When the east meets the west

When the civil war in Oklahoma breaks out, I will be a west sider. Growing up in the northeastern part of the state for the first eighteen years of my life, I had no idea what the heck was the BC Clark Christmas jingle. In fact when I came to college a friend of mine from this side of the state admitted to thinking that this song was actually a Christmas song and sung throughout the world. Oh, dear!

Therefore, in the event that one must show their allegiances to one side of the state or the other, simply ask them if they know the BC Clark jingle. If they do and can recite it from memory, there is no doubt that they are on the west team.

This jingle is a legend around these parts. For more info for all you outsiders, please visit the BC Clark website devoted to the jingle. The one question that I still have is: Does anyone know the actual date of their anniversary?

You know, it's not the first time that the state has been divided in half -- remember old Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory? Well, I used to be a part of IT and now I'm OT.

Another way to settle the debate on which side of the state you might team up with can be determined by defining the word "puredee." If you know what the heck this means, then you most likely grew up on the west side of the state, or at least anywhere other than northeastern Oklahoma.

Last week T. Boone Pickens told a story about his wife and this okieism. She asked him to define and spell puredee. As he was telling the story many in the audience started chuckling, while I sat there trying to figure out if he was trying to pronounce pretty with an Okie accent. Since I now know the meaning of puredee (despite my east side upbringing), I don't want to give it away in case I am asked to identify my allegiance. So if you don't know what it means, you're on the other side.

If there are an Okies out there that feel the need to add any other items which might identify you as an east sider or a west sider, feel free to share. I'm back to humming this silly tune that has warped my brain.