Horribly singing songs for T. Boone Pickens

Quick line from "Damn Regret" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to give a nutshell summary of what I felt tonight when I walked outside.

The moon is shining bright; the mood is feeling right

And now, onto tonight's post.


I auditioned for my school's fall musical, Once Upon A Mattress, today. The acting part wasn't too horrible, but my singing was miserable. I have major fears of singing in front of people I don't know andI can't read music to save my life (and so I can't do impromtu singing of songs I don't know). Both of those things were major factors in my 0.1 out of 10 singing abilities tonight. I think when the practices get going and stuff I'll be more comfortable with it and have no problems. I was one of 2 guys to audition today, and so I'm sure I'll at least get a minor part (which is totally fine with me). There is one male for sure that hasn't auditioned yet, but he's a complete shoe-in.

The greatest part of my audition was when they had me read for the part of the mute king. It was fun trying to act out everything instead of speaking, and the part only has 5 speaking parts at the max. On that note, the only down side is that there's a song as part of a trio. Like I said, maybe when I get more comfortable it won't be too bad.


There's really only one more thing I want to blog about tonight, and that would be T. Boone Pickens. In the past, Pickens has given away money to quite a few charities: Texas Scottish Rice Hospital for Children ($8 million), Katrina victims ($7 million), UT Southwestern Medical Center ($2 million), and the T. Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State ($1 million). He could've given money to help out many things in his surrounding community. Oklahoma ranks in the bottom third of all states in infant death, child health insurance coverage, and child neglect. And one of out seven Oklahomans is at risk of going hungry. So what's his latest venture? Big bad Boone Pickens wrote his most recent check out to be the biggest in the history of the NCAA by giving $162 million to the Oklahoma State football team, very little of which will go to other sports.

When asked why he did it, Pickens said, "'Cause I want to. That's the blood, guts, and feathers of it." It's been a whole two years since he paid for the last improvements to Boone Pickens Stadium, and yet he believes the football program was in "an urgent situation that needed big dollars." How can this guy sleep at night when the new athletic complex is going to relocate 250 nearby families. Oklahoma State is giving these people a piddly $300 bonus for every year they've lived in their house.

I agree with Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly when he says, "Some people think they ought to name the whole school after Pickens. Boone Pickens University. Well why not? He's handpicked the athletic director, the football coach, everything up to the curtains in the suites. Plus, all the money he donates to the school goes straight back into his wildly successful BP Capital energy hedge fund. Which means he gives the money with one hand, manages it with the other, and decides how to spend it with, I don't know, his teeth?"

This guy may be a successful businessman, but he's definitely doing the wrong things with his money. A professor at OSU explained how departments at the school are in "basements, dorms, attics, and condemned buildings." If Pickens really wants to keep his donations inside of the OSU boundaries, he could at least help out the academics.


Word from the Frontline: I'm dandy....thanks for asking....