Bulls Win - I'm Still Alive

Link.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• If posting is a little slow today, try to find forgiveness in your dark hearts: I've got friends in from out the Northeast and I have to entertain.
• I hate entertaining.
• Having people in your home makes you clean like nobody's business.
• And this is some pressure: What do you show folks who have never been to Texas before?
• My agenda so far is: The 6th Floor Museum, the new arts district of downtown Dallas, Cowboy game, Water Gardens, North Side, Angelo's, Joe T's, Turtle Creek Area, the restaurant where Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones were photo'd for the first time (they are Cowboy fans), downtown Fort Worth, Gaylord Texan (?). Any suggestions are welcomed.
• They were amazed that you had to pay at DFW Airport just to pick some one up.
• But it's funny how the chain storing of America made them think at times they had never left home at all.
• Took them to a Tex-Mex restaurant last night and they loved it.
• Even though the table beside us got liquored up and smeared birthday cake on one another.
• Distracted: I love Tell It To Tim on Fox 4.
• I wish I were The Today Show's Matt Lauer.
• I bet that New Moon movie sets box office records this weekend.
• One of the stars in the movie is on The Today Show as I type this. He's 17 and treated like a rock star. (And the third movie in the series has already been filmed?)
• I'm amazed the Pete Hart story in Chico got so many comments.

Fine Dining On Mondays

How To Save A Life

Hey, we've got defibrillators now available in the courthouse. But I couldn't help but notice they were under lock and key. As someone up there just told me, "We'll save your life so long as we can get a hold of the guys in maintenance to unlock it."

Chico, My Chico

The Messenger has this video of the school board listening to a few residents regarding the potential termination of Coach Pete Hart. (Although you can't hear a word.) The Board's decision (which looks like it was a done deal way before the meeting) occurs at around the 3:00 minute mark. And the one over excited clapper, after an extended pause, is kind of funny.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Noticed that the commercial for the new Disney movie Old Dogs, starring the beat down that is Robin Williams, has a scene where a guy gets hit in the crotch with a golf ball. And that makes the preview. Idiocracy, we are headed in your direction.
• I'm not saying a word about Sarah Palin on Sean Hannity last night other than they both would be great in the so called War On Terror. Why? They would suck the life force out of any human.
• Ok, I lied. Let me say that I thought they were going to make out at any moment.
• Fort Worth motorcycle death yesterday.
• Faithful reader [name redacted by request] emails me to say that he saw Sheriff David Walker on TruTV last night in connection with the runaway 18 wheeler theft a couple of months ago.
• A Wise County jury convicted a guy of DWI yesterday for driving under the influence of prescription medication. Yep, that's illegal.
• They are starting up another DWI trial again today (amazingly, I'm not involved in it.) This one involves a driver who allegedly had a breath test of .23 (wow) with the defense being, "You can't prove I was drunk when I was driving." (It sounds mildly entertaining.)
• Both of the cases involve Fort Worth defense lawyers that never come to Wise County. I think that's nuts. I'd never go into, say, Eastland County, without the help of someone who knows the judge, prosecutors, office staff, local customs, and the "feel" of the county.
• A woman tried to run across six lanes of northbound traffic on Stemmons Freeway by the AAC this morning. To no one's surprise, she didn't make it.
• The Cincinnati Bengals have a 41 year old cheerleader. Kinda hawt.
• I was in the stands at Kyle Field during a torrential downpour in 1984 when Baylor beat A&M. Little did I know it would be the last time The Baptists would win in College Station. (They play this weekend.)
• People's Sexiest Man Alive announced this morning: Johnny Depp.

A Wednesday Afternoon . . . Uh . . . Nevermind

Check Out The Lady At the 45 Second Mark

Let me translate: "Keep those poor kids away from my kids."

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• One horrible thought about the 9/11 masterminds being tried in open court in New York: Nancy Grace's coverage.
• Watched a bit of a DWI trial in our County Court at Law yesterday - odd case. No alcohol, prescription medication only, and a hot DPS chemist from Austin testifying.
• Slowly becoming my kryptonite: Fox and Friend's Gretchen Carlson. (And she used to be at KXAS, channel 5, locally?)
• Why do I watch so much of Fox News if I hate it? Because I love watching things that irritate me. Really.
• That freeze warning for last night might have been prematurely issued.
• I got disturbed yesterday when I looked at a friend's wife's Facebook page and she was kissing another guy with the the caption "I love this man!". Then I noticed her status wasn't "Married" but "In a relationship". And then, after much searching, I couldn't find any reference to the husband on her page. I don't think that is a good sign.
• Probably Joe Duty's best pic from Boyd's playoff loss last week.
• Do they still have that fraud of fraud's "Who's Who" book for high school students?
• This seems wrong: Seven Dallas criminal judges have hired the DA's wife as a political consultant.
• Legislation introduced yesterday would require those killed at Fort Hood to get the Purple Heart. Any congressman have the guts to vote against that? And must everything be politicized?
• Anybody else get tense watching the footage of Reunion Arena coming down yesterday? Did it seem like they had no idea what they were doing? (Great youtube clip of it.)
• Hot weather is irritating. Cold weather hurts.
• Today's top story in the Messenger above-the-fold is the resignation of the two guys from the Boyd Fire Department. For the life of me, I don't understand why this is a big deal and the story doesn't even hint at why it should be.

Everyone Is Going Nuts Over This Cover

Including Sarah Palin who calls it "sexist." Sheesh, woman, you posed for the pic for Runners World earlier this year. But if I do say so myself, "Hey, now." (And I'd like to point out that this fine Blog brought you this photo back in June of this year.)

Sneak Peak: Walmart Black Friday Ad

http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/11/wal-mart-black-friday-ads-leak.html Watching Trooper Jeff Johnson testify in an unusual DWI case that involvies no alcohol but prescription medication got boring all of a sudden so I stumbled upon this ad. You can thank me later. Waiting on a chemist from Austin to testify -- I expect to learn something. Via phone.

Everybody go stock up on non-perishables

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Wedding Pole Dance Fail?

One of my friends up at the courthouse gave me the business yesterday about "being skeptical of everything!!" Yep, I am. And I'm skeptical of this video because the last few seconds seem a bit staged. But, for now, lets pretend it's real and that one of my ex-wives is the gal in red.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Tuition for TCU goes to $30,000 a year next year. I think I've figured out why the Common Man doesn't readily jump on their bandwagon.
• The roof of Reunion Arena comes down today which is a bummer because the course of the Dallas Turkey Trot, which I run every year, goes right by it. I kind of wanted to see it in its current huge coffee table form.
• The Fort Worth Court of Appeal reversed one of those DWI "No Refusal Weekend" blood draw cases last week, but the facts were so wonky I don't think it is very significant. But it sure scared the heck out of prosecutors when it was first released.
• We haven't had a good Wise County public official scandal in a long time. Somebody needs to step up.
• From the I Couldn't Care Less Department: President Obama bowing to the Japanese Emperor.
• My dry cleaning lady now wants to talk about what I wear on weekends.
• I don't know who the Republicans can possibly find as a presidential nominee for the next go round. Sarah Palin is Sarah Palin. Mike Huckabee, based upon his radio "show", might be an actual hillbilly. the governor of Louisiana freezes when a camera comes on. and Mitt Romney has the baggage of the right wing believing he is a cult member because of his Mormon faith. Who is left?
• And I only saw a couple of seconds of Palin on Oprah. I didn't feel emotionally strong enough to sit through it since I misjudged the impact of seeing both of those women together.
• I still don't understand how the conservative talk show hosts refer to 9/11 as an "act of war." An act of war declared by what country?
• Cowboy Hot Sports Opinion: The loss of offensive lineman Marc Columbo is so huge that the wheels might fall off this team.
• (Side note for my lawyer buddies: Google is getting into the free Texas legal research business. Quick link.)
• Something very weird about my dreams: The always involve something bad happening to me. I mean, I never awake from one of them and think, "I wish that were true."
• For some reason, I'm going to the the Redskins game this weekend.
• The 86 year old owner of the Tennessee Titans shocked everyone this weekend when he flipped the "double bird" in front of TV cameras. Yeah, that's bad, but is it worth a $250,000 fine by the NFL?
• After several awful football seasons, the Chico ISD let coach and athletic director Pete Hart go last night. Uh, and they wrote him a check for $75,000.

Hot For Teacher

I pretty much gave up on my continuing series of "And Another" which documented teachers having, uh, relations with their teenage male students. My basic schtick was to recommend probation depending on how hot the teacher was. Face it, I'll beat a dead horse as much as anyone but it's hard to keep the bit fresh. But this girl got my attention. We've got a 37 year old teacher (above) and a 17 year old student. Verdict: Oh, my. Edit: Completely unrelated, but check out the craziest book-in photo from Denton last weekend.

It's Britney Monday. Which Makes It A Good Monday.

More.

I'm Praying Pete Delkus Does This

Ok, anyone out there who hasn't met a girl on an interracial dating site and then threaten to call the cops when she won't call you back? I didn't think so. Women. Sheesh. Always mistaking affection for stalking.

Tailgating Fail?

The Star-Telegram posted a bunch of pictures from the TCU Tailgating Scene on Saturday, but this one got my attention. I'm not sure sitting up a poker table qualifies as a legitimate pre-game parking lot activity.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The "trouble putting on condiments" Budweiser commercial is pushing the limits, isn't it?
• 2012 made $65 million over the weekend to lead the box office. I guess the world really is coming to an end.
• Guy drives a krillion dollar car into a Texas lake. Accident? Video.
• My entertainment chasm between college football and pro football is growing. If it weren't for Fantasy Football, I might not watch the latter.
• I always hate it when someone uses the phrase "the latter" or "the former."
• Unfortunate Longhorn name.
• There was a "breaking news" post this morning in the Update about the chief and assistant chief of Boyd's volunteer fire department resigning. Unless there's a heck of a back story, why is that important?
• Tony Romo's weird hat looks cool when they win and goofy when they lose.
• The conservatives are upset about trying the 9/11 mastermind in a federal court in New York? What's to fear?
• The Blind Side movie looks like it might be a little too "perfect." Take in a troubled youth and it's all roses with a wildly successful ending?
• All the TCU hoopla on Saturday would have seemed more legitimate if a really good team had come to town. That 20 point favorite thing bugged me.
• The commercial where the family each points the TV clicker/changer at each other is kind of funny -- at least when grandma walks in, shakes her head, and then leaves.
• I missed most of the crazy New England/Indianapolis game last night but watching the Bill Belicheck press conference afterwards was tense. (He went for it on 4th and 2 deep in his own territory when he was ahead by 6. It failed. Badly.)
• I cleaned the house like crazy this weekend - from the garage to the baseboards to the bathrooms. It's oddly satisfying to do that.
• Horrific: A 17 year old girl backs over her toddler brother by mistake in Oak Cliff. I hate, hate, hate those stories.
• The TCU two finger bent hand symbol is a little goofy. But maybe it's because I haven't seen it a whole lot in the past.
• A clerk in a convenience store asked me this morning if the Cowboys won last night (as I was looking at the front page of the paper). She couldn't possibly have cared, right?
• Yep, I know, a little football intensive this morning.

AnObiter Is Back

The therapy sessions must have work. She's back at it!!! (For those that have no idea what I'm talking about: She used to be a frequent commenter who ran her own blog that I affectionately, and perhaps accurately, referred to as "high tone". But she shut her blog down about the same time as Jarhead. Good to see her back and we can only hope that Jarhead comes out of his bunker soon as well. )

Giving TCU Props

• Heck of a turnout at ESPN Game Day yesterday. Good job.
• The ESPN boys all wearing cowboy hats at the beginning of the show was an instant beat down.
• Did Chris Fowler say they were at TCU's "new campus"?
• At least Jeff Sagrain's computer rankings (which I've always believed were dead on), puts TCU above Texas (but the poll he has to submit to tbe BSC is different for a reason I'm not sure I understand.)
• I went to downtown Fort Worth last night just to see what it was like after the game. Good times.
• The perfect scenerio would be for TCU to play the Florida/Alabama loser in the Sugar Bowl. Let's see how good they are. (Yeah, a national championship appearance would be better, but I don't see that happening.)
• And now for the best Game Day signs. (Example below.) Edit: Link fixed.

Still The Best Entertainment Of The Week

The Wise County Sheriff's Office weekly crime reports. Edit: I received this photo Monday morning from a Decatur buddy who wrote: "A cool photo taken by Merrick this weekend with his cell phone. FYI - he exercised restraint and did not shoot."