Got Any Friends At Padre Island?

Link. And I'd love to know the back story. You just know some boys in a big ol' boat coming up from Mexico or Central America got spooked by the cops and just dumped the load overboard. (And I've been reading In Search of Captain Zero which involves similar, crazy stories --- I briefly met Captain Zero in Costa Rica who "retired" to a secluded village down there 20 years ago. Here's his story that appeared in High Times magazine. Fascinating stuff.)

Problem Solved

I never thought I'd wake up today an google "geodes", but I'm glad I did. You see, I just had what smart people call "an epiphany." In case you didn't know, a geode is a rock that, best I can tell, is hollow but has a pretty crystal inner crust. (Think Tootsie Pop without the chocolate center.) Now I'm sure those boys in the Wise County Fossil, Rock and Mineral Society can always accept a couple of new members, right? And I'm sure the boys and girls in the North Texas Singles Club wouldn't mind checking out those in the Mineral Society (especially since the members of the latter have to be in shape from walking all over the Southwest Proper looking for sedimentary and metamorphic rocks), right? Well, problem solved: Take a couple of big geodes. Bust 'em in half. And, voila, we got us a fancy punch bowl and dip bowl! Throw in some Maddog 20/20 and some bean dip, get those two societies together, and we've got us a full blown Wise County mixer the likes of which hasn't been seen since the joint Baptist/Methodist revival in the 1970s. E-harmony couldn't have done a better job.

Pick Me Up (I've Fallen Behind)

That's Carrie Prejean (Miss California/No Gay Marriage/Implants/Sex Tape) and spare NFL quarterback Kyle Boller.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The Wise County lawsuit over the hurt finger at Sid Richardson is over: Girl didn't get any money. Sounds like the girl didn't deserve any money.
• Personal injury cases never go to trial any more. I bet Wise County, once the hot bed of Plaintiff's litigation, hasn't had more than two of those type of cases go to trial in the last six years.
• Odds are 18 to 1 that TCU wins the football National Championship next year. All odds here.
• I listened to only a few minutes of the governor debate last night. Man, Rick Perry stumbled over his words and sounded very inarticulate. That isn't like him at all.
• Libertarian Debra Medina is probably the best choice between the three.
• The NFL Network replayed the 1975 Dallas/Minnesota "Hail Mary" game yesterday. Three plays before the famous Staubach to Pearson bomb, Dallas completed a 4 and 17. I'm old enough to remember that, but I didn't.
• And after the Hail Mary, a referee was hit in the head with a thrown liquor bottle from the stands. The NFL replay yesterday conveniently cut that part out.
• Re: Dallas cop who sent nude photos of himself to a 17 year old girl (among other infractions). Uh, the defense of, "I don't deny all of the allegations but I question the integrity of the investigation" is not a good defense.
• Watched a little of Reno 911 last night. It sure is pushing the envelope these days (but still very funny.)
• Interesting quote from the owner of the closing J&J Blues Bar in Fort Worth: "J&J fell victim to an aging fan base and an increasingly sober society, said Schusler, 72. He noted that average liquor sales per guest over the past five years dropped to $9 from $19.47."
• Having monitored the situation for years, I think people are more responsible drinkers these days.
• I'm coming around on Forgetting Sarah Marshal. Funny but not Real Funny. (But it's definitely a movie that gets funnier with age.)
• More crazy cops: An off duty cop in Plano smashed into an on duty Plano cop this morning. There are so many government employees that they are smashing into each other these days.

Thursday Afternoon Pick Me Up

From The Agency That Monitored The Swine Flu

The Center for Disease Control thinks you might want to cancel your vacation to Haiti. Official Statement.

Teeth Are Important

The very busy Messenger Update reported that this guy went back into a trailer fire in Crafton this morning to retrieve his teeth. About three weeks ago, Channel 8 had a video of a victim of the Runaway Bay condo fire who lamented that he wasn't able to retrieve his teeth.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I have no idea what happened to www.wisecounty.com yesterday. It came back up around 6:00 p.m. (It's been hosted by the same company for 13 years.)
• Teddy Pendergrass has died. I can't think of a single song of his.
• What a mess in Haiti. What a horrible, horrible mess.
• It's weird to have a Cowboy game of this magnitude on the horizon. I'm not giddy like I was in the 1990s, but I'm interested.
• Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck on the same show last night? I now know what water boarding is like.
• It may be gone by now, but at the top of the Drudge Report yesterday there was a link to "Video: Dog bolts from office before quake" buried amongst links for Haiti information. But the story found by following the link says the video is from North Carolina, not Haiti. (And that may not even be true since it the video references a town in California.)
• The motorcycle cop in Arlington died while trying to stop a speeder? And didn't a metroplex agency abandon motorcycles altogether because of the inherent danger?
• I don't care anything about American Idol but I stopped by it last night for a few seconds to see a very country girl from Tennessee try out. I'll admit, that was touching.
• AnObiter's mother said she felt uncomfortably "privileged" in going to see a movie on a weekday morning. AnObiter didn't understand. I sure do.
• I saw yesterday in the Update there was to be a benefit for a lady who needs a liver replacement. It's an odd phenomenon that tens of thousands will be given to local churches this weekend, but very few will donate to help out a particular individual in need.
• The Sid Richardson Boy Scout ranch trial is still going on in Decatur. (I've found out it involves a finger injury during a canoe trip onto Lake Bridgeport.) I'll say this: That trial has had the hottest witnesses in the history of ever.
• I like the photos of the Messenger's Joe Duty except when he has student athletes pose like they are some type of conquerors.
• If Kay Bailey Hutchison would say at tonight's governor's race debate: "The job really has no power and looks like a a pretty cushy gig", I'd vote for her.
• I'm not a basketball fan so maybe that explains why a "monster dunk" in the NBA over a player standing flat footed trying to draw a charge makes it into ESPN's Top 10 Plays Of The Day. That really doesn't seem impressive to me.
• Holy, cow: Did you see the story/video of the store owner in Frisco who said, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to get out of my store right now" when confronted with a robber sticking a gun in her face? I appreciate her faith, but I wonder what her customer was thinking when the gunman turned and pointed the gun at her.

Somebody Sent This To Me, So Let's Make It Catfish Night

Me and Tech Support For the Malfunctioning www.wisecounty.com

Confusing KRLD Tweet

They just want to contact anyone? For interviews? For assistance? For documentation? And those people are supposed to have phone service?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• WiseCounty.com is down. I'm working on it. (Translated: I've sent an email to tech support asking "What's the deal?")
• I didn't jog at all last week, but my legs feel so much better this week when I've gone back to my routine.
• This Conan O'Brien vs. Jay Leno controversy doesn't really get my attention because I've never watched the late night talk shows. And I never was a fan of Johnny Carson, either. (You know, put an animal on your head, make a concerned face, listen to audience laugh.)
• Most beaten down experience last week: Being on a 16 passenger tour bus for two hours when the guide decides to put in a CD of a live performance of a Spanish speaking comedian. You haven't lived until you've gone through that.
• College Sports: Lane Kiffin, who is leaving Tennessee after one year to take the USC job, better get out of town in a hurry. Those crazy Vols will burn his house down. Really.
• Southlake Carroll is considering an $800,000 video board for its stadium.
• Heard this yesterday: There are two or three pivotal decisions in your life that change everything for you forever.
• At the Wise County Republican Love Fest two days ago, there was a guy present who was handing out a pamphlet which included a warning about the "recent" illegal immigration of people from Ireland.
• Developing: Just heard that an Arlington motorcycle cop was killed this morning when he collided with a school bus.
• The aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti looks like it is going to be bad. I'll admit, I'm not sure I could have found it on a map until last night.
• I won't get much work done today because I'll be looking at hot chicks who have stubbed their toes.
• Very random legal thought: The U.S. Constitution does not mandate a jury trial for civil suits filed in a state court. Plaintiff's lawyers always say that, but they're wrong.
• After years of in my job, I find it almost impossible to say "statue" instead of "statute."
• Obama took heat from The Right for taking three days to address the attempted bombing of a plane on Christmas Day. But Bush took six days before he said anything about the Richard Reid "Shoe Bomber" incident.
• When I go through a school zone, I'm overcome with the sensation that cops are everywhere.
• A former editor and publisher of a Wise County newspaper suggested I watch "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. I have. Not bad.
• I saw one small First Baptist Church in Costa Rica. I bet it was built during a mission trip by a U.S. church. (I think I remember First Baptist of Bridgeport doing something like that in the 1980s.)
• I'm insane now.
• For some reason, I watched a little bit of the OU/Texas game from 1969 on ESPN Classic last night. Of the 22 total offensive starters, only one was black.

Haiti Earthquake

Twitpics are coming in here.

Colt McCoy Now Engaged To An Afternoon Pick Me Up

She's the gal on the left. (And she's a Baylor track star.) Hey, now. Story.

Criminal Mastermind Takes Jesus

This is about a year old but I had forgotten about it. And how could I have forgotten the case of a Jesus statute being held hostage in retaliation for "wiener poopie", I'll never know.

Civil Trial Going On In Decatur

But it looks kind of boring. Some girl got in some type of accident at Sid Richardson Boy Scout Ranch and is suing, well, somebody. It doesn't appear that her injuries were very severe. And I have no idea who the lawyers are.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• For the first time in the history of ever, the Evil Empire is #1 in the AP basketball poll. When will this madness end? But the #22 team caught my attention.
• 90 people killed in drug violence in Juarez since first of the year? Wow. And make no mistake about it: That violence is the result of drugs being illegal.
• I've actually searched for property for sale in Costa Rica.
• Girl arrested during "Undie Run" (Which I wouldn't mention unless a pic was included in the link.)
• I think I forgot to mention that American Airlines found my bags and delivered them to my doorstep by 6:00 p.m. the next day. Heck, on my return trips in the future they can lose them, find them, and deliver them the next day as often as they want.
• Sarah Palin is going to be a Fox News contributor. And to think in her resignation speech as Alaska's governor she said her decision was motivated by a "higher calling."
• The new book, "Game Change", has received more free publicity than Sarah Palin.
• I'm not sure I had ever heard of the "Doomsday Clock" which is set to change this week. (I suspect we will now hear from the 2012 Guy.)
• Mark McGuire admitted to using steroids yesterday (shocker) but then said he could have still hit 70 home runs in a season without them. And he also said he didn't take them for enhancement purposes but for "health reasons." Riiiiight.
• I didn't realize that the horrific story of the Fort Worth woman dying yesterday while trying to save her dogs in a freezing pond occurred at Basswood and I-35 (just as you go into Fort Worth from Wise County.)
• Every time we took the five minute walk to the beach last week, two dogs would appear out of nowhere, follow us, run and play crazily on the beach the entire time, and then follow us back. Absolutely fantastic.
• If I had as much money as Simon Cowell, I wouldn't just quit American Idol, I'd retire,
• Idiocracy: Not only does a metroplex kindergartner "refuse" to cut his hair for school, but the public and news media actually care about the story.
• For lawyer friends only: Those new SCRAM devices (alcohol detecting ankle bracelets) might be reliable, but the company employees may not know how to read the results: Shocking case out of Austin.
• Fox and Friend's Steve Doocy kidded someone this morning for saying he would later "see you on the radio" because Doocy thought they had made an error. Obviously not a fan of the old Charles Osgood Sunday morning show.

We had us a little car chase

Most Rented Neflix Movies By Area Code

Boyd Area: New Fairview, Rhome, and Aurora: Decatur: That's all I could pull up from this New York Times article. (Click on the "Dallas" graphic and drag it.)

Heat At Decatur Middle School

I've been gone. What's the deal? Edit: Should have linked to this editorial in the Messenger. Halfway down it begins with: "In the case of the heating issue at Decatur Middle School, school officials were trying to do the right thing in getting heat into the building so students could be comfortable in class. Unfortunately, the method they chose not only was a violation of the fire code, it was potentially dangerous for students."

Adding Insult To Injury: Alabama Fans Pose With National Championship Trophy At Walmart

Link.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Exactly one week ago I was in the ocean. Now I'm behind a desk wearing a suit.
• After I got back home after midnight on Sunday morning, I watched the replay of the Cowboy game until 2:30 a.m. Gracious, they are good.
• Yesterday I also watched the National Championship Game: I hate the Empire, but Texas made that a heck of a game when they had no business hanging around once Colt McCoy went down. Nothing to be ashamed about there.
• Everyone is bent out of shape about Henry Reid's comments? (He described then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008 as "light-skinned" with "no Negro dialect" unless he wants one.) Come on. How many of you Wise County folks didn't say, "He sure doesn't talk like a black guy."
• The guy who created Davey and Goliath died over the weekend. Loved that show as a kid.
• There were no increased flying rules on my trip like "Don't have anything in your lap during the last hour" or "Don't leave your seat during the last hour."
• I was hand frisked before I was allowed to board in Costa Rica.
• I grew a beard while I was gone. Not a bad look. It's gone this morning.
• Boyd passed a teen curfew law while I was gone? I've never understood how people just blindly accept that your government can tell it's citizens, regardless of age, when they can be allowed in public.
• Whether it be in San Jose or Miami, the new fashion trend (which just dawned on me) is skinny jeans stuffed into boots. (Uh, that's for girls).

Well, I See Not Much Has Changed While I Was Gone

Link.

Back To Life, Back To Reality

• Anybody seen a couple of red bags?
• I didn't want to gamble on an 11:30 a.m. direct flight (the only direct flight) because we would be coming from the other side of the country that morning and even "reserved" transportation can sometimes be unreliable. It wasn't. It picked us up at 6:00 and had us in the San Jose airport by 10:00 a.m. That 3:00 p.m. flight with a stop through Miami looked like a long day.
• Planning = Fail.
• Something you don't want to do: Have a connecting flight in Miami with little time to do it, have to go through immigration, have to go through customs, have to recheck your bags, and walk a half marathon through that place to the next gate.
• I knew there would be trouble when the ticket agent yelled at us to bypass the regular backage check and "run down there and drop your bags in the carpeted area and then run to E4"
• When we left our bags with a young and I'm-in-no-hurry American Airlines attendant, I didn't have a good feeling.
• After all that running, we made the connecting flight because it was delayed an hour.
• I was trying to avoid the Cowboy game because I had it TIVO'd (controlled remotely by my cellphone in a remote village in Costa Rica, by the way.) It was on everywhere in the Miami airport. But still, I didn't look at any screen and kept away from the audio.
• It was 40 degrees in Miami (or so they told us -- didn't go outside.) That never happens, does it?
• Once airborne, the Captain got on the horn and told us, "For those interested in the game, Dallas is leading Philadelphia 24-7." Sir!!!!!!
• We made it. Our bags didn't. If they find them, they'll deliver to the house today. As of this writing, they've found one but not the other.
• I got to witness an AA employee tell a group of 15 passengers, "You will be staying in Ramada South tonight and we will pick you up the next morning." Yep, they missed their connecting flight in Dallas.
• Note to the Anaheim Angels Baseball Organization. You've got some employee/scout/whatever (who looks like Mike Singletary) who is a Grade A jerk. Yelling at some AA employee over the phone over misplaced bags at midnight isn't getting you anywhere. And yelling "I want 30,000 frequent flyer miles deposited to my account now!!!" really made you look bad.
• I sat by some young Nigerian looking fellow on the way home. Don't worry America, I had my eye on him.
• But he did ask me if DFW was a "domestic airport" once we landed and I happily advised him, before I could think, that it was an "international airport." Great. I'm aiding and abetting the enemy.