Random Friday Morning Thoughts
- What? You no like car washers?
- Isn't it odd that General Petraeus has to be confirmed by Congress to lead the troops in Afghanistan. Is that in the Constitution? Shouldn't the Commander in Chief have the authority to pick whomever he wants without interference?
- 46 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan this month.
- Does anyone in Decatur know how a four way stop works?
- I know I can't convince anyone to watch the College World Series if you are not already inclined to do so, but you should. Last night OU was one run a head in the bottom of the 12th with 2 out and 2 strikes on the batter. Ten minutes later they were eliminated.
- Al Roker irritates me to death.
- 11 straight for your Texas Rangers.
- After the late afternoon rain yesterday, the streets were actually steaming. And I mean a lot of it. I halfway expected zombies to appear.
- NFL quarterback Mark Brunell has earned over $52 million. And he is declaring bankruptcy today.
- I'm traveling today and will be out of pocket but I'll check the comments on my fancy phone as often as I can. And you might want to check out my twitter feed over the weekend -- I promise something interesting.
- I watched the first 30 minutes of ESPN's The Two Escobars last night. Absolutely fascinating. If you are fan of Cocaine Cowboys and/or Blow, you'll love this.
- Technology is cheap. Take a look at this comparing what a weekly salary would buy you in 1964 compared with today. Shocking.
- I'm proud of myself for knowing why the Earth's tilt and position created the longest day of the year this week -- I could actually take a globe and explain it. But I'm equally ignorant as to why we have new moons and full moons -- and even more confused by a "lunar eclipse" we are having this weekend.
- A very well known and smart Houston lawyer who is widely read fired off an angry tweet last night after getting out of trial. (F Bomb warning). Man, he might want to rethink that.
6.24.2010
Your New Decatur ISD Superintendent
Random Thursday Morning Thoughts
- Yesterday was a heck of a sports day: (1) The overtime soccer goal by Team USA, (2) the crazy marathon Wimbledon match that resumes this morning, and (3) an eighth inning, two out, 3-2 count grand slam by TCU in the College World Series last night which might have been one of the most exciting things I've ever seen.
- Funny line yesterday about that long Wimbledon match: You could have boarded a plane at DFW right after the first serve and arrived at the stadium before they stopped play due to darkness.
- A friend of mine was asking for suggestions for a place to eat in Dallas and a couple of people suggested the restaurant in The Ritz or the one in Hotel ZaZa. Really? I guess I'd do that once in five years for some type of celebration, but just on a regular trip to Dallas?
- I think the restaurant bang-for-the-buck ratio is way out of whack.
- BagOfNothing.com tracked down the cover of Rolling Stone that contained the interview that got the general in trouble with Obama. Oh, my.
- Lady GaGa is just a modern day tricked up Madonna, right?
- I dreamed/dreamt last night that I was clinging to a wall of Palo Duro Canyon.
- The 911 tapes of the Lancaster cop shooting were released yesterday. I understand why they should be public (government has no business keeping that information private), but I'm not sure it's necessary for every news outlet to play them.
- Limited interest: If you are thinking about getting the debuting iPhone 4, you might want to read this about problems that were reported yesterday.
- I would link to the Al Gore "sex crime scandal" but since it lacks an ounce of credibility, I won't.
- The Decatur School Board may name a new superintendent tonight. Some have speculated that it will be Melinda Reeves, but I have no idea.
- The Rangers have won 10 in a row -- all against bad teams, but it's still a heck of a feat. However, I'm changing my earlier prediction and predicting failure for the last half of the season.
- A collection of youtube videos of unruly airplane passengers. I had never seen one of the guy putting the kid in the overhead compartment.
- NBC5's Jane McGarry created a twitter account about three weeks ago and I can't believe it's her. (Although everyone tells me it's real.) She's funny and witty and posts more "hey, nows" than I do. (Example.)
6.23.2010
Craziest Tennis Match Ever Going On
Do you see what's going on at Wimbledon right now? When a match goes into the fifth set, it must be won by two games (i.e. 6-4, 7-5, 9-7). And until it is done, they keep playing.
In the fifth set, the game score is 35-34! I've never seen or heard anything remotely close to that. No one can pull ahead by two games.
I don't know who these guys are, but one of them is an American. And we're on a roll today.
Follow it here.
Edit: At 1:57 pm it is tied 50-50. Unbelievable.
Edit: At 3:10 (our time) the match was suspended due to darkness. It's 59-59.
Goal!!!!!
U.S. scores in "overtime" with two minutes left against Algeria to win 1-0 and to advance to "Sweet 16."
America, _____ yea!!!
Edit: 22 second youtube clip of the goal.
Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts
- Dallas/Fort Worth's population grew by 25% over the last 10 years according to preliminary census numbers. That explains traffic.
- And speaking of traffic, have you tried going through Grapevine on 114 on weekends? That construction project is going to make a mess for months. Or is it years?
- Movies that look dumb: Grown Ups and Knight and Day. Movie that has received tremendous reviews from everyone: Toy Story 3. (I've never seen the first two.)
- I don't mind Obama calling Gen. McChrystal on the carpet for comments he made to Rolling Stone. I'm just not sure it should be such a public rebuke.
- I'm not sure I've ever known of anyone who had a subscription to Rolling Stone.
- Another thing I recorded last night that is getting rave reviews: ESPN's 30 on 30 about Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar and the cartel's connection to the Colombian World Cup Team in the 1980s.
- I dread seeing my electric bill this month. And my water bill.
- I know you guy's don't care about soccer, but the Nigerian guy who missed a goal at point blank range yesterday was epically funny.
- Somebody email me or send me a comment I won't publish telling me what happened to Lance Costner, 52, formerly of Bridgeport, who is listed in the Messenger's obituaries this week.
- How in the world did this weekend's crash that killed three in Wise County not make the local metroplex news?
- Crazy Fort Worth Walmart story: Guy tries to steal TV, employee tries to stop him, employee ends up hitting his head on the ground and dies.
- If a 13 year old cannot legally consent to sex, can she be prosecuted for prostitution when she solicits an undercover cop? Goofy question? Well, the Texas Supreme Court decided that issue last week.
6.22.2010
Well, That Settles It: We Need A Speedo Woman
If you've watched TV over the last few years, you may have heard of "The Naked Cowboy" who roams Times Square entertaining for tips. Well, this story breaks today that the above pictured "The Naked Cowgirl" is infringing on his turf and he is none to please. (Click on that link just to see the additional picture of her).
But I got to thinking, Decatur has "Speedo Man" and he hasn't had any competition for years. (And I've had a few confirmed sightings of him out there this summer.) Come on, ladies, step up. I'll make you part of my banner.
This Keeps Getting Worse
The Update now has the names of those killed and injured in the big wreck yesterday. Those dead were all 20 and under.
I noticed that the young girl was listed in the "funerals" section of the Update this morning but they didn't make the connection at the time.
Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts
- Let's see, can you pick out the hottest judge on the Texas Supreme Court? Hey, now.
- I recorded last night, but haven't watched, Gasland on HBO which I think is a documentary on natural gas drilling. It's been getting lots of press.
- That son of the Dallas Police Chief who killed two people over the weekend sounds like he was one disturbed individual. (He ended up killing an innocent guy and then killing the cop who was the first responder.)
- And Fox 4 said last night that someone at the apartment complex took a cell phone pic of the first guy that was murdered and uploaded it to the Internet. That's beyond ghoulish.
- Being know as the police chief whose son was a "cop killer" isn't exactly an enviable position.
- This heat isn't as intense as the Summer of 1980, but its got some similarities right now.
- Holy cow, I just saw the photo of the car that was occupied by the now three dead individuals in last night's Wise County crash. (Scroll down on Update.)
- But in the description of the story at the top of the Update, the word "cranium" seems like an odd use of the word.
- After listening to Greg "The Hammer" Williams return to radio on The Fan for the last handful of weeks, it sounds like he's going to be all right. (But what's with that late afternoon show? Sounds like a couple of guys from Philly who just say stupid things to rile people up.)
- I always buy little tomatoes that are packaged in a red mesh. In an undisclosed grocery store not in Wise County yesterday, I picked one up which also had packaged within it a dead baby mouse. Yep. Dead. Baby. Mouse. (I'm pretty sure it was not on the list of ingredients.) In order to avoid seeing some housewife scream bloody murder, I took it to a clerk and told him he might want to get rid of it. He wasn't as shocked to see it as I was which make me thinks those guys see a lot of weird things.
- I took a picture of it.
- Channel 8's Cynthia Izaguirre's nose ran into a garage door that is keeping here temporarily off the air.
- Crazy thing about World Cup soccer injuries: They immediately run two guys onto the field with a stretcher who plop the injured player (or faker) on there and run him off. It's very Benny Hill.
- I've had lots of clients over the last year that were out of work due to the oil field going bust. But I've noticed more than one tell me they'll be going to work in Pennsylvania where drilling is booming. Pennsylvania?
- According to the Dallas Morning News twitter feed, they are about to report on a 9 month old that was seriously injured last night while riding a motorcycle driven by a 12 year old. Good grief. Edit: Wow. They retracted it. No serious injury and no infant.
- If I don't get an "A" for this golden Random Thoughts edition from commenter/grader/mystery man "Jim", I'm filing a protest.
The Most Emotional 180 Video
All right, everyone listen to me. This video starts out as the cutest thing in the world between a baby deer, a cat, and then the momma deer. BUT, and I'm serious here, there is some serious animal violence beginning at the 1:00 mark. DO NOT WATCH IT, if you are a domesticated animal lover. You've been warned. I'm not joking around. (So don't come back and yell at me if you click on the link and go to youtube to see it.)
But it's one of the darnedest thing I've ever seen.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but I think I just killed your mother."
Well, that's about the most chilling thing I've read in a while. (Story.)
Random Monday Morning Thoughts
- Dallas just got a new police chief and now his son is dead, killed in a shootout involving a now dead Lancaster police officer. Now that's crazy.
- A guy, Barry Peterson, was on CNN this morning talking about his book documenting his wife's battle with Alzheimer's. Man, what a heart breaking way to start my day. "It's like saying goodbye all over again every day."
- TCU killed Florida State this weekend in the College World Series. They play UCLA tonight at 8:00 p.m.
- My right hand has strangely cramped up about three times over the last week while driving.
- Summer officially started at around 6:30 a.m. this morning. And that makes this the longest day of the year.
- WBAP's Mark Davis is on vacation in Rome and just twitpic'd a photo of himself and LL Cool J who he ran into.
- I did know the Family Ties parents (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter) were both born on the same day. They both turn 63 today.
- I finally watched the two part episode of The Office where Jim and Pam got married. You know, that was fantastic.
- And we watched it by hooking up the computer to the television and watching it off Hulu. Why has it taken me so long to figure out you could do that?It worked like a charm.
- Miley Cyrus is still running wild.
- I had a heck of a weekend.
- Youtube has added a video editing feature.
6.20.2010
Ultra Light Plane Crashes In Wise County On Sunday Morning
Who in their right mind would ever get into one of those things any way?