OK, America.  We're not exactly in the center of your world, maybe on the fringe of the fringe.  That doesn't mean Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, hereafter OKC, don't have something to offer you – like the charm of our local geo-political weirdness.

OKC is huge, the 2^nd largest city in the country in terms of geography.  This means, if you live where I do, it is unclear which governmental authority is supposed to deal with the dead Doberman in the pool of the vacant house down the street.

That pooch kept floating until the 1,800 sq. ft. brick home was sold for around $100K, a price more in keeping with Oklahoma's low cost of living than the alleged chemicals in the new homeowner's bloodstream.

Pockets of the city are always trying to break their political chains to OKC or come on board for those great services like dead dog removal.  We have a lot of elections about things like that here.  And a while back, vast herds of elected officials were judged guilty of accepting bribes.  Some were sent off to jail with parties and good wishes.  Morality is what you make of it, even in the Bible Belt.

Our good news is that OKC is on the cutting edge of civic planning.  We host delegations from other cities wanting to do what we are doing.  A fully paid up $300M+ capital improvement program called MAPS, Metropolitan Area Projects, changed the face of downtown.  We got new and improved public buildings and a delightful canal.

Of course, we still have cock fighting. It's illegal now, but supporters think it shouldn't be a felony.

And this is not our state song, you all know our state song, but it is legit: "I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred, and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead."

Clearly, little is sacred.  Or there's something in the water, which mainly comes from a lake where good ole boy Barry Switzer once opened a restaurant to nourish our inner Bubbas.

Point of information: The names of the hundreds of lakes in Oklahoma and Texas are rarely used in conversation.  They are all referred to as "The Lake," as in "We're going to The Lake and you can't come."  Lake Eufaula, by the way, has a Bigfoot.

Each region has something unique that sets it apart.  For example, only Greenwich in the UK and my Oklahoma have named their local, longitude-type meridians, the Prime and Indian Meridians respectively. You didn't bother to name yours.

And we've got the Oklahoma National Memorial.  Not all of us were victims or heroes.  Some of us were simply witnesses.  Late for work, I was driving south and saw smoke curling across the sky.  Early reports suggested a gas explosion, but you remember what happened here.

Wounds heal.  Memories fade.  Memorials are important for the survivors and for history.  Memorials provide catharsis.  They become tourist destinations.  Memorials and the events they commemorate become part of our mythos and part of our forever.

We didn't want to become unique because of a tragedy.  We didn't get a choice.  That one city block has become hallowed ground, sanctified with blood and tears.  You need to experience it with us.  We want to share our stories with you.

And we want to share the good and positive things we enjoy – like the nightly coyote music at Black Mesa State Park or the Azalea Festival in Merle Haggard's Muskogee.

OKC and Oklahoma are Everytown and Everystate, but they are also special, just like your home.

We may never be big time, but who knows what wonders lurk in a garage in Bug Tussle?  In the meantime, we've got weirdness and charm and memories.

Dare to go Bear