Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tomorrow's Proposal

Today I review my 30 page preparation for a Thesis Proposal. I pray that it goes well, and I feel very good about the topic. In a nutshell we are exploring how external factors contribute to marital quality. I enjoy this research topic, and I actually think I may have a direction for my dissertation which is a few years off. I hope to hit the ground running on it though.

Okie Letters
In an effort to describe my feelings about my home state I've decided to assemble some fictitious letters to a lifelong Okie from an Okie who has moved away and come back. Sound familiar?

Dear Lifelong Okie,
It's good to be back in my home state. There were things I missed such as Braum's burgers, Family, and Horseback riding, but there are some other idiosyncrasies I apparently missed. 
First of all, why in the world do most Okie men find it amenable to back their cars/trucks/wagons into parking spaces rather than pull them in? Is there some sort of state law passed in the recent decade that I missed? I was honestly under the impression that we were all attending church when we parked up at the chapel and not participating in a bank heist.  Your life-long wisdom would be much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Displaced-Replaced Okie

Dear Displaced-Replaced Okie,
We're glad to have you back in the home state. You couldn't have picked a finer time as we will soon have some need of your help in putting in the garden. Something you may need a refresher on as you came from such a big city with a short growing season. If you need help with your garden please let us know, for we'll bring some family and friends along as well.
Idiosyncrasies eh?   Be careful who you use that word around, for it may cause you some pain in the form of a tight fist to the jaw. Not from me of course, but not everyone will appreciate the connotation, and will, instead, take it for it's denotation, but I digress.
I'm not sure you remember, but as kids, us boys always had our toys. Mom and Dad bought us Tonka Trucks, Loaders, Back Hoes, etc, and we demolished them into flat pieces of metal within a matter of hours. Soon they were replaced with plastic, which soon demolished into multiple peices of plastic within seconds. The bottom line was that we had toys.
I married young, and, with that, came responsibilities including bills, a job, and a family. Soon all my toys disappeared with one exception, The Automobile. In our efforts to make it fun, we Okie men developed new games such as mailbox baseball, passing on the shoulder, and installing a lift kit. Unfortunately, most of those games were eliminated as safety and family became a priority. So we have been reduced to minor car games which include not letting the teenager pass us on the right, hand gestures, and backing into parking spots.
Sure, backing a Corolla is not the same as backing a sextuple axle tractor trailer, but a guy can pretend right? 
Anyways, I hope this clarifies some of the reasons pertaining to why we do what we do. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Your cousin,
Lifelong Okie.

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