Just an observation...

While standing in line at a retail store, I noticed a guy in front of me with the now seemingly obligatory tattoo on his calf.

And a cartoon face on the shoulder blade....

and some decoration on the back of his neck.

The other day I saw a person with an inky stain behind the ear and down on the neck. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

What I'm seeing are all these tattoos being placed on areas these people can't see on themselves without the aid of a mirror. So why go through the effort if you can't see the art?

IF I were to go through the time, planning, money and PAIN to have something permanently placed under my skin, ( I don't have a tattoo because I don't want one) by Golly I would want to be able to see it, appreciate it and remind myself over and over again why I got it and what it stands for. I want a commitment!

Instead, a lot of the time you see inked backs, designs on the dorsal region of the upper arm and decorated dimples just north of the butt crack. Why?

Is this an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of thing. If they can't see the tattoo, does that mean it doesn't exist? I get why guys and gals in the military might want to stamp themselves on the side of their bicep to identify with a particular group and pledge their allegiance. They are in harm's way every day and the desire to proudly declare Mom, God and Country as the foundations of their existence is as primal and real as it gets.

I remember an older neighbor of ours in Waco, TX (this would be around 1966-67) having a heart shaped tattoo with a scroll across it with some words I can't even begin to remember now, on his bicep. He would sit under his huge pecan tree on hot Saturday afternoons in a lawn chair, sipping Miller Ponies and all of us kids thought he was greatest. We were just young enough to almost believe he had a frog in his upper arm that could jump.

Obviously I'm missing something here. There's got to be a good reason to get a tattoo placed where you cant see it or so many people wouldn't be doing it. Maybe this is one of the reasons for the popularity of North Face. And yes, I realize I'm from an older generation, and proud of it.

...just an observation.

Just an observation...

While standing in line at a major retailer, I noticed how many cashiers hold $20 bills up to the ceiling before putting the bills in their drawer.

Of course they are holding the bills up to any source of light coming from any direction to catch a glimpse of the security thread or ribbon that indicates the bill is legit.

There must be a lot of fake $20 bills floating around for such an agressive waving of currency in the air. I noticed some cashiers were able to quickly hold the bill up over their head and see the ribbon. Some had a hard time catching the light just right and had to move their arms, hands and bill to a light source bright enough to catch counterfeiters trying to pass the funny money.

Which brings me to my point. All this waving, searching and "show" around checking your bills to see if they are real or not makes it very obvious in front of the customer and all customers that "we are checking you out!" And this leaves me thinking and feeling that the retailer doesn't trust me and that there's a good chance I could be putting one over on the cashier. And really all I'm trying to do is buy a quart of almond milk and some red food coloring for our hummingbird feeders. But hey! Maybe my pockets are full of counterfeit bills! Must be a good chance of this if all these cashiers are trained to wave money around in the air like some bachelor at a gentlemen's club.

If we agree that bills need to be checked for a security thread, lets make it easy for the cashier to do so. Maybe put a small light source at the cashier stand so the cashier can quickly and discreetly check the money. This will help 1. The store take in real money
2. stop counterfeit from being passed around 3. the cashier move people through the line quicker.
4. Keep customers from feeling uncomfortable.
5 avoid the appearance that the store doesn't trust you
6. The cashier from looking so silly holding money in the air, trying to see through it.

I'm sure there are others benefits but those are the ones that come quickly to mind.

So there you have it...put a small light of some kind at the cashier's station, (maybe one that turns on when something is held close to it, low wattage) and stop all this desperate waving around of 20s.

What do you think? Do you have a better idea? Please share.

There are a lot of good non-profit organizations in Bartlesville that do good work and make a great difference in the community.  The Bartlesville Symphony is one of those organizations.  And come to think of it, there are several really good reasons to get behind the BSO and further the arts in our proud city of Bartlesville.  Let's take a look at some compelling reasons why you should consider supporting the best Symphony in the Midwest. 1.  Get Social:  evenings of Symphony concerts are chock full of people who know how to network and enjoy time with friends and family.  Guests of the symphony have learned to use concert nights with the symphony to catch up with long lost friends, renew old acquaintances and say Hi to the buddy they saw only 30 minutes ago across town.  Kids get to play and make new friends while their parents get ready for a relaxing evening of art that delights the ears and satisfies the soul. Intermission is a highlight because of the fantastic coffees we get from Starbucks.  They are generous to a fault when it comes to giving us supplies that fill the Mezzanine with the rich aromas of fine coffee.  It's around this centerpiece that BSO guests can relax and enjoy rich Starbucks blends and hang out with fellow symphony-goers.   Serendipity often strikes and guests wind up running into other guests they either don't know or wish they knew, and now have the chance to strike up a conversation around the music just heard in the first half of the concert.  But from there conversations often turn to family, vacations, club affiliations or even business. 2.  Get Cultural:  there is no better way to add a bit of culture to your life than by supporting the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra and attending the concerts.  You'll hear music you never heard of before.  Some of the music you will be familiar with, but not sure who wrote it or what the story behind the music is.  And then there is the music you know and love and could listen to it over and over.  The BSO is a great catalyst to help broaden your musical horizons and develop your ear for music that has been produced through the ages for all ages.   3. Get Hooked Up:  the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra as an organization is always looking for people who want to get involved and help push the BSO to new levels of excellence.  And we realize Bartlesville has a great pool of talented people, of all ages, who are more than qualified to help.  You can volunteer to help during concerts with serving refreshments or greeting guests.  You could also ask to be placed on any number of committees that you think you would enjoy serving on.  You could even ask to be considered for a board position when one becomes available.  In this last example, we would highly recommend serving on a committee first so you get a chance to get involved and get to know the people and how the organization works.  So get hooked up, make some new friends and lend your expertise to the greatest symphony in Oklahoma. 4.  Get Educated:  although this goes along with culture, I think the education you get when supporting the BSO is like none other.  You'll have access to musicians, performers, music lovers and fellow musicologists who all love to share their passion for music and the arts.  Music Conductor Lauren Green also gives periodic talks before a concert, educating the guests about what they are about to hear, stories of the composer, the circumstances around how and why a piece of music was written, etc.  And the written programs are a  good way to document what you heard the night of a concert so that you may go back, find a piece you want to know more about and listen to it later.  Thank goodness for iTunes and the Internet. 5.  Get Relaxed:  if you are looking for a great way to unwind and relax, one way is to come to a Bartlesville Symphony performance.  Not that there are not rousing marches and stand-to-your-feet moments.  There are those for sure.  But the overall tone of the evenings with the BSO are ones of civility, order, tradition, and engagement. 6.  Get Proud:  I'm not sure that's good English, but it gets the point across.  There is plenty to be proud about then it comes to the Bartlesville Symphony.  The symphony has been around for over 54 years and Lauren Green, the Music Conductor, has been around for 35 of those years.  The skilled musicians this community creates is on a level unheard of for a community of this size.  And guest artist after guest artist always comment on what a fantastic symphony we have.  So there's lots to be proud of and thankful for.  7.  Get Over Yourself:  OK, I threw this one in for a funny, but also I kind of mean it.  Here's what I'm talking about.  There are probably more than several of you out there who would like to go to a concert, or would like to donate a few bucks or would even like to get involved and volunteer, but you may think you won't fit in.  Hogwash!!  The BSO is for the "common man/woman". Its existence is to help ease pain that life doles out from time to time.  The symphony is the salve that soothes the soul, regardless of your socio-economic status.  The symphony helps us all rise to a higher level of experience collectively. So don't worry about that.  Run to the opportunities the symphony offers.  The Bartlesville Symphony is what it is today because of the people who share the concert experiences, offer their bits of time and chunks of change.  You can do any of those 3 things or you can do all three.  Either way, you benefit, the symphony benefits and your community benefits. Those are some of the reasons why I think you should consider supporting and being a part of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra.   Currently we are going through our fund-raising drive and invite you to play along and participate.  The Bartlesville Symphony is selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a $5,000 travel voucher through Spears Travel.  Tickets are $10 each or a book of 12 for $100.  Ticket locations are the  BSO office,  Arvest Bank, downtown Tower location,  Osage Federal Bank 66 Frederal Credit Union Phoenix Insurance 21st Sensory Sweet P's The winning ticket will be drawn at the BSO's May concert. For more information go to http://www.bsoraffle.com If you've read this far, thank you very much.  And let me know what you think about anything I've mentioned in this blog post.  If you agree, disagree, have a comment or want to elaborate on a point, please feel free to do so in the comments below.

Last night was a great night for the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. It was also a great night for the town of Bartlesville in the state of Oklahoma in the United States of America. Chris Brubeck and Wilford Brimley came to town and along with the Bartlesville Symphony
Orchestra, lead by Music Conductor Lauren Green, reached up high on a long-forgotten shelf and opened a dusty book to tell us the story of the soldiers who were immortalized after raising the flag at Iwo Jima. This story tells us how these random few not only gave their lives on the battlefield but also gave their lives to help fund it. They went from the obscurity of being one of a million to the white-hot light being one in a million. It's a story that's hard to tell and tough to hear. But that's where Brubeck, Brimley and the Bartlesville Symphony come in. Chris Brubeck (son of jazz great David Brubeck) takes the cold hard facts and uses music to soften the blow so we can all understand our history a little better and have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid for our freedoms in America. Wilford Brimley did a tremendous job of adding gravity and grit to how the story was told. His "By God" delivery of generations ago represented the collective voice of Quiet Heroes, past and present. After the concert Mr. Brimley visited with veterans and active-duty personnel as well as all the BSO guests who came out for the concert ( you can see pictures at Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bartlesvillesymphony )

At the beginning of the concert, City Manager Ed Gordon came out to do the announcements. It was nice to see a city leader have a part in the production. I thought that was a nice touch. Then, after Board Member Susan Burris presented the new fundraising information for the Symphony, BSO General Manager Lee GrothOlson introduced the survivors of Iwo Jima who were in attendance. They were: Arles Cole - Navy
Lonnie Cook - Navy
Gerald Sears - Marines
Bob Radebaugh - Marines
Earl Vaughn - Marines
Gene Greb - Navy
R.J. George - Marines
R.L. Henson - Navy
Charles Smith - Navy
Lee White - Navy
Arlin Jenkins - Marines
Jim Gailey - Navy
Lloyd Dinsmore - Marines
Glenn Pitts - Navy (unfortunately some of the ones listed above were not able to make the concert) After the introductions, the orchestra played the theme music from each branch of the military and those who served, stood as their music was played.

A great twist to the evening's line-up was a piece written by the BSO's own Jeffery Smith called Thunderbolt March. Jeffery Smith's Dad, a Thunderbolt pilot in WW2, was there to hear his so's composition, honoring him and the many other Thunderbolt pilots who flew fighting. The first half was made up of music from VICTORY AT SEA, by Richard Rogers and AIR power, by Norman Dello Joio. The second half was Made up of Chris Brubeck's composition. What stood out in my mind of the evening's concert was a story Lauren Green related to the audience about the Thunderbolt March. I can tell you now that I am going to get the details wrong, but I think I have the gist of it down. In the Thunderbolt March, Jeffery Smith embedded a code in the music. I don't know what the code is, but it's some sort of code representing something about the Thunderbolt, or flying,...or something like that. Regardless of what the code actually spells out, I thought it was extremely clever to hide a code into the music. So, not only does the music tell a story, it calls out a signal if you know what you are listening for. Reminds me how the creators of LOST would hide the Darma Initiative code throughout the TV show and have strings of numbers that meant something, but you were to figure it out or wait for the show to tell you what it represented. Overall all it was a great night in Bartlesville and a great way to celebrate our quiet heroes.

One last thing before I go. The Bartlesville Symphony started a fundraising campaign the night of the Quiet Heroes concert in the form of a raffle. This is a great opportunity for people in the community to support their symphony. Not many communities our size have the caliber of orchestra that we are blessed with in Bartlesville. The symphony is doing a great job of democratizing the music and working to make it accessible to all. One of the tremendous benefits to going to the symphony is the social aspect. The concerts are a fantastic meeting place for family and friends. The intermissions are always lively and full of guests catching up with one another. With the hectic pace of everyday life, it's nice to be able to go somewhere with family and friends and slow down just long enough to have a good conversation and enjoy the music of yesterday and today. I think a lot of people come out to the concerts so they can stay in touch with one another and enjoy the happy moments when they run across someone they haven't seen in awhile. I know the board works very hard to make sure all our guests feel welcome and comfortable. This is part of the overall experience we believe our guests are looking for when they come hear the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra.

So if you would like to help be a part of the excellent experience of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, go to www. BSORaffle.com for more information. The raffle is for a trip valued up to $5,000. Raffle tickets are available at the BSO office, Arvest Bank (downtown location) Osage Federal Bank, 66 Federal Credit Union, Phoenix Insurance, 21st Sensory and Sweet P's.

I would like to hear from you if you went to Saturday night's concert. Please leave your comments in the Comments section below.

Sometimes we get so focused on our kids making it to the big leagues that we forget to spend the time and bounce the ball.

Have fun with your kids. Keep it simple.

Bounce the ball.

Tonight Celeste and I are going to the movies. Wondering if we should see ACT OF VALOR or SAFE HOUSE.

This is the commercial everyone will be talking about tomorrow...

Will you?

Here are my top picks from tonight's Superbowl commercials.

#1

#2

#3

What do you think? What were some of your favorites?

This is a 1 minute video I shot while on my way home from work. I had run across a video challenge on the video website Vimeo. The challenge was to shoot a video for 1 minute, no camera movement, just ambient sound and naturally occurring lighting. So here is my answer to that challenge.

This is a video of my shadow against the wall at St. Luke's church with landscaping lighting creating the shadow. My wife says it looks like a picture if a monster. Thanks Celeste :)

If you were to shoot a 1 minute video, what would your subject be?

Have a great day,
Scott Milam Townsend

In these last few weeks of health and nutrition coaching, one of the things that has impressed me most is the power of listening...