First place things first today

We at the Central Command of Oklahomily would like to use the occasion of our 901st post to offer our congratulations to Miss America Lauren Nelson, of Lawton, Oklahoma. Normally the Miss America pageant flies beneath our radar but for two years running Miss Oklahomas have taken the national title, thus our home-state pride trumps our traditional indifference.

Last year's Miss America, Jennifer Berry, was from Jenks, a suburb of Tulsa within a 10-minute drive of our command post. Lawton's a bit further down the pike (literally, I-44 and two toll roads, the existence of which could prompt a lengthy dissertation on the evil of a state government promising that toll roads will be made free someday, but this is not the proper forum for that rant, so we return to the gals and say) "ah, but an Oklahoma rose in any other burg is still an Oklahoma rose!"

(Shown above is Lauren, receiving her crown from Jennifer.)