All Around Town

2009.
I think a lot of people will look back on this past year, and have plenty of memories, but not ones we willingly hold on to.

Start with a Mortgage Crisis and a global economic collapse, and there wasn’t a ton of optimism for the final year of the decade. But there was plenty of sunshine coming off the election of Barack Obama as our nations 44th president, but with a lot of things that came into fruition this year, time will tell.

We became friends with words like Swine Flu, Octomom, and Pirates, but 2009 might be remembered for things we lost more than what we gained.

Locally Wayman Tisdale, Oral Roberts, and Walter Cronkrite touched the hearts of many Oklahomans. Entertainment lost faces of the 1980’s in Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, and John Hughes. The world lost greats like Edward Kennedy, Les Paul, Arturo Gatti, Harry Kalas, Paul Harvey, and various celebrities like Billy Mays, Ed McMahon, David Carradine, Chuck Daly, and Danny Gans.

The 2009 Sports landscape… yeeesh… From Bradford’s shoulder and Gresham’s knee to Free Dez and the Thunder’s rough first season, it was a tough year. But a lot of positive sparks were produced, including an OSU Cotton Bowl, the emergence of Oklahoma’s defense, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefalosha, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka becoming household names.

I don’t know what I will remember most from ‘09. But there are plenty to chose from, Carrie Prejean Controversy, Jerome Ersland and the Drug Store Shooting, Jessica Alba’s love of Sharks, U2 playing Norman, Obama’s Inaguration, MJ’s Death,…

2009 is over, and it was much better than 2008. 2010 could me something amazing… so lets see, and hope for the future!

So now that the world is enamored with Blu-Ray, Wii, iPhone, Zhu Zhu Hamsters…

Have we all gone mad?

I realize that there is always a desire to advance and evolve, but its getting a bit crazy. Can we all agree to just stop with Blu-Ray? I really dont want to restart my collection, again… But then again, just 15 years ago, the internet required a phone line and a squawky connection that could wake the dead. Now we can get on the internet on our phones and launch missiles at KRYZHFSEASDASTAN…

So why hasn’t the rest of civilization caught up with the advances made in technology? If the car industry had advanced at the same rate as the computer industry, cars would hover, cost $1000, get 250 miles to the ounce, and drive themselves.

Maybe humans are just stubborn, or hypocritical… we expect advances in medicine, technology, and science, yet we continue to fear change. Stupid people breed faster than the rest, thus dumbing down society, and we seem to be OK with it. We tell people they are free to live their lives the way they want, then slap them down with draconian rules and ideals.

Here’s hoping we create advances in humanity in 2010.

Although this upcoming MAPS vote really doesn’t do a lot for me personally, it helps the community. Just like every vote before Tuesday, I don’t believe I have been affected by much of anything on the ballot, but its for the better of us, therefore I am for it.

So in 24-30 months when the next MAPS vote pops up, here are a few things I would like to see…

A true farmers market.
Or at least a place for people to hawk their crap instead of the mall. Seriously, when did the mall become a flea market? I realize the economy is iffy right now, but are malls that hard up for cash they will let anyone set up a tent and hawk their stuff? Maybe I just want a resurgence of the Flea Market, but you get my point.

Expanded bus service.
It never fails if I decide traffic is too jacked up on the interstate, I elect to take backroads home, only to get stopped by empty city busses making stops on major streets, slowing down traffic. If more people rode the bus, I really wouldnt have an issue with getting stopped behind one on the street. Truth be told, if city bus service was expanded with more routes and stops, I would ride the bus. Especially to events in downtown.

Mutli-use stadium near downtown OR renovations to Taft Stadium
I broadcast a couple high school football games from the once grand Taft Stadium, and it made me hurt on the inside that we allowed such a great relic to fall by the wayside. Taft was once the epicenter of sport in OKC, from car racing to football, if it was big, it was at Taft. While a 10-15,000 seat multi-use stadium south of the Oklahoma River might be more financially sensible, part of me wants to hold onto SOME tradition.

A medium sized theater
Ever since the fall of the Tower Theater, OKC has really lacked a GREAT concert venue. The Diamond Ballroom gets you up-close and personal with your favorite artists, but the site is less than desirable. The Coca-Cola Events center is a good multi-use facility, but it lacks a soul. A carbon copy of Tulsa’s Brady Theater is something I REALLY want, and if I ever win the lottery, will be on my list!

Let us know what you think at the message boards.

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