I Live In The Hood

I thought my neighborhood was fairly safe, but I noticed one of my neighbor's Escalade was up on blocks this morning. And that's not because he's making repairs. It's because a freakin' gang of crooks that work like a Nascar pit crew stole all his wheels.

Beaten Down

So I'm in Northeast Mall today and decide to go into Hollister's to get a gift certificate. As I make my way back through the darkness to the cash register, I am stunned to see a line. Not just a small line. A big line. I counted 22 people holding overpriced merchandise waiting to give the clerks their money.

I left.

What is going on?

"The Holiday"

I wasn't particularly in a rush to rent this movie, but I finally watched it this week. Verdict: A heck of a lot better than I expected. Yeah, it's sappy. Yeah, it's sweet. But it's also pretty darn good. I won't put it in my top ten, but if you want a "feel good" movie for a weekend night, check it out.

Say What? Where Do I Sign Up!?

"Bubba, Look Where You're . . . . . Oh, No."

I suppose there's a story behind this item on the Wise County Commissioners' agenda.

Football Sorriness

Mildy Musing

An A&M video "montage."

Face Plant

The drunk girl taking a nose dive has a special place in my warped heart. But she has potential has wife #8. And the woman in the boat in the background (who gets a brief close up after the fall) is throwing down the attitude of, "I may be drunk in a party cove with hardly any clothes on but you, maam, are soooo classless."

Sex Offender Registration

I posted a couple of times of the recent trial involving Racehorse Haynes who represented the 40 something lady charged with having consensual sex with a 16 year old boy. Saw this today:

The Austin woman who was sentenced last week to 23 years in prison for having sex with an underage neighbor turned down a plea deal before the trial that could have spared her decades of prison time.

Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said Phill Raije Rian, 41, did not want the plea agreement of 7 years of deferred adjudication.

Richard Haynes, her attorney, said after the three-week trial that Rian did not want to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life, so she chose a jury trial.

She was sentenced to 23 years in prison and then must serve 10 years of probation.

The sex offender registration requirement can really screw up plea negotiations. It can't be waived by the judge or the prosecutor. And to a regular Joe, having to register is the equivalent of a death sentency. But I suspect that Ms. Rian would take the deal now.

Jury Selection Begins In Fort Worth Police Officer Murder Case

Star-Telegram has the story.

This caught my attention: Mark Daniel and Tim Moore, Heard's defense attorneys, said they are looking forward to the case going to trial.

Trust me, they're not.

West Exchange

There is some six-in-one club has opened in the Stock Yards. Haven't seen it yet. May never see it.

One of the bars is like Coyote Ugly (I stole the pics from it, not the Fort Worth club.)

Link. Anybody been? Certainly Wise County's love of Northside has led to a couple of visitors.

Edit: A faithful reader, after blurring out "the innocent", sends in this pic from the club taken last weekend.

Wise County Wakes Up With Amy Winehouse

Background.

Non Story

Stories in the paper and on the news today are kind of misleading. Starting on September 1, the cops (in some cases) will be allowed to write a citation for misdemeanor possession of marijuana (and some other small crimes). All that means is that you won't have to go to jail, be booked in, and then bond out. But you still will have to appear in court and face the same punishment that you always have.

Anchorwoman

I didn't see this Fox program about a hot girl becoming a news anchor in Tyler, Texas, but I saw advertisements for it everywhere. (Fox 4 News even did segments on the show - either because they were paid or forced to do so.)

It premiered last night.

Today it was cancelled.

Harsh.

Hey, There Ms. New . . . . Well, You Know

I don't know if I'm jazzed or if I want to tell her to keep away from the Quarter Pounders with cheese. I hate it when I'm conflicted.

Let's Get Rid Of That Before Court, Shall We?

I had a prospective client who had been charged with assault come and visit with me a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't help but do a double take when he walked into my office with a T-Shirt that read "UFC." Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Oh, My

Weatherman David Finfrock has a bad cough. DMN columnist Steve Blow has this update:

"[The doctor] also gave me an inhaler that was supposed to help. Unfortunately, it had a side effect, and I now have a yeast infection in my throat," David sighed. "That's what caused all the problem last week."

The remedy for that has been a little shocking. "I got this medicine, and it came with instructions on how to cure a vaginal yeast infection. I can just see them doing a 'What's Wrong With David Finfrock?' story now," he laughed.

NFL Quarterback Love

New England quarterback Tom Brady impregnated this lady. I'm happy to announce the baby came out of her belly last night. But I'm not exactly sure how all that works.

Tom Brady is now dating this lady. I wish I could throw a spiral. And I bet Brady just looks in the mirror all the time and says, "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

It's Getting Hot In Here

Received a report that the electricity went off last night in a portion of Decatur for a while. I don't know for how long. That's all the hard hitting details that I've got.

Holy Crap

I just walked into the house and saw this.

Thank You Sir. May I Have Another?

Crazy story on the Star-Telegram web site just went up. Cop catches a couple in a car having sex. She's 18. I presume her "friend" is age appropriate. (Which I think means my age or younger.) Anyway, the cop slaps her on the butt and lets them go. She tells her friend what happened (how he didn't see it, I have no idea), and he calls 911! The cop has now been arrested on a charge of "Official Oppression" and has his name an picture plastered in the paper.

Mike Modano Is Marrying This . . .

. . . on Saturday. I bet they have this pic blown up to poster size and on display in the foyer of the church.

Deer Jumps Harley

Good times.

10 Days Until The Greatest Season In The World

My tribute to what is the strange world of the Aggies.

Yep, I Speak For All Of Mankind

Last weekend I was PO'd that the Dallas Morning News had printed the picture of a young woman arrested for DWI in connection with a story about DWI enforcement in general. Today there are three letters to the editor echoing my thoughts.

(I happy to be the mouthpiece on behalf of The Common Man.)

Amazingly, in the hard copy of the paper, the Morning News ran her picture and her name AGAIN above the three letter.

Latest Traffic Report Ever

WBAP this morning (hey, I listen to it briefly for the news) was reporting 114 "near Bridgeport" was shut down due to a rock truck turning over around CR 3241. That's just odd to hear Wise County referenced on a traffic report. Anybody know if it was that bad?

Brit?

I'm want my picture taken by Allure magazine because I want to look 1,000% better than I do in real life. This isn't an old pic, it's in the new issue.

Server Error?

The Google computers were all jacked up this morning. And to think I pay them nothing to stay up and running.

A Worthy Repost

Streaking on Channel 8. I don't know what I'm more impressed by: (1) The Streaker utilizing the air horn, or (2) the composure of the reporter.

"The Queen"

There are some movies that simply look like a bore-fest. I've never seen "The English Patient" and I probably never will. When I first heard of "The Queen", I didn't run out and by a ticket. But, after hearing some good reviews, I put it in my Netflix queue.

Man, did I misjudge it. It is, in essence, a look "behind the scene" of how Queen Elizabeth II handled the media and the public in the six days after Princess Diana's death. It's kind of like a British "West Wing." A friend of mine told me it was like being a "fly on the wall" and she was exactly right. Pure gold. And the character that played Prime Minister Tony Blair was probably my favorite - he was a dead ringer.

News Preview

Just saw an advanced copy of the Messenger for tomorrow. It has a front page story comparing salaries of teachers, athletic directors, and administrators in the county. Good stuff. But what everyone will be talking about is the front page picture of the book-in photo of Betty Monroe who is in jail for allegedly driving drunk and seriously injuring 20 year old Jacklyn Murphree. Ok, here ya go: Monroe appears to be laughing. I know there has to be an explanation. Maybe the picture was taken as she opened her mouth. But it looks awful. Which I'm sure why it is on the front page of the paper. No comments on this one. Sorry.

Risky Proposition

I've always wondered about those "in game"/high visibility marriage proposals. From today's Houston Chronicle in an article about the Astros game: The biggest excitement happened in the stands when a fan failed in his public attempt at popping the question. With the couple highlighted on the big screen, the mood soured after the man took a knee to offer an engagement ring. Wearing a brick-red replica Astros jersey, the woman appeared to angrily dump a bag of popcorn on the man before rushing up the stairs amid a chorus of boos. After the top of the sixth, the man left amid cheers from the sympathetic crowd. This is the stuff youtube.com was made for. Please. Please. Please. Hope that someone was rolling tape.

Had Not Heard About This

I received this in an email. I wasn't asked to post it here, but it seems like the right thing to do.

Edit: I'm getting a ton of questions about this, and I have no idea what the answers are.

Edit: A loyal reader writes, "A fund is being set up at Community Bank in Bridgeport for donations."

Cop Road Truckers

On my quick trip to FW today, I saw four of those DPS trucks between Decatur and the county line. They used to be called License and Weights. I've forgotten what they are called now.

Anyway, if you drive a big rig and at the same time are reading this blog, be on the look out.

The Shuttle Just Landed - Safely

And I had completely forgotten that it justs "glides" in, without power, when it lands. That's mind boggling.

Local Officials . . .

. . . recently met with a Congresswoman Kay Granger. Here they are pictured vying for position to hit on Kay to accompany one of them to Cassidy's on I-35. The sheriff promised me he wouldn't get "handsy."

Happy 18th . . .

. . . gulp....18th to Hayden Panettiere.

WBAP Commercial

Just heard Mark Davis on WBAP do a commercial for Christian Brothers Automotive. From its web site: Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation (“CBAC”)is a national automotive service franchisor headquartered in Houston, TX.CBAC was founded in 1982 by current CEO/President Mark Carr on the basic principle that honesty and integrity should be the driving force behind the business.

I don't know why that strikes me as odd. Trying to make a buck by appealing to those of similar faith?

Voir Dire

One of the Ticket's morning show hosts, Junior Miller, had jury service yesterday. The show spent a segment today on a question he was asked during jury selection. Could you convict a defendant for sexual assault of a child if the only person to testify was the child but you believed that's child's testimony beyond a reasonable doubt. Of course, everyone wants more information before you answer the question, but that's all you get. It was fascinating to listen to them struggle with the answer.

I Guess You Go Float Around Somewhere Else

I've actually got a friend that left on a cruise ship out of Galveston yesterday and was supposed to arrive on the back side of Yucatan Peninsula today - then on to Cancun in two days. I'm not sure what happens in this situation.

Take A Break Driver 8

As much as I try, I can't get into NASCAR (although I always like Jeff Gordon to win since he's the anti-redneck.)

But I did hear that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will not have the #8 on his car next year. I'm not sure about the details - and I didn't really care enough to google the issue. But if I'm him, I'd grab the #5 and paint my car like the Mach 5.

But, I wonder what this sweet and clean girl will do now that she has #8 forever inked above her arse?

12 More Days Until . . .

. . . Baylor's quest for a national championship goes crashing and burning in Fort Worth against TCU.

This is BU's starting quarterback, Blake Szymanski. How is he supposed to strike fear in the hearts of Aggies and Red Raiders by posing with a hot cheerleader and a freakin' puppy?! (And is that dog wearing a dress? Sheesh.) The Evil Empire's Colt McCoy wouldn't do that. Chris Simms might have, but not Colt.

Edit: A new investigative picture reveals Blake was wearing Crocs at the moment of the picture. We're doomed.

And Baylor's third string quarterback is a guy named John David Weed. I support him for the simple reason I'd like to see "Weed" on the back of a Baylor jersey. Oh, the irony.

Michael Vick To Plead Guilty

If you care about the story, you probably already knew. But I really wanted an excuse to post this pic.

But the speed of this case's disposition gives you a little insight into the federal criminal process. The trial date was not set for "next year", it was scheduled for November and it would have happened. And no crazy plea bargains, the federal sentencing guidelines limit discretion.

On another note, I was reminded today of how wheels off Vick's lawyers sounded just one month ago when Vick turned himself in on the charges. In a brief press conference, the lead defense lawyer said (twice!) that he looked forward to "proving Mr. Vick's innocence in court." That may not seem like a big deal but, for those of us that work in criminal justice, uttering such a phrase is simply mind boggling.

Baby, Where Have You Been?

My most-likely-to-be-stalked-by-me starlett, Christina Aguilera, hasn't been in the public eye for months. She's with child. But not my child. I think.

But someone got a pic of her from over the weekend.

Live from Jacksboro

I'm sitting here waiting to enter three guilty pleas for three different court appointed clients. Charges are dope, felony DWI, and UUMV. Fellow attorney Mark Howell keeps making me laugh.

And I've got to go to Fort Worth this afternoon. Ugh.

KKK

Your Texas Rangers were struck out 17 times today by Minnesota's Johan Santana. That's a lot of strikeouts.

Of course, the "K" represents a strike out. But this screen shot from SportsCenter taken from the stadium in Minnesota got my attention. They turn the third "K" around in an attempt to avoid an uncomfortable three strike out moment.

Edit: I'm wrong on this based upon the comments. Learn something every day.

Poll To The Right

I have no idea why it is not working. Blame Google.

The Top 40 Magazine Covers Of All Time

Link. I do love me some lists.