O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A! Oklahoma...okay?

[crazydiamondsue]

Happy Centennial, Oklahoma!

It's the 100th birthday of my home state today! Flist, on behalf of all Oklahomans, you're welcome for The Flaming Lips and Christian Kane. I've already apologized for Color Me Badd and Toby Keith - I can't control everything.

In honor of the 47th state, I've been Googling Oklahoma a bit today, and discovered that, as 1/16 Cherokee and a buttload of mutt + German, I'm pretty much the textbook census ethnic make-up of Oklahoma. Sweet. Besides the waving wheat (it sure smells sweet) and the fact that we're the 2nd largest producer of Natural Gas, we're also a very pretty state -- giving the country (and dare I say the world?) five Miss Americas, in addition to Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard, Kristen Chenoweth and James "Cyclops" Marsden. I'm not sayin' we're like, Texas, or sumpthin', but we're doing our part.


10 REASONS OKLAHOMA KICKS ASS

The world record for largest pecan pie is held by Okmulgee, Oklahoma. I like pie.

The electric guitar was invented in Oklahoma in 1935. Brits, you're welcome.

Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state, allowing Vanilla Ice to have a houseboat on Lake Texhoma. O_o

While opening for Guns'n'Roses in Oklahoma City in the early 90s, Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan interrupted his set to sneer at the crowd, "How does it feel to be standing on stolen Indian land?" Ah, yes, Mr. Corgan, how I remember my anthropology studies regarding your native Illinois and those fascinating western European tribes of Illinois: the Iroquois and the Potawatomi. And secondly, I believe you meant stolen Native American land.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe "represents" Oklahoma and has provided The Daily Show with endless fodder from suggesting that Global Warming fervor was the fault of the Weather Channel to violating Godwin's law in comparing environmentalists to Nazis to that "No one in my family is gay!" spiel, complete with his family reunion photo-op visual aid.

Belle Star is buried in a pasture grave just outside of my hometown of Porum, Oklahoma. I never poured out a 40 in memory of her, but I do remember accidentally dropping a can of Milwaukee's Best as I shimmied over the fence outside her burial site. It's like Oklahoma's answer to Père Lachaise.

They filmed Twister here, adding to Bill Paxton's "that guy!" cred.

Fan favorite Supernatural episode "Simon Said" (Andy!) is set in Guthrie, Oklahoma (and I can't tell you how often I've visited Guthrie and marveled at its "similarity" to Vancouver. *g*) Jared and Jensen's least favorite episode, "Bugs," is set in the fictional town of Oasis Plains, Oklahoma. (Incidentally, Oklahoma's power company is Oklahoma Gas & Electric, not Oklahoma Gas & Power. It is, however, totally believable that representatives of our power company would be named "Travis" and "Dustin.")

The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art of Tulsa preserves the largest collection of Jewish art in the southwestern United States. It's easy to find - it's right across Lewis Avenue from Oral Roberts' 900 Foot Jesus. (Kidding! I kid. The 900 foot Jesus was just a vision. And the 900 foot highway cross that freaked ladycat777 out is actually in Edmond, Oklahoma.)

Oklahoma's state song is Oklahoma! from, oddly enough, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma! Which makes us the sparkliest, most gay-friendly state in all of the red states. (I provided a dl link for the song; sorry, it's not the Hugh Jackman version.)

I take pride in my state, but Oklahoma continues to struggle beyond a solely agrarian-based identity and find its place in an increasingly technological world -- and, you know, being more than just the Joads of The Grapes of Wrath or that place where Timothy McVeigh tried to blow-up the outside world. Despite standing in the shadow of the "eyes of Texas are upon us" (my suggested Oklahoma travel slogan? "Oklahoma - just like Texas, but without all that Longhorn crap!" Go Sooners!) and Jim Inhofe's consistently cringe worthy sound bites, Oklahoma's a state of surprising diversity, artistry and native culture. It's not all just rodeos and cow chip throwing contests, you know. I mean, *I'm* from here and aren't the first words you associate with me "diverse and cultured?" Right? And, erm, did I mention The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma? Er...Tulsan S.E. Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" here, allowing you to read something cool in your 9th grade English class? Uh...race you to the pig calling contest! Can I get a "Yee-haw!"?

Happy Oklahoma Day, y'all.

Comments

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Flist, on behalf of all Oklahomans, you're welcome for The Flaming Lips

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou. *blasts "Race for the Prize" in Oklahoma's honour*

[brandil.livejournal.com]

Happy Oklahoma day to you Miss Sue.

*mwah*

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

There is a Jewish Art Museum? Um. How far away is Tulsa, cause I see road trips in our future, just so I can compare that to the 900 foot cross and make my eyes cross a lot.

Hihihibaby!

[byrne.livejournal.com]

.... I like Toby Keith. And S.E. Hinton. Well, I liked Ponyboy. And Sodapop. *shuts up* (And Dallas.)

Yay for Oklahoma!

[spikendru.livejournal.com]

Happy Oklahoma Centennial to you, darlin'!

And you forgot my personal favorite reason why Oklahoma kicks ass: Gay rodeo! Which inspired crazdiamondsue's Rodeo Series of effulgent fanfics. I will stalk you forever for those fics!

*snuggles you*

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

The Flamimg Lips is more than good enough for me.

The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art of Tulsa preserves the largest collection of Jewish art in the southwestern United States.

Unfortunately, that comes to 18 pieces of "art" including a preserved potato pancake that's shaped like a driedel and a cocktail napkin from the Steinman's Bat Mitzvah.

Why are my comments always so long?

[kelleah.livejournal.com]

Happy OK Day, Sue! As someone who's driven through your home state on my long journey west, I concur. It's a very lovely state. A

As a matter of fact, the only non-gasoline, leg-stretching, OMG!I'm-so-thirsty pit stop I made on my move to California was in Clinton, OK. I gave myself an hour to sitesee at the Route 66 museum. I picked up a souvenir refrigerator magnet and a cool keychain that says Oklahoma/Route 66 on it.

I've wanted to visit Tulsa for a few years now (to attend the Red River fest and see the Greenwood district), but I've been through OKC. I got lost after a pit stop and a nice man watering his lawn gave me directions back to the highway.

Yay for Alfre Woodard and Kristen Chenoweth! As well as Invisible Man author Ralph Ellison. BTW, tell Billy Corgan to suck it! We're all on stolen indigena land. If he ain't doing anything to correct the injustice, he needs to shut his bald ass up.

Would you hate me if I told you that I don't know who the Flaming Lips are? ::ducks::

[cityphonelines.livejournal.com]

Dude. I suck. Colorbar? Forgot. I fail. And it's "Guthrie", not Guthrie, "Guthrie".

Go Sooners!!! And Braums! And Jimmy's Egg! And Charleston's (which apparently exists in TX, but since I've never had it here you can claim it). And PIE. (note how that degenerated into food themed praise) *steals Christian Kane from OK*

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

Happy Oklahoma Day to you,
Miss Crazy Diamond Sue
I'd write you a poem if I had the time
But alas, I can't think up a single rhyme
About fields of wheat resembling waves on an ocean
When the warm wind blows to set it in motion
And that's about as patriotic as I can get today
For my neighboring state of Okay El A H-O-M-A

xxxxx

Have a nice weekend, darlin'.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

This is a wonderful appreciation thread (and you didn't even mention that freaky-ass statue of Shannon Miller next to the library).

But I just had to mention that I don't care who James Marsden is.

[strchsr.livejournal.com]

I totally forgot you were a fellow Okie. I mean I knew but it didn't register today. My folks just moved back to OKC so I will be in my home state for theholidays this year. Happy Centennial!

*

[vichan.livejournal.com]

FLAMING LIPS!!! THANK YOU!!! :-D

[lyr]

Yee-haw! *waves across the border from Texas* Though I think you might have to count that Vanilla Ice thing in the con column.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Oklahoma but two people on my flist are there so I should make it some day. :) My association have always been "Tornado alley" and one of those flat states. Obviously, I need some educating. :)