Bowl Picks Are In!

Final Bowl Count

NO PRIZE Co-Champs - Mike Duncan, Eric Houck (21)
3rd Place - Julie Duncan, Hunter Houck, Cassie Duncan, Babs O. (17)
7th Place - Melissa Duncan, Ashley Duncan, Jordan Duncan (15)
10th Place - Greg Duncan (13)
11th Place - Tim Duncan (9)

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Tis the season to be jolly, for warm and fuzzy feelings, family get-togethers and good will toward men - and for hard hitting grid iron action! And so we've requested everyone's picks for all the BCS Bowl games starting this evening with the Poinsettia Bowl featuring Northern Illinois & TCU. We've even got an Olson chiming in - so shame on you Duncans that didn't get your votes in on time! Maybe we'll give you some leeway if you can still make it before 6:00 this evening when the game starts!

Here are the choices. We'll give a tally of how everyone's scoring periodically throughout the course of the Bowl Season! The person with the most correct picks at the end receives a fabulous Duncan Family No-Prize! Good luck to everyone!

(-> denotes winner)
__________

Poinsettia Bowl
Northern Illinois - Cassie, Ashley, Jordan, Hunter, Tim
-> TCU - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Eric, Babs O., Mike

Las Vegas Bowl
-> BYU - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Ashley, Jordan, Tim
Oregon - Cassie, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Mike

New Orleans Bowl
-> Troy - Melissa, Cassie, Hunter
Rice - Greg, Julie, Ashley, Jordan, Eric, Babs O., Tim, Mike

PapaJohns.com Bowl
East Carolina - Melissa, Tim
-> South Florida - Cassie, Eric, Hunter, Greg, Julie, Ashley, Jordan, Babs O., Mike

New Mexico Bowl
-> San José State - Melissa, Jordan, Julie, Ashley, Tim
New Mexico - Hunter, Eric, Greg, Cassie, Babs O., Mike

Armed Forces Bowl
-> Utah -
Tulsa - Eric, Hunter, Melissa, Cassie, Jordan, Ashley, Greg, Julie, Babs O., Tim, Mike

Hawaii Bowl
-> Hawaii - Melissa, Cassie, Ashley, Julie, Jordan, Eric, Hunter, Babs O., Tim, Mike
Arizona State - Greg

Motor City Bowl
-> Central Michigan - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Eric, Babs O., Tim, Mike
Middle Tennessee - Cassie, Jordan, Ashley, Hunter

Emerald Bowl
UCLA - Melissa, Greg, Ashley, Jordan, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Tim, Mike
-> Florida State - Cassie, Julie

Independence Bowl
Alabama - Hunter, Tim
-> Oklahoma State - Melissa, Cassie, Eric, Greg, Julie, Jordan, Ashley, Babs O., Mike

Holiday Bowl
-> California - Cassie, Eric, Mike
Texas A&M - Melissa, Hunter, Jordan, Ashley, Greg, Julie, Babs O., Tim

Texas Bowl
Kansas State - Cassie, Ashley, Jordan, Babs O.
-> Rutgers - Melissa, Hunter, Eric, Greg, Julie, Tim, Mike

Music City Bowl
Clemson - Melissa, Cassie, Greg, Jordan, Julie, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Mike
-> Kentucky - Ashley, Tim

Sun Bowl
-> Oregon State - Melissa, Julie, Ashley, Hunter, Mike
Missouri - Greg, Jordan, Cassie, Eric, Babs O., Tim

Liberty Bowl
Houston - Cassie, Greg, Julie, Babs O.
-> South Carolina - Melissa, Jordan, Ashley, Eric, Hunter, Tim, Mike

Insight Bowl
-> Texas Tech - Melissa, Greg, Jordan, Julie, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Mike
Minnesota - Cassie, Ashley, Tim

Champs Sports Bowl
-> Maryland - Greg, Hunter
Purdue - Melissa, Cassie, Eric, Jordan, Julie, Ashley, Babs O., Tim, Mike

Meineke Car Care Bowl
-> Boston College - Cassie, Greg, Eric, Hunter, Babs O., Tim, Mike
Navy - Melissa, Julie, Jordan, Ashley

Alamo Bowl
-> Texas - Cassie, Julie, Greg, Jordan, Eric, Hunter, Babs O., Mike
Iowa - Melissa, Ashley, Tim

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia Tech - Melissa, Cassie, Greg, Julie
-> Georgia - Eric, Hunter, Ashley, Jordan, Babs O., Tim, Mike

MPC Computers Bowl
Nevada - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Tim
-> Miami (FL) - Eric, Hunter, Ashley, Jordan, Cassie, Babs O., Mike

Outback Bowl
-> Penn State - Cassie, Julie
Tennessee - Melissa, Greg, Jordan, Ashley, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Tim, Mike

Cotton Bowl
Nebraska - Melissa, Cassie, Greg, Julie, Babs O., Tim
-> Auburn - Hunter, Eric, Jordan, Ashley, Mike

Gator Bowl
Georgia Tech - Cassie, Jordan, Ashley, Hunter, Tim
-> West Virginia - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Eric, Babs O., Mike

Capital One Bowl
-> Wisconsin - Cassie, Melissa, Eric, Babs O.
Arkansas - Greg, Julie, Ashley, Jordan, Hunter, Tim, Mike

Rose Bowl
-> Southern California - Cassie, Jordan, Ashley, Babs O., Mike
Michigan - Melissa, Greg, Julie, Hunter, Eric, Tim

Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma - Eric, Hunter, Greg, Julie, Ashley, Jordan, Babs O., Tim, Mike
-> Boise State - Melissa (I take no pleasure in getting this right), Cassie

Orange Bowl
Wake Forest - Melissa, Tim
-> Louisville - Greg, Julie, Jordan, Ashley, Eric, Hunter, Cassie, Babs O., Mike

Sugar Bowl
Notre Dame - Melissa, Julie, Jordan, Ashley, Tim
-> LSU - Eric, Hunter, Greg, Cassie, Babs O., Mike

International Bowl
-> Cincinnati - Jordan, Julie, Ashley, Hunter, Eric, Babs O., Mike
Western Michigan - Melissa, Cassie, Greg, Tim

GMAC Bowl
-> Southern Mississippi - Cassie, Julie, Eric, Hunter, Babs O., Mike
Ohio - Melissa, Greg, Jordan, Ashley, Tim

BCS National Championship Game
Ohio State - Greg, Julie, Hunter, Babs O., Tim, Mike
-> Florida - Melissa, Cassie, Eric, Jordan, Ashley

Our annual trip to see the Chickasha Christmas lights and who should we run into but... And when we met some say, his heart grew three sizes that day.

KFC = Klerks Forget Courtesy

I am spitting mad. I mean actually spitting. I'll have to clean that up later. And it all has to do with KFC, ya know the place that decided that if they cut their name back and went with only initials that we, the public, are stupid enough to forget that the word FRIED is in their name. "KFC . . . Look kids, they's a health food joint now, Yeehaw!!!" Back to the spitting mad part.

Last week, Cassie and I decided we wanted a nice chicken dinner after Choir practice (I was having a pretty bad day and hey their chicken isn't fried anymore, so why not?) So I drove up to the drive through in my run down, ramshackle Ford which rattles, hums and spits. If that weren't enough, my car windows no longer roll down so I have to open my door to order and that of course sets off the dinger which "Dings" incessantly reminding me that I left my keys in the car and my lights are on!! So I was speaking a little louder than normal because I was talking over the car, but I was not yelling. Before I got two words out of my mouth the teen on the other end interrupts and says quite rudely:

"Maam, your shouting my ear off so STOP IT" Basically she told me to Shut Up. Me. A customer. So I said back to her. "I'll just go some place else." Granted that's not a really good come back, but I was shocked!! Who taught her how to speak to customers like that. By the time I got home and got really good and mad I called the store and complained to the manager, but I'm sure that did a whole lot of good. So then I called the 800 number to complain to the Colonel himself. After being told that he had passed (God rest his Kentucky Fried Soul) I talked to the next person in charge and was told the complaint would be passed on. Hmph. Probably to the same person I had just talked to earlier at the store. So basically not a whole lot got done. That's when I decided that complaining to them was not the answer. Complaining to everyone else was! Maybe when other people got wind of it, they would think twice about eating at this particular store. They would tell two friends, and they would tell two friends, and so on. . . So I'm telling my two friends and you guys.

The KFC on Lindsey stinks. They are rude, obnoxious and obviously care nothing for their customers. Oh, and by the way, they still fry their chicken . . . I've seen them. Some say a single nut job can't change the world but they have yet to see what this particular Nut Job is capable of . . . Today KFC, tomorrow . . . someplace else that is rude to me. Ah, the power!!!!

How Not to Maintain a Blog

Okay. I admit it. I am not the best organizer in the world. Thank goodness I have a head for numbers that way I do remember birthday's, dentists appointments, weddings, funerals, etc. And usually I can remember the myriad user names and passwords to my various accounts. Call it a gift . . .or a curse (demented musical stinger goes here). The curse is that since I can remember so many things, I neglect to write most things down. LIke my user name and password to this very site. Obviously, I know it now, but I had to jump through a whole bunch of hoops and a circus performer I ain't!!

So I have returned to the Duncan blog. That's means be prepared to experience my weird, goofy and sometimes sadistic brand of blog. Next Blog Subject: Satan Lives in Haileyville . . . Stay tuned.

Ashley with Camera

Ashley has taken up photography. She is using her own technique at this point.
A picture of Jordan and Daddy. The shopper cart and floor. Mommy and Hailey with Ashley's finger in the picture. Maybe she could submit some pictures to her Uncle Mike's web site?

Snow Day

It does snow in Oklahoma!
I remember growing up and the snow was eight to ten inches deep. On Thursday November 30th we received four to five inches in southwest Oklahoma. Snow drifts were in the 9 to 12 inch range. This snow was very powdery. Jordan the first time she saw it said, "Let's go play out in the sand". Pictures Left to Right: Jordan running in the snow, the blizzard in our back yard, Daddy with Ashley.

First Time Bowling

Ashley and Jordan bowled for the first time last Saturday November 18, 2006. In the picture you can see Ashley or was it Jordan (it was a team sport) watching the ball go down the lane. Hailey was also interested in why we were throwing the ball. Several times the girls would both lay belly down at the foul line and watch as the ball slowly made its approach on the pins.

The Village

On my recent trip to Wilburton I returned with the village. I remember Tim and I visiting the village often in the 1970's. The old town is showing its age. Businesses have shut down moving to the big city or overseas. I remember a Holiday Inn most likely torn down. Banners and signs on buildings no longer exist. There are not as many people as I recall living there. Citizens moving on or just getting lost through the years of change. The years of neglect and not enough residences have caused the city to show its age.

Jordan, Ashley and Hailey Duncan have revitalized the town. It is all new to them. They love visiting the village. Since Hailey started crawling she is right in the middle of her sisters.

The village is alive again!

Book Review: The Gunslinger

Just wrapped up one of my few excursions into the world of Stephen King. Melissa is a huge fan and has read just about everything he's ever written (and that's a lot of stuff!) except the Dark Tower series. I don't know why it never appealed to her. Maybe because it was a series of books and not a one-shot like his usual fare. Whatever it was, I decided to get her the first set in the series (there are seven installments now!) for Christmas last year. Tis the season, after all.

She has yet to read a single one yet.

Now I know why.

She started reading it one evening in the Spring. She had a perplexed look on her face. She tried again the next night. She then proceeded to explain how great Stephen King can craft a riveting tale... usually.

The Gunslinger, the first installment of the series, follows the path of the titular character, a man named Roland who incessantly chases after "the man in black". He crosses deserts, mountains and pitch dark tunnels in his pursuit. Sounds riveting, doesn't it? But I can't tell you for the life of me why he did it. Or why he didn't shoot the guy when he caught up with him (oh, yeah, hate to spoil it for you but he catches up in the end for whatever good it does him). I mean he was The Gunslinger after all!

But instead they spend there entire time talking at each other. Which isn't inherently bad. It would help to give the reader a clue about what they were talking about, though. I still don't know why Roland chased down this guy, who this guy was, or what exactly happened to this guy in the end. It was all just a very long waste of time, in my humble opinion.

There are hordes of King junkies out there who compare The Dark Tower series of books to The Lord of the Rings.

Well, I know The Lord of the Rings and you, sir, are no Tolkien!

NFL Picks

This NFL season Greg, Julie, Jordan and Ashley are picking our NFL teams week to week. Hailey decided to sit out this season. So far it is a close race. After week ten our correct pick percentage is: Greg 60%, Julie 50%, Jordan 55% and Ashley at 62%. In week ten Greg picked 12 out of 16, Julie 12/16, Jordan 8/14, and Ashley with an off week of 7/14. In week five Ashley had 12 out of 14. She picked Green Bay over St.Louis in a close one that went to the Cardinals (23 to 20). Her other lost that week was picking Tennessee over Indianapolis. The Colts came back in the 4th to win that one 14 to 13. Ashley picked 12/16 in week two. Weeks seven thru nine she was 10 out of 14 each week. Dallas is an automatic pick (grandpa's team). Although I've noticed the girls are not picking Dallas each week. How are your teams doing?

Yeah, it's been awhile...

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long while. I guess we've all been very busy in our own little worlds lately. Let me see if I can sum up the last couple of months.

We moved. Oh, yeah. You already knew that.

Well what you might not know is that moving can be a traumatic life event. It can rip the very fabric of one's social life apart. Friends get left behind, some never to be seen again. It's all very depressing.

But, seeing as Melissa and I have no social life or friends, we've been getting along famously! Cassie's made lots of new Friends at school and really likes her new teacher Mr. Tally. She's also been cheering for the Norman Optomist Club Football League - though she's had some issues with her coach.

Melissa's been keeping busy with working at the Omniplex on weekends every now and then, helping out with the youth program at our new church, Goodrich United Methodist, and coaching a group of cheerleaders for the Norman Optomist Club Football League.

And I've been working.

So now you're all caught up! Now... what have YOU been doing?

Plumbing Anyone?

After a week with no facilities, it looks like we're back "online" so to speak. Dad replaced the sewer line in the backyard a while ago, but he only made it as far as halfway through the lawn. It seems the rest of the line finally decided to quit on us. We had to have the rest of it replaced this week. We still have a huge trench in our backyard but the plumbers are supposed to fill that in tomorrow after the cuty inspector comes to lay his hands on it and bless it or whatever city inspectors do to sewer lines. Likely give it a cursory glance and sign something in triplicate.

Unfortunately it's one more thing to sap the bank account this summer! Besides moving expenses at the beginning of the summer and all the usual expenses involved with a 10-year-old girl who likes cheerleading, we've had two pets ill, and a car with a bum starter to fix in the past two months! Needless to say, we're glad the summer's almost over! Hopefully everything will be settling down soon.

And with less excitement - maybe there will be more time to update the blog! And I encourage everyone else to do the same!

Dashboard Cookies

We baked cookies on our dashboard today. I don't know if anyone heard the news story, but here's a link if you didn't:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14174161/

I just used the premade cookies in the refrigerated aisle so I didn't put out too much effort if they didn't work. Today it got up to 104 degrees so I thought it was a good day to test it. Greg had the car at lunch and got back late so I didn't get the cookies out until 1:50 pm. They were pretty good at 5:00, but Greg and I both thought if I set them out at 12:30 they would have been a little better. They were a little too soft in the center. The outside and top was baked completely though. The package I bought had 12 and we made six today. Maybe we'll try the other six some other day.

Lawtonian Duncans

Hailey is sitting up now! She is also starting to eat real food. She has had rice and moved on to oatmeal. She likes it best when it's mixed with a little applesauce or apple juice. Next week we move on to veggies. Pureed peas. Yum yum!

She goes for her six month appointment on Thursday. We'll see if she's still in the 90th percentile.

Jordan and Ashley have started praying. We hold hands before our meal and they say, "Thank you Jesus. Amen."

Oh, and all of them are trying to give up their naps!!

So, where is everybody? It's been a month since anything was posted. Did Tim find a job? Has Cassie found friends in the old neighborhood? Is Melissa spending all of her evenings at the omniplex? Have Mike or Alex visited at the house since you moved?

Are We Moved Yet?

Yes, it's been a long while since we've posted anything but it's also been a while since we've had the time! And it still hasn't stopped. Just as we've gotten everything moved to Norman and gotten the house to some semblance of order, we're off to Colorado for our summer vacation.

What? Doesn't everyone schedule a big vacation immediately after moving their family and every single personal material possession to a new home?

Well, we did. So we've set up Hunter to feed and water the animals and we're off to South Fork, Colorado first thing tomorrow morning!

Wish us luck!

The Monster That Ate Wagoner

Yes, the monster continues to rampage through the house. Today begins Melissa's garage sale and it's pretty much gutted the house. It's amazing how much brick-a-brack, knick-knacks, odds and ends, and absolute unadulterated JUNK one collects over the course of a couple of years. So... EVERYTHING MUST GO! HUGE LIQUIDATION SALE!

The more we sell, the less we have to move. Melissa's pretty much selling everything for a quarter.

Dad would be proud.

The Moving Monster

Well, we went to Norman this weekend to teach at the Omniplex and to take boxes down to the house. We've rented a storage unit there in town to store stuff that was in the house that we aren't going to use but that Fern still needs or Tami and Nici still want. It occurred to me that the whole house is filled with a mish mash of different owners. Some of the stuff was left when we moved in 1999. Tami and Nici came and went leaving clothes and furniture. Then finally Fern and Hoyt furnished the house the rest of the way.

As I stood and looked at it all this weekend, I was overwhelmed. I am selling most of my furniture so I thought most of the rest would be pretty straight forward. But as I stood there, reckoning the sheer immensity of it, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I never considered the items on the walls or the knick knacks on the shelves. The clothes in the closet. I was taking some stuff to storage on Saturday and Tim said "We should leave this until Mom decides what to do with it." I sighed. That means that it would be there for years! So I put my foot down and said, we can store it and if she wants it, there it will be, good as new. Tim is really hesitant to move anything out of the house that isn't his. I'm not sure I can consider the house ours if I can't "make it" ours. Ya know. That's the main reason we moved out of it in the first place.

We bought some paint so Cassie can repaint her room, and even doing that is going to be a task!

So here goes. I love each and every one of you but if there is something you want from that house please come and get it or I am going to put it in storage. You can pick it up there at anytime. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but there is TOO MUCH STUFF!!!

Man, I need some tylenol . . .

Cassie Duncan: Mad Scientist 4

The Effects of Popular Music on Plant Growth
By Cassie Duncan

My experiment is that I’m putting different types of music to plants and see who dies first and who lives. I chose this experiment because I like music and plants and it seemed creative to me.

Hypothesis:
My hypothesis was, that among the different types of music, Pop would be the best. I decided this because I like that music best. I would test my hypothesis by measuring the plant growth in centimeters.

Research:
I figured out something while I was doing the project. Some other people did the same experiment that had the exact opposite results. Dorthy Retallack, in 1968, used Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Acid Rock, East Indian and Country. One experiment said that it depended on the type of plant.

The Experiment Overview:
For the music types, I picked Pop (Metamorphosis by Hilary Duff), Rock (The Needle Lies by Queensryche), Country (Man at the Mill by the Dillards) and Classical (Fur Elise by Ludwig Von Beethoven). The reason I chose this Pop was that I really like Hilary Duff. I chose Rock because I really like Rock, also. I chose Country because everyone has to have some country and I chose Classical because I thought I might get some extra points from the music teacher.

Besides the music, I needed soil, pots and, of course, plants. I also needed measuring cups and fertilizer sticks, my I-Pod and my dad’s speakers.

I used an Alyssum plant. They are really pretty, but I’m supposed to talk about other stuff, like they are a type of mustard plant. They are purple, too. They are small and easy to grow. Alyssum are small plants, growing 6 to 9 inches tall. Alyssum like full to partial sun. I chose the plant because it was pretty and small and cheap.

I did it in the back room of Olson Insurance Agency. I did each plant for 30 minutes (Monday-Friday) except the no music plant. There was an all music plant in there, too. We plugged the speakers in my I-Pod on half the sound and the speakers at all volume. I measured in centimeters each day except for three days. I watered each plant the same and I put them in a windowsill for sun when they were not listening to music.

My first measurements were:

• A: (Pop) - 5 ½ centimeters tall
• B: (Classical) - 5 ½ centimeters tall
• C: (Rock) - 6 centimeters tall
• D: (Country) - 4.3 centimeters tall
• E: (Nothing) - 4 ½ centimeters tall
• F: (All) - 4 centimeters tall

My final measurements were:

• A: (Pop) - 8.0 centimeters tall - Grew 2 ½ cm
• B: (Classical)- 7.5 centimeters tall - Grew 2 cm
• C: (Rock) - 10.0 centimeters tall - Grew 4 cm
• D: (Country) - 6.7 centimeters tall - Grew 2.4 cm
• E: (Nothing)- 7 ½ centimeters tall - Grew 3 cm
• F: (All) - 8.0 centimeters tall - Grew 4 cm

Another interesting thing happened. In the middle of my experiment, little mushrooms started growing in some but not all of the pots. They all eventually died.

Conclusion:
The conclusion is that Rock and All grew bigger and Classical grew smallest. I guess I’m not that smart or my hypothesis was wrong.

Acknowledgments:
Melissa Duncan - for helping with the music and typing this report for me. Tim Duncan - for helping me plant the Alyssum, helping me play the music and taking some of the pictures. Also helping me with the internet to find research.
Barbara Olson - for letting me use her office and digital camera.

Bibliography:
The Gardeners Network website by Premier Star Company
Encyclopedia.com website by High Beam Research, Inc.
Music and the Brain by Lawrence O’Donnell
Groovy Plants, the Influence of Music
on Germinating Seedlings and Seedling Growth by Davis, R & P. Scott.
What is the Comparison of Rock vs. Classical Music
on the Growth of Florida Broadleaf Mustard Plants by Sonia Rowe

Melissa does her Civic Duty

I'm writing this blog so that if something happens to me (something horribly violent) I wanted everyone to know the back story. You see, last night I was sitting outside with Cassie and 3 of her neighborhood buddies when this El Camino tears past at about 60 miles an hour! Keep in mind this is a road that is usually full of bike riding children and pedestrians. It infuriated me. But then about 5 minutes later he came back (just as fast) going the other way. And I says to myself, "Self", I says, "Someone should really let the police know about this maniac. Especially with all the children that play through here!" So I called. But really, what did I have to go on. It was a two toned, El Camino (Unique, true, but hardly a real help) and it had a black male driver. So I just made a report over the phone. I kept hearing the race car wannabe zooming around the block and Tim actually was driving on the same road with him and he said he couldn't begin to keep up.

Well, today, I saw the car again at an address just down the street from me so I got his license plate number and made a detour to the police station. The reason: How can I complain about people who won't press charges or say anything because it is too much trouble if I won't get off my duff and do something? So I did. No, duff sitter, I! I filed a complaint and the driver got a reckless driving ticket. They say I might have to go to court. Was it worth it? I don't know. But how horrible would I feel if that guy hit someone tomorrow because I didn't say anything?

Of course, the police around here are pretty lax in their duties. They have decided that if the gas prices are too high, they don't really have to answer all the calls in town if they don't wanna. Or, maybe that is the sheriff's dept. Oh, well, either way, the law here in Dodge is not exactly top line. Of course, it could be that my grandfather, the former police chief, did not care for the current police chief. Any who, it would not surprise me if this guy was best friends with one of "Wagoner's Finest" and they had a good laugh over the whole ordeal. Or maybe, the guy has mafia connections and he is going to wire dynamite to my car when he finds out I "squealed like a stuck pig". Lord, I've been reading too much Stephen King . . .

So, let me know what you guys think. Would you have said something?

Moving in Progress...

So we got an offer on our home! Hurray! Now we just have to find one in houston.... We looked at 29 homes last Saturday. We found one we loved...everything about it is perfect. There's even a spot in the driveway to park the boat until we get it back in the water. We were all ready to put in an offer on it and we were driving around and decided to stop and talk to one of the neighbors. Oh yea, they are building a dang super walmart 100 ft behind our dream home! GRRR.... So...I need all of us to join together and BOYCOTT WALMART so they'll go out of business and we can buy our house!

So back to square one. :( We're looking again tomorrow...pray we find something! I'm starting to get really nervous. As of now we are set to close on May 26th but the buyers really want to close on the 12th if we can! Yea right!

Luck be a Lady Tonight

I've often wondered why I'm so unlucky. It sometimes seems that if there are 32 prizes and 33 people, I would be the one leaving empty handed most of the time. Through the years I've tried to deal with my Noluckitis as well as I possibly could. And at 29 years of age, I believe I've been able to cope with it pretty well.

But now, after last weekend and a trip to Tunica, it hit me like a bolt out of the blue. After putting coins in many slot machines and on roulette tables galore, I suddenly realized that if I were lucky at all and the aforementioned gambling devices actually paid off occasionally, I could very well be a gambling addict. Maybe I had been looking at this all wrong! So, for the rest of the weekend I was able to smile a little at each slot machine that slowly ate my money. Able to chuckle as the roulette attendant called "Double 0" when all my money rested on 17. Never a gambling addict, I! For that, I would actually need to believe I would win at SOMETHING!

Luck is a fickle mistress and moved from my house on January 8, 1996 (the day Cassie was Born) and she hasn't been back since. She doesn't even send an occasional postcard. Well, maybe she does, but with my luck, it gets lost in the mail.

Melissa "Lucky" Duncan

Cassie Duncan: Mad Scientist 3

Cassie's wrapping up her science fair project this week. The weekend will be spent working on her presentation and the fair is on Tuesday. We'll post her report, some pictures from her project and the results of her presentation soon!

Tuesday: the Science Fair.

Wednesday: the World! Muahahaha!

Interview #1

Melissa has been attempting to fill Dad's shoes as my employment consultant, sending out resumes, filling out applications, coaching me on methods of padding my resume...

We've got a number of prospects going, but still nothing definite. I've also got Mike on the hunt for legal graphics work and I've even got my pastor hunting for me. He's got a video production position in OKC for the UMC that he's trying to finagle. You know how those preachers can finagle. Like used car salesmen and attorneys.

If you'd like to contribute you can refer possible employers here for samples from my portfolio and my resume.

My first interview before the move is scheduled for Monday afternoon in OKC. It's a graphic design position at a company called The Morrison Group. Beyond that I have no other information. The interviewer seems very amiable over the phone, but they can turn on you when you least expect it, like a cornered rattler!

Wish me luck. Maybe I should bring a long stick...

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has a good holiday this weekend. If you're lucky you'll get Good Friday off. If you're not so lucky you might be attending class reunions this weekend (just keep a low profile if you attend the banquet.)

Melissa will be singing a solo for Good Friday evening service at church... no pressure. Then we're off to Norman afterward to continue "The Big Move". I had hoped to have more transported by now but at least this weekend we have several boxes to deliver. Hopefully there will actually be something in the boxes this time. The clock is ticking though. Soon it will click down and the alarm will sound.

But there is no snooze button...

30 Hour Famine

Melissa, Cassie and I will be starving ourselves this weekend. No, it's not a diet fad or a protest. It's actually a fundraiser.

The church is participating in a program called the 30 Hour Famine something that youth groups around the globe do to raise awareness for world hunger, money for hunger relief and items for local community food pantries. You can find more info here. We've been asked to help the youth at the church this weekend and of course participate in the... not eating any food for 30 hours. We start at 1:30 on Friday and go, well, 30 hours later. It's all too insane and this will be our 3rd year helping out.

I guess that's the really insane part.

We gave Cassie the option to stay with Grandma (and eat) but she said she wants in on the "fun".

So if you don't hear from us any time soon, you'll know why. We'll either have all dried up and blown away or after Saturday night we'll be parked in our local grocery store eating stuff straight from the shelves for a day and a half to catch up!

Review: Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

If anyone ever doubts the power of kiddom, just remember that this piece of animation fluff brought in 70.5 million dollars over opening weekend. 70.5 million??!!! Of course, part of that money was mine but I do have a 10 year old. We went to the drive-in to see it. Which in itself posed a problem. They play the sound over the fm radio and our boombox got every station on the planet but that one!!!! We had to open the car door (I mean who sits IN the car at the drive in?) and play it via the Honda for 2 hours.

Anyway, the story picks up where the last left off and we see that the ice is starting to melt. The animals must make it to a large log, that kinda looks like a boat, before the valley floods. Along the way, Manny, the mammoth, has began to believe that he is the last of his species and is trying to find himself. This is the serious story line in this one.

There are some pretty funny scenes like the one where Sid the Sloth aka the Fire King is being worshipped by mini sloths. But there is a lot of dead space where I think they were trying to get across something meaningful that I just didn't get! Don't get me wrong, the kids will love it! There are enough site gags to warrant that. But as the adult mind goes (I guess I have one of those) it is just not as good as the first movie.

Rating: 5 out of 10 bananas
Best Part: Can you say a mammoth who thinks she's a possum? I knew you could.
Worst Part: Skrit finally meets his maker . . . and Sid ruins it!

Review: Stay Alive

I originally went to this movie thinking it was a remake of that John Travolta 70's movie. Boy is my face red! Nope. Found out it was a horror movie about this video game featuring Elizabeth Bathory. OH, no, not the European Elizabeth Bathory who bathed in virgin's blood to stay eternally young. No, this is about the New Orleans Elizabeth Bathory who ran a finishing school for young virgins . . . I mean girls and then was walled up in her tower for brutally killing them all. I never knew!

Anywhoo, once the main characters (all teenagers who, by the way, made up the majority of the audience in our theater) start playing this game, Stay Alive, they find out that if you die in the game you will die in real life - IN THE EXACT SAME MANNER! Eaten by rabid weasels in the game? - hey, I wouldn't want to be you in real life!!! Most normal people would say, "All righty, then I'm just gonna quit playin' the game now, K? Thank you very much" Ah, but that saucy Elizabeth is right with you. If you don't play, the game plays itself and kills you anyway. No bueno!

So, the main characters wind up at Elizabeth's real finishing school in New Orleans (Pre Katrina I'm sure) and have to defeat her in real life and in the video game at the same time. That Part of the movie is kinda cool.

All in all, it could have been a whole lot worse. Someone actually did a little work on a plot in this one though no actual research on Elizabeth it would seem. There was not a whole lot of gore which is what a lot of horror movies seem to rely on nowadays so kudos to them for that. If I were you, though I would wait for this one to come out on DVD and rent it one night when there is nothing else to do.

Rating: 5 out of 10 bananas
Best Part: They don't have to worry about critics saying the SFX looked like a video game because, guess what, it was!
Worst Part: When something bad was going to happen, they played this weird farty noise that just made me laugh.

Review: Forgotten Silver

Speaking of mad scientists, if one just happened to genetically splice a typical PBS documentary program with a Saturday Night Live short film in his castle laboratory he might produce something like This Is Spinal Tap the seminal mockumentary about the faux heavy metal rock band. He'd have something just this side of tongue-in-cheek (because it's a fine line between clever and stupid), something created that laughs at itself as we snicker along with it. But it's also something that's obviously satire. But what if our Dr. Frankenstein had a sadistic side. And just happened to be born April 1. He might produce something more like Forgotten Silver.

Brought to us from the brilliant visual mind of Peter Jackson (yes, that's right the Peter Jackson only months before he was the Peter Jackson!) and fellow New Zealander and documentary filmmaker Costa Botes, Forgotten Silver brings us the story of a long lost and hitherto unknown master of filmmaking, Colin McKenzie, who just happened to herald from the land of the Kiwi as well. According to new discoveries by PJ himself, Mr. McKenzie was a pioneer, well ahead of his time, bringing the film world sound before is regularly acknowledged (but making the poor PR choice of recording the film entirely in Chinese for an English speaking public) and color (for which he was prosecuted for lewd public display as the new color film included topless Tahitian beauties wandering into view). It's all cleverly pieced together and the "old" footage is masterfully faked. Even the acting style of silent films was masterfully faked. It was all masterfully faked and if it weren't for the fact that I knew it was faked to begin with (and the preposterous sci-fi resolution of a certain pocketed newspaper) I would have said it was just masterful.

Moving from the history, trials and tribulations of a young artist in a young art to the modern quest for a long lost set he built for his grand masterpiece (his Lord of the Rings if you will) the film walks the rope between taking itself too seriously and winking at the audience, never quite doing either, unlike Spinal Tap or its ilk which spend much of their time winking, nudging and saying "no-whut-I-mean". New Zealand national pride is written all over it despite the fact that the hoax was originally played on the Kiwi public, who according to the extra documentary about the mockumentary (it all gets so confusing) didn't take kindly to being duped.

It was a little long in the tooth, as is PJ's want, particularly when presenting McKenzie's long lost opus Salome but if you consider yourself a film buff, a fan of Peter Jackson or you just like a good documentary, whether it's based in fact or not, you won't want to miss Forgotten Silver. Unfortunately it's a little difficult to get your hands on, unless you're willing to foot the bill for a new DVD, live in New Zealand or (thank goodness) have a Netflix account. Add it to your queue now!

Cassie Duncan: Mad Scientist

Cassie began her science fair project on Saturday. I'll let her tell you all about it.

What happens at Church Camp, Stays at Church Camp

Well, we made it back from camp and boy (I mean girl) what weekend. Between the nice calm small group sessions and teaching there was pranking going on galore and a Saturday night slumber party that bridged the generation gap like the Bridge over the River Kwai (don't even ask about the metaphor, I've no clue). I will never look at some of our older matrons the same way again!

It all started when the preacher, Jennifer Pasco, borrowed an old bell from 80 year old Dorothy Padgett. She would ring the bell when a session was starting, or when we needed to be somewhere. Well, that soon lost any appeal that it once had. So there were some among us that decided to steal it. And though I don't wan't to mention any names, there were some of them very close to my heart, (Barbara Ann Olson). Not only did they steal the bell, they stole Jennifer's slippers, her clock, her flashlight and short sheeted her bed. My mother stood there through the whole thing!!! Shame Shame!!!

And then they snuck into my cabin to figure out what to do with the stolen ding a ling. Now there was among us a well-known prankster who always manages to do something to someone whose name is Annette Bellis. I casually brought up the coincidental fact that Bellis has the word bell in it. They ran with it. My seed was planted and flourished. In the end a picture of a bell was drawn with a crack in it and a blindfold on it (This was drawn by a 72 year old in our cabin) Around it was written "The Bell-is gone. To catch it you need An Net" Then they gave the bell back to Dorothy Padgett (remember the 80 year old) to hide.

Annette, a good friend of mine, came up to me the next day and asked me whose idea it was to implicate her. I very truthfully said, "Well Missy Greer brought the bell in and told them what to write" Conveniently omitting the fact that I had brought her name up in the first place. She decided to get even. And the next night consisted of us sneaking away from the party with 12 rolls of toilet paper and heading toward Missy and Dorothy's cabin. There were a few rubber snakes, a few fake spiders and one whoopie cushion involved. The next morning blame fell on to Jennifer and then on Annette. BTW - For those of you wondering, it did not give 80 year old Dot a heart attack. She was the one that discovered our prank and shouted "Girls, they've TP'd us"

I, who was involved with both pranks, was never suspected. I am the Queen! Long may I live!!!

Oh, and there was some spiritual stuff too.

And our cabin was voted the most musical. We had in our midst (7 of us) 2 snorers, 1 who sang and talked in her sleep (me) and then a woman with sleep apnea who slept with an oxygen machine. It was really quite melodious. We drove one of our roomies into the shower with her sleeping bag. She slept there all night.

It was a truly Godly experience.

Hinkel Family Update

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd join in and add my own blog. We've put our house up on the market and now we're just waiting for someone to buy it. I'm already getting tired though of having to leave every day so that people can come look at our house. Its kinda eerie to think people are looking in my cabinets and closets. I'm trying to convince zac to set up some kind of a monitoring system to video the house so I can see what people are looking at and saying. Mike...is that legal? ;) Its my own house...surely it is right? Zac has found a house in Houston he likes but I haven't seen it yet so I'm not sure yet what I think. I've seen pictures and it sounds good, but its hard to really tell until you walk in a house. So that's all the excitement of our move.

Cooper is 1 now and into everything. Still not walking and at this point he has no desire. When we try and get him to walk holding our hands he pulls his knees up. Its quite funny. He's VERY independent and has a mind of his own. He does not want us helping him with anything. He actually took 3 or 4 steps on his own at like 11 months and then just decided it wasn't for him. :) He gets around faster crawling. The guy is developing such a personality...its pretty funny. I'm worried he might be a bit of a bully too! LOL At gymboree he likes to head butt the other boys (and kiss all the girls). That's about our life for now though...I work on mondays and tuesdays and the rest of the week is filled with playgroups and storytime. Its amazing how busy a 1 year old's schedule can be! He's has more social activities than I do by far!

Blog #1 (Night of the Blog)

Hokay. Here goes a blogger thing.

Right now I'm listening to Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads via Napster. They have some awesomely good music that I can listen to, but it is a real headache to try and download! Not only do you have to pay .99 per download sometimes they won't let you put in on more than 3 cds. I'm thinkin' "Hey, I paid for the dad gum thing! I can put it on as many cd's has my burner can take!!!" Go figure.

Anywho, lately my head has been swimming with medical references. Tim and I have been watching all of House MD first season (killer show if you've never seen it) and so every little ache and pain that comes along we have to diagnosis every way humanly possible! Tim's finger will hurt and I will yell "Diagnoses, people!" Of course, I don't get paid nearly as much as Dr. House.

Tim and I have decided that it would be a good idea to write down all the pop culture references we use so other people might be able to understand and roll their eyes. So as I think of the phrases we sometimes use I'll write them down.

1. "See My Power!" - Captain America Sega game circa 1991.
2. "Nothing, Nothing, Tra La La" - Labyrinth - Movie - circa 1987
3. "Is your ------- ready for another blast of my spank ray?" - Space Ghost Coast to Coast

More to come.

Melissa Goes To Camp

Melissa is off to Camp Egan near Tahlequah, OK with her mom and a slew of women from church for the weekend. They say it's a "Women's Retreat" but I think it's some illicit conspiratorial meeting complete with secret handshakes and decoder rings.

I could just be paranoid.

That leaves Cassie and me to our own devices. We plan on starting Cassie's science fair project (yeah I know, she's just a 4th grader but last week I had to help her with Geometry!) . Hopefully the cats will survive the weekend. Muahahaha!

Welcome to Much Ado About Duncans!

Hey kids! Thought I'd start a blog - you know, one of those annoying online journal thingeys that self important people with loads of time on their hands post for absolutely no one to read.

"What a great concept!" I thought to myself. "How can I get on the blogging bandwagon?" I thought to myself again.

And here I am! Or at least here we are. Hopefully this blog will include the rest of my family as well - possibly expanding to the rest of the Duncans in the great state of Oklahoma. Haven't actually let them know about it yet. We'll see. Very exclusive club, you know.

Anyhoo, until next post...