Snake On The Square!

We had a little excitement in downtown Decatur this afternoon. That baby was huge!

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

The lake: The beach:

• Three day weekends are a-good.
• I don't think most people understand the concept of "insurance" when it comes to medical/dental. It does not mean that every year you should receive more benefits than you pay for. That's not insurance at all.
• Eighty percent of the students at UT are admitted under the "Top Ten Percent" rule.
• In the South, "UT" refers to the University of Tennessee.
• I finished higher in my class at Baylor Law School than I did at Bridgeport High School.
• Huge power down feeling yesterday as I heard a ton of people talking about American Idol.
• The Cowboys might be getting rid of Greg Ellis. Good riddance. That guy has been whining about his contract(s) for 10 years.
• Hot tennis player to have breast reduction surgery. And just when my day was starting out OK.
• I've never been to a garage sale.
• There was a DWI trial in Wise County with some out of town defense lawyer. I heard the case involved a gal who left Bone Daddy's in Grapevine to go to her home in the same city but ended up in Wise County. Last I heard, the jury was deliberating yesterday evening.
• I keep my eyes shut for most of the time while getting a haircut.
• I think I should have kept my eyes open yesterday. She treated me like I was a sheep getting sheared.
• Why would anyone buy anything from a company that uses spam email with a misleading subject line?
• The high tone blogger Anobiter is in Ireland this week on one of her many vacations a year. She tweeted about five hours ago that she was "Going to have some great crack tonight at a group pub outing." I have no idea what that means.
• The uncertainty about the future of GM certainly can't be helping current car sales.
• I've got some friends that meet once a week for an early breakfast at a restaurant north of Decatur. I think that would be a beating.
• I've heard more out of Dick Cheney in the last month than I ever did during his 8 years as VP. Note to Cheney: You're not in office any more.
• Motorcycle wreck on LBJ in Dallas this morning at around 7:15 a.m. (Radio report.)
• I saw what looked like a pretty nice BMW on fire on the shoulder of I-30 yesterday in Fort Worth. And I mean it was flaming as the presumed owner watched from behind.
• Think that guy wants a do over?
• Then I looked up and had to avoid a metal stool bouncing on the highway that had just fallen out of a truck bed.
• My cat-like reflexes kept me out of danger.

Cross On Wheels

A faithful reader sent in this pic yesterday. A guy was bearing this cross (with wheels) between Denton and Decatur on 380. And he was headed our way. (Thanks, Chris.)

Britney Is Showing Up More And More

Uh......"Hey, now."

Taken From The Byron Nelson Golf Pavilion Today

But not by me. (Credit.)

The Newest Entry . . .

. . . from AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com That man needs to get control of his scene.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Sad news yesterday that Phil Mickelson's wife has breast cancer. It was certainly happier times last year when he won Colonial as a drunk guy jumped into the water hazard in the background.
• I fear the cancer.
• I've been reading a book on the religious aspect of suffering and if it really makes any sense.
• I haven't watched one second of American Idol. (Except for the girl in the bikini during the tryout stage), but you can't get away from hearing about the huge "upset" last night. My knee jerk reaction: AI fixed the results to generate publicity for its sagging ratings. Yep, I'm serious about that.
• And my brother believes that any sporting playoff event that goes to a Game 7 is fixed.
• We may both be crazy.
• There's a home in my neighborhood that has a temporary sign in its lawn that reads, "Voting Entrance In Back." I have no idea what that means.
• It's kind of fun to read police reports for the first time since you get to learn if the cop's version of the events matches what your client told you.
• I jumped back into an S&P 500 Mutual Fund yesterday. Obama, baby needs new shoes!
• Last night I dreamed/dreamt that I met my high school girlfriend for a date in Fort Worth and she surprised me by bringing her newborn baby. Then we tried to find a sitter by just walking around. Fail.
• Shameless plug: I'm slowly getting the bugs worked out of the Wise County Free Classifieds.
• The huge video screen at the new Cowboys' stadium will be fired up today for the media. Fox 4 showed it this morning with only a "test pattern" on it and it looks amazing.
• I'm no longer buying a daily copy of the Dallas Morning News. Quality down. Price up. Me apathetic.
• If I spend more that 30 minutes on the phone per month on non-business conversations, there's something wrong. I simply do not talk on the phone for fun.
• All the celebrity web sites have Hayden Panettiere bikini pictures over last two days as she vacations on a yacht. I just couldn't link to it because I knew you guys would barbecue me.
• Have you ever seen the fake Tiger Woods yacht?
• A Wise County elected official sent me an email yesterday and signed it "Double Fake . . . . "

High Speed Chase

Got reports last night of half of the county's law enforcement chasing a sports bike. Heard it went down 2123 out of Bridgeport and then onto 51 northbound back to Decatur. Last report I heard was "it didn't look good for the biker." Edit: Got a pic from an emailer. Bike looks fine.

I Have An Answer:

Because the guy is in a cold cell behind bars!!! That Q and A is is from the Texas District and County Attorney's Message Board and "JB" is John Bradley who is the DA of Williamson County --- easily the most conservative county in Texas. Yep, they would put Wise County to shame. I've dogged him on here for years but he's actually emailed me and seems like a nice guy. Last year he asked permission to use screen shots of The Blog for his presentation at the Texas Advanced Criminal Law Seminar where he was going to speak on lawyers, blogs, and legal ethics. I said "sure." I've still yet to hear what he said.

Wednesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

That's Kelly Brook in the Caribbean yesterday. And it would be even more interesting if I knew who Kelly Brook was.

Well, At Least Kenneth Copeland Is Hiring

And you have to love the disclaimer at the bottom. (Thanks, Chloe.)

Female Jim Thorpe Is At It Again

Last year, Bonnie Richardson of Rochelle won the Texas 1A Girls team track and field title by herself. Well, she's at it again winning the Regional Title all by herself last weekend. Results: Long Jump: 1st Discuss: 2nd (slacker!) High Jump: 1st 1oo Meters: 1st 200 Meters: 1st She won the team title with 48 points (the town of Hamlin came in second.) Source: A pdf file I printed but forgot to link to. (Thanks Tracie) Edit: And no, you can't say that.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I think I feel kind of sorry for Dirk's Nowitzki's ex-fiance.
• It's so difficult for me to remember my dreams. I'm aware of them when I wake up but within 15 minutes the memories vanish.
• "We are not going to try this case in the media," is sounding pretty old.
• It was uttered yesterday by a lawyer who represents a Parker County commissioner for DWI. He had two flat tires, called the cops for help, and then they arrest him. Thank you very much.
• The last I heard, former Tech quarterback Graham Harrell couldn't even get an invitation to try out as a free agent for an NFL team. (I think he got close, but it fell through.)
• I think the Texas legislature has moved so slowly this session that very few laws will be enacted. That's fine with me. I can't think of one new law we need.
• Michael Vick finally gets released from prison today, and the NFL is "considering" re-instating him. Sheesh. The man went to prison. He lost his house. Heck, he lost everything. How much more punishment do you want to dish out?
• Have we ever had a concealed handgun license holder in Texas actually stop a crime?
• Edit: A fast typing reader just sent me this great link about a CHL holder in Azle.
• I'm worried about myself when the story last week of "Dallas Twins Fathered By Different Men" didn't even get my attention.
• I got contacted by the Star-Telegram's Melody McDonald (love her work) about the "Assisted Suicide" case that was on our district court's docket. (I mentioned it the other day as a Random Thought.) Had to tell her that I had been infomed it was a computer error and that the charge should have read "Failure to Register as Sex Offender."
• I think I ran over something important to a couple of blue jays when I mowed last Friday. They were not happy.
• The Messenger reported in today's edition (which was released last night with "Thursday" in the masthead) that property tax valuations actually went up in Bridgeport. How is that possible?
• And Chief Appraiser Mickey Hand did not say, for the first time ever, "The Barnett Shale is still king."
• Joggers are like Harley owners when they meet each other -- There's always an acknowledgment.
• WBAP's Hal Jay this morning on how to solve the Dallas city budget crunch: Invoke a "Fair Park stabbing tax." Good lord, man.
• I had heard that the DA's office screwed up on a technicality when they tried to file an appeal of the ruling suppressing the blood test results in the DWI case of Tarrant County judge Elizabeth Berry. I noticed that her lawyer just filed a Motion to Dismiss the appeal and the appellate court wanted a response from the State. Something is about to happen.

Dale Hansen's Scholar Athlete Of The Week

This kid from Decatur made it on Channel 8 on Sunday, but I didn't catch his name. Edit: Mathew Huddleston?

Decatur Crime Report?

The jury is still out on whether this new experiment will work. Link. (You have to zoom in and mess around with it.)

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

I can't believe I was lucky enough to stumble upon this. A girl in a bikini and spider monkeys? Welcome to my little slice of heaven.

Bridgeport ISD Shirt

Not sure who got paid during the break and who didn't.

Fireman's Deli

I mentioned earlier that I went to the new Fireman's Deli sandwich shop off of Western Center Boulevard. All the menus say the place was "Founded by real firemen." Not sure how that impacts the food, but more power to them. But they have this huge painting on the wall and the photo above captures about 25% of it. I was just confused with the coaxing of the longhorn by a Vince Young jersey.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• OK, the Classifieds section on wisecounty.com crashed a few months back. Well, they are back up and running in a new and improved software package. There will still be some bugs and it'll take a while to repopulate it, but check it out.
• I can't tell you how many emails I got asking me about them.
• Anybody remember Joe Bob Brooks movie reviews? Edit: Yep, screwed the name up.
• Looking at ponds or lakes on mornings like this is cool because there's a huge mist of steam coming off of them. At least it looks like steam.
• A female Wise Countian is camping in the Grand Canyon this week. She ran into a ..... well, take a look. Oh, my.
• I ate at the Firehouse Deli (I think that's what it is called) yesterday off of Western Center Boulevard. Good stuff. But they've got the craziest painting in there -- I took a pic and will post it later.
• I'm forever boycotting the Quizno's off of Western Center because it is nasty. And they never had the sauce squirt bottles filled.
• You know your in a high tone place when they have "squirt bottles" of special sauce.
• The Byron Nelson golf tournament is this weekend but I don't think anyone cares anymore. And didn't the Colonial used to be played on Memorial Day weekend?
• I think the Swine Flu paranoia is trying to flare up again.
• The grand jury in Wise County returned 97 indictments last Thursday. And this comes on the heels of the last two meetings which produced over 150 indictments. When I took over as DA in 1993, I bet there weren't 50 cases pending on the docket.
• When you know your life has gone horribly wrong: "A Frisco man is scheduled to go on trial today for having unprotected sex with several women without telling them he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS." (And I predict the comments on that DMN link will get crazy.)
• Oil is approaching $60 a barrel. Gas prices are rising. This is not a good.
• After over a year of use, I'm still convinced that the iPhone is the greatest invention ever.
• Anybody got any opinions on the Infiniti G37?
• Some girls at the courthouse said I should do a post of "What kind of car should I buy" because they thought the results would be funny.
• Forgot to mention about my drive to Waco: Hasn't I-35 been under construction for the last 30 years.
• Frisbee golf looks kind of fun. Not very productive, but fun.
• There's talk of making the State Fair midway a year round affair? Scott Sams on the Channel 11 morning show said it would be a good idea, "because we could run down there and get a Fletcher's corny dog all year long." The other anchor uttered an "Oh, yeah!!" Puhleeze.
• Fox Sports "power rankings" for Major League Baseball: Look who is #3. But let's not buy World Series tickets just yet.
• I don't know how I write this stuff every day.

287 Mess

I'm not sure what was going on today on 287, but it looked like some quick repaving (although it appeared to be more of a black seal.) They did one lane during the day but later they directed traffic over the newly "paved" section of the road while they finished the job. That created a mess. It looked like people were driving on ice since the traffic was so slow. And I can't imagine how much gooey black tar was thrown all over the vehicles.

Blimp Accident In Cottondale

Or so an emailer tells me. And look at the cockpit:

Pizza Hut Parking Lot Today At lunch

Saw This Last Night

I had never seen it before. Funny. Very funny.

Attention All Wise County Ladies

It's Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader tryout time. You must be 18 and have a high school diploma or G.E.D. Get on it.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• One motorcycle death over the weekend in Fort Worth (but now I can't find the link.)
• Mexico's wheels are quickly following off. There was a prison invasion this weekend that resulted in the escape of 53 inmates.
• Also this weekend: Some guy shot his ex-girlfriend in a convenience store in the Como area of Fort Worth. Fox 4 showed the video of him chasing her through the store (but cut it off at that point for obvious reason.) Oddly, police are not releasing his name (he got away) but have released the deceased's name.
• This is the complete text of a story on Fox 4 this morning: "Walmart is going after customers that used to shop at Circuit City. The retail giant is revamping its electronics department. Expect to see more selections including items that were top sellers at Circuit City." Was that a commercial buried as a news story?
• Baylor great Mike Singletary gave a stirring "benediction" on Saturday but didn't say a prayer.
• Since it wasn't my jog day, I walked my five mile jogging course instead of running it yesterday. I think that was more tiring than running it.
• I learned that you can't be a date to the Decatur prom unless you or a Junior or a Senior and attend Decatur ISD.
• The world looks different after a rainy day (like Saturday) followed by a sunny day (like yesterday.)
• WFAA has shut down comments.
• WBAP's Hal Jay said this morning that he had never heard of "You Can Leave Your Hat On' for 9 1/2 Weeks.
• I've downloaded Lord of the Flies and I'm about two hours into it. I may be a literary idiot but what is so great about it?
• From the Ticket this morning regarding the King Tut exhibit in Dallas: If it had a big screen playing Steve Martin's video of the same name, there would be more people gathered around it than the artifacts.
• I think we're trying to kill Farrah Fawcett off.
• I opened my front door for a while this weekend to air the house out. I ended up having to chase out a cat.
• Channel 5's Mike Synder may be on his way out. Stay classy, San Diego.