Amarillo observations

It's windy. That's one of the first things you notice here. It's so windy that the most common sign around town says "please use other door." I don't mind the wind so much, except that it makes it hard to wear my cowboy hat. I do like, however, living in a place where I can wear my Stetson and not feel out of place. Amarillo is a cowboy town and I fit right in.
The city has the size and population of Longmont and Boulder (Colo.) combined. Yet, in many ways, it has a small-town feel. Amarillo is largely an agricultural town. It's high-tech industry is limited to Bell Helicopter, a plant that destroys nuclear weapons and production of most of the world's supply of helium.
In fact, there is a road outside of town called Helium Road. It's next to Hope Road. Do you suppose that's why Hope floats? (Sorry, bad joke.)
It's strange being in a place where you can't see the mountains. You can sure see the sky. The trees here are few and small. There is a lot of wide-open space here. The people here are friendly. They're proud to be Texans. I've never been in a place where people were so proud of who they are.
I can't say that I like the water here, and neither to most Amarilloans. It's putrid. We drink a lot of bottled water. Water is a big concern here now. The area is in a major drought. It's very dry and dusty. The static electricity is, well, shocking. You get zapped a lot, especially if you wear fleece.
A few weeks ago we went to nearby Palo Duro Canyon with some friends. I never realized until then just how great a need I had to look up at rock.
One of the big differences between Amarillo and Longmont is that Amarillo wants to grow and is trying to grow. They welcome outsiders here. Our new church, Paramount Terrace Christian Church, is building a huge new facility on the outskirts of town. Our former church, Rocky Mountain Christian Church, is fighting just to expand where it is. The attitude toward growth is night and day.
As much as I love and miss Longmont, I'm glad to be here now. Now, if I can just find a way to keep my cowboy hat on outdoors ...

Take back the Oscars

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. No surprises, just disappointment. Hollywood continued its gay-theme love affair. Snubbed were all the really good movies of the year. "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" got a nod for makeup, but that was it. The pioneer in visual and sound effects was snubbed in categories the franchise practically invented. "King Kong" and "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" were also shut out of the major categories.
Obviously, Hollywood has forgotten what movies are for. Rather than recognize and honor the bread-and-butter films that its consumers enjoy, it has opted to slap the public in the face and fete its own self-serving farce. It would rather make a political statement than an artistic one.
The liberal Hollywood establishment doesn't understand the consumer nor traditional American values. But as long as we support and salute the garbage it is force-feeding us, it will continue to do so unabated. That's why I say it's time to send a message to Hollywood and take back the Oscars.
We do that in two ways. One, we don't go see the movies. "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote" will never get a dime of my money. More importantly, on Oscar night, don't watch TV. If you must watch the boob tube, watch something other than the Oscars. Make it the lowest-rated Oscar telecast in recent history. This is where we, real red-blooded Americans, can stand up and make a difference.
Please, stand with me and lets do our part to take back the Oscars and send a real message to Hollywood.