It was a record setting rain in Deer Creek today. We had 2.5 inches in the gauge at our modest three acre forest home. To date since August 1–we’ve had 18.5 inches of precip.
The turkeys are starting to band back together. Fifteen came for the early morning feed at 7:00am. We had been just getting the four regular male alphas who have been with us for almost fifteen years. But today there were fifteen birds.
Pauli the Diva Lab could care less about the turkeys. Neither could my son’s chocolate lab named Perk. But my daughter-in-law’s cocker spaniel literally goes into Hannibal Lectern mode when the turkeys emerge from the forest. Funny how each dog reacts. That dog clearly should have been named Westbrook.
I put a big dent in the book today as it petty much rained all day. One thing I’ve noticed in the first three hundred pages in this book is a noticeable absence of Nick Collison references. Very odd since you have to figure Royce Young was probably a go between Anderson and setting up interviews with the Thunder. I just find it odd there aren’t more Collison anecdotes in the book since Young loves Collison as much as I do and I have found Collison’s voice to be the one major consistent constant in the Thunder story.
In my book I’ll pass on Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips and very much integrate Collison into the narrative. Because to me, Collison is almost as important secondary character as say Scott Brooks or Billy Donovan. But clearly, the four main characters are Presti, Durant, Westbrook, and Harden even in absentia. The trade will always define this story regardless of who writes a book.
I’m not a Flaming Lips fan. You couldn’t pay me enough money to sit through one of their concerts. Good lord. Does this band have a best song? If ever there was testament to the Peter Principle…this band illustrates the validity of the PP. I could care less if Anderson finds Coyne symbolic to the dysfunction of Oklahoma City. I’m sure as a writer I could go to the bus station and find other dysfunctional Oklahoma City souls. I couldn’t believe he shared the rainbow street painting story. That’s usually the sort of thing boys in the early stages of puberty do. For such a well written book otherwise…this was a letdown. I’m surprised his wife didn’t tap him on the shoulder and say ‘pass’.
But I kind of get it…as it ties to the explosion of the Plaza District and the whole Oklahoma City story into place somewhat. You probably need some shit like this to sell some books to the millenials.
I found the chapters on Clara Luper and Stanley Draper to be excellent though.
I plan on writing some things on here as far as racism in Oklahoma myself since I know locals like Barry Tramel and Royce Young aren’t allowed to write such things. This clearly is the huge advantage of having an obscure rogue blog. You can openly be honest with your writing. You can write Donald Trump is a racist birther motherfucking douchebag and it doesn’t matter. There’s something to be said for that and it’s also why a NY Times writer had to write this book in stead of one of the regular OKC writers who cover the team. Just to be clear…I don’t think Young and Tramel are racists. They’re both good guys, but there are just certain things which aren’t tenable for mainstream writers in OKC to write or say in public if they want to remain popular..
Anyway, here’s the Wayne Coyne house in a part of Oklahoma City where prostitutes and drug dealers once roamed and still do to a lesser degree. I could tell you this, Pauli would take one look at this place and say to me,” Mike, I love you and everything, but I’m not living here. I need a forest view.”