My Birthday, Thanksgiving in Dallas, Bedlam

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me..... I am 36 years young today. I know a lot of people don't like birthdays but I do. They are never guaranteed (especially as you get older) so why not embrace them. Kind of different this year as I am used to celebrating them with my family but I did get a call from my parents earlier this morning and talked with them for a while.






Last year I turned 35 and had to work the Sonics game and jersey #35 Kevin Durant went out and scored what was then his career high 35 points in a Sonics victory. It was a Friday night and many of us capped it off with a big night at Jalisco's in Seattle. This year's birthday will be a little less eventful but I will still enjoy it.


Had a nice Thanksgiving (see pics). We had a Thunder game the day after therefore going to Seattle wasn't really an option so I did the next best thing and drove to Dallas to watch the Seahawks play the Cowboys. My friends Nicole, Amy F and Amy T from Seattle flew down to Dallas so I hopped in the car and drove 220 miles to join them on Wednesday. Got into town around 7:30 on Wednesday night and then joined the ladies for dinner before going to a nice local outdoor bar for a few drinks.

Woke up on Thanksgiving morning and decided to get a jog in before the game. I decided that I wanted to go by Dealey Plaza to visit the site of JFK's assassination. Wasn't even sure if we were anywhere near the location and it turns out we were about a mile and a half away. The strange thing is I had to ask 4 different people where the location was. I asked the valet if he knew where it was a he very politely admitted to not knowing Dallas very well. HOW WELL DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW DALLAS IF YOU LIVE THERE AND SOMEONE ASKED YOU ABOUT THE LOCATION OF ONE OF THIS COUNTRY'S MOST INFAMOUS HISTORICAL EVENTS. I then asked two people at the front desk and they had never heard of Dealey Plaza. Finally another valet came by the desk and started to give me directions. One of the ladies at the front desk finally realized what I was asking when she overheard me mention JFK. She said "oh, you mean the grassy knoll area, I know where that is". Moral to the story, don't refer to it as Dealey Plaza when in Dallas. Went for a nice jog to the location and ran in place while one of the locals showed me a spot on the ground where one of the bullets hit. Didn't get any pictures since taking a camera on a run isn't easy.

Drove over to Texas Stadium and did some great tailgating with the Seattle trio and all of our new Dallas and Seattle friends. They have an area called the "Corral" which is a gated area right next to the stadium that has concessions, TVs and live entertainment. Cost was $5 and it was worth it. I did manage to buy a large turkey leg (see pic) just so that I could say that I had Thanksgiving turkey. Wasn't that good but it made me feel a little more traditional.

The game wasn't very good for the Seahawks as the Cowboys won 34-9 but I still had a great time. The girls bought their tickets months ago, way before I knew I was going to move to OKC so I bought a scalped ticket that was located 34 rows from the field in the corner of one of the end zones (see picture). Sat next to some very nice people. On my right was a guy and his college son who both live in the OKC area. On my left was a nice couple and I spent much of the game talking to all of them about my experiences since moving. There were a few fans in the area that were giving me a bad time but most of the fans were great. Texas Stadium was built in 1971 and this is the last year that the Cowboys will play there as they are building a new state of the art stadium across town. Texas Stadium is old and the time is probably right for a change but it has some great football history and I'm glad I was able to say that I saw it before the wrecking ball pays a visit. Went back to the Corral after the game and danced to the live music of LeFreak, a cover band that was playing a lot of 1970s and 1980s music. Drove home afterward, stopped at Denny's in Ardmore, Oklahoma at 11:00 for my "Thankgiving Dinner" and arrived home at about 1:30 in the morning. Oh yeah, it was raining when I got home so I felt rain drops for the first time in about 4 weeks.

Friday night, another Thunder game and another loss. I was very concerned about this game as I was short staffed, primarily for two reasons: 1) many college students left town for Thanksgiving 2) Bedlam weekend. Bedlam is the Oklahoma version of Apple Cup, Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State in football. Oklahoma State is having a great year so this was probably the most hyped Bedlam game since Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 and was all everyone talked about all week. I have people working for me that also work for both athletic departments so many of them were very busy this weekend. Anyway, we were able to gather up enough people for a crew and made it through the game.

After the game I got dragged out to the Skyy Bar which is probably the most trendy nightclub in downtown OKC. Anyone that knows me knows I am not a fan of night clubs as many of the patrons are a little too pretentious for me. I really didn't want to go but part of me was curious and one of our people had a connection to get us in for free so I went and actually had a really good time. There just seemed to be a little less attitude than in some of the Seattle clubs I have been in. Not sure I will be a regular at the Skyy Bar but I would not object to going back.

Stayed home last night and watched Bedlam from the couch. Final Score: Oklahoma Sooners 61 and Oklahoma State Cowboys 41.