Random Saturday Monkey

A 19 Year Old Was Shot To Death In Jacksboro Last Night?

Link. (Emailer submitted.) Edit: A commenter believed the homicide occurred in Fort Worth. It is confusing. 1575 S. Main is the address for John Peter Smith Hospital. So it looks like the incident "occurred" at 310 E. Belknap in Jacksboro with a death later at JPS.

As We Balance Our Check Books This Weekend

There are some HUGE law firms in this country but they are having economic issues just like the rest of us. But they've got a problem because most extended job offers last year for first year associates to begin this fall. It's a problem because now they realize they don't have any work for those newbies to do. So what did one monster firm in NYC do this week? It sent a letter to all those new hires and told them if they want to take a year off before their starting their employment, that's fine with them. But here's the kicker: They'll pay them $80,000 for that year, provide them medical coverage, and throw in a $1,000 a month to help with student loans. And all they have to do is sit home and watch Jerry Springer and eat bon bons. Oh, my.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

Don't Hate Her Because She Loves Books

• My gate on my wooden fence collapsed in the storm. So I went to Home Depot to get a couple of replacement posts and some concrete. Ran me about $26.
• But, of course, this is going to be a home repair disaster.
• I have had the Internet guy (four different ones to be exact) over to do repairs at my house over the last two weeks. As of this morning, it was out again. I'm done.
• Blogger Anobiter is off to New Hampshire for a whole month. Her blog posts indicated that she headed to DFW at 7:34 a.m yesterday. At 2:39 p.m., she still hadn't boarded due to weather delays.
• I've never been a fan of "inspirational quotes."
• I'm thinking of Debbie Gibson.
• One year later, I'm still fascinated by the opening Olympic Ceremony segment of all those Chinese drummers. As Bob Costa's said, it was a little "intimidating."
• Paul McCartney and Wings, even at it's cheesiest, is still better than most of what is going on in music today.
• Sheesh, that makes me sound old.
• My first concert: Boston at the Tarrant County Convention Center where me and my buddies paid a scalper $12 each for the tickets.
• I'm calling Hawkins Funeral Home to reserve a plot.
• Whether it be the WFAA radar or the Dallas Morning News web site that suddenly requires you to register, it's proof that Belo Corp has no idea why it will soon be bankrupt. (By the way, you can cheat the sign-up page by getting a quick username and password at BugMeNot.com)
• Back to my old age theme: I watched a little of Paul Newman in The Verdict last night (highly overrated, I might add) but I noted that all of the six male jurors wore a suit. I've practiced law for 23 years, and I don't recall even one male juror wearing even a tie.
• Didn't the creation of USB port on a computer make things 1,000 times easier?
• For all of you that were jumping for joy over the mentally handicapped kid that was sentenced to 100 years in prison: Aren't you the ones that say, "Every life is precious?"
• The crazy right winger is more dangerous than the crazy left winger (i.e. abortion doctor killer, Holocaust Memorial guard killer, etc.)
• The Irving City Manager makes $390,000 a year?
• "Woman Who Missed Air France Tragic Flight Killed in Car Wreck Days Later". Fate will not be denied?
• There was a weird white powdery substance outside my office door this morning.

Tony Romo's Fake Facebook Page

Genius. (Click to enlarge.)

The Aurora Snakerealis

This email is going around about what happened to a lady in Aurora last night. I deleted the names. I was going to go out on the front porch to look at the weather and I opened the door to find that dang snake wrapped around the bottom of the door not visible as it is in the picture. It fell at my feet in my house. It crawled around my dining room until [my husband] could get it out, very scary. It looks to be about 5 feet long. He put it out in the grass then at about 10 or so last night. The dogs starting going crazy and I went to look and it was back on my door, crawling up it. [Redacted] and I were scared to death. [Husband] said to leave it alone that it was a good snake to eat bugs, rats etc. He wouldn't get it. He went to be and [redacted] and I called the Sheriff's department and they came and killed it. It was so crazy.

From The Liberally Lean Triple Doppler Weather Center

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Those were some incredibly high winds last night. I saw a full sized trampoline in the street this morning - upright.
• I thought for a moment what a crazy scene it would be if I were to get out and start jumping on it.
• One thing about technical service (my home Internet issues are better but still not perfect) is that you have to go through the same phone tree and, when you get a real person, the same script.
• The craziest thing my tech support people say is, "Ok, Mr. Green, I'm going to take ownership of this call so we can solve your problem." Ummkay. Get after it.
• I think I'm going to Costa Rica in February.
• I've got a crazy female friend who throws a tantrum once every six months or so. Her most recent one included "unfriending" me of Facebook. And I've known her for almost 20 years.
• News you can use: There's only one web site authorized by law to provide free credit reports: www.annualcreditreport.com (Or at least that's what the most recent issue of the Texas Bar Journal said.)
• In Paris, Texas, an 18 year old with an IQ of 47 pleads guilty to five counts of sexual abuse of a child and the jury assesses punishment of 30 years, 30 years, 30 years, 5 years, and 5 years. Holy cow. If that's not insane enough, the judge decided to stack the sentences to make it a 100 year sentence. That's Lamar County Judge Eric Clifford who justified his actions by saying, "In the state of Texas, there isn't a whole lot you can do with somebody like him."Can I call a sitting judge an idiot?
• And now I've got a computer virus that is crazy: You click on a google search result and it hijacks the link and redirects to a random site. And that makes it very difficult to google how to get rid of it. Edit: And whoever suggested MalwareBytes is a genius. Good job.
• Edit: Want to hear Boston fans last night chant "You Do Steroids" to A-Rod as he came up to bat?

Email Submitted: Tonight's Wise County Rainbow

Thanks, Tony. And the rare Double Rainbow:

Sheesh

AP - Austin: Three workers died today after falling from a construction elevator on the 11th floor of an Austin condominium project -- when the equipment collapsed.

Authorities said two of the men plunged more than 120 feet to their deaths, while the third was rushed to the hospital after hitting a garage overhang on the sixth floor. He later died at a hospital.

A fourth man, apparently suspecting the scaffolding was about to give way, managed to jump off the platform and survived. He was treated at the scene.

The men were doing construction about halfway up a condominium project known as Twenty One Rio, a high-rise building near the University of Texas.

I'm a huge contemplater (?) of life and death. Of fate. Of chance. Of luck. Man, this freaks me out. And then I look around the Internet about this place and see that a 681 square foot apartment rents for $1,632 a month, and I feel superficially freaked out by that as well.

Wow

Full Service Sheriff's Office

The Wise County Sheriff's Office is caring for Bambi this afternoon. Source.

Reporter Dunks On Kid .....Kid Whines Like A Kid

My two favorite parts are the anchor back at the studio saying, "What's wrong with you?" and the mom (?) looking like she's ready to go off on the reporter after the fact. But I'm with the reporter. Kids are soft. Suck it up, Tyler. It won't be the last time somebody dunks on ya.

New Hampshire Bikini Car Wash

Reason #3,476 to appreciate Texas. More here. (And this was sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts.)

Funny, But Probably A Lot Of Truth There

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Got my Internet fixed last night. Then woke up this morning to find it down again. I'm no technician, but replacing the router/modem two times in one week has not fixed the problem.
• I forgot to mention, no one struts more than the high school track athlete.
• Seeing a kid's chalk art on a sidewalk makes me smile.
• It's rare for KRLD not to steal the news from some other source, but they are the only ones that posted about a "gruesome accident" that occurred this morning in Lewisville.
• Taser Fun: A 72 year old granny and a mouthy motorist. Here. I love the taser over the firearm to diffuse a situation, but cops seem to be a little quick on the trigger with the thing.
• Taser should be spelled Tazer. It's cooler.
• I've never seen Palo Dura Canyon.
• I'm reading a book on the collapse of Bear, Stearns. I'm not much of a business guy, but it is fascinating. (And it made me feel a little insignificant when I read the part of one silk suited lawyer picking up the phone and dialing the number of the head of the New York Federal Reserve Bank at his home - and the guy taking the call.)
• Another earthquake in Cleburne last night. That makes four. Can't we have at least one up here?
• At least one lawyer is reporting that the Tarrant County judge who was arrested for DWI last year (but who had the case thrown out for a defective search warrant) will not be running for re-election.
• How did GM go bankrupt? I mean, look around at all the GM cars that are on the road.
• And this GM bankruptcy/nationalization can't be good for business. I'm not sure things aren't going to get worst for them.
• I wonder if I'm too old for a Nissan 370Z?

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Murder-Suicide Update: They Were Brothers

From Sheriff David Walker: June 8, 2009 at approximately 11:30p.m. Wise County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a family friend of Jeremy Stanford. The caller reported that she had not heard from Stanford and that it seemed to be out of character for him not to return her calls. The caller reported that Stanford was living at 3893 N US HWY 287 with his parents and brother Jason Stanford. Responding to conduct a welfare concern, Deputy Travis Waddell observed blood on the front porch of the residence, and subsequently located two bodies. Investigators, along with the Texas Ranger, are investigating this case as a questionable death: probable murder-suicide. Two deceased males were located inside the residence, with one victim having an apparent stab wound. Investigators were able to determine that the two deceased victims were brothers, which had been in an altercation prior to their deaths. Evidence found at the scene indicates that Jason Stanford inflicted the injury on his brother which caused his death. There were no obvious signs of cause of death regarding Jason Stanford. Investigators will work with medical examiner to determine the official cause of death on both victims. Justice of the Peace Terri Johnson pronounced both victims deceased at the scene and ordered an autopsy. At the present time, Wise County Investigators, as well as Texas Ranger Jim Holland are attending the autopsy. Identity of the victims are: Jason Stanford DOB:11-16-1975 Jeremy Daniel Stanford DOB: 04-09-1982

Very Uncomfirmed

From an email: "I just heard that there was a plane that crashed on the runway at Decatur Airport. The FAA is there investigating and the runway is closed." But I haven't heard any sirens nor has anyone else mentioned this to me. And if the FAA was already there, I would think we would heard about it by now. So I'd tap the brakes on this one. Unless it turns out to be true, then this is Triple Breaking News. Edit: Holy, cow. Confirmed. Fire off the Triple Breaking News alert! (And thanks, Lori, for the email. I'll never doubt you again.) Edit: The plane is registered to Patricia Jane Keefer, out of Trophy Club.

Cindy Sheehan In Dallas: Won't Give It Up

But does implement a pretty funny paper mache head. Story.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Not at Frilly's

• If you are clicking on this early in the morning, skip it and scroll down to the post below it.
• A tech guy will becoming over to fix my home Internet for the second time in a week. I might kill him.
• Man, I completely missed the fan running out onto the court and up to Roger Federer at the French Open on Sunday. Youtube video. If I'm Federer, I'd attacked him with the racket. Why? A fan came onto the court and stabbed Monica Seles in 1993. Question: The lady the camera cuts to in the audience at the 47 second mark isn't Seles, is it?
• The Rangers awarded manager Ron Washington with a one year extension yesterday through 2010. Wow. A whole year.
• I've changed my jogging routine to do it right when I wake up at an ungodly hour. I feel like Tom Cruise running through an empty Times Square in Vanilla Sky. (Why do I think 90% of you have no idea what that means?)
• It seems that if you go to the new Cowboys' Stadium that you spend most of your time looking at the screen. I guess that's OK.
• Crazy scene in a Tarrant County criminal court as an outburst earned her 180 days for contempt. (One thing I've never researched is the concept of contempt. You would think that due process would at least afford a person a hearing before being ordered to jail.)
• At the state track meet, some funny and sassy lady sat down beside me and started talking to her friend. A little later she removed her hat to reveal only a few strands of hair -- an obvious chemo patient. I kind of just wanted to hug and wish her well.
• "Wish her well" makes sense in that context, doesn't it?
• The current version of the iPhone will now be sold for $99. I would think sales are about to explode to such an extent that the majority of people own one within five years.
• The movie Hangover (guys having a bachelor party in Vegas) sounds like it might deviate from the typical silly formula.
• Movies = Generally Overrated?
• Another plug for wisecounty.com's Free Classifieds.
• Rush Limbaugh said in a nauseating interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday: “If al-Qaida wants to demolish the America we know and love, they’d better hurry because Obama is beating them to it." Good lord, man.
• Picture of digital menu at the new Cowboys' Stadium (Credit: Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat)
• I'm confused about the capacity of the new stadium. When it was announced, it was said to seat 70,000 but had the capacity for 100,000 with standing room only tickets. But the attendance for George Strait on Saturday was said to be a little over 60,000 and that includes seats on the floor. (Unless there weren't seats on the floor.) But wasn't it a sell-out?
• There was one DWI near the stadium after the concert. Unfortunately, it was the new General Manager of the stadium. Oh, my.

We've Got A Developing Situation

Late last night at approximately 11:45pm the Wise County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare concern in the 3800 block of US HWY 287 North (5 miles north of Decatur). While checking the residence Deputy Travis Waddell observed what appeared to be blood on the front porch of the residence. Upon further inspection of the residence, two male bodies were located. WCSO Investigators, as well as the Texas Ranger are still on scene at this time. It appears that there was some sort of struggle between the two men which resulted in their deaths.

Evidence at the scene are leading investigators to work this case at this time as a murder- suicide. Names of the victims are being withheld, pending family notification. Justice of the Peace Terri Johnson has been called to the scene and will be requesting autopsy.

This Morning: A THIRD Earthquake in Cleburne?

You may not have known about the one yesterday, but another one just happened. Weird.

Potter's House Is A Good Gig

T.D. Jake is the pastor of the huge Potter's House church in Dallas. For some reason, his sunroom exploded over the weekend. But I got caught up in the fact that the pastor has a 15,000 square foot home. The only address the story gave was "8400 block of Meadowbrook Drive" and the above satellite view shows some big ol' houses in that neighborhood.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts: Austin Edition

Not Austin.

• I left before 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and decided to swing by Georgetown to see the courthouse. Williamson County is often proclaimed as "the most conservative" county in the State, so I wanted to at least drive though. Very nice courthouse square but saddened there was no white picket fence. (Pic of courthouse.)
• But there's a building on one of the corners of the square which is very Islamic looking. That made me giggle. You can see it here in a cell phone pic.
• I can't tell you how great a GPS system is when you don't know where your going. It's just crazy: You drive where it tells you to and you actually get there.
• I made a point to eat a late breakfast/early lunch at Juan in a Million because I saw the guy from Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel stop by there once. Everyone must have had the same idea since I had to park two blocks away. It's a dumpy little place with awful service but I still liked it. (Pic of outside.)
• I ate while reading a hard copy of The Onion newspaper. There was an ad for a free one-hitter with a purchase of a certain amount. (Pic.) I think that would get you arrested in Williamson County, but not Austin.
• The owner came up to me in the checkout line and gave me a crazy handshake. One of those where he brings his arm around like he is throwing a sidearm pitch.
• There was nothing on the wall to commemorate Man vs. Food being there.
• On my way to the track meet, I saw a cemetery that had an Arlington National feel to it. I felt compelled to take a pic as I realized it was the anniversary of D-Day.
• The track meet was really great. I would have given anything to have had that ability in high school.
• The one-false-start-and-you're-disqualified rule is one of the harshest in all of sports.
• The morning session was 1A and 3A. That was a pretty fun culture clash since 1A schools are little country towns but there are some new 3A schools that can be a little more urban. Loved it.
• I felt awful when I realized I was completely oblivious to Slidell freshman Bobbi Clemmer winning second in the 800 meters. Happened right in front of me and I was clueless.
• Man it was hot. They were selling caps (which I failed to bring) but I refused to buy one for two reasons: (1) They were all UT caps, and (2) I was wearing a UCLA T-shirt and a UT cap on top of that would have been unstable.
• I saw one lady (presumably a teacher/coach/chaperon) chewing out a young girl like nobody's business under the stands. I snapped a picture in an indiscriminate manner only to have my flash go off. Fail.
• I hung around on Sixth Street that night with a friend. It must have been Bachlorette Party Night because I saw at least eight groups of it.
• My friend and I got in a debate as to when "middle age" begins. She's about to turn 36.
• My friend also showed up extremely stressed, and I thought she was on the verge of a breakdown. But she pulled out of it once she had chips and queso. Is that all it takes with you women?
• Saw one guy dressed in white shorts with a sweater tied around his neck in the company of two girls wearing tennis skirts and carrying tennis rackets. Funny bit.
• Saw an 11 year old earlier in the evening playing an electric guitar on the sidewalk. The amp was in the back of his very new SUV as dad looked on smiling. (Pic of kid.)
• I proclaimed a few months ago that girls in shorts and high heels is a good look. The girls of Austin know a good look.
• I wanted to see the Texas/TCU baseball game but couldn't pull it off. The final game in the series is tonight with the winner going to the College World Series. (ESPN2.)

Last Photos From Austin

After the track meet, I walked over to the Softball Finals and caught the last two innings of Celina vs. Needville. With Needville (crazy name, by the way) holding a 3-0 lead, a Celina gal blasted a home run that landed about 20 feet from my head. The next batter was hit by a pitch putting the tying run at the plate. That led to top pic where the Celina player hit a quickly dropping it's-gonna-be-a-single into left field that was amazingly caught by the outfielder. The old man standing beside me kept saying, "That's an all-Stater right there." A pop up later, and Needville had won. The other pic is of Celina watching the celebration seconds later. (With all of the Austin pics, you can click on them to enlarge.)

Let's Examine This

This pic was in the Messenger last Wednesday (in the paper's Thursday edition that was released online on Tuesday) in connection with DPS's new commercial vehicle inspection station in Decatur. Does this guy duck once the truck gets closer? Once he's down there is he trapped while the truck sits over him? If there's another entrance to the subterranean inspection area, why wouldn't he use it? And I love this:

While the inspections take about 30 minutes, Cox said drivers are usually cooperative with troopers, especially during Roadcheck. "It's rare that we encounter a driver that has a less than positive attitude about what we're doing," he said. "They understand that our primary goal is safety."

What's the secondary goal? To demonstrate that The Man can pull over trucks in Wise County at will?