Author Archives: Okie Beyond borders

Why do those guys talk like that?

Who’s correct here? People north of the Canadian border or south? And I am talking correct pronunciation of certain words. When speaking of living in a house is it howse as the southern neighbors pronounce it or howoose as the northern neighbors pronounce it. When pronouncing the word about is it abowt or is itContinue reading “Why do those guys talk like that?”

Less product for more money.

Shrinkflation. What is it? I generally am not litigious but I very much would like to sue the fashion industry. They too have jumped on this “shrinkflation” concept. Reduced product size but selling at the same old price. As you might have noticed with other consumer goods that they are becoming less in size orContinue reading “Less product for more money.”

There are no Starbucks on Mars.

Mars or bust. Why are we in such a fever to go to Mars? Couldn’t we be just as happy going to the Moon? The Moon is so much closer. Just think of all the money that could be saved by only flying to the Moon. Possibly we might find Martians on the Moon. IsContinue reading “There are no Starbucks on Mars.”

How does this mahogany box work?

Our very first television. It was 1952 on Simmons Avenue in East L A not that far from the Willard Battery factory water tower and just downwind from the B. F. Goodrich tire factory. The latest electronic marvels had entered our Okie home. Once television was brought into our tiny East Los Angeles Livingroom entertainmentContinue reading “How does this mahogany box work?”

Opening the curtains of theater of the mind.

Radio comes full circle. I must had been about four-years-old when I became aware of radio. Radio mostly broadcast live from New York, Chicago, and from my hometown of Los Angeles or Hollywood. And back then it was not referred to as “Old-time radio.” Or as some call it today, ‘OTR.’ Some programs were broadcastContinue reading “Opening the curtains of theater of the mind.”

So here I was listening to the horrible news while eating my Cheerios.

I was sitting at the kitchen table while mindlessly eating breakfast when listening to Morning Edition early one September day. Bob Edwards had just introduced Susan Standberg with an NPR piece she had produced. She started talking but suddenly was faded down and Bob Edwards came back on the air and said it seems thatContinue reading “So here I was listening to the horrible news while eating my Cheerios.”

won’t be gone for long.

Dear readers of this blog. For the next ten days or so I will be out of office. Out of pocket. Away from this blogmafacation. My wife, Sheba, and myself will be away on vacation. We will be gone to protect our grandkids from their abusive parents. How dare they expect our tender little grandiesContinue reading “won’t be gone for long.”

Ronald Reagan brought an end to it all.

Fall 1962 I started my freshman year at East Los Angeles College. A community college under the oversite of the Los Angeles Unified School District. At that time the total enrollment of students for both day and night classes at ELAC were about 10K.After filling out the required forms and papers then selecting my desiredContinue reading “Ronald Reagan brought an end to it all.”

How did we ever make it out of Junior High?

Junior high boys are the most peculiar barbaric animals observed in the human world. And I am speaking boys of my own generation. Not middle school boys of the recent generations. And speaking of middle school I’m not really sure why we went from junior high designation to middle school classification. We societal wonks areContinue reading “How did we ever make it out of Junior High?”