Wise County Craziness In Parker County

More.

Friday Afternoon Pick Me Up. Literally.

Two Unrelated Headlines That Just Got My Attention

The Evil Empire and the World Wide Leader are joined in Unholy Matrimony.  The rich get richer:

The Liberal Media suspends someone for being liberal. He's suspended for donating to three Democratic candidates. Really? I assumed Hannity and Rush donated to Republicans:

Mom Dresses Son As Daphne From Scooby Doo For Halloween

And he would've gotten away with it but for those meddling moms.

So a few weeks before Halloween, Boo decides he wants to be Daphne from Scooby Doo, along with his best friend E. He had dressed as Scooby a couple of years ago.  I was hesitant to make the purchase, not because it was a cross gendered situation, but because 5 year olds have a tendency to change their minds. After requesting a couple of more times, I said sure and placed the order. He flipped out when it arrived. It was perfect.

Then as we got closer to the actual day, he stared to hem and haw about it. After some discussion it comes out that he is afraid people will laugh at him. I pointed out that some people will because it is a cute and clever costume. He insists their laughter would be of the ‘making fun’ kind. I blow it off. Seriously, who would make fun of a child in costume?

And then the big day arrives. We get dressed up. We drop Squirt at his preschool and head over to his. Boo doesn’t want to get out of the car. He’s afraid of what people will say and do to him. I convince him to go inside. He halts at the door. He’s visibly nervous. I chalk it up to him being a bit of a worrier in general. Seriously, WHO WOULD MAKE FUN OF A CHILD IN A  COSTUME ON HALLOWEEN? So he walks in. And there were several friends of mine that knew what he was wearing that smiled and waved and gave him high-fives. We walk down the hall to where his classroom is.

And that’s where things went wrong. Two mothers went wide-eyed and made faces as if they smelled decomp. And I realize that my son is seeing the same thing I am. So I say, “Doesn’t he look great?” And Mom A says in disgust, “Did he ask to be that?!” I say that he sure did as Halloween is the time of year that you can be whatever it is that you want to be. They continue with their nosy, probing questions as to how that was an option and didn’t I try to talk him out of it. Mom B mostly just stood there in shock  and dismay.

And then Mom C approaches. She had been in the main room, saw us walk in, and followed us down the hall to let me know her thoughts. And they were that I should never have ‘allowed’ this and thank God it wasn’t next year when he was in Kindergarten since I would have had to put my foot down and ‘forbidden’ it. To which I calmly replied that I would do no such thing and couldn’t imagine what she was talking about. She continued on and on about how mean children could be and how he would be ridiculed.

My response to that: The only people that seem to have a problem with it is their mothers.

(More of the post)

Why is Rick Perry Not Approved Of By The Tea Party?

This post prompted by the comments below today's "Random Thoughts".  Rick Perry is not liked by the Tea Party because he doesn't represent its values? Really?   His anti-federal government, anti-big government, anti-tax, pro-10th Amendment is exactly what the Tea Party stands for.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Still a big fan of Modern Family. (And I've learned how some shows throw out tons of adult humor which is just subtle enough to go over a 12 year old's head. Barely.) 
• I'm beginning to like Satellite Radio. (Although the stations I like have commercials.)
• Two plane crashes overnight: 22 dead in Pakistan, 68 dead in Cuba. (Oh, and add 50 more dead in Pakistan due to a Taliban suicide bomber.) 
• Even though I'm not a gamer, this Kinect attachment to the Xbox looks fantastic. It works like a Wii, but recognizes your body motion without you having to hold a controller. It even recognizes your face when you walk into a room. 
• I've yet to turn on my home heater. Tonight may be the night. 
• I bet Rick Perry is positioning himself as a vice-presidential candidate. Now that makes sense. He'd be perfect to appease the Tea Partiers. 
• Taylor Swift's new album sells over a million in its first week and, get this, there are 10 songs off the album that are currently in Billboard's Hot 100. That used to be impossible because the record company would  "release" each single one at a time. Now the online public decides which tune is worthy of being a single. 
• I think I've become compulsive obsessive when it comes to a dirty floor. I'm now a sweeping and vacuuming fool. 
• The biggest college football game this weekend is TCU/Utah and it's on some channel called CBS College Sports? I so want to discount TCU but what they did to 7-2 Baylor continues to make me shake my head. 
• Mrs. LL got so mad at the Sprint store that she came home with tears in her eyes last night. I'd never seen that before. (But she got a new phone after everything was said, cried and done.)
• Unemployment news this morning: The national rate stands at 9.6% but the private sector added 159,000 new jobs (the most in five months). I think this thing is finally turning the corner. 
• Remember the Fainting Kittens video? Well someone has tricked it up by adding animated laser beams. 
• Mick Jagger's daughter is hot with the exception of her Mick Jagger mouth. 
• The crazy girl dancing at Cowboys Stadium that was referenced yesterday? Turns out she is a sophomore at East Carolina University and was in town for the weekend. 

Now One For The Old-Timers

Look familiar? Ruben Kincaid will not be happy about this.

Story behind the book-in photo.

Hey, Now

I never thought I'd post a picture of the producer of the Mark Davis Show.


Why are women in radio strangely hawt all the time? Remember Sybil?

Crimes Of The Week

(Thanks Christine)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I dreamed I killed the Family Cat (in the most violent of ways) and this morning, for the first time, he didn't come running when I came down the stairs. He finally appeared about twenty minutes later much to my relief.
• Had dog/cat/wife chaos yesterday morning. I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but I've never heard so much barking, screeching, running, yelling and crashing in all my life. I was scared to look down there. 
• Tarrant County has a guy that has been on death row for over 20 years. You really don't see that much any more. 
• Rick Perry was on Fox & Friends this morning pimping his new book. Get that man off my TV! Edit: He was on The Today Show, too.
• This girl soooo got kicked out of Cowboys Stadium. 
• I get amused by people who have no idea how they are uniformly perceived by others. 
• Guy dresses as Breathalyzer for Halloween and then gets busted for DWI.
• The new Speaker of the House was saying yesterday that his first priority is to "repeal Obamacare." Uh, you might want to check with the Democratic controlled Senate and that veto powered President first. More pandering. 
• More than 20 tons of pot was seized and an underground tunnel discovered near San Diego. That's not a big deal. A guy on WBAP this morning actually said, "Once we beat that drug issue, we won't have problems like that."
• Finally tally for straight ticket voting in Wise County: 57%.  I. Am. Speechless.
• My job is 100% the product of big government. But with the exception of the rare court appointment, it never pays me anything. Considering all of the products and services it buys, I bet it's responsible for a mind boggling number of private sector jobs. 
• One of the most screwed up bureaucracies is DPS' driver's license division. Just try calling Austin to get a straight answer. 
• I listen to podcasts when I jog and rarely listen to music. 
• Funny reference about Jerry Jones being the saddest person that the Rangers lost: "Now the DFW crowd looks over its shoulder at the Cowboys as they pick up their pitchforks and torches." 

Another Wedding Entrance Video

It's not as good as the famous one, but it's not bad. Not sure if it will become viral, but it's a nice change of pace from make-my-brain-hurt-political-talk.

More Political Stuff

Cool interactive map here.

Red is Republican district. Blue is Democrat district. Maroon is a new Republican district after last night. (And the one district down there that includes Padre Island is still undecided -- I'm not sure who held it before last night.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts - Election Edition

• No African Americans will be in the U.S. Senate next year.
• If you listened to Rick Perry's acceptance speech, you would have had no idea if he had won a state or national position. He can deny wanting to run for president all he wants, but it sure sounds like it. 
• In bashing the federal government (again and again) during that speech, he said that in Texas "we don't spend all your money!" Uh, don't we have a massive state deficit?
• He even promoted his new book, "Fed Up" during his acceptance speech. Shameless.
• But he never mentioned Bill White in that speech. (I think.). If so, classless.
• Wise County's breakdown for governor: Perry carried 8,969 to 3,102.
• Saddest moment for the Republicans last night: Harry Reid won re-election.
• Proudest moment for the Republicans: Nancy Pelosi losing the Speaker's job.
• I'll say it again: I support gridlock. 
• Of the 216,000 early votes cast in Dallas County, 70% were straight ticket. Idiocracy.
• Of the 12,667 votes in Wise County, 6,013 were straight ticket Republican. 
• There's a reason politicians pander to the masses. It works. 
• Shocking: It looks like Incumbent Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski will win re-election as a write-in. (She lost in the primary to a Tea Party candidate.) But it looks like she'll win win less than 100,000 votes. You can win a statewide office in Alaska with less than a 100,000?
• Former Bridgeport resident Allen Vaught lost his re-election bid for the Texas House. 
• The goofballs on Fox this morning kept slipping up and saying "we" when referring to the Republicans. I don't mind that, I just want them to admit the obvious. 
• WBAP's Hal Jay referred to himself as a "registered Republican". I'm unfamiliar with registering in Texas. 
• Changing subjects: Two more animated criminal defense lawyer cartoons. One deals with being a public defender and dealing with an unreasonable court appointed client. Funny.

Election Night Open Thread

I should have thought about this sooner.

GOP going to gain the House? The Senate (not a chance)?

Is the Tea Party going to slap us back to old school values?

The Republican wave going to take over Dallas County and send DA Watkins packing? Edit: Early voting showed Straight Ticket Democrats with 52% to the Republicans 48%. That's all you need to know. (And a glimpse into the future of the country as the demographics continue to change.) Double edit: Sheesh, when I got down to the actual votes,  Watkins was trailing (but by less than 1%). Triple edit @ 9:47: Man, the now Democratic Dallas County vs. the Anti-Obama turnout is making the DA's race and every judge's race neck and neck with about 70% of the vote in.

Wise County, uh, JP race? Early voting: Mandy Hopkins Hays (472) Ken Murray (140)
-Alcohol votes? Early voting (with the smallest sample in the history of ever): Chico liquor sales: For (7) Against (8). Paradise liquor sales: For (3) Against (9)

Edit: Final vote in Chico: For - 103. Against - 72.
Edit: Final vote in Paradise: For - 37. Against - 46.
(Just as I predicted this morning.)

Edit: For the record. Fox News projected that the Republicans had gained control of the Sentate at 8:13 p.m. Then they turned to Sarah Palin who called it an "earthquake." 

Remember That Crazy "Zoom In" High Def Pic From The Ranger Game?

Well, MLB has put one up for Game Four and Game Five of the World Series.

F Bomb Reaction

Somebody forgot to edit out an F Bomb (but I honestly couldn't hear it). The funny part is the reporter's reaction.

Sell! Sell! No! Buy! Buy!

Headline confusion.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The San Francisco Giants are kind of hard to dislike.
• I'll probably regret not going to one of the World Series games. It may not come back here for another 40 years. (This after a buddy of mine up at the courthouse had this same discussion, he then runs out and buys a single ticket, and texts me a photo from the game last night.)
• I predict Cliff Lee won't re-sign here. He used the word "they" a whole lot when referring to the Rangers in his post game press conference.
• After Nelson Cruz's homer last night, the Second Grader said, "At least we have a point." Mrs. LL looked at her and said, "It's called a run" and then she looked at me expecting a big Sports Approval Nod. She got it. 
• Pitchers and catchers report in 105 days. 
• Doesn't that Rangers "Western Division Champions" t-shirt seem a little cheesy now?
• I'm not sure what happened in the district court yesterday morning. I saw a jury panel being dismissed, and a guy in civilian clothes in handcuffs in the nearby conference room. I'm guessing a last second plea. 
• Kim Kardashian's Halloween cat outfit. 
• Paris Hilton's Halloween Indian outfit.
• Did it seem like the sun failed to come up on time this morning.  It was dark. 
• The absolute worst start to a newscast in the history of ever. Funny.
• Man, Fox News is giddy about this being election day. I bet that most of you are, too.
• Chico and Paradise vote on alcohol sales. Hmm. Chico votes for it. Paradise votes against it. At least according to my early exit polling. 
• Stopped by my cleaners yesterday to find out the landlord had changed the locks. I'm glad I was dropping off and not picking up. 
• Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson yesterday in Dallas, told the Republican crowd that they are “liberty-loving, gun-owning, God-fearing, socialism-hating, anti-big government, hard working, oil- and gas-drilling, Texas Republicans who are better for it, not bitter about it.” Good grief.
• Star-Telegram Halloween party pics from this weekend. (I like the Robert Palmer "Addicted to Love" get up, and there are a few "hey, nows" in there.)
• Bridgeport's Colin Jones had a 30 yard interception return for a TD as TCU beat UNLV on Saturday.
• Upper deck tickets for the Cowboy game on Sunday were $12. They were horrible seats, but that's a shocking price.

Oh, My

PHILADELPHIA (WABC) -- Police say an elderly woman from Wilmington, Delaware has been interviewed by investigators for driving the wrong way on Interstate 95 in suburban Philadelphia, leading to a number of crashes.

The woman, an 84-year-old, was interviewed at her home, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. They say charges are pending.

It was jarring to watch as the driver, and she may not have even have realized she was going north in one of the southbound lanes on I-95. (More.)

That Gal's Intense

Crime Report

Aunt Edna from Vacation?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• For the first time in years, I handed candy out last night for Trick or Treaters. There are some pretty cute kids out there.
• Then again, when the teenagers team up if feels like Gangs of New York.
• Did a double take when I looked up and saw the Family Puppy in a Lady GaGa wig.
• I actually dressed up in costumes on both Friday and Saturday. Too. Much.  Halloween seems to have transitioned to a pretty big holiday. 
• It's November and the Rangers are still playing. Although they might play just one more game. Can they buy a hit?
• I was strangely satisfied just to get to the World Series.
• I hardly watched any of the Cowboys game. Wade's going to get fired, but it won't be during the season.
• There's nothing that powers me down more than to hear, "Jerry Jones the owner needs to fire Jerry Jones the general manager."
• I had the joy of running to the grocery store at 5:00 a.m. this morning. Milk was needed. Not a lot going on in a grocery store at that time. 
• Huge fight in San Franscico McDonalds that goes on and on and on. 
• At least 52 dead in Iraq.
• Heard one political ad referring to a Texas politician as not only a "liberal" but an "Obama-Pelosi liberal." 
• Man, there were a bunch of people at the Jon Steward/Stephen Colbert rally this weekend. At one point they had Cat Stevens perform "Peace Train", Ozzy Osborn sing "Crazy Train" and the O'Jays sing "Love Train." Funny.
• College football: If Alabama wins out, they will leap over a no loss TCU team. 

Sweet

I really don't know the story behind this pic, but I was browsing around the Bridgeport ISD Facebook page when I came across it.

Love it.

For You Journey Fans Out There

I'm not a music guy. At all. But in my younger days I was a huge Journey fan. It's the only band I paid to go see three times in Reunion Arena.

The band's lead singer, Steve Perry, was at the World Series and can be seen at about the 1:00 minute mark singing along with "Don't Stop Believing". The second part of the video catches him on the big screen singing "Lights."

Good times. I'm getting all nostalgic up in here.