The (Not So) Lucky Lady Convenience Store

Off of FM 51 in Decatur. (Thanks emailer Will.)

Got This Today

Hang out with a DA for $250? Defense lawyers welcomed? And it's over a year before the primary? In a race where I bet there's no way he'll draw an opponent.

I'm Stealing From Denny Crane's Blog

He asked: Would you have shot this dog? (And go visit crazy Denny to make me feel better about this grand blog theft.)

Meet Rocket Scientist Drew Matthews

From today's Letters to the Editors in the Dallas Morning News.

Friday Afternoon Pick Me Up

"Now Joining Us On The Bob's Steak & Chop House Hotline . . . "

This story doesn't make since* sense. It sounds like a civil breach of contract instead of theft. But, as I say more and more, you can get indicted for anything these days. (I've never eaten at that restaurant, but I had a buddy who did late last year. He really didn't know what he was walking into until he saw the menu prices.) ___________ *One of these days, I'll stop doing stuff like this.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• It seems that the Red River threatening Fargo is not the same Red River that separates us from Oklahoma.
• Every time I hear about Fargo, I think about the movie Fargo.
• Amarillo weather forecast from the National Weather Service for today: "Snow. Blowing snow. Windy. Snow may be heavy at times. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times. Snow accumulation of 5 to 7 inches. Highs in the upper 20s. North winds 25 to 35 mph. Gusts up to 55 mph decreasing to 45 mph in the afternoon." And it gets worse tonight.
• I wish I was in Amarillo today.
• I just thought about "Amarillo by Morning."
• Being an assembly line worker at GM (which we see from stock footage on newscasts) looks like a tremendous beat down.
• Regarding that horrible Montana private plane crash a week ago that killed several persons of the same family. Well, it has been learned that the plane's owner and the individual that lost several family members in the crash provided abortion services. Some are suggesting the crash is God's revenge. A local blogger has referred to it as "karma". Incredible.
• Ok, Ok, enough about the Dallas cop who detained the NFL player for running a red light as his mother-in-law died. I get it.
• And Chief Kunkle sure will sacrifice one of his own officers to the Media Gods pretty quickly.
• 48 dead in Pakistan - the most dangerous place in the world.
• I watched The World's 21 Sexiest Beaches last night on the Travel Channel. Now I want to go to Patong Beach in Thailand. I'm certain I've never said that before.
• Not to be confused with the Travel Channel's Bridget's Sexiest Beaches which may be the best show ever. (I think part of its schtick is scantily clad women, but I'll need to watch more of it to be sure. It is very educational.)
• After watching rich people walk along pristine beaches, I like to switch over to the Natural Geographic Channel and see a war torn country like Darfur so I can rest assured that this is one crazy world.
• Can a guy use ":)" in an email or text? I hope so.
• I haven't read it but Texas House Bill 286 introduced by "M. Fischer" regarding "Creating a DWI Czar" made me roll my eyes.
• Most confusing bill introduced by our own state senator about a problem that I didn't know was a problem: "SB 257 [introduced by] Estes [concerning] Criminalizing the sale or delivery of salvia divinorum to a child." Huh?
• Had a defense lawyer tell me the other day that he had been to Collin, Denton and Tarrant Counties in the last week and his experience in those places was better than in the Wise County Courthouse. That could mean several different things.

Musical Flashbacks

Growing up, I remember Seals & Croft, and I'm 100% sure Dan Seals was the, uh, Seals part of the duet. I also remember a couple of his country hits. (Edit: Someone just posted that I might want to back off on the the 100% statement.) But in a different post, someone wrote that they remembered him as "England Dan." Holy cow, I checked out the Google and learned Dan Seals was England Dan of "England Dan and John Ford Coley." I had no idea. And you've got to be old to remember this hit of theirs. And 61 is too young to die. Edit: I'm going to admit I liked him with Marie Osmond in "Meet Me In Montana".

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Former Fox 4 Anchor Megan Henderson and some guy. (Click for super happy enlarging.)

Old Guys And High School Girls

George Dunham Bringing The Pain

This is of limited interest, but for you Ticket fans out there, here is a comprehensive look (including video) of last night's game of Ticket personalities vs. the Lake Highlands Thunder girls basketball teams. Off.

Local Blogger In Fort Worth Weekly And It Ain't Me

I don't think I know Sharon Wilson, but I do know she constantly rails against natural gas drilling in Wise County in her blog Bluedaze. Well, the Fort Worth Weekly has taken note and gives her a lot of press here. (That is, if you can read it without getting distracted by those goofy diamond symbols --- something that you think the FW Weekly would have learned to get rid of.) Be nice in the comments. I know this gal is a lightening rod so avoid the name calling for name calling's sake.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Baylor and Texas Tech will play in the new Cowboys stadium this fall. They'll be at the Cotton Bowl in 2010. Good times.
• The year "2010" seems very futuristic.
• There's a forecast for a foot (maybe two) of snow in the Panhandle today or tomorrow? I wish I was there.
• Other weather news: The Red River is expected to crest in Fargo, ND at over 40 feet. I can't do it justice, but I saw video of thousands of volunteers creating miles of sandbag walls. But I was more surprised to learn the Red River started that far north.
• I had another crazy dream last night but I can't remember it. I just remember waking up in the middle of the night exhausted right before something horrible almost happened. I'm a tormented soul.
• Had a new, young female client yesterday that used the term "homie" a lot. Made me laugh.
• I locked my bedroom door last night for the first time in months. I just had a bad feeling.
• It's not even fall, but I don't think I can stand another year of Wade Phillips.
• Hillary is in Mexico talking about drug cartel violence. I'm sure we'll have that problem fixed by the end of the summer.
• I really wasn't to interested in this cop-is-a-jerk story but it got my attention any way: "Shut your mouth." "You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light." "Your attitude says that you need one." "I can screw you over." Nice.
• We've got a new Assistant Wise County Attorney. Seems like a nice guy.
• I've met some prosecutors in the past that thought they were enforcing a Morality Code instead of a Penal Code. There's a huge difference.
• A must see: Lady faints during interview. One guy stands and watches. Reporter makes sure he throws it back to the studio.
• I downloaded A Confederacy of Dunces after two unrelated people suggested it.
• While you were sleeping: If you see a 5-feet-3-inch tall Hispanic that weighs about 130 pounds with a short haircut and is wearing blue jeans and no shirt AND he's coming from the direction of Parker County with a sense of urgency, you might want to call the POleeeece.

Misdemeanor Crime News

After deliberating all morning, breaking for lunch, and then most of the afternoon, a jury found a lady guilty of DWI today. They even sent a note out shortly before 3:00 that they were deadlocked 4-2. The jury consisted of four middle aged women and two guys in their twenties. I never understand how you can have a doubt all day about someone's guilt, and that doubt not be a reasonable one. Which, by definition, means a vote of not guilty. (Actual Wise County Courthouse pic by the way.)

I'll Move This Back To The Top

Told Ya

Last October I wrote that the Republicans are in big trouble of ever being the majority party again because of demographics. I was largely poo pooed. (That's a legal term.) I just noticed that the Star Telegram's Bud Kennedy wrote about the Tarrant County Republicans being told the same thing by . . . another Republican.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Odd eighth grade Bridgeport basketball memory: Our team went into a "four corners" routine at a tournament and the other team didn't come out to guard. I bet we ran off half a quarter in one possession by just standing in place and dribbling. But I have no idea if we won the game.
• I used Google Street View to look at the Katrina damaged Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans the other day. It's pretty much a ghost town. I wonder if it's safe to drive through it?
• I haven't been inside a Dairy Queen in years.
• I never heard back from the lawyer that told me the use of "Dairy Queen" in my graphic might be a trademark infringement and that I needed to remove it. So long as I never hear from him again, I want you folks to go buy a bunch of Hungr Busters and stuff.
• I didn't watch Obama last night. Baylor was playing in the NIT on ESPN.
• The Messenger has a story today of a five and half year old Intoxication Manslaughter case that was finally indicted last week. I'm not sure what is going on there with the long delay, but our new DA seems to be going back and digging up some old cases.
• And the default statute of limitations for felonies is three years. There's a specific provision allowing for no limitation for "murder and manslaughter" but the question will be whether that "manslaughter" includes "intoxication manslaughter." They are not the same thing. There's a specific "manslaughter" crime (reckless killing) under one section of the Penal Code and "intoxication manslaughter" under another. That may have already been decided, but I don't know it off the top of my head.
• That gave me early morning Tired Head.
• I don't know what I think about the Messenger running out to an accident scene, videoing it, and then throwing the video up on youtube. They did it yesterday.
• A city wide nighttime curfew has always bugged me. The concept of a daytime curfew seems downright unAmerican.
• My dream last night consisted of two hot girls, an intentional car crash that resulted in a fiery death at the Bridgeport Dairy Queen parking lot, and a guy with a knife.
• The previous bullet point was in no way meant to disparage the parking lots of Dairy Queen.
• Kay Bailey Hutchison was on WBAP this morning and was specifically asked whether our military should be used to help secure the border with Mexico. She answered that we needed to "do more to increase border security." In typical WBAP fashion, they didn't force her to answer the question.
• We can now all get drunk at Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor.
• Watched a little of a DWI trial in Wise County yesterday. It involved an out of county teacher -- I felt sorry for her. And she looked pretty good on tape. The jury begins deliberations this morning.
• Official Liberally Lean figure skater: Tanith Belbin
• About once every 18 months I get a new credit card from Citibank with a new number because my old one "may have been compromised" due to a security breach.

Teacher Must Like R. Kelly's "Bump N' Grind"

And you teachers out there that have never gotten drunk and dirty danced in front of you eighth grade class while in school, cast the first stone. Yeah, that's what I thought.

I've Noticed They've Been Getting A Little Bold

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Mind Burst

I just got distracted by this that someone placed on my desk: There are 7 girls in a bus. Each girl has 7 backpacks In each backpack, there are 7 big cats For every big cat there are 7 little cats There is no bus driver. How many legs are there on the bus? Answer in first comment.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I've never really had any desire to go to South by Southwest.
• If you know the opening lyrics to Kanye West's "Stronger", you'll be tempted to mess around with this.
• I haven't found the audio online yet, but the Ticket has been playing a clip of Maverick's coach Rick Carlisle mocking Chuck Cooperstein during an interview last week. It was unbelievably condescending. And that's all I needed to hear to wish failure on the Mavericks. So I'm wishing. Real hard. Edit: Here's the audio ("HAHAHAHAHAHA")
• I saw a "smart car" in Fort Worth this weekend. Sheesh, those things are like glorified golf carts.
• Rep. Phil King has been amazingly quiet during this legislative session.
• I've awakened the last two mornings with only one sock on.
• That's better than waking up in an ice filled bathtub with my liver gone.
• What?
• Most confusing sketch ever.
• Most confusing treadmill ever.
• Start listening for the phrase "that was the tipping point." I've heard it three times in less than 24 hours.
• Bizarre news: A 29 and 39 year old couple were stabbed to death in Ferris while they slept in their home. Robbery was not a motive. Creeped me out.
• I always read the Notice of Class Action Settlements when they are published. I saw a new one in Parade magazine this weekend in connection with Bluetooth manufacturers. If you were a member of the class, you would not get any money because it was not "practical or economical" since "the class was so large" and the "amount each Class Member would receive would be very small." But the manufacturers did agree to put warning information on their web sites. Oh yeah, the Plaintiff's lawyers got $800.000. Sheesh.
• Some are making a big deal out of Steve Kroft asking Obama on 60 Minutes if he is "punch drunk." See the quick clip here. I'm not sure what the big deal is.
• I'm still convinced that the intensity of the hate of the Obama haters is far more than those that hated Bush.
• I've got one court appointed client who I really dislike.
• Peace, Interrupted: 14 dead in Iraq.
• Funny blog headline based upon this news: "Texas AG Bans 'Cocaine' Energy Drink, Real Cocaine Still Readily Available"
• I never saw the Cocaine energy drink in a convenience store but I was told it was sold in Rhome.
• That's Katrina The Bikini Girl from American Idol. (I think she was on the last episode of it that I watched.)

Does This Look Like A Man Who Is Running For Dallas City Council?

Why, yes. It does. But not to be confused with Alabama defensive lineman Andre Smith who recently scared half those in attendance by removing his shirt before running the 40 yard dash. (And you'd have to see the video to do it justice.)

Commercial Aircraft Down Near Olney?

Rumors are flying. (Thanks emailer Mike.) Edit: As a commenter pointed out, CNN says it was an Air Force C-17. Edit: Wichita Falls paper says, "Hold on. We're not so sure about that." CNN the altered its sources to say "callers to police said" instead of "an Air Force spokesperson said." Edit: Uh, false alarm.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I think this picture of the plane that crashed in Montana killing 17 yesterday is creepy.
• Just saw where Baylor's women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey had surgery for a kidney stone on Friday morning, flew with the team to Lubbock on Friday afternoon, and then ended up back in the hospital yesterday. She missed the team's game (an overtime win against #15 seeded UTSA.)
• My weekend: Mowed the lawn, edged, stained the front door, cleaned the house, washed my sheets, re-caulked the shower, cleaned the hardwood, changed the oil in the lawnmower, planted flowers, and took the hedger to one bush in my flower bed that was out of control.
• My Sunday afternoon was a little crazy.
• Bruce Willis married a Hey, Now over the weekend.
• There's supposed to be a re-designed Star Telegram hit the streets today. Let me guess: It's smaller.
• Winds up to 40 mph today? From what I can hear outside, I believe it.
• On Sunday morning I looked down in my garage only to see a cat (which scared me to death). I finally coaxed the thing over to me and saw that she had a tag on inscribed with an I.D. # and a website name like findmypet.com (or something like that). I go to the website and find that my only option is to call a phone number. I do. Some nice lady then gives me the phone number of the owner. I quickly call that number and discover the cat belonged to my next door neighbor and had been missing for about 10 minutes.
• I was probably closer to a catnabber than a cat finder.
• Weirdest DFW story over the weekend: "Man Killed Over Parking Space."
• Ashton Kutcher is on Twitter. Verified account. And he posts this? Oh, my.
• Craziest national story I read about this weekend but had not heard of: "Jury convicts Alabama dad of throwing 4 kids off bridge"
• I used the word "tump" as in "I saw a kid tump over out of a wheelbarrow" this weekend. A couple of folks said they hadn't heard that term in years.
• I really did see a little girl tump out of a wheelbarrow at Home Depot this weekend. She came inches from really gashing her head on a sharp corner. Made me tense.
• Edit: Sheesh, this thing disappeared for a bit. Not sure how that happened.

The NCAA Hates Jesus

Don't be sporting no John 3:16 signs in these here parts. Jarhead brought up the "John 3:16 guy" who used to appear in the end zone of many NFL games. His, not Jarhead's, wheels flew off.

Very Random "The Jerk" Thoughts

Watched most of this movie yesterday with a friend, and discovered:

• It's still very funny
• When Navin R. Johnson filled up a gas tank, he told the customer (a group of gang bangers) the charge was $26 and change. And that was in 1979 dollars.
• When he gets a check for $250,000 for developing the "Opti-Grab", it was the same as being insanely rich.
• Bernadette Peters was hot.
• The sniper after Navin was the same guy that uttered the phrase, "No, not that mother scratcher! Bill Parker!" in Raising Arizona.
• I still laugh when Navin yells, "He hates these cans!" as the sniper misses him and strikes the oil cans next to him. (Photo above)
• I remember the process of looking up a credit card in a booklet of thousands of numbers to check to see if it was stolen (as Navin does.)
• The funny/romantic scene on youtube.
• Random girl on youtube singing the song from the funny/romantic scene. And another. I'd marry either one of those girls based on principle.
• I'll be dang, here's a guy who did. (Greatest couple ever?)
• The original trailer to the movie -- which didn't do it justice.
• Steve Martin was 34 when the movie was released.
• I digress, but my favorite Steve Martin role maybe the little seen Shop Girl.
• The name of the movie has always confused me. The last thing that Navin R. Johnson was, was a jerk.
• Aww, the heck with it. Here are all the memorable quotes.