Monday, April 28, 2008

...So are the flags of our lives.

Flags are pretty cool, right? Ok so they aren't cool and I know we are probably quickly gaining the reputation of nerdiest blog on the block but we can't help it we nerd out about this stuff. I have lived in 2 states, and no I'm not referring to drunk or drunker, I'm referring to Ohio and Oklahoma. Peter has had the extreme honor of also living in Indiana for 4 years, lucky devil. So here is a little bit about the flags under which we have lived.



Ohio:


Ohio's flag is the only state flag in the pennant shape. All other state flags are rectangular. The seventeen stars represent that Ohio was the 17th state and the flag was adopted in 1902, before Oklahoma was even a state. The red and white circle represents the O is Ohio (pretty inventive, I know) and is also said to signify the buckeye for "The Buckeye State".



Indiana:


According Wikipedia the gold torch represents liberty and enlightenment blah, blah, blah...it's Indiana, honestly who cares (sorry Indiana).



Oklahoma:


Very Native Americany, composed of the Osage Nation buffalo skin shield and seven eagle feathers, which I believe represent the seven tribes that "came" to Oklahoma. It might be of interest to you that the state legislature adopted a salute to the flag in 1982, so next time you run across the Oklahoma flag just say "I salute the flag of the state of Oklahoma: Its symbols of peace unite all people". Short and sweet, what's not to like?



Oregon:



I know what you are thinking, and no Oregon does not have two flags-it has a two sided flag! And yes that is a beaver on the one side. Apparently this is the only two sided state flag in the United States, those crazy liberals are capable of just about anything. The beaver is really a special treat and the little guy/girl represents the Oregon state animal. I hope this means that beavers are to Oregon as armadillos are to Oklahoma because hands down beavers are better. Beavers have the ability to chop down trees with their teeth and then construct their own homes. Armadillos have the ability to dig and walk into to traffic.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Fast Stats!

I wanted to include some statistics about Oklahoma City and Portland. Sara says, "Sounds like some kind of nerd post!" So, let me begin the first "Nerd Post" for okctopdx.

Let's make an OKC to PDX comparison! This in no way is meant to prove one city is better than the other. It is just a chance to compare the two cities, in an objective (Sara says nerdy!) way.

OKC
Lat. 35 deg 28 min 56 sec N
Lon. 97 deg 32 min 6 sec W
Elev. 1,201 ft

PDX
Lat. 45 deg 31 min 12 sec N
Lon. 122 deg 40 min 55 sec W
Elev. 50ft

Based on the U.S. Census estimate (2006):

OKC has a population of 537,734 people
vs.
PDX has a population of 537,081 people

Total area of OKC is 621.15 square miles while the total area of PDX is 145.37 square miles.

Climate for OKC:

Ave. Yearly High/Low/Ave: 71.1/49.2/60.1 deg F
Precip.: 35.85 inches
Snow: 9.2 inches
Heating Degree Days: 3663
Cooling Degree Days: 1907
Ave high in July: 93.1 deg F
Ave high in January: 47.1 deg F
Ave winds: South at 13 mph

Climate for PDX:

Ave. Yearly High/Low/Ave: 62.6/44.5/53.6 deg F
Precip.: 36.3 inches
Snow: 6.6 inches
Heating Degree Days: 4522
Cooling Degree Days: 371
Ave high in July: 79.3 deg F
Ave high in January: 45.6 deg F
Ave winds: East Southeast at 8 mph

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Moving to The Rose City

So I think the title of our blog pretty much explains it all...we are moving to Portland!! Peter and I have decided to start a blog so we can share our experience with the ones we love, the ones we hardly even know, and the ones we hope to know in the future. So in honor of our first ever blog and the first ever post on our new blog (isn't it cute?!) I will keep it simple. Here are the nicknames for Portland via Wikipedia:

Stumptown - because of all the trees that had to be cleared to develop the city
Bridgetown - you guessed it, because of the numerous bridges
Beervana, Brewtopia, Beertown - in honor of the city's world famous microbrewery industry

According to our friends at Wikipedia staffers for George Bush, Sr. referred to Portland as Little Beirut because of all the protesters he came across during a visit. It makes one wonder what Bush, Jr. would have to say about Portland, that's if he even knows what or where Portland is.