New Camera

Sun, 8 Aug 2010 16:32:23 -0500

It’s a small thing, but I just bought a new Nikon DSLR, and it’s really a revelation to snap absolutely gorgeous, photos with minimal effort. I snapped this at a recent party on a downtown rooftop near my apartment. More to follow...

Hail ... It’s the New Tornado.

Thu, 20 May 2010 00:07:42 -0500

One of the cool things about living in the middle of tornado alley is ... let’s be honest, tornadoes! Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking - I wouldn’t think they’re so great if I were actually in one, or if my house got the smack-down UFC cage-fight style by 150 mph gale force winds. So, setting all that aside, they ARE cool - good for photos, home videos, and justifying the paychecks of our local teevee weather personalities.

It is to my great surprise then, that I find myself writing about hail. There’s something so incredibly unsexy about ice relative to tornadoes. After this week, I think I’m a believer. Baseball and golf ball sized hail can be just as destructive, damaging, and dangerous as any old Oklahoma twister. And thanks to our ever increasing carbon contribution to the atmosphere (Are we up to 350 ppm yet?) I think we have many more shows to come in the future.

Check out my video on CNN iReport here, and Jeanne Moos segment on the other YouTube hail storm favorites here. My full YouTube video after the jump:

The Future of The City

Wed, 19 May 2010 23:53:51 -0500

It has been a busy week here at the USofMH! Hailstorms, tornadoes, and media exposure, oh my! For those who love urbanism as much as I do, The Atlantic Monthly has a great series up on the future of the city. The report can be found here, and my comments here. For those not into brevity, My e-mail to Conor Fiedersdorf in full:

Dear Conor, I feel it’s appropriate to take advantage of a quiet, rainy day at the office to send you a few thoughts related to The Atlantic's Future of the City report. I live and work in Oklahoma City, which I share with around 1.2 million other people - and, with the exception of a few years in France and some court-ordered visitation to see my dad in Colorado as a kid, I've lived here my whole life.

I can think of almost no other place more maligned by elites, or more undistinguished geographically than my hometown. Historically, if we're even thought of at all, it's in the context of the Grapes of Wrath, the terrorist attack in '94, or some really hideous, semi-literate policy oozing out of our state legislature almost tailor-made to snuff out the little dreams of us self-identified progressives. But yet, it works for me, and I love the city and my little life I've carved out here. It was not always so. After college, with twelve dollars in the bank, and a degree that gave me great cocktail party trivia, I bumped into the grim job market reality for people like me. (Shockingly, potential employers didn't seem impressed by my translations of Catullus). It led this natural gypsy to learn the benefits of being rooted in a place - friendships that now go back more than decade, a great lifestyle at pennies on the dollar compared to the coasts, and a professional life that lends itself very easily to having ... a life.

I wouldn't have seen this coming ten years ago, but life in Oklahoma City is getting interesting. In my new neighborhood in downtown, I'm in literally in biking distance of all of the following: beautiful, historic neighborhoods, some of the best Vietnamese restaurants and supermarkets I've been to anywhere ($2.50 will get you a great Bánh mì sandwich on an authentic, bakery fresh baguette), a great spot for urban rowing along the river downtown, art galleries, museums, locally owned pubs and restaurants, an NBA arena, a new bio-tech campus, and a new corporate skyscraper that is coming out of the ground right now and will be among the tallest in the region when its completed. It seems that cranes are literally everywhere here.

So, even though Richard Florida still haunts my dreams occasionally, encouraging me to move to Toronto, or somewhere else, I think this place still has a little bit of that American pioneer mojo that the dinosaur-juice-milkshake-drinkin' land thieves brought with them around 100 years ago. It's an interesting time to be here - and in a potentially resource, energy constrained future, I think the candle here may burn even brighter still down the road.

Lastly, you're totally spot on right about New York. I know the place with a level of intimacy that most of les New York-ais, will never know of the American hinterlands - and by hinterlands, I mean everything west of Brooklyn.

Thanks for your thoughtful interviews, and writings, for The Atlantic. I'm a fan.

Cheers,

Michael

New Beginnings

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:00:24 -0600

It’s obviously been a long time since my last blog post. I noticed after I joined Facebook, the bulk of my online recreational activity shifted to the micro-blogging and social networking aspects that FB lends itself to so easily. So, no promises on many updates to the blog from this point forward - so follow me there, citizens! I’ll still post here occasionally as a running journal of sorts for major life events and the like.

The new year finds the United States of Michael in a new home - yes, we’re no longer in Norman, and have moved to Oklahoma City, specifically, The Village, to be closer to work. I heard from a relative the surest way to increase personal happiness is to shorten the commute. It’s definitely true, I’m glad to report. Additionally, I have found a spot with a cool roommate, his boyfriend, a dog, and two cats - one of them being an exceptionally chubby kitty with a great disposition.

Other than that, I’m still single, still working away, and excited about what life holds in store in 2010.

I snapped the picture above on my drive home, Christmas Eve, 2009, during the worst blizzard in recorded history in Oklahoma.

When we Have Robot Lovers

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:47:11 -0500

This is what I want mine to look like.

Me As an Obama Poster

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:39:49 -0600

Anyone can go to this website and upload a photo to Obama-Poster-ify it. It’s really fantastic. At least an hour of fun on this one. Check it out here.

All the Pretty Horses

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:26:35 -0600

According to Perez Hilton, Harry Potter, er, Daniel Radcliffe in EQUUS isn’t doing so well on Broadway. Only 60 percent of the seats are sold, at best. And probably most insulting, banal teenage musicals are selling way better. Is it just me, or does this seem to always happen when an actor decides to rebrand themselves by being edgy. We admire the bravery by taking the role, but alas, its appears that it’s back to Hogwarts this time. Check out the entire Perez page on Potter. It’s a goodie.

Photo of the Day

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:52:23 -0600

Taken at the Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City, 9pm after the OKC Thunder vs. LA Clippers match.

Kitty!

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:03:35 -0600

Okay, you gotta admit...This is funny!
Video after the jump.

It’s All Over the Web

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:30:51 -0600

Photos and video from the Prop 8 Protest on Saturday are flooding the Web. Thanks to Andy Towle and Chris Crain for posting my pictures here and here. Both sites have an exceptionally good roundup of pictures and stories from all over the US.