lion around and letting the NFL make people jump through hoops like the dolphins at Sea World. We have to stand up and be patriots or we may all suffer the same fate northern Europe did back in the days when the Vikings were looting and pillaging with impunity. That’s exactly what the NFL is trying to do to the good folks in New Orleans. (OK, I admit it, the analogy may be a bit off, but I’m trying to describe just how badly the NFL is treating that t-shirt lady and trying to steeler profits.)
Let’s face facts, here, the NFL doesn’t own the language, and “Who dat” ain’t the only question:
“Where dat NFL get da nerve to tell people dey can’t say ‘Who dat’?”
“What dat NFL tink der doin?”
“When dat NFL gonna git a brain?”
“Why dat NFL so uppity about a t-shirt?”
“How dat NFL gonna get away wid dis?”
I’m not suggesting the people running the NFL should suddenly turn into saints. After all, the NFL has a right to protect its interests. But this could turn into a giant issue for the NFL and I think they should cowboy-up and just drop the whole thing.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Storm Warning
Well, another week, another winter storm watch. Whazzup up wit dat? And whazzup wit all da EARTHQUAKES in the Jones area? This is Oklahoma, for pete’s sake. We’re supposed to be having tornados and droughts and an occasional wildfire. That would be NORMAL. That I could HANDLE.
Pam and I were glad to get out of North Dakota because of the winter weather, and we always said we never wanted to move to California because of all the earthquakes (and of course those wacky tacky slackers supporting the anti-biz tax dodgers – you know, all those elderly hippies and wanna-bees? Pam and I work for a living, we just wouldn’t fit in).
Casual observations of the NOAA Weather website during the past few days have been increasingly disconcerting. At first there were reports of a coming storm from the west and the U.S. map showed a circle of blue (indicating a winter storm watch) over central Oklahoma. The next day, the circle of blue increased to cover the entire state. The day after, the circle of blue morphed into an oblong blue rectangle completely covering the state of Oklahoma and parts of Texas and New Mexico to the west and parts of Arkansas and Missouri to the east. And this morning, before I had a chance to steel myself with the first cup of coffee, I logged in and saw a great big orange blob (indicating a winter storm WARNING) smack dab directly over my house in Newalla. Needless to say, the reports are ominous.
Well, looks like we have some prep work to do. The generator is gassed up and ready; Pam went to the store yesterday and stocked up on food; the vehicles have full tanks of gas (not that we’re going anywhere). All that remains is to provide the latest . . .
HOSTAGE UPDATE, Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Upon seeing this doll for the first time, Bailey da Hound Dawg tucked his tail, scurried to his kennel, and remained cowering in his dog house for an entire day.
It is understandable why this particular doll remains in Oklahoma – I don’t think decent people in Kansas would allow such an abomination within their borders.
Pam and I were glad to get out of North Dakota because of the winter weather, and we always said we never wanted to move to California because of all the earthquakes (and of course those wacky tacky slackers supporting the anti-biz tax dodgers – you know, all those elderly hippies and wanna-bees? Pam and I work for a living, we just wouldn’t fit in).
Casual observations of the NOAA Weather website during the past few days have been increasingly disconcerting. At first there were reports of a coming storm from the west and the U.S. map showed a circle of blue (indicating a winter storm watch) over central Oklahoma. The next day, the circle of blue increased to cover the entire state. The day after, the circle of blue morphed into an oblong blue rectangle completely covering the state of Oklahoma and parts of Texas and New Mexico to the west and parts of Arkansas and Missouri to the east. And this morning, before I had a chance to steel myself with the first cup of coffee, I logged in and saw a great big orange blob (indicating a winter storm WARNING) smack dab directly over my house in Newalla. Needless to say, the reports are ominous.
Well, looks like we have some prep work to do. The generator is gassed up and ready; Pam went to the store yesterday and stocked up on food; the vehicles have full tanks of gas (not that we’re going anywhere). All that remains is to provide the latest . . .
HOSTAGE UPDATE, Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Upon seeing this doll for the first time, Bailey da Hound Dawg tucked his tail, scurried to his kennel, and remained cowering in his dog house for an entire day.
It is understandable why this particular doll remains in Oklahoma – I don’t think decent people in Kansas would allow such an abomination within their borders.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
. . . The Right to Assemble . . .
Take an empty corner;
parts meticulously built in Danger Lane Workshop;
ability to assemble a 3D puzzle;
some electronic components and the savvy to interconnect them;
and behold, another Buddha Belly Farm project completed.
Of course, this project didn’t take place out in the field, and it didn’t involve garden implements, but it is a giant step toward helping us feel like we’re finally moved in.
And now . . .
HOSTAGE UPDATE, JANUARY 20, 2010:
“That old man said if we hang around here much longer, we won’t be hanging around here much longer. WHAT DOES HE MEAN, MOMMY?!!?”
parts meticulously built in Danger Lane Workshop;
ability to assemble a 3D puzzle;
some electronic components and the savvy to interconnect them;
and behold, another Buddha Belly Farm project completed.
Of course, this project didn’t take place out in the field, and it didn’t involve garden implements, but it is a giant step toward helping us feel like we’re finally moved in.
And now . . .
HOSTAGE UPDATE, JANUARY 20, 2010:
“That old man said if we hang around here much longer, we won’t be hanging around here much longer. WHAT DOES HE MEAN, MOMMY?!!?”
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
All in a off-day's work
After this last freeze, we had a water line break near Danger Lane Workshop. A large puddle of water formed that only got worse since the Christmas Eve Blizzard.
Today was the first day we’ve seen the sun since New Years Day and the temperature got to almost 60 degrees F and melted the last remaining mounds of snow. It was a nice day to go out into the sun and enjoy the holiday at a park or to just walk around downtown OKC. But, considering the path to the workshop now resembled the Okeefenokee Swamp we figured we had to do something about the “minor” water problem. So, Nana put on her lady-bug boots and I my Real Ranch (or Ranger Rick) work boots and together we sallied forth with shovels and a pick to do battle against the elements and to stem the rising flood waters.
I’m not going to bore you with the finer details about the dig. Let it suffice that we found the water line about two feet down. But, much to our surprise, the line was technically not broken, it had merely separated from the hydrant. And of course, the hydrant was embedded within a concrete pad – apparently to stabilize and guard it against the type of breaks we were now engaged in repairing.
Obviously, the situation called for some finesse and nuanced technique. After careful deliberation and consultation with each other, it was decided to use a sledge hammer to attempt to gently remove the concrete so as to reuse it. (Hey, you heard of all this environmental stuff, haven’t you? You should recycle EVERYTHING to save the whales.)
Well, after a few attempts to dislodge the concrete pad intact, Nana said, “Whales be damned,” and took the sledge hammer and virtually disintegrated the concrete pad in seconds. I just hope some environmentalist nut job doesn’t come in the middle of the night for retribution – Nana is increasingly getting in the mood to not take any crap from anyone and has gained confidence using her AR-15, so I do worry about the safety of late-night intruders.
But, I digress.
We exhumed the water line and hydrant, shut off the water, and bailed out the hole. We used sandpaper to clean and smooth the existing fittings on the hydrant and the existing line. Having bought some PVC and the appropriate connector, we cut the correct replacement length and used PVC cement to weld the pieces together and slipped the hydrant into place. All told, the entire job cost us about 15 dollars for the PVC (and a tool I didn’t have), and took about two hours, including filling in the hole.
Not too bad at all. We’ve done far worse jobs than this one – after all, we have been the parents of teenagers.
Later that day we replaced an electrical outlet in the living room. This past Christmas, we noticed some Christmas tree lights didn’t work and found the outlet had an intermittent connection. This concerned us, and we decided not to use that outlet until it was repaired. To make a long story short, we replaced the outlet without serious mishap. See pictures.
The first picture is the “before” and the second of course is the “after”. Yes, I know they look alike, but whadd’ya expect? An outlet’s an outlet, for pete’s sake.
In case you like the “before” and “after” motif, here’s Nana “before” the job,
and here is Nana “after” the job.
Note the handy phone – her task was to ensure Fire Engine Number 36 responded in case there was an inadvertent electrical short through my body.
Since you’re in the mood to see other things we’ve done lately, here are some pictures of our new “adult” furniture in the bedroom.
I also finished the TV cabinet and we will install that Tuesday, January 19. The TV will be powered by the newly repaired electrical outlet.
And now, for something completely different:
HOSTAGE UPDATE, Monday, January 18, 2010:
“Please help – we’re being held captive against our will and are forced to sit on this shelf and listen to disgusting noises emanating from the nearby bathroom.”
Today was the first day we’ve seen the sun since New Years Day and the temperature got to almost 60 degrees F and melted the last remaining mounds of snow. It was a nice day to go out into the sun and enjoy the holiday at a park or to just walk around downtown OKC. But, considering the path to the workshop now resembled the Okeefenokee Swamp we figured we had to do something about the “minor” water problem. So, Nana put on her lady-bug boots and I my Real Ranch (or Ranger Rick) work boots and together we sallied forth with shovels and a pick to do battle against the elements and to stem the rising flood waters.
I’m not going to bore you with the finer details about the dig. Let it suffice that we found the water line about two feet down. But, much to our surprise, the line was technically not broken, it had merely separated from the hydrant. And of course, the hydrant was embedded within a concrete pad – apparently to stabilize and guard it against the type of breaks we were now engaged in repairing.
Obviously, the situation called for some finesse and nuanced technique. After careful deliberation and consultation with each other, it was decided to use a sledge hammer to attempt to gently remove the concrete so as to reuse it. (Hey, you heard of all this environmental stuff, haven’t you? You should recycle EVERYTHING to save the whales.)
Well, after a few attempts to dislodge the concrete pad intact, Nana said, “Whales be damned,” and took the sledge hammer and virtually disintegrated the concrete pad in seconds. I just hope some environmentalist nut job doesn’t come in the middle of the night for retribution – Nana is increasingly getting in the mood to not take any crap from anyone and has gained confidence using her AR-15, so I do worry about the safety of late-night intruders.
But, I digress.
We exhumed the water line and hydrant, shut off the water, and bailed out the hole. We used sandpaper to clean and smooth the existing fittings on the hydrant and the existing line. Having bought some PVC and the appropriate connector, we cut the correct replacement length and used PVC cement to weld the pieces together and slipped the hydrant into place. All told, the entire job cost us about 15 dollars for the PVC (and a tool I didn’t have), and took about two hours, including filling in the hole.
Not too bad at all. We’ve done far worse jobs than this one – after all, we have been the parents of teenagers.
Later that day we replaced an electrical outlet in the living room. This past Christmas, we noticed some Christmas tree lights didn’t work and found the outlet had an intermittent connection. This concerned us, and we decided not to use that outlet until it was repaired. To make a long story short, we replaced the outlet without serious mishap. See pictures.
The first picture is the “before” and the second of course is the “after”. Yes, I know they look alike, but whadd’ya expect? An outlet’s an outlet, for pete’s sake.
In case you like the “before” and “after” motif, here’s Nana “before” the job,
and here is Nana “after” the job.
Note the handy phone – her task was to ensure Fire Engine Number 36 responded in case there was an inadvertent electrical short through my body.
Since you’re in the mood to see other things we’ve done lately, here are some pictures of our new “adult” furniture in the bedroom.
I also finished the TV cabinet and we will install that Tuesday, January 19. The TV will be powered by the newly repaired electrical outlet.
And now, for something completely different:
HOSTAGE UPDATE, Monday, January 18, 2010:
“Please help – we’re being held captive against our will and are forced to sit on this shelf and listen to disgusting noises emanating from the nearby bathroom.”
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