Messenger Crime Reports

I'm not sure which is more important: Lesbian bigamy or road rage via the mail. I'll have to think about that for a while.

As I Await An MIA Geek Squad Team To Install A TV

College football edition.

Rah, Rah, TCU.

Almost.

TCU probably needed two things to happen to make it to the National Championship Game: There needed/needs to be a two losses from the threesome of Oregon, Auburn, and Boise State.  The day game yesterday included Alabama jumping up to a 24-0 lead over Auburn which only led to a dramatic comeback in the second half by Auburn for the win. Bad for TCU.  And then in the nightcapper (where I've just seen the highlights of a kicker that will be haunted for the rest of his life), Boise State loses to Nevada in a crazy game. Good for TCU.

That leaves TCU at #3 with Oregon playing Oregon State next week and Auburn facing South Carolina in the SEC Championship game.

So close. Is Jarhead still drunk?

And this is why I've never been a big proponent for a playoff in college football. Every week is a playoff game.

Now where's the Geek Squad? I'm trying to take the misses to Abilene (her alma mater) v. Southlake at the Death Star.

Kind Of Random Still-On-A-Holiday Thoughts

• We'll save the Random Girl because I just noticed this photo published by the Star-Telegram's twitter feed at 5:45 a.m. It was labeled as the "Target in Hurst". No way I'd do that.
• I dare you to go through the day without hearing the term, "Black Friday."
• I would have bet the house that the Longhorns would have more than five wins. Don't bet on sports, kids.
• Headline confusion: Does Coach Mack Brown have the trust of the president and AD, or does he just have the trust of the president with the AD now to make coaching personnel decisions. Story. 
• And it was only poetic that an hour before the Aggies began their beating of UT, former Longhorn Roy Williams fumbled the Cowboys game away. (Great pic of it.)
• The Today Show started off with five minute interview with the CEO of Best Buy, and it sure sounded like a paid commercial buried as news. And wouldn't Best Buy pay big bucks for that?
• Mrs. LL, who can't grab a dog leash due to her wrist injury, has taken to walking by strapping the leash to one of her belt loops. It got funnier last night when she walked two dogs that way. 
• Funny conversation at our dinner table between someone who asked about the availability of Ranch dressing and someone who thought the question was "Do you have a ranch." 
• North and South Korea are banging their war drums so we send an aircraft carrier over there to make sure we're right in the middle of it. Great. 
• Makes me contemplative: In the middle of the Turkey Trot, despite feeling as good as I have ever had while running it, I began to think of how much longer my body will allow me to do it. I'm enjoying the moments more than anticipating the future more and more these days.
• It's easier to load up myself to go to Thanksgiving Dinner than a family that has to take half the house with them. 
• I've been up an hour and have yet to see, or be harassed by, the Family Cat. Sumtin's up. 
• And now your belated Random Thought girl. 

NBC 5's Kim Fischer

Turkey Trot Preview

It's 5:15 and 72 degrees in Dallas right now.  Mr. Weatherman tells me the front is just nearing Denton with an expected arrival time in the metroplex around 7:00.

The race begins at 9:00. Oh, my.

Edit: Success. I finished the 8 mile course just a tad bit slower than last year but feeling really, really good.  The weather really wasn't that bad although Mile 6 over the Trinity River Viaduct was not exactly ideal conditions.

And I'm not sure what App that is that shows the temperatures in green -- I stole the image from Bud Kennedy's Facebook page. For some reason he was up before 6:00 on Thanksgiving morn.

Happy Thanksgiving

As I got all grumpy because of some plastic hinges popping on the front of the Chrysler 300 causing the front grill to drop three inches today, it dawned on me that if that's the worst thing that happens this year/this week/or day, I might just want to give thanks for that.

While jogging in Arkansas last month, I looked up to see an obvious cancer patient, who couldn't have been out of his teens, hug someone in a driveway as he walked them out to the car.   Earlier this week, while doing an unusual jog while school buses are coming and going, I saw a caring bus driver assist a wheelchair bound student, who also wore protective headgear, into a specially equipped bus. I sometimes feel wrong when the tragedies of others remind me of all that I have to be thankful for, but sometimes I need a good slap in the face to remind me. And for that, I'm thankful.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Man, we're are about to have one strange 24 hour weather period. 83 degrees today followed by a high in the 40s tomorrow.
• I've already seen the obligatory news guy broadcasting from DFW Airport because of the mislabeled "busiest travel day of the year."
• And in two days I'll see the obligatory news guy broadcasting from a local mall because of the mislabeled "busiest shopping day of the year."
• Had three Seventh Graders in the house for a sleepover last night. Last time I checked they were dressing up and going from room to room shooting scenes for "their new movie."
• The "angels of justice" are being removed from one Tarrant County courthouse so they can be moved to a new one. I've practiced law for almost 25 years and not once have I have ever heard about those figures. (Maybe because they seem to rarely make a meaningful appearance in real life.)
• I'll sit down to watch Auburn v. Alabama on Friday with more anticipation than I will for any NFL game. (And the same can be said about UT/A&M and OU/OSU).
• Funny local fantasy football bit for those that play: Our buddy Thomas up at the courthouse lost this week by less than one point. And get this: His kicker came in with 0: No extra points and no field goals.
• Motorcycle death of Springtown woman in Palo Pinto County.
• I ran to the grocery store last night to pick up junk for the house full of girls (chicken wings and pizza? Really?)  Did you know lots of people go to the grocery store before Thanksgiving? Beat. Down.
• Strangest image ever captured in Germany by Google Streetview. That'll be me going crazy because of my cat before all is said and done. 
• Man, there are some some beautiful Fall trees out there right now. 
• Josh Hamilton, who won American League MVP yesterday, sounds like his brain is fried from all those drug years.
• If I were flying today, I'd hope everyone took part in the "opt out" protest so I could speed right through the full body scan.  How this has become so newsworthy is beyond me. 
• During my jog yesterday, I saw the cutest little girl on a small bridge holding the cutest little fishing pole. She was being watched over by grandma who was holding a cigarette and a Coors light. 
• Baylor's female basketball player Britney Griner is a beast. Last night, barely into her sophomore year, she set the school's career  block record while scoring 27 points (and she only played one half). And while waiting on Mrs. LL in the doctor's office yesterday, I saw where Sports Illustrated picked the Lady Bears to win the whole thing. I'll take small joys where I can get them. 
• My continued personal war against Mike Huckabee continues. He just ended his radio show with the following after announcing that the date for the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abby had been set: "And if you wonder how they could have booked such a fabulous location on such short notice, well, [insert pause] I hear they know somebody." Then he signed off like he just fired off the zinger of the century.
• Edit: Oh, yeah - "And Another."

Continuing With The Thanksgiving Theme

Bacon Bikinis

Meet The Wife Of A Man With No Spine

This crazy lady thinks it is a good idea to set up shop outside of a Best Buy on Tuesday so she can be first in line for Black Friday? Really? It's that important to save a couple of hundred bucks that you'll sleep in a tent on concrete through a holiday that Pilgrims and Indians fought so hard against the British to preserve*?

But I don't blame her. Women are crazy. We all know that.  I blame whoever was crazy enough to marry this girl in the first place. Hey, Mister: You need to get control of your scene. Get down there now, rip down that tent, tell her to go have a seat in the Family Truckster and take her looney bin brain home.  And once there, you might want to instruct her to make you a chicken pot pie to send a message that the rules of the house have changed.

Heck, you guys were right. Obama is killing this country.

___________
*Look it up. It was right after the Sacred Battle For Halloween.

Forgot To Mention That The Black Eyed Peas Were Confirmed As Halftime Super Bowl Performers In Arlington

Not From Wise County

And, as I type this, it dawned on me that I have no idea who is performing at the Cowboys' halftime on Thursday.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Watched a tad bit of the replay of the Aggie/Nebraska game on an obscure show called "Crunch Time."  I'll give it to the Aggies: That crowd looked incredibly impressive on TV.
• I had a Taco Bell beating last night (not in Decatur). Was warned the wait would be 15 minutes (it was) and then when I got home I found out the order was screwed up. Then I wasted another 15 minutes on its horrible web site trying to determine what was supposed to be in a #5 combo meal. 
• I loved this (paraphrased) quote over how sex will earn a movie an NC-17 rating in America but violence never will:: Flesh is OK so long as bullets are ripping through it.
• There's a water park opening in Roanoke?
• I'm a huge Fourth Amendment nut, but the TSA searches really don't bug me at all. So long as I know the scope of the search (body scan) and when it will occur (the moment I try to get into the gate), I don't care if it is intrusive. I just want it done quickly.
• And it seems the Far Right is screaming more about the TSA than anyone else? Since when do they care about civil rights? Aren't they the first to say, "You shouldn't have anything to hide" when it comes to search and seizure issues?
• You guys realize that John Wayne was an actor, right?
• Fat chicks in a mosh pit. You shouldn't watch it because of the language in the music and because the video will burn your eyes.
• The 7th grader in the house lost her phone (again!!!!) last night, but Mrs. LL had subscribed to some online locater service for it. So we fire it up on the Internet and a satellite image tells shows us the phone is in the front yard in a house down the street. Really? Then it dawns on me that was exactly  where she was making a snow angel in leaves while we were walking about an hour earlier. We scurry down the street and, sure enough, the phone is in the yard. That, my friends, is amazing technology.
• Finally. Finally. Mrs. LL is having that electro-thingamachig test on her wrists this afternoon. If you think private insurance is bad, try dealing with the worker's comp system.
• Sport Quick Hits: (1) The Vikings fire their head coach when the only thing different from last year is that Brett Favre, who has become the biggest drama queen ever, is awful, (2) Former OU center Blake Griffin is a beast with the Clippers, (3) Weirdest dream last night: It involved Detroit tackle Ndamukong Suh, (4) Wade Phillips said he went out "with the same winning percentage as Tom Landry" proving, once again, he is oblivious to reality, (5) When an NFL player gets fined, is it still considered to be "earned income" that he has to pay taxes on? That would be a double whammy. (6) The Cowboys come back to reality over the next three weeks. (7) That Nike guru is giving the University of Oregon $41 million to build a football headquarters.
• Sign of the Apocalypse: It is 22 degrees in Seattle this morning and North and South Korea are exchanging bombs on an island. The latter, quite frankly, might be of greater significance. 
• Miley Cyrus turns 18 today.  Get ready for a Britney-like meltdown over the next four years. 

More Wise County Confusion

This goat, with Clark Gable eyes, was up at the courthouse this morning.

Just another day.

My Head Just Exploded

11 kids? That's not the half of it: They were with seven different women.  That's the shocking point? Nope, the dead guy was a known drug dealer. So is that worthy of a blog post? Only if at his funeral he was propped up beforehand behind the wheel of his Chrysler 300* -- now that gets you a post! (The story with a video providing funeral proof is here).
______
* Truly faithful readers will recall that I, too, purchased a 300 only a couple of months ago.  Looks like Liberally Lean has got him some street cred. Word.

Horrifying

In Honor Of Thanksgiving Weed -- Edit: Uh, "Week" (That was kind of funny, though)

It's two minutes of silliness which is oddly fascinating.

And it kind of reminds me of one of those goofy pre-game rally talks by the Cowboys' Keith Brooking.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• According to the Messenger, a Newark city council member, upset at the potential recall petition and the allegations that have swirled around it, stood up and broke out in song in her defense at the last council meeting. Sounds normal. 
• Jon Kitna's 29 yard TD run yesterday tied Roger Staubach's Cowboy record.  Couldn't he have fallen down at the 1? (And if anyone has a link to the video of Roger's run, I'd love to see it.)
• The Star-Telegram has started a short series focusing on a Keller man who lost his job in his late 40s. Chilling. Edit: Part II released this morning (which isn't near as good.)
• Tweet from a Wise County church yesterday morning: "If you are discontent with life or what you have, join us . . . ." What you have?
• A "Jeers" from the ST's "Cheers and Jeers": "To the fan at the TCU-Utah game whose sign read '2 things I hate: Texas and Christians.' - Martha Fikes, Fort Worth."
• I'm going to kill the Family cat. Who said kittens were adorable? All it does is tear up everything it can get its paws on. I can't wait until that thing turns into a grumpy old pretentious cat. 
• I'm apathetic to everything John Wayne, but the remake of True Grit looks fantastic.
• Despite the flags, there are more helmet-to-helmet hits than ever before. Someone crazily suggested that if faceguards were removed, then football would be played more like it was intended (Hey, that's kind of like a Tea Party football argument.)  And, yep, it's crazy but that's exactly right. 
• A bunch of local hot media gals on a bed before Saturday's "Margarita Ball" in Dallas. Wait, what?
• And another one from the party. I wonder if NBC 5's Kim Fischer will wear that dress at the next high school pep rally?
• Idiocracy: Justin Beiber winning a bunch of American Music Awards last night.
• Still hawt: Christina Aguilera at the AMAs.
• My turkey trot run in Dallas is looking a little crazy: There's a major front blowing through and, as of now, it looks like it will hit that morning. Running in cold weather can be fun. Running in cold 30 mph winds is not. 
• The world's most disturbing book-in photo. (And I'm not joking.)
• Football craziness: A report circulated last night that Nebraska's stud QB Taylor Martinez had quit the team because of his crazy coach. (Video of the sideline incident included in link.) 
• Weird: Two people have accidentally fallen to their deaths at a high rise downtown Dallas apartment building.

That Aggie Should Work For The TSA

Good grief.

And that was some (justifiably) violent kicking that the Nebraska player issued in return.

Edit: But the biggest cheap shot came from Oakland's Richard Seymour attacking (and that's the right word), the Steeler's Ben Roethlisberger.  (I'll find the video, but turn on the NFL and you'll see it pretty quickly.)

I'm Calling The Messenger Out On This One

Some company sets up shop in a local Decatur hotel (dicey proposition?) and offers to pay cash for your rare coins (dicey proposition again?) Ok, they may be legitimate. Who knows. But they were also willing to spend big bucks for a two page ad in the Messenger in today's edition. I don't blame the Messenger for printing it. If they wanted to throw money at me, I'd give them a banner ad if the price was right. (Psst. Call me.)

But what I wouldn't do is promote the company as legitimate news in the "Business Section" of the paper which conveniently followed their two page paid ad. There was not one critical or cautious thing said about the process, and it even referenced how one of the customers came in after seeing the ad in the Messenger. I've been a supporter of "the local paper" for years but, journalistically, you simply can't do that.

Looking Around For Funny Wise County Crime Reports But . . .

. . . came across this.

That ought to be it's own story instead of blurb, right?