"Man On Wire"

I just watched this new documentary about Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk across a cable strung between the two buildings of the World Trade Center. I can't tell you enough how great it is. I had never considered:

• How he and his buddies were able to sneak up to the top of the towers
• How they strung a 450 pound cable across the span in the middle of the night
• How he went about his training by replicating the event in a field in France
• How long he was on the wire (amazing)
• Why the film was named "Man On Wire" instead of "Man On A Wire" or "Man On The Wire." The answer will make you smile.

And you get to see incredible film footage and still photos of his training and the actual walk (including the crowds below). Most of those involved were interviewed in the documentary and still smile with glee that they were able to pull it off. Also, the extra footage of the WTC being built a couple of years before is dang near worth watching the film alone. But there was one oddity. The film, which documents that man's obsession and love of the structure, never mentions its demise.

Sissies 48, Llano 38

And it looks like they will play Decatur on Tuesday night in Saginaw. Good times. Edit: The game has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Texas Woman's University in Denton. Edit: And the outdated picture comes from Decatur High School's current "Lady Eagle Basketball" page.

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is . . . A Lot

Drudge has been running stories of the craziness involving the stock of Citibank and Bank of America today. In essence, there is a fear that the banks are in such bad shape that the government is going to seize them and run them. If that happens, they say, every share of stock becomes worthless. I started watching Citigroup about an hour ago when it was at a shocking $1.90. And it keeps getting worse.

Oh, My

I just got my copy of Voice For The Defense which is a magazine for Texas criminal defense lawyers. A few months back they started a feature called "Kudos" which provides blurbs about lawyers receiving awards, winning appellate cases on unique legal issues, or doing great things like working successfully on the Innocence Project. Oh, yeah, and occasionally they will throw in a "not guilty" trial win. Which brings me to the above blurb. It's self explanatory but, if not, it says a guy was found not guilty of sexual assault while he was on probation (the result of a plea bargain) for a different crime that had originally been indicted as sexual assault of a child. I understand the kudo (since I assume the guy was not guilty or the evidence was insufficient to convict), but the magazine might want to tap the brakes on the way they word these things. If it made me cringe, I bet it will drive you insane.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Some guy named Davila was convicted of capital murder in Tarrant County yesterday, but every reporter pronounces the name differently. But around here we know better.
• Some guy led cops on a chase through Ellis County yesterday morning and when he was captured he told the camera, "I'd like to apologize to the public." The man is a born showman.
• I made a mistake about Texas Stadium yesterday. Yeah, you can buy some junk there this weekend but you can't go inside the stadium.
• The State Judicial Conduct Commission is now after Judge Sharon Keller. If you've followed that story and it has your interest, you have to read the complaint (pdf) which details what happened on the they day the court closed at 5:00 p.m. Shocking.
• I've never had interest in American Idol except for 10 minutes a few weeks back when Katrina the Bikini Girl was on it.
• The Wise County Messenger's Update seems to have become boring since Roy Eaton stopped writing it.
• The A-Rod steroid scandal sure has brought out the "holier than thou" in people.
• I've got a friend who doubts that man walked on the moon. Crazy. Town.
• You see this from time to time, but there's a new photo comparison of fast food "What They Advertise vs. What It Really Looks Like." I think this is why we power down whenever we open up the sack.
• I like getting in my car before opening the garage door.
• I had a dream last night that I can't remember, but I woke up hurting from the exhaustion that it caused. That happens to me a lot.
• I've got a pretty good mental image of any commenter who makes reference to a "monkey being in the White House." And it involves cigarettes, a beer belly, and a T-shirt with a stupid saying on it.
• I should have dedicated this whole week to the the relationship between Sandy Herold and her chimp, Travis. Triple. Crazy. Town.
• But I wish I had a well behaved spider monkey who would sit on the couch and act like he was reading the paper.
• New Harris poll on who America considers a "Hero." #1 was Obama. #2 was Jesus.
• Referring to one's mouth as "your kisser" is still kind of funny. (i.e. "I thought my date was going to whack me in the kisser when she caught me looking at that hottie.")
• Motorcycle death last night.
• I still think we are headed for an economic collapse this year.
• I like the heels with shorts look.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

From an archive of photos of Life Magazine.

This Reminded Me Of Something

How many suicides do you think are caused by auto wrecks? I mean, how would you ever know? This came up as I finished The Tipping Point which discussed how, stay with me here, even suicides can be contagious. That is, one death can give other people the "courage" to do that act. And, as attempted evidence, the author cited studies that show an increase in fatal car crashes the day after a highly publicized suicide. (Uh, this does not constitute a Thursday afternoon pick me up.)

Something Out Of Austin I Like

It has no impact, but you have to like a Concurrent House Resolution 50 that has been introduced in the Texas Legislature. (Ok, federalism isn't as sexy as girls in bikinis but it's pretty darn close.) Source.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Southwest is now flying to Boston which reminded me that the Wright Amendment is gradually being repealed. Was the phase out period five years or ten years? And it seems like the legislation is about five years old.
• I could get that answer within 20 seconds, but I don't want to use the Google.
• Fox 4 News is in hi-def as of yesterday.
• Megan Henderson, who I wanted to see in hi-def, was not on the news this morning.
• It seems like the comments written here yesterday were particularly hateful. Not sure what caused the Bubba Factor to get out of whack.
• I saw Milk with my "companion" last night. (Ok, it's a cute little blonde gal so everyone calm yourselves.)
• Milk is great. Sean Penn is greater.
• Milk also has old news footage of Anita Bryant, a lady I hadn't thought of in years, and her anti-gay campaign. (Her life, as profiled on Wikipedia, would be a pretty good movie in itself, and the "pie in the face" footage was huge news when I was a kid.)
• I love it when movies based upon real life show photos at the end of the "real people" upon which it was based. (That was a hard sentence to word, and I'm still not pleased.)
• Jarhead is going to end up on the news some day in a road rage incident. Case in point. But I still don't understand what started it all yesterday.
• "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," - Our new Attorney General proclaimed yesterday.
• The world will not end in 2012?
• You can go to Texas Stadium one last time this weekend (free entry/free parking) and buy some crap. I might do it.
• The roads around Grapevine Mills Mall are confusing. But one did lead me by a place called Cutie Pie's that I had heard about.
• Some are wondering if Tech will fire Mike Leach. If I'm the Athletic Director, I'd be the one worrying about my job.
• Ever thought about Heath Ledger's The Joker and Beetlejuice in the same photo?
• Everyone tells me I would like Step Brothers.
• I hate this time of year for some reason.

I'll Do That Every Time

(1) Head lamp, (2) Head lamp installation, and (3) they washed my filthy car. "Shop James Wood's - Decatur and Denton."

Fire

Well, at least a grass fire a second ago across from Lowe's in Decatur. I've ruled it "a little exciting but no big deal."

Fox News Reporter . . .

. . . is confused about advertising. Manages to make PETA spokesperson seem sexier than her.

High School Melee You Would Never See On Saved By The Bell

Happened yesterday.

Speaking Of Demographics

Story. Now how am I supposed to dance to Madonna's "Vogue" on Friday nights with the window blinds drawn?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• If you want to see a nutcase prosecutor scream at a witness, go here. That judge needs to get control of his scene.
• I had 15 minutes of fame yesterday at the blog of The Texas Lawyer publication by getting handed a bag of popcorn.
• During some routine traffic report I heard on the radio yesterday, there was warning about a an unidentified funeral procession in north Dallas. From the news last night, I learned it was for a Frisco kid who was killed in Afghanistan.
• Is this Ross Johnson getting stomped by a bull the same Ross Johnson from Wise County? I actually saw it on the Versus Channel last night.
• I hate listening to 911 tapes that the news broadcasts. Makes me tense.
• Same holds true for radio pranks or watching that "What Would You Do" currently being broadcasted on ABC's Prime Time Live.
• Taking my car in to get the headlight changed this morning. I'm serious: The back of it is buried under a ton or parts wedged in there like sardines.
• I've changed my burnt out tail lights/brake lights before. That was easy.
• When I went to bed last night, everyone was looking for a missing three year old in Argyle. This morning, not good news.
• After a week being off of The Master Cleanse, I still haven't regained any of the weight I lost.
• The brohaha over Facebook changing its terms of use is silly. Call me cynical, but I think there's a great chance that any photo I upload is part of cyberspace forever.
• Megan Henderson used the term "atomic wedgie" in a news story this morning.
• I think you guys that blame the current financial crisis solely on the Community Reinvestment Act are crazy since it only applied to Depository Banks. Case in point: Insurance company AIG, which wasn't forced to do anything, still would have gone belly up due to investing in mortgage backed securities.
• For the third time, the current crisis is best explained - fairly and objectively - by This American Life's broadcast named "A Giant Pool of Money." Still one of the best shows I've ever listened to.
• Fergie at the beach. Hot.
• Out of the blue, I stopped wearing contacts, and I no longer have to use reading glasses. Weird. Probably need to check with a professional on this.

And Another

Story. Man, there is a dark trend happening. How far we've come since Debra Lavave.

Entitled "Compilation Of Bad Female Drivers"

I think this qualifies as a Pick Me Up.

Rare China News On Liberally Lean

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A married Chinese businessman who could no longer afford five mistresses held a competition to decide which one to keep. But the contest took a fatal turn when one of the women, eliminated for her looks, drove the man and the four other competitors off a cliff.. The spurned mistress died and the other passengers were injured, the reports said. The women knew of one another, but none elected to break up with the man and give up their rent-free apartment and a 5,000 yuan ($730) monthly allowance, the reports said. When the economy soured, the businessman apparently decided to let go of all but one mistress . . . Sheesh. Can you believe this? This economic downturn is getting so bad that married guys have to layoff their mistresses? When will the insanity end?

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Finished the Sicko documentary by Michael Moore last night. I know to take his schtick with a grain of salt, but if the health care systems in Canada, France, and England are that different, we are shockingly behind.
• I wonder if many Americans, for the first time, are thinking about moving out of the country because they don't see a future they want to be a part of.
• Get ready for three New Deal thoughts (which is certainly a first for me.)
• I question the motives of those that think FDR's New Deal didn't have a favorable impact on the U.S. economy.
• I didn't know the New Deal was responsible for building the Will Rogers complex in Fort Worth
• I tried to find out how much the New Deal would cost in today's dollars. Good luck with that search. Nut cases on both sides prevented me from finding that needle in a haystack.
• The word "companion" in yesterday's Random Thoughts got a surprising number of thoughts. Good thing I didn't go with "escort."
• A bar code tattoo is borderline clever.
• There's a move to impeach Court of Criminal Appeals judge Sharon Keller for closing the court at 5:00 p.m. when she knew an emergency writ was coming that good could have stopped an execution. I just want her impeached because she sides with the State 99.9% of the time.
• I'm not sure what is going on in the contract negotiations between Tech and Mike Leach, but it has become bizarre. And the school imposing a deadline of today for him to sign the extension is just silly.
• I ordered Nutrisystems for the heck of it. How they make that stuff so good is beyond me.
• When I see footage of any outdoor music festival where people are packed in as far as the eye can see, I can only think that would be the ultimate beating. (But Coachella in California looks like a good one.)
• I've been to the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas once but that was almost 15 years ago.
• I'm going to set my GPS to the Texas Theater where Oswald was captured, too.
• Lots of people have sent me a link to the Dallas Desire women's lingerie football team. Huh?
• Ugh. One of my headlights went out. I opened the hood to see how difficult it would be to replace, and I'm pretty sure I'd have to remove the engine block. James Wood, here I come. (It cost me about $70 two years ago for the other light.)

Bridgeport Prank On Saturday Night

Thanks emailer Melissa!

Monday Afternoon Pick Me Up

The Gun Show

So I went to the gun show at Will Rogers Coliseum yesterday because, well, I was bored and I wanted to be entertained. I hadn't been to one in over 15 years, and I still recall the last one being full of some colorful characters. Observations:

• There are no hot women at a gun show
• There are scary people carrying around guns
• There were no political signs or T-shirts. That really surprised me.
• The three inch beard was a big player
• There seem to be an ungodly number of obese people selling guns
• I saw a former Wise Count deputy selling firearms. Nice guy. He yelled at me as I walked by. He wasn't obese.
• They do not sell alcohol although the crowd looks like it consumes a lot of alcohol.
• Pic: Lots of knives
• Pic: Under Armor for the concealed weapon fan
• Pic: The Castle Doctrine lets you kill people. (By the way, the most overrated change in the law ever.)
• Pic: Lots of guys like this
• Pic: East Germany? I thought they got together. And you can learn about Hitler guns, too.
• Pic: The Obama Effect

But the highlight of the day came from some guy associated with the top photo. You see, I took that photo which prompted him to track me down 10 minutes later and two aisles away. Him: "Did you take a picture of our booth?" Me: "Uh, what booth is that?" Him: "The Border Volunteers." Me: "I absolutely did." Him: "Why?" Upon reflection, I'm mad at myself. Because I should have told him "none of your business" or "I'm with the CIA - the Obama one" or "Why do you hate freedom?" but the only thought that came to mind was, "Because I was fascinated with it." Which was true. (I think it was the photo they displayed of two guys tied up with the caption "Asian Nationals Caught At Border" that initially got my attention.) Anyway, the guy tells me that there was no photography allowed in the gun show (which I still seriously doubt) but he didn't want me to delete the picture. He really didn't want anything, and I'm still not sure why he even confronted me. I mean, they got that booth up for publicity but they don't want photographic publicity? Odd.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I live a life of distraction
• I kind of tear up every time I see the "In Memoriam" segment on "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."
• I like John Legend's "Save Room For My Love."
• Whatever happened to Annie Potts?
• Everyone is talking about Shaq's intro at the All Star game this weekend. Kind of Reminds me of Vanilla Sky.
• Speaking of Peter Gabriel (who had a song in Vanilla Sky), I had no idea what he looked like. The man is getting old.
• I had The Perfect Storm on yesterday and had forgotten that one of the characters was named "Sully."
• I went to the gun show yesterday in Fort Worth but it deserves its own post later.
• I do not understand NASCAR.
• Friday The 13th won the box office race this weekend with $42 million. Sheesh.
• I saw The Wrestler on Friday. My companion hated it while I was fairly fascinated. Something about an over-the-hill guy clinging to his past really grabbed my attention. (Go figure.) And Marisa Tomei was smokin' hot.
• A Wise County girl had back to back dates this weekend. (Although she isn't familiar with the paragraph.)

Secret Footage Of Me At Beach . . .

. . . confusing my pants with my shirt.

I'm Demographic Crazy

Took this pic out of a very-slick-but-way-too-expensive Trophy Club presentation. Breaking news: There are white people in that town.