EP and The Bounder: July 2010

Car Wreck

This morning I watched a car wreck happen about 200 yards ahead of me. Quite scary as the car veered right and then flew across three lanes of traffic to slam into jersey barrier head on. Me and about 10 other cars stopped to see if we could help. I gave the directions to the guy on the phone with the 911 operator while other people checked on the woman and her son. They were both okay just shaken up and apparently she had looked behind her to scold her son when she just let the wheel tilt. There were tons of people there and the police were nearby when I left. I took a few pictures thinking it will help then realized that is a dumb idea. Watching a crash like that makes you appreciate how good airbags are!

Dueling Pianos

Can't handle one piano at a bar but two would just be rediculous. Went to the bar and met up with Dan, his wife Jen (dark hair) and, her friend, Jen2(light hair). We drank a lot of beer and Einer dropped a beer on the floor within 40 seconds of being there. People sang a long including to some songs that everybody was suprised we ended up knowing. Eventually Jen2 showed fun cameraphone pictures and moments later they shut the bar down (unrelated). Finally the greatest photo of Dan that will be ever be taken was snapped.

Batfish strikes again!

More photos from the Batfish including me inside the mechanical room and the torpedo room!

USS Batfish - SS 310

The ever browsing Andy loves to read about history and when he found out there was a Baleo Class submarine in Muskogee he had to go see it. The USS Batfish is famous for sinking 3 enemy submarines in one patrol. Being the only ship in history to claim this distinction sinking all three over just 4 days. It turns out the Batfish wasn't even supposed to end up in Muskogee but the folks picking up the ship simply made an illegal switch when they picked it up instead of getting the weenie USS Piranha. Since we were the only two there that day we also got to go into restricted parts of the ship and see actual electrical bus systems and the electric motors. Turns out in 1986 the area flooded and the boat began to float away. By the time they got it back into positioned it settled at a 1.5 degree list which makes the experience just a bit cooler.

Pre-Batfish Build Up

The whole reason for the Muskogee trip was the see the USS Batfish but first there were many other things to see and do. First of all there are tons of guns all over the place and they let you sit on them as well as the mast of the U.S.S. Oklahoma. It is the only surviving part of the famous battleship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941. It turns out they didn't quite steal it from Oahu but they definitly didn't have permission to take it. It turns out a bunch of officers who felt strongly about it just went and requesitioned it. So the folks at the Musuem didn't know how much longer they would get to keep it.

Songs in real life + mullets on lesbian bikers

Took an adventure to Muskogee, Oklahoma,which I have been told is kinda a rough place but it seemed all right to me. Seeing two lesbian biker women with mullets started the day off right. Then I had some of the finest hot dogs I have ever had from a little place called Chets which had chilidogs (with sauerkraut) and was run by teenagers. Also, there is an entire song devoted about how BillyBob hearts Charlene and paints it on a water tower in green paint. Greg may be the only one who reads this who gets the humor in it. But I very much enjoy it and had a good time knowing the town had fun. Also, got lost and found a train

I need a belt buckle that big

I have no idea why but Tulsa decided to erect this huge statue of a driller. Doesn't make sense to me but was still very cool to see. Notice he has boots like mine and a giant belt buckle so, in fact, i do have impeccable and totally cool style. Later on Greg and I returned to OKC just in time for fireworks which you could see from my apartment. The air was so moist that towards the end all you could see was a smoke cloud with lights in it but the pounding of the explosions was really neat and I could definitly feel it in my chest. I don't think I ever got as close to the D.C. fireworks so this was definitly a new experience.

A visitor to Oklahoma

Greg has been staying with me for the past week or so. He showed up at my door and has been working from my couch and living like a champion on the bedroll on the floor. We started playing Left 4 Dead on the xbox. He has gotten really into it and we have shown that we are a terror on the controller. He leaves Thursday morning and has certainly made me very nostalgic to come home.

More tornados

Stopped in a small town on the outskirts of Tulsa in Sapulpa where I saw where the last tornado had blown through. I saw this truck and it appears that afterwards whoever owned the truck took off one of the tires but for the most part, I don't think there is much to salvage in this bad boy. The second photo is of a section of the road that most Oklahomans I have spoke to, refer to as a part of the female anatomy. Once you see it you know you are close to Oklahoma City so people are always excited to see it after a long drive.

Awesome Billboard

Driving to Claremore on Friday when this gem of a billboard popped up. I hope you can see the picture but I busted out laughing. I am pretty sure they used Capito as the model for the burgler on the right.