The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 70

THEOKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM 2 VI WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007 Author mycalendar TUESDAY Art Adventures, Children age 3 to 5, "Little Smudge" by Leo Lionni, 10:30 a.m., Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave. Admission is free Tuesdays. 325-4938. Tuesday Noon Concerts, Tuba Euphonium Ensemble: Brian Dobbins' students, noon, Fred Jones Jr.

Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave. Free. 325-4938. TODAY Men's Basketball: Oklahoma vs. Morehead State, 7 p.m., Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 Jenkins Ave.

Concert, Jason Boland, 8 p.m., Riverwind Casino, Interstate 35 at State Highway 9. 322-6464. SATURDAY College football, Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, 5:30 p.m., Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. with the authors and ask them questions.

Both fiction and nonfiction authors speak at the schools to introduce students to a wide variety of topics, Lewis said. "It just promotes reading, and that's what we want to do," she said. "We see those books flying off the library shelves after they (the authors) leave." Birdseye told the children how to develop story ideas. He challenged each student to write down what happens in the world around them and use it in their writing. He gave examples to students of some things that happened in his own life that he used in his books.

THURSDAY Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner, 11 a.m., Food and Shelter for Friends, 104 Comanche. 360-4954. Continued from Page 1 literature alive for them, said Kathryn Lewis, director of media services. The Norman Arts Council, Norman Public Schools Foundation, and school Parent-Teacher Associations all give money to support author visits in the school system. "We've been very lucky at Norman Public Schools to have award-winning authors from all over the United States come and speak to the children," Lewis said.

"We've seen more children showing interest in being writers and illustrators because of them." Librarians and teachers at each school prepare students for the visits. Students will research the authors and read their books. Teachers and librarians at the schools develop lesson plans around the books. Students then get to interact heads," he said. The scene later was added to one of his books.

The idea for his first book came from a student in his fifth-grade class when he was a teacher more than 25 years ago, he said. The boy was reading the Guinness Book of World Records and making a list of records he thought he could break. It piqued Birdseye interest. He checked the book out himself and developed a story around the idea. After four years of writing, editing and persistence, he became a published children's book author, and his career was launched.

"Most of your best ideas will come out of your own experiences," he said. "If you pay attention, there is a lot of stuff out there in your daily life. I love to write about goofy things, and I'm always on the lookout for funny stuff." Hg) Jennifer Griswold: 292-6116, jgriswoldoklahoman.com MONDAY Public lecture, "New Perspectives on Georges Cuvier" by Philippe Taquet, 4 p.m., Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. Free. Call 325-4712 or go to www.snomnh.ou.edu.

Sutton Concert Series, Collegium Musicum and University Chorale, 8 p.m., Catlett Music Center, 500 Boyd. Tickets are $8 and $5. 325-4101. LIBRARY EVENTS Location: Norman Public Library, 225 Webster Ave. 701-2600.

Teen workshop, Apple Pie 101, 2 to 4 p.m. today. Free. To register, call 701-2620. Toddler story time, 9:30 a.m.

Monday. Preschool story time, 10:30 a.m. Monday and 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tuesday tutors, 6:25 p.m.

FRIDAY Holiday Creative Craft Festival: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 615 Robinson. Free admission. Call 360-4721 or go to www.clevelandcounty-fair.org.

SingerSongwriter showcase, Daddy Love and friends, 8 p.m., Borders, 300 Norman Center Court. 573-4907. One day Birdseye was at a friend's house. When he walked into the restroom he saw his friend's 2-year-old twins taking turns flushing each other's heads in the toilet. "They liked the way it felt swirling around their Hospital LIFESTY LE FITNESS EEQLJIPINIEIMT" DRAWING PROVIDED Continued from Page 1 A $129 million, hospital will be the centerpiece of the 95-acre Health-plex campus.

The hospital will have eight operating rooms and 151 beds within its five-story orthopedicscardiology tower and three-story women's and children's unit. The facility will supplement the 337 beds at Norman Regional Hospital and the 45 at Moore Medical Center. Terrell said an physician's office building will be constructed just west of the hospital. It is scheduled to open with the hospital in spring 2009. The campus will have aesthetic amenities, including a lake with a large fountain, and a walking trail.

Page Southerland Page of Dallas is the lead architectural firm and Flintco of Oklahoma City is the contractor. Terrell said many people within the hospital also gave their opinions on what the hospital should have and look like. "It's gone very smooth from a design and construction standpoint, but it's something that had taken a tremendous amount of planning," Terrell said. "We spent six months just on the architectural part, asking for input from a lot of people." While the tallest portion will be five stories, Terrell said an eight-story elevator tower is being built to accommodate future expansion. Treadmills, Ellipticals, Home Gyms, Exercise Bikes, Fitness Accessories, Everything You Need to Work Out at Home! When Selection, Price, Quality, and Experience WE ARE YOUR 1 CHOICE! "Over 40 Years of Experience" This is a drawing of what Norman Regional Hospital's Healthplex will look like when the hospital and physicians' building are completed.

The Healthplex campus eventually could have up to 400 hospital beds once additional phases are completed. It's part of a long-range master plan adopted in 2004. Meanwhile, having the Healthplex hospital will allow the one on Porter Avenue to undergo renovations. The original hospital is 60 years old. The growing campus will become an economic engine for the area, Terrell said, because ultimately it will have about 500 employees and thousands of friends and relatives of patients who will need services and places to eat.

The location along 1-35 is important, Terrell said, because about half of Norman Regional Hospital's patients come from outside Norman. "We're kind of repeating history because this hospital was built on Highway 77, which was the major highway into Norman," he said. James S. Tyree, 292-6113, jtyreeoklahoman.com Elipticals Starting at $999 Octane Fitness Voted 1 Eliptical Brand in Retailer Survey A Tami 'WtyQ you make your Christmas cards stand out, along with photos of your cards, to Some of your responses may be featured in a future column. If you don't create your own postage stamps, maybe you do something totally off-the-wall for your Christmas cards.

If so, I'd like to know. Send your stories about how We want to thank everyone who voted for Continued from Page 1 gelding and an unnamed paint jack on them and, like Pat, took them to the post office to be hand canceled so the stamps wouldn't have any marks on them. waited patiently for communication from the recipients on the cards, but no one said anything. The only people that realized that they were custom stamps were the personnel at the post office," she wrote. "The irony of this story is that after all of the teasing that I take about our donkeys, I thought that everyone would see the humor in a card from 'two asses' in Oklahoma." us in the Oklahoman 2005 Readers Choice Awards.

We are very 0k proud of our 2nd place finish, However, we think we IMP Hfe these two! ROOF DAMAGE? GRAND Friday, Nov. 23rd Sunday, Nov. 25th Friday: Free Hotdogs Pepsi Products 11am-2pm Saturday: Free Hotdogs Pepsi Products 1lam-2pm Sunday: Drawing For 2 Sets of Blazers Hockey Tickets 4pm Commercial and Residential Roofing in Norman, Moore, and South OKC since 1964. All Roofs Hand Nailed All Roofs Guaranteed Free Estimates ROOFING BY DAVID FRIES 407 Highland Parkway Norman I VSA 360-4772 www.thechristmastreefarm.com BRING YOUR FAMILY TO CHOOSE AND CUT YOUR OKLAHOMA GROWN CHRISTMAS TREE (DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA) We'll prepare your tree for the trip home Sip complimentary hot coffee or cider. Shop in our Christmas Tree Store.

Let your children pick their candy canes off our tree. TREES WREATHS The J. Spencer "Mom" Birthsttone Bracelet A custom bracelet of sterling silver with Order By Friday, December 14 for delivery in time for Christmas. brilliant Swarovski crystals for each child's birthstone says it all. $38 The Following Attractions Are Open: Go-Karts Climbing Wall Bumper Cars Arcade Cafe Pizzeria Private Party Rooms New Attractions Opening Each OPEN 9:00 AM 6:00 PM 7 DAYS A WEEK The Christmas Tree Farm Enter to Win a Free Birthday Party for on Friday Saturday Gift Certificates to be Given Away all Weekend! I-35 Indian Hills Road www.AndyAlligators.com (405) 32 1 -7275 5277.